Teaching

• The department chair assigns faculty to teach courses based on the department's need to offer a variety of general education, lower division, upper division, and graduate-level courses. The department chair will try to accommodate faculty interests and abilities. If you are assigned to teach a course that meets General Education requirements, check with the department chair to learn more about the requirements. You may also consult with the Office of Teaching and Learning for consultation on GE courses.  If you are assigned to a class which meets General Education requirements, check with the department chair to determine if certain writing assignments or quantitative exercises are required. General Education requirements are detailed in the UCSB General Catalog. If you need assistance with specific requirements, contact the staff in your college's Undergraduate Academic Advising Office.
• Departments receive teaching assistantships through their college or divisional deans, based in part on lower division enrollments. Department chairs will then assign teaching assistantships (TAships) to specific courses, based on enrollment numbers. Discuss with your department chair whether your courses are entitled to TAs; if so, how many; and what the department's practice is for matching individual graduate students to particular courses.

• Mentoring graduate students is another key part of many faculty members’ positions. The Graduate Division and the Graduate Council emphasize the importance of interacting with graduate students as junior colleagues.
• Faculty can support graduate students in their professional milestones as well as their intellectual development.
• Give clear instructions on departmental expectations and constructive feedback on performance.
• Provide feedback on activities considered career milestones - ask questions they will face in oral qualifying examinations and sit in on their demonstration of the talk for job interviews.
• Include funds for graduate student research support in extramural grant proposals. [If you have no research grant funds to pay for employment, faculty may still incorporate students into research efforts through special studies courses or practice.] Faculty supervising graduate students as TAs should meet with them regularly to discuss teaching philosophy, connection between lecture and section, how to use section to support undergraduate students’ practice with key course concepts and activities, and more. philosophy of teaching, the main skills or facts you want undergraduate students to acquire from the course, and your system for assigning grades. Your training of this generation of graduate students will be projected into the future as they train future students.
• If you mentor students whose goal is a career in academia, encourage them to publish and present papers at conferences, improve their teaching skills, and participate in campus governance as student representatives on key committees. For students who choose alternatives to academic career paths, encourage industry, service or non-profit internships or research experiences which will enhance their employment opportunities.
• A faculty member is designated as the department's official graduate advisor. This person's signature is required on student petitions and other communications with the administration, although he or she may ask your opinion regarding requests from students under your mentorship. Departments should have departmental graduate handbooks for graduate students and/or teaching assistants. Familiarize yourself with the contents of those handbooks if you mentor graduate students or supervise TAs. The Graduate Division's website contains information on procedures and policies for graduate students. If you have questions about campus-wide academic policies affecting graduate students, consult that website or contact the Graduate Division directly.

• Letters and Science Information Technology (LSIT) supports a multi-faceted, centralized campus computing service for the UCSB community. They support some faculty computing needs, run centralized student classroom computer labs, and maintain the campus Learning Management System, UCSB Canvas. Staff will also assist faculty in the selection of software and hardware, introductory training, and scheduling. Faculty may choose to lecture in the facility, and/or they may choose to schedule separate times for students to utilize computing resources outside of class time. 
• In addition to Canvas, UCSB faculty have access to Panopto (video recording), iClickerCloud, Google Suite, Gradescope, and many other instructional/pedagogical applications. Notification of technology trainings are delivered via email from the Office of Teaching and Learning and posted on the LSIT and OTL websites. Faculty may also email help@lsit.ucsb.edu to request specific training.
  • The Campus Office of Software Licensing (the "Software Depot'') is also part of LSIT. A wide variety of popular software packages are available for academic sale at greatly reduced prices. Information on products and related policies are available on the Software Depot's website.
  • Other computing services are available throughout the campus. They may be based in departments or centered within the colleges. Technical staff are available, in most areas, to assist faculty in determining which resources best meet their needs. Faculty can email help@lsit.ucsb.edu with questions and they will be routed appropriately.

• Instructors are able to monitor enrollment in courses, generate class lists (including student email addresses), and assign grades using eGrades. For more information and instruction in use of the eGrades system, go to the Office of the Registrar's website and follow the link "For UCSB Staff & Faculty." One of your department's staff persons, typically your department's academic advisor, will be the designated liaison to the Office of the Registrar and can usually answer questions about registration, class lists, enrollment caps, petitions for adds and drops, grading, etc.
• Academic Senate regulation, Part 2, Section 2: Grades and Credit (Regs. 20-40), specifies the qualitative meaning of letter grades A-F and the variety of codes for incompletes, withdrawals, and other actions which show on the student's transcript. Beyond those guidelines, there is no uniform campus policy regarding grading. Some professors grade on the curve, others use absolute standards. Talk with colleagues about the norms for your department.

