New Faculty FAQ: IC Home : Kelley School of Business: Indiana University

Whether you are new to teaching or a veteran in the classroom, Indiana University offers much support for instructors in their teaching practice. Indiana University’s main website features a portal for teaching and learning topics with all kinds of information and resources for faculty. If you haven’t already done so, I urge you to visit the site and to become familiar with the resources there. One of the key resources available to your through the portal is the Teaching Handbook, which explains just about everything you need to know about teaching at IU, from what to do about academic dishonesty to how to create a syllabus. Also at the university level, Campus Instructional Consulting, administered through the Office of the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education, offers a broad range of support and consultation services for anyone who teaches at IU. Although Kelley faculty have their own dedicated instructional consultant (see below), the all-campus services are always available to you as well.

B. What support is available to me locally at the Kelley School of Business?

The Kelley School takes its teaching mission very seriously and expects excellence in the classroom. That commitment is made evidence each time national rankings appear, announcing Kelley’s teaching as top notch. To support excellence in teaching, Kelley maintains a full-time instructional consultant, Eric Metzler, who is available for consultations to anyone who teaches at Kelley, including part-time teachers. No question is too small, no project too large. To contact Eric, click here.

C. I’m new to teaching and have a specific question not answered here. Where do I go?

Whatever your teaching question, your first recourse should be Indiana University’s Teaching Handbook or Kelley’s Teaching Learning Library. If your question remains unanswered or if you wish to receive additional help, please contact Kelley’s instructional consultant, Eric Metzler who will happily answer your question or schedule a consultation with you.

D. Is there a rule of thumb for good teaching practice?

7 Principles of Good Teaching

Encourage faculty-student contact

Student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement.

Develop cooperation among students

Good learning is collaborative and social, not competive and isolated; it should be structured as a team effort.

Use active learning techniques

Students learn best when they talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experience, and apply it to their daily lives.

Give feedback promptly

Students need frequent opportunities to perform and receive suggestions for improvement.

Emphasize time on task

Time plus energy equals learning; be sure to structure class time so that students spend ample time on task.

Communicate high expectations

Expect more and you will get it; expecting students to perform well becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

Students need the opportunity to show their talents and learn in ways that work for them.

Source: Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson, Applying the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1991).

II. Administrative Details

A. Where can I access my roster and other course information?

Course rosters may be accessed through the website of the Registrar. In addition to giving you the information you seek about your roster, this site also has the answers for many additional administrative details pertaining to the university as a whole.

B. My course has a waitlist. How the list managed?

Waitlists are managed in the departments. If your course has a waitlist, talk to your department chair (or designee) to determine how waitlists are managed in the department.

C. How do I handle drop/add requests when approached?

Students at IU are allowed to drop and add courses, assuming course availability, during the first week of classes. Nevertheless, dropping or adding courses is an administrative process that is not handled by faculty; refer students to OneStart, Indiana University's web portal or urge them to go to their program office for guidance on how they should handle the drop/add process.

Program	Office Room Number	Program Chair	Program Director
Undergraduate	BU 254	Tom Lenz	Kathleen Robbins
Graduate Accounting	CG 2000	Mikel Tiller	Gretchen Handlos
Graduate Info. Sys.	CG 2000	Ramesh Venkataraman	Gretchen Handlos
MBA	CG 2010	Phil Powell	Pam Roberts

D. How do I handle withdrawal requests when approached?

Withdrawal deadlines vary. It is best to refer questions about withdrawal deadlines to the student’s program office. See chart immediately above.

E. Where can I locate the academic calendar, including holidays?

The Kelley academic calendar differs somewhat depending on whether the course is undergraduate (100-499 course number), master’s (500-599) or doctoral (600+).

Undergraduate and doctoral courses typically follow the established IU calendar. However, in some cases the typical 16-week semester is divided into two 8-week sessions for undergraduate courses.

