Faculty FAQs
How do I know who is enrolled in my class?
Your SPIRE roster contains the names of students officially registered for your class. On the first meeting day, please check carefully to be sure the Spire roster matches the faces sitting before you. Sorting out registration matters now will avoid much greater difficulty at grading time.
Where do I get my SPIRE roster?
All instructors have SPIRE access, through an account and password issued by OIT. (If you have lost or forgotten your account name and password, OIT staff in A107 Lederle will issue you a new one. Just be sure to bring along a valid ID.)
What if a student is listed on my roster but is not present in my class?
Make a note of students listed on your roster but missing from your class. E-mail the names and ID numbers of these “no-shows” to Roland Packard (rpackard@comcol.umass.edu) or submit them to him in 408 Goodell as soon as possible after your initial class. Roland will drop all unexcused no-shows from your roster.
What if a student is present in my class but not on my roster?
If any students are present in your class but missing from your roster, make sure they are in fact registered for your class (and not another). If they are not on your roster but wish to enter your class now, you may add them under two conditions: 1) you have space in your section, and 2) the students have met the pre-requisites for your DBC level.
If the students meet both requirements, submit their names—along with their student ID number (absolutely essential) and class year—to Roland Packard, again either by e-mail or in person. Please keep in mind: Sections of 191 and 291 is limited to 17 students; 391 sections are limited to 15. Do not over-enroll your section. Also, students wishing to enter 291D must have completed 191D and attained at least sophomore standing; students wishing to enter 391D must have completed 191D and 291D (or 291G) and have attained junior or senior standing. 191D is open to Commonwealth College students who’ve not previously taken a DBC seminar.
Again, how long do I have to submit adds and drops?
You must communicate all “adds” to Roland Packard before the add/drop period ends. You must communicate to Roland all “no-shows” (unless excused per the University’s absence policy) as soon as possible after your first class. (See University Academic Calendar for add/drop and other dates.)
How late in the semester can a student add my class?
By the second week of the semester, when Dean’s Book Course classes begin, all sections are taken “off line” to prevent students from changing sections or otherwise delaying their participation in the course. The Dean’s Book Course runs just seven weeks. Therefore, barring exceptional circumstances, students must be present at your first class meeting in order to enroll in your section.
How do I drop a student once the add/drop period is over?
Don’t worry about dropping a student after this point – there isn’t anything we can do, and it’s really up to the student to take care of this through his or her own academic advisor or dean. (The student may return with a departmental or university form for you to sign.)
Where do I park?
Parking Services has instituted an Occasional Parkers Program for temporary and part-time employees, which may reduce your parking costs. See their website for more information. Otherwise you may park in the campus center garage or a metered lot.
Can I make my own photocopies in Goodell?
If you do not have access to a photocopier, you may use the Commonwealth College copier in 504 Goodell (back office) weekdays between 9:00am and 5:00pm for any course-related work. The Dean’s Book Course copier code is 4213.
What if a student has extenuating circumstances (illness, death in the family, etc.) and must miss a class meeting?
While attendance is crucial to participation in the Dean’s Book Course and therefore a student’s grade in the course, extenuating circumstances may require a student to miss a class meeting. Whether an absence is “excused” or counted in calculating participation grades is largely a matter of the instructor’s own sound judgment and, if you think it warranted, proper documentation of the reason. Any student absent—whether the absence is “excused” or not—should meet with you upon his/her return to discuss assignments missed, class discussion, etc. Students who must miss more than one class should be encouraged to drop the course and enroll again the next semester. (See “Campus Policy on Class Absence for Religious Observances.”)
In the event that the university is closed because of snow or another unexpected event should a class make-up date be set?
Yes – though any student who has a previously scheduled engagement on the day of the make-up (job interview, work, etc.) must be allowed to miss. Tip: It would be wise not to make this exemption policy known to the students unless they approach you about it.
How can I reserve audio-visual equipment for student presentations?
Some sections are scheduled in AV smart classrooms. See the instructions on the use of AV Classroom equipment. To obtain a key to access equipment in AV Classrooms, contact Ginger Etinde in the Provost's Office by email (getinde@provost.umass.edu) or by phone at 413-545-5768.
Academic Instructional Media Services (AIMS) in 302 Goodell (545-5765) will deliver TVs, DVDs, VCRs, data projectors, video recording equipment, tape/CD players, etc., to other classrooms during regular daytime class hours. (No laptops are available through AIMS.) For evening classes, instructors may pick up equipment from AIMS before 4:30pm; equipment must be returned to AIMS by 9:00am the following morning.
If AIMS unable to provide equipment for you (often the case for PM classes), contact Roland Packard (rpackard@comcol.umass.edu or 545-0136), at least one day in advance, to reserve one of the college’s laptops and/or projectors.
How and when do I turn in my final grades?
Instructors enter their own grades directly through SPIRE at the end of the regular academic semester.
When do I distribute course evaluations?
Course evaluations will be distributed to you before the sixth meeting of your section. Evaluations should be completed by the students at the seventh class meeting.
As an instructor, you are not allowed to hand out or collect the student evaluations – please have a student volunteer distribute and then collect the evaluations. You cannot be present in the room while students are completing evaluations. Please emphasize to the student volunteer that he/she must return the envelope with completed evaluations (and any extras) to 504 Goodell within two days. Also please note that evaluations are required for all Commonwealth College classes.
Dean’s Book Contacts:
Alex Phillips, 577-4276, deansbook@comcol.umass.edu; Dean’s Book Course Assistant Director. Contact Alex for technical assistance and general academic and administrative questions.
Marcia Curtis: 577-3913, curtis@comcol.umass.edu; Dean’s Book Course Director; contact regarding course pedagogy, other academic and administrative questions including enrollment requirements and restrictions.
Jennifer Bennett: 577-3902, jdb@comcol.umass.edu. Contact Jennifer to reserve the Commonwealth College lounge or schedule a meeting with the dean.
Roland Packard: 545-0136, rpackard@comcol.umass.edu; add/drop requests, reserving TV/VCR in Commonwealth College lounge, reserving laptop/projector.
Course Website: http://www.comcol.umass.edu/dbc
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