Course Information and Support

Grades

Faculty members are free to develop their own methods of evaluating the performance of students in their classes, but they are required to make the methods of evaluation to be used known in writing before the end of the fourth class day each semester and the second class day each summer term. Responsibility for assuring adequate methods of evaluation rests with departmental faculties and is subject to administrative review. 

Letter grades are used to record the instructor’s evaluation of students’ performance in a course. The following grades are used: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F.  It is your choice whether you want to use +/- grades, or whole letter grades.  Your choice must be stated on the syllabus.  There is no University scale for =/- grades (you determine what grade earns an A- versus an A, for example.)  Members of the faculty are not authorized, without the academic dean’s approval, to withhold a final grade or to defer reporting a final grade at the end of the semester other than by the use of the symbol X. If a grade is withheld without the dean’s approval, the grade may not be added to the official records later without the written approval of the academic dean.  After a grade has been reported to the registrar, it may not be changed unless an error was made by the instructor.

Grade Information

• Deadlines (not available until late in semester)

• FAQ's

• Grade Symbols

• View Previously Submitted Grade Sheets

Grade Submissions

• Grade Changes Reminder: When changing an incomplete to a grade, please enter the semester during which the student originally enrolled in the course.

• Grade Submissions The Academic Dean's office submits grades for individual instruction as a group after all faculty have entered grades for their individual instruction students, per university guidelines.

Syllabi

LBJ faculty are required to post a full syllabus to their course Canvas site and publish the site one week before the first class day. This will allow students registered for your course to log on to Canvas and download the syllabus before the semester begins. If you need Canvas help, contact either your faculty assistant, LBJ’s Canvas Contact, Michelle Jun (michelle.jun@austin.utexas.edu) or visit the UT Canvas Training Center (https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/633028).

An electronic copy of the syllabus should also be forwarded to Alice Rentz in the Office of Academic Strategies (arentz@austin.utexas.edu).  If you would like the syllabus to be posted on LBJ’s website, be sure to mention that in your email. Posting to the website allows greater access for students who are not yet registered in your class but who may be considering taking it. Please note that state law requires that all undergraduate syllabi and instructor CV’s be posted to UT’s website no later than the 1^st class day. See “additional information” below for more details. 

Syllabus Requirements

1. The course number and title.
2. The instructor’s name, office location, and office hours (note: office location is optional for any public version).
3. If there are teaching assistants for the class, their names, office locations, and office hours (note: do not include in any public version).
4. An overview of the class, including prerequisites, the subject matter of each lecture or discussion, and the academic/learning goals for the course and how they will be assessed.
5. Grading policy, including the means of evaluation and assignment of class grades, including whether plus and minus grades will be used for final class grade and whether attendance will be used for determining the final class grade.
6. A brief descriptive overview of all major course requirements and assignments, along with the dates of exams and assignments that count for 20 percent or more of the class grade.
7. A list of required and recommended materials, such as textbooks, image collections, audio and audiovisual materials, supplies, articles, chapters, and excerpts as appropriate, identified by author, title, and publisher.
8. Final exam date and time (when available).
9. The class Web site, if any.
10. A notice that students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities office: http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability. 
    • An example of possible language: Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 512-410-6644 (Video Phone) as soon as possible to request an official letter outlining authorized accommodations.
11. A notice regarding academic dishonesty. UT Honor Code (or statement of ethics) and an explanation or example of what constitutes plagiarism. Link to University Honor Code:  https://www.utexas.edu/about/mission-and-values
    • Sample statement: "Students are expected to respect the LBJ School's standards regarding academic dishonesty. You owe it to yourself, your fellow students, and the institution to maintain the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior. A discussion of academic integrity, including definitions of plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration, as well as helpful information on citations, note taking, and paraphrasing, can be found at the Office of the Dean of Students web page at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/conduct/. The University has also established disciplinary procedures and penalty guidelines for academic dishonesty, especially Sec. 11.504 in Appendix C of the Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities section in UT's General Information Catalog."
12. A notice regarding accommodations for religious holidays.
    • Sample statement­: "By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence."
13. The following recommendations regarding emergency evacuation from the Office of Campus Safety and Security, 512-471-5767, https://preparedness.utexas.edu/safety/emergency-terms:
    1. Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and assembling outside.
    2. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the building.
    3. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or class instructors.
    4. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention Services office.
    5. Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): 512-232-5050
    6. Link to information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found at: https://preparedness.utexas.edu/emergency-plans
14. Campus Safety & Wellness Resources information: More information on how to sign up for emergency text alerts, contact information for various UT offices, wellness resources, and campus initiatives relating to safety and/or wellness can be found at https://www.utexas.edu/campus-life/safety-and-security.

Additional Information Regarding Your Syllabus

May I include information about campus carry in my syllabus? The University respects the Second Amendment rights of all our faculty. However, please remember that notification in your syllabus is not a legally effective way to provide notice that you have banned guns in your sole occupant office.

Campus Carry FAQ's for Faculty

Faculty Innovation Center:

Guidance for creating your Syllabus

Posting Undergraduate Syllabi and Instructor CV’s to the UT Website: Public Access to Course Information

See: HB 2504 Text for background

Final Exam Scheduling

Per the University Catalog:

No final examinations may be given before the examination period begins, and no change in time from that printed in the official schedule is permitted without approval. An instructor with a compelling reason to change the time of an examination must obtain the approval of the department chair and the dean of the college or school in which the course is taught before announcing an alternative examination procedure to the students. No substantial examinations may be given during the last class week or during the reading days and the no-class days preceding the final examination period. An examination is considered to be substantial if it counts for more than 30 percent of the final course grade. A change in the room assignment for a final examination may be made only with the approval of the registrar.

The no-class days preceding final examinations are not to be used as dates on which papers are to be turned in, examinations are to be given, quizzes are to be scheduled, or for any other class-related activity, other than office hours. In addition, the final examination period is reserved for scheduled final examinations. No other class-related activity, with the exception of office hours, may be scheduled during the final examination period.

With the approval of the department chair, an instructor may choose not to give a final examination. However, if an examination is given, all students must take it and no exemptions may be allowed except pursuant to a uniform exemption policy announced to the class.

For good cause, an instructor may give a student permission to take an examination with a different class section than the one in which the student is registered.

For good cause, a student may petition his or her academic dean for permission to change the time or place of an examination from that specified in the official schedule. If permission is given by the dean and the instructor, no penalty (such as a reduction in grade) may be assessed.