Undergraduate Level Schedule
Sem.	Date	Wk.	Session	Sem.	Date	Wk.	Session
Fall	8/31 – 9/4	1	1^st 8 weeks	Spring	1/11 – 1/15	1	1^st 8 weeks
	9/7 – 9/11	2	1^st 8 weeks		1/18 – 1/22	2	1^st 8 weeks
	9/14 – 9/18	3	1^st 8 weeks		1/25 – 1/29	3	1^st 8 weeks
	9/21 – 9/25	4	1^st 8 weeks		2/1 – 2/5	4	1^st 8 weeks
	9/28 – 10/2	5	1^st 8 weeks		2/8 – 2/12	5	1^st 8 weeks
	10/5 – 10/9	6	1^st 8 weeks		2/15 – 2/19	6	1^st 8 weeks
	10/12 – 10/16	7	1^st 8 weeks		2/22 – 2/26	7	1^st 8 weeks
	10/19 – 10/23	8	1^st 8 weeks (Exams for 8-week session)		3/1 – 3/5	8	1^st 8 weeks (Exams for 8-week session)
	10/26 – 10/30	9	2^nd 8 weeks		3/8 – 3/12	9	2^nd 8 weeks
	11/2 – 11/6	10	2^nd 8 weeks		3/15 – 3/19	--	Spring Break
	11/9 – 11/13	11	2^nd 8 weeks		3/22 – 3/26	10	2^nd 8 weeks
	11/16 – 11/20	12	2^nd 8 weeks		3/29 – 4/2	11	2^nd 8 weeks
	11/23 – 11/27	13	2^nd 8 weeks		4/5 – 4/9	12	2^nd 8 weeks
	11/30 – 12/4	14	2^nd 8 weeks		4/12 – 4/16	13	2^nd 8 weeks
	12/7 – 12/11	15	2^nd 8 weeks		4/19 – 4/23	14	2^nd 8 weeks
	12/14 – 12/18	16	2^nd 8 weeks Final exam week for all. No Classes		4/26 – 4/30	15	2^nd 8 weeks
			2^nd 8 weeks Final exam week for all. No Classes		5/3 – 5/7	16	2^nd 8 weeks Final exam week for all. No Classes

Master’s courses are typically 7 weeks in length, with two seven-week sessions in each fall and spring semester. Variation may occur related to the MBA core schedule. Check with individual program offices (e.g., MBA, Graduate Accounting Programs or IS Graduate Programs for details).

Master’s Level Schedule
Fall 2009				Spring 2010
Wk.	Dates	Session	Wk.	Wk.	Dates	Session	Wk.
1	8/31 – 9/4	Intensive Acad.	--	1	1/11 – 1/15	1st 7	1
2	9/7 – 9/11	1st 7	1	2	1/18 – 1/22	1st 7	2
3	9/14 – 9/18	1st 7	2	3	1/25 – 1/29	1st 7	3
4	9/21 – 9/25	1st 7	3	4	2/1 – 2/5	1st 7	4
5	9/28 – 10/2	1st 7	4	5	2/8 – 2/12	1st 7	5
6	10/5 – 10/9	1st 7	5	6	2/15 – 2/19	1st 7	6
7	10/12 – 10/16	1st 7	6	7	2/22 – 2/26	1st 7	7
8	10/19 – 10/23	1st 7	7	8	3/1 – 3/5	Intensive Acad.	--
9	10/26 – 10/30	2^nd 7	1	9	3/8 – 3/12	KIPs, Learning Labs, off
10	11/2 – 11/6	2^nd 7	2	10	3/15 – 3/19	Spring Break
11	11/9 – 11/13	2^nd 7	3	11	3/22 – 3/26	2^nd 7	1
12	11/16 – 11/20	2^nd 7	4	12	3/29 – 4/2	2^nd 7	2
13	11/23 – 11/27	Thanksgiving - off		13	4/5 – 4/9	2^nd 7	3
14	11/30 – 12/4	2^nd 7	5	14	4/12 – 4/16	2^nd 7	4
15	12/7 – 12/11	2^nd 7	6	15	4/19 – 4/23	2^nd 7	5
16	12/14 – 12/18	2^nd 7	7	16	4/26 – 4/30	2^nd 7	6
				17	5/3 – 5/7	2^nd 7	7

F. What is Oncourse and where can I get help using it?

Oncourse is IU's online course management platform. Every official course offered at IU automatically has an Oncourse site set up several weeks before the semester begins. To log in to your site, simply click here and authenticate. From here you will see many options available to you as the instructor of record.

The Kelley School retains a staff member dedicated to helping faculty use Oncourse in whatever ways are most appropriate for their course(s). Questions about Oncourse as well as requests for assistance with Oncourse should be directed to Roger Henry (rjhenry@indiana.edu)

G. What is a “deliverable affirmation” and how does it affect me?

If you are teaching a 500-level course, our graduate program offices ask that you require a “deliverable affirmation” for each and every assignment (paper, test, group work, etc.) along with the signature of the student(s). The affirmation is “I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this deliverable.”