  LETTER	grade point per unit
  A (excellent)	4
  B (good)	3
  C (adequate)	2
  D (barely passing)	1
  F (not passing)	0
  P (passed)	0
  NP (not passed)	0
  I (incomplete)	0
  IP (in progress)	0
  W (withdrawal)	0

• As the authority in the classroom, students may approach you to discuss grades. These conversations go more smoothly when grading criteria are clear and accessible to students. Some students may want to discuss changing a grade; faculty may decide whether to engage in these conversations. Once a final course grade is reported, if students approach you to renegotiate the terms of their grades, it is your choice whether to engage in such negotiations for quizzes and midterms; once the final course grade is reported, Academic Senate regulation 20 specifies the conditions under which faculty may or may not change a grade. Academic Senate regulation 25 describes procedures for students to appeal course grades.
• Students have a formal avenue through which to protest a grade they believe to be unfair (Senate regulation 25). To challenge a grade successfully, students must prove that the grade was assigned for reasons unrelated to the quality of their work, such as bias against their religious or political beliefs.
• Other forms of grades (I, IP, and W) are for the following circumstances:
  • I: Incomplete (I) may be assigned when an undergraduate or graduate student's work is of passing quality but is incomplete. The petition for an incomplete grade may be obtained from the Office of the Registrar's website.
  • IP: In-progress (IP) may be assigned provisionally in all but the last term of special courses extending over more than one term. In the last term, the grade assigned by the instructor replaces the provisional IP grades for all prior portions of the course. If a student fails to enroll in or complete the final course of a sequence in the next quarter in which it is offered, the IP grades will be replaced by the grade of I (incomplete). Further changes of that grade will be subject to the conditions covering incomplete grades. IP designations are not included in the computation of grade-point averages.
  • W: For undergraduate students, the W grade will be assigned when a student withdraws from the university or receives permission to drop a course after the deadline for dropping courses established by the Executive Committee of the college or school in which the student is enrolled. The W grade will be assigned for each course affected, including graduate courses when an undergraduate student has been approved to enroll in a graduate course and subsequently withdraws. Courses in which a W has been entered on the student's record will be disregarded in determining a student's grade-point average and will not be considered as courses attempted in assessing the student's grade-point average for graduation.

• The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects students' rights to have their grades remain private. Faculty may not post grades on a bulletin board or office floor in such a way that someone else could determine what an individual's grade is.
• Returning term papers and examinations at the end of the quarter also requires a regard to privacy. Do not leave them unattended in a box in a hall or mailroom. Even if the grade is on an inside page, the student's name and grade can be easily identified. If students want their papers or exams returned after the quarter has ended but before office hours begin for the next quarter, ask them to provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope large enough to accommodate bluebooks or papers. Keep unclaimed examinations and papers on hand for at least one quarter, in case there are questions about the basis for a particular student's grade.

• Deadlines
  • Deadlines for adding and dropping classes are listed online on the Office of the Registrar's website under Calendars and Deadlines.
• Budgetary Implications of Enrollment
  • The campus receives part of its budget from UC systemwide, based on enrollments calculated at the end of the third week of classes. It is to our financial advantage for students to be enrolled in their full complement of classes by that date. Although Academic Senate regulations define a student's full-time status as at least having enrolled in 12 units, the Office of the President provides campuses with budgetary resources based on 45 units per academic year, or a 15 units per quarter average. Students may carry less than 15 units a quarter for academic or personal reasons, but this will have budgetary consequences for the campus.
• Auditors
  • Occasionally, members of the public or students will ask to attend your lectures without registering for the class. You may grant or deny permission based on availability of space and your own discretion. There is no formal signup procedure for auditing during the regular school year; during summer sessions there is a fee. Auditors usually do not write papers, take exams, or participate in class discussions, but may do so if you are willing to permit it.
• Open Enrollment Program (Concurrent Enrollment)
  • Members of the general public who wish to take a class and participate in class activities, including papers and exams, may do so without being formally admitted through the University. They register and pay a unit-based fee through UCSB Professional and Continuing Education's Open University Program, which is offered as a community service. You may accept or deny requests for concurrent enrollment in your classes, at your discretion. Concurrently enrolled students should be treated with the same standards used for regularly enrolled students. Occasionally, prospective graduate students will register for a course or two through concurrent enrollment to help them decide whether they are interested in applying for regular graduate standing.
• Independent Studies
  • Students will occasionally approach you to sponsor them for independent studies or field work (usually numbered in the 190s for undergraduates and 590s for graduate students). You may accept or decline independent studies requests at your discretion. If you agree to sponsor a student for independent studies, discuss your expectations thoroughly, and then have the student draft a contract, a copy of which you both keep, as to what topic they will study, what deliverables (e.g., book reports, research papers, lab notebooks) they will provide for grade assignment, in what quantity, and on what schedule.
• Internships
  • Several offices on campus cultivate internships for students so that they can apply the theories they learned in the classroom to actual situations. Occasionally, students may wish to earn academic credit for their internship by writing a paper on the experience. Treat such requests in a manner similar to the request for independent studies. Sometimes faculty may wish to require an internship or field work as part of a class project. Discuss your department's position on internships with the department chair.
    
