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Instructor Quick GuideFall 2024


Dear Course Instructors,

We hope you enjoyed your summer and are looking forward to the new academic year. We are sharing some notes and resources to help you prepare for the fall semester.

If you have further questions or concerns about ECAS policies or best practices, please email oue.facultysupport@emory.edu.

Warm regards, Cora MacBeth & Jason Ciejka

Important Dates

OUE has compiled a list of important dates for faculty, and some key academic deadlines are mentioned below. Please keep in mind that election day falls on November 5 this semester, and you may wish to avoid scheduling major exams or deadlines close to that date.

Add/Drop/Swap

Add/Drop/Swap ends on September 11, but students may also petition to drop classes without penalty through October 1. Students who register for classes during add/drop/swap should not be penalized for missing classes before the point at which they enroll; however, it is their responsibility to make up any missed work.

Mid-Semester Grades

Faculty teaching 100- and 200-level courses should submit any low overall course grades (C minus and below or unsatisfactory) at the mid-point of the semester. Mid-semester grade rosters will be available in OPUS from October 11 to October 22.

Course Withdrawal Deadline

The deadline for course withdrawals and changes to the grading option (letter-graded vs. satisfactory/unsatisfactory) is October 30. Beginning this fall semester, Emory College no longer offers a later extended withdrawal deadline for new students.

Final Exam Schedule and Policy

The final exam schedule for fall 2024 is posted on the Registrar’s website. Faculty holding final exams must adhere to the schedule as well as Emory College’s policy on Final Exams and the Exam Period, which prohibits any tests (whether they are considered finals or not) from being administered in the last week of classes and the reading period. 

Grade Deadlines

Grades for graduating seniors and Oxford students in Emory College classes are due by 10am on December 19 (faculty with exams on the final day [December 18] may submit those grades by 10am on December 20). All remaining grades for non-graduating seniors are due on December 23 at 11:59pm.

Student Absences

Please note that the OUE does not excuse absences for short-term or routine illnesses. Students may choose to submit the student self-certification form for short-term absences, but completion of this form does not constitute an OUE excused absence. Handling student absences is part of classroom management, and the form is simply a way for students to notify instructors that they are ill and not attending. See Guidelines for faculty regarding student absences.

Religious Observances

According to the University’s Religious Accommodations policy, faculty are expected to make reasonable efforts to accommodate absences for religious observances and allow students to make-up missed work. Absences due to religious observance are considered excused absences and they should not be deducted from a limited or set number of allowable absences in a course. We encourage faculty to avoid scheduling major exams or assignments on days when many students are likely to have religious observances. 

Syllabi

All faculty must have syllabi for undergraduate courses posted to the Course Atlas. Please share your syllabus with staff in your department who will work with the Registrar to upload it.

Department of Accessibility Services

You may have students in your courses who require academic accommodations. Accommodation letters are posted in the Accommodate system, which can be accessed from the Faculty Resources section of the DAS website. DAS is offering a workshop, “The Fundamentals of Accommodation,” on August 22 from 10-11:30am. Register here.

Learning Design & Technology

Gradescope is available for use in all Emory College courses. This automated grading tool is integrated within Canvas and supports traditional bubble sheet tests as well as other quizzes and exams. More information about Gradescope, Panopto (Emory College’s lecture capture & video tool), and other ECAS-supported educational technologies, as well as course design consultations, is available on the Emory College Learning Design website. Pre-semester workshops covering these tools are being offered this week.

Additional Resources

Office for Undergraduate Education

The Faculty Resources tab on the Office for Undergraduate Education website includes important dates for the academic year, the syllabus add-on page, and links to various resources.

Campus Life Blue Folder

The Campus Life Blue Folder webpage includes student support resources across the University.

Student Concern Form

The Student Concern form is intended for instructors to notify university staff of both academic and non-academic concerns about a particular student.

Retention Alert Form

The Retention Alert form allows faculty to provide information about students who may be considering transferring, are struggling to fit in, or are facing other challenges that might prevent them from continuing at Emory.

Exam Proctoring Information

The Office for Undergraduate Education provides exam proctoring for students with DAS accommodations or students who have schedule conflicts for final exams. Details about accommodated exams are forthcoming, and all instructors will receive a message about this by the end of August. Please direct any questions to oue.testing@emory.edu.

Emory College Honor Council

Instructors are required to report any suspicion of academic misconduct to the Emory College Honor Council. The Undergraduate Academic Honor Code applies to all Emory College courses. Appendix IV of the Honor Code provides more clarity on the use of artificial intelligence, and all instructors should communicate the extent to which students may use artificial intelligence programs in their courses.

Undergraduate TA policy

The Undergraduate TA policy outlines the roles undergraduates are permitted to play as teaching assistants.