H. What if I suspect academic misconduct?

Quick Guide to Handling Academic Misconduct at Indiana University

If you suspect academic misconduct (cheating):

1. Hold an informal conference with the student, explaining what you suspect and why.

2. Give the student a chance to explain, and dismiss the issue if it gets cleared up at this point.

3. If you still think the student has cheated, your actions will depend on the program in which you teach.

a) If you teaching MBA courses, you should report your suspicion to the MBA Conduct Review Committee, which will immediately respond by setting up a review of the situation. This committee will then recommend action to the instructor.

b) Non-MBA courses proceed directly to step four.

4. You may impose an appropriate academic sanction (e.g. lower or failing grade for assignment or course; redo assignment; withdrawal from course). MBA instructors will have the guidance of the Conduct Review Committee to help them decide on appropriate action.

5. Within fourteen (14) calendar days send a report (forms are available from appropriate program chairs) to the Dean of Students and notify the Assoc. Dean of Faculty and Research.

6. Once sanctions have been imposed and the report submitted, the student will have the opportunity to appeal the sanctions.

7. Administrators will be called to resolve the issue in the following order:

a) Department Chair

b) Chair of Academic Fairness Committee

c) Entire Academic Fairness Committee (has final word at school level)

d) Dean of Faculties (has the final word)

I. When and how are course evaluations administered?

According to official policy, every class taught at the Kelley School of Business, including summer session classes, must be evaluated by the students. Instructors should plan to have their student evaluations administered sometime during the final meetings of the class, usually during the last two weeks of the period of instruction.

Evaluation packets are created by Kelley staff and made available to instructors a few weeks before the evaluations are administered. Departmental staff pick up the packets for the entire department and deliver them to faculty. You should check with your departmental staff to learn the details of how your department handles evaluations.

Since all data are maintained and processed according to class number (the number each student enters in the upper left corner of the student evaluation form) it is ESSENTIAL that students enter the correct number there. The number for your course will be printed on a large label in bold on the front of your evaluation packet with instructions that read, “USE THIS NUMBER.” You must ensure that your students use all five digits, including an initial zero if indicated, emblazoned on the packet. Failure to do so can result in lost data, misattributed data, or compromised data.

When administering the student evaluations, instructors must leave the room and not touch, see, or otherwise handle the evaluations until final grades have been submitted. Accordingly, a student or two (in the case of large classes) should be designated to collect the completed forms, place them in the envelope, and deliver them to BU142 or place them in the drop box just outside BU138 if the course concludes after 5 p.m.

The forms are later scanned and the data processed, with results available generally speaking about 2 – 3 weeks after finals week. Data summaries will then be available to instructors on-line at http://kelley.iu.edu/set/; original forms with written comments from students will be picked up by departmental staff and distributed in each department.

For more information about Student Evaluations, the process, the data flow, and sample forms, please click here.

J. When and how do I report my grades?

Final grades are reported electronically at the end of each semester. (Note: 1st 7 week or 1st 8 week classes do not submit their grades until the end of the corresponding semester.) For some undergraduate populations (university division freshmen and sophomores), mid-term grades must be submitted. The Registrar will contact you directly via email should you have students in your course whose midterm grades must be submitted.

The Registrar’s website details the procedures for submitting grades on both Oncourse and OneStart.

K. How do I change a final grade or remove an Incomplete?

You may submit a grade change or removal of an Incomplete via OneStart. For detailed instructions, click here.

L. (Adjunct instructors) Can I obtain a parking permit?

You should talk to your department chair to determine what options will work best for you. You may also wish to visit the IU Parking Operations website for more information.

III. Expectations

A. What can I expect of my Students?

Courtesy and Professionalism

I think you will find that today’s college students are very polite and responsive to the expectations and demands made upon them by their instructors. To ensure the most productive learning environment, you should make your expectations clear to students early on. Many instructors negotiate classroom norms with their students during the first or second class meeting, setting up standards of courtesy and appropriate behavior for all. Others simply indicate the professional expectations of the classroom to the students in the syllabus. Either way, what matters is that students be informed of what matters to you in terms of personal conduct and professionalism. Do not assume that students will automatically know what matters to you; you must tell them.

Workload

The university’s guidelines for workload at the undergraduate level suggest that students should do 2 hours of work outside the classroom for every hour enrolled. That translates to about 5 - 6 hours of work outside of class for a 3-hour course. Time on task is a well-established strategy for helping students maximize their learning. Be sure to demand careful preparation outside of class.