    UC has two systemwide internship opportunities: one based in the Capitol (UCDC) and one in Sacramento (UC Center Sacramento). UCDC combines courses and internships to offer students a glimpse into the public policy processes firsthand. UC Center Sacramento is similar to UCDC, but students will maintain full-time UC enrollment while working in a structured internship program with an agency or organization of their choice in Sacramento.

• Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) offers study workshops and supplemental instruction for selected courses. These services are free to students and are categorized by the following:
  • Tutorial Groups, which are course-specific and require advanced enrollment. Additionally, these groups generally meet twice a week and are offered in the following subjects: Biology & Chemistry, Math & Physics, and Economics & Statistics.
  • Drop-In services are subject-specific and do not require advanced sign-up. They are offered in the following: Language Services, Writing Appointments, Biology & Chemistry, Math & Physics, and Economics & Statistics.
  • Workshops are one-time meetings where students can learn more about general study skills, as well as course-specific study skills. Test-taking workshops are also offered.
  • Academic Skills Consultations focus on specific issues, such as making a study plan, but can also address more general topics, such as how to be a successful student, as well as many others.
• The Community Service Organization is composed of students who act as liaisons between UCSB students and the Police Department. CSOs patrol the campus 365 days a year, reporting on crimes in progress, assisting in emergency services, and detecting safety hazards. In addition, the organization provides safety escorts on campus and in Isla Vista. Safety escorts are available 24/7, 365 days a year, and are encouraged if you are walking or biking alone during the evening or early morning hours.
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is committed to providing timely, culturally appropriate, and effective mental health services to the diverse student body at UCSB, as well as professional consultation to faculty, staff, and families. CAPS offers a range of different options: short-term individual counseling, single session therapy, long-term individual therapy, teletherapy, group therapy, and the Mental Health Peers program. CAPS also offers massage and Alpha Wave Egg Chairs.
• Campus Advocacy, Resources, and Education (CARE) is a resource available to all students who are seeking confidential support regarding relationship violence, harassment, stalking, and sexual assault. CARE champions survivor empowerment and prevention through policy development and community collaboration. CARE Advocates provide affirming, empowering, and confidential support, while helping survivors navigate resources and options. Do remember that as a faculty member, you are a responsible employee, and are required to disclose incidents of sexual violence to the Title IX Office. If a student comes to you seeking help, please first inform them of your role as a responsible employee and inform them of confidential resources, such as CARE.
• Career Services helps students plan for their careers, look for permanent jobs to start after graduation, and find part-time jobs now. They offer a wide range of services, and offer quarterly job fairs that are usually hosted in an on-campus venue. Career Services also provides materials that can be useful for creating resumes, job portfolios, cover letters; learning about interview best practices; and career planning services. The staff also maintains a placement file containing letters of reference which can be sent out on short notice for graduate students seeking jobs in academia.
• The Office of the Ombuds is a resource for conflict management that serves all members of the UC Santa Barbara community, including faculty, staff, students, and anyone with a campus-related concern. The Office of the Ombuds assists the campus community with the informal resolution of any University-related complaint or conflict by offering a safe and confidential place to discuss workplace issues, interpersonal conflict, academic concerns, bureaucratic runarounds, and many other problems.

Due to illness or family emergency, students may miss examinations or term paper deadlines. The Office of Student Life, student and parent liaison, will verify only the most critical situations. They will not verify absences related to standard treatment at Student Health or other medical facilities. In the event the staff receives confirmation of the death of a student's parent, you may receive notification from the Office of Student Life.

Distressed Student Protocol
Please refer to the Distressed Student Protocol website for more information.

• In recent years, Counseling Services and the Office of Student Life have received an increasing number of calls from faculty members, teaching assistants, medical professionals, and staff regarding students' emotional states, learning difficulties, and safety, as well as academic and career indecision. These professionals have significant contact with students and often are the first to notice a student experiencing difficulties or distress.
• Attending to a student's concerns and providing information about campus resources can be an important intervention, which may prevent escalation of the problem or situation. A faculty member, TA, medical professional, or staff member who first becomes aware of an emergency situation involving a student may consider notifying the chair of the department; the dean of the appropriate college; Student Engagement and Leadership; the assistant to the dean; and when appropriate, CAPS, Career Services, and/or Student Health, Urgent Care for consultation.
• UCSB has multiple professionals poised to respond to distress students. These staff members include social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and coordinators of student mental health services. Student Mental Health Coordination Services is a readily accessible single point-of-contact for staff, faculty, and students who are concerned about a distressed student. In an emergency situation, Campus Police should be called (9-911 from campus phones). In a difficult situation, an individual staff or faculty member should never feel obligated to proceed beyond their comfort level or handle a situation alone.