Academic Honesty and Fairness

Academic integrity is the soul of the Kelley School of Business and academic dishonesty (cheating) is not to be tolerated. For a quick overview of how to handle academic dishonesty, please see the box above. The Campus Instructional Consulting website includes additional details and suggestions on how to help students avoid dishonesty.

B. What will my students expect of me?

Each of Kelley’s programs is highly selective: students must have high grades, high scores on standardized tests, and a clear sense of purpose. Our students are success-oriented and therefore highly grade-oriented and will expect:

A clear articulation of the course goals and objectives
An explanation of what students should know before taking the course (prerequisites)
A carefully planned and clearly-articulated syllabus
Clearly stated policies and rules
Course activities that are well-organized and planned
Precise grading criteria that are consistent, fair, defensible, and impartial
Well-explained assignments so students will know what they must do to succeed
A clear explanation of what they must do to earn an A, B, C, etc. in your class

This is a tall order for faculty, requiring careful planning and hard work. If you are not sure how to accomplish any one of the bulleted list above, please make an appointment with Eric Metzler, Kelley’s instructional consultant. Eric will be more than happy to assist you in any aspect of planning and delivering your course. To schedule a consultation with Eric, click here.

C. What does my unit expect of me?

1. My department

Departments often determine the content of various courses. You should check with your department chair (or designee) to make sure your course fits into the curriculum as expected. It may be essential, for example, that your course include certain topics or skills. Alternately, you may need to use a specific approach to teach your subject matter.

In addition to controlling the content of courses, some departments (e.g., Finance) have target grade point averages for classes. You should check with your department chair to learn whether your department expects a certain grade range.

2. Kelley School of Business

Grading

The Kelley School expects its instructors to devise a grading scale that is clear and fair, eschewing grade inflation by reserving the highest grades for truly remarkable student work. Students should always know what is expected of them in order to earn the best grades. If you are uncertain about how to articulate expectations or how to create a grading rubric, you may wish to schedule a consultation with Eric Metzler. To contact Eric, click here. For information about submitting grades, click here.

Classroom Courtesies

All instructors should be sure to arrive to class at minimum on time and preferably about 5 minutes early in order to interact with students informally before class. Just as important is vacating class on time; holding class past the official stop time is unfair to students and inconvenient for the next instructor. Upon leaving the classroom, be sure to put everything back as you found it: erase the chalkboard; return equipment to its place; log off the computer; return the gyro mouse to its charger.

Student Evaluations of Teaching (SETs)

You are required to conduct SETs for each course you teach, each time you teach it. The data from the evaluations are used both formatively (to help you grow and improve as an instructor) and summatively (to help Kelley School administration and award-granting bodies make decisions about teaching).

As the date nears for you to conduct your student evaluations, you will receive more information from your department about what to do. If, for some reason, you do not hear from your department a few weeks before the end of your course, you should contact your departmental assistant and inquire about your evaluations. They are very important and taken very seriously at Kelley. For additional information, about student evaluations, click here.

D. What does IU expect of me?

Mid semester grades

For most freshmen and some sophomores, the university asks instructors to submit mid-semester grades so that students can be apprised of their progress early on in their college career. If you have students whose grades must be submitted, the Registrar will notify you and explain exactly when grades must be submitted and how to submit them.

Final Exercise

Indiana University requires that all courses taught include a final exercise that asks students to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes they have learned in the course during the semester. The final exercise may be an examination, a project, a research paper, or other such assignment.

IV. First Day of Class

Instructor address

Decide how you want students to address you and write that as well as the course number and section number on the board so all can see. The level of formality of address should be determined by your comfort level with students.

First day activities

You may wish to touch on important policies and spend some time with introductions (both people and course content) on day one, but these considerations should not constitute the sole substance of your first day with your students. Rather, it is important to do an activity of academic substance that relates clearly to the content and learning goals of your course. This will impress seriousness and rigor upon your students with respect to your course. Also, an hour of policies and introductions can be dull and difficult to retain. If you cannot get through all the policies, rules and norms on the first day, do some at a later time, say day two or day three.

Many instructors like to plan an “ice-breaker” for day one so that students and instructor will get to know one another better and begin forming the semester’s learning community. Ice-breakers are fine, but be sure the activity you do relates to the content and learning goals of your course. If the ice-breaker is unrelated to your course, students will feel you are wasting their time with fluff.