Handbook for Lecturers
Department of Sociology
Wheatley Hall, 4th Floor, Room 12
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125-3393
Susan Gore, Professor and Chair
Jean McIntyre, Office Manager
September 2008
For the Table of Contents, see the last page of this document.
Welcome to the Department of Sociology. We depend heavily on Lecturers to offer courses to our
students and hope that this handbook will help you to feel welcomed and more informed. The first section
is dedicated to the logistics of working here—paperwork, office space, keys, photocopying, e-mail,
Faculty Staff Union contract issues, benefits, etc. The second section is related to teaching logistics. The
third offers an orientation to our students and some pedagogical advice. We plan to assign a mentor to
each new Lecturer in the department. If we don’t get around to doing that quickly enough, please ask the
Chair for a mentor if you would like one. The role of the mentor is to try to answer questions and to
support your teaching. For more information, a Faculty Handbook is available on the website of the
Office of the Provost although some of the information there is applicable only to tenure track faculty:
http://www.umb.edu/academics/provost/faculty_resources/facultyhandbook.html#Employment
Professor Gore, the Department Chair, would like to meet with each Lecturer at least once a year to talk
about how things are going in your classes and about any concerns you might have. Please check in with
her if you have not spoken with her lately.
Part I
Workplace Logistics
Paperwork
Our office staff can assist you in getting your contract set up and ready to sign. For faculty teaching on
campus during the week, a pre-employment packet will be sent to your home address by our office staff.
The completed pre-employment packet should be returned as soon as possible to Sociology Department,
Wheatley Bldg, 4th floor, room 12, UMass Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston MA, 02125. Two
letters of recommendation should be sent to the Department Chair in order to complete your preemployment packet. Please include a copy of your social security card, your drivers license/photo id
and/or passport. Under the immigration and naturalization law new faculty are also required to present
proof of identity and employment eligibility (social security card and drivers license) at the time contracts
are signed.
You may be assigned to teach in the regular (sometimes called “day”) program on campus or you may be
assigned to teach in the Division of Corporate, Continuing, and Distance Education (aka Continuing
Education, DCCDE, CCDE, or simply CE). Classes each term begin at different times for each unit so
please take note of when and where your course begins. Pre-employment packets for the CE weekend and
off campus courses will be sent to your home address by Ann Holt in the CE office (W-2-203; 617-2877900). Once the final number of paid enrollments has been determined, your contract will be prepared and
then sent to the Human Resources office. This process takes an average of two to three weeks after
sufficient enrollments have been reached, at the end of which you will be notified by Human Resources
that your contract is ready for your signature. If you have any questions regarding your CE contract please
contact Joe Lally or Ann Holt at 617-287-7909. Please don’t hesitate to call the office if you have
questions at 617-287-6250.
Contact Information
Please provide the office staff with a current e-mail address, home phone, work phone, cell phone, and
home address. We do a lot of department business via email so being able to reach you that way in a
timely way is essential.
Office Assignment, Office Key, Office Hours, Security
The Department Chair and/or office staff will assign you an office and give you an application for an
office key. It usually takes about a week to get a key so you might need to make other arrangements while
you await the key.
You’ll be sharing an office with other Lecturers and might need to negotiate with them about office hours.
There is unfortunately a serious shortage of office space. The office staff will try their best to match you
with office mates who have different teaching schedules than yours. Please let us know if there is a
problem with this. If you are not teaching in a particular semester you will need to remove your personal
possessions from the office.
The office staff will provide schedule cards for your use so that you can post your office hours both
outside your office door and on the main schedule board near the department office. You are expected to
hold office hours and although the contract does not specify exactly how much time you should spend in
your office, we ask that you make yourself available for between half an hour and an hour each week for
each course you teach.
In order to prevent theft, please keep an eye on valuables and lock your office when you are not in it, even
if you leave for just a few minutes.
ID Card and Library Bar Code
You will need a faculty ID card and a library bar code sticker in order to gain access to library resources
and other facilities (such as computer labs). ID cards are available at the ID Office, Campus Center, third
floor, Room 3401 (Student Activities and Leadership office). You’ll need to bring a photo ID. The hours
of the office are usually 8am to 7pm, Monday through Thursday and 8am to 5pm Friday. To confirm the
hours or to ask other questions call 617-287-7957. Once you have your ID card, you’ll need to go to the
circulation desk in Healey Library (inside the main entrance of the library) to get a library bar code sticker
which will be placed on the back of your ID card. You’ll need that number in order to access online data
bases, take books and films out of the library, etc.
E-Mail
UMB will provide you with an e-mail address and web access to UMB e-mail is available from any webconnected computer. UMB will also provide dial-up capability which could be helpful if you live within
local calling distance and don’t yet have high-speed access to the Internet. To get an account, ask the
office staff or any faculty member to check to see whether your name has been entered into the UMB
global address book. If it has, simply call the Helpdesk at 617-287-5220 and ask for your password. If
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your name has not yet been entered into the global address book, you’ll need to fill out an application for
an e-mail account. (See Appendix A of this document for a copy of the application form.)
To find the web-based email: From the UMB home page (www.umb.edu) type email in the search box, or
go directly to http://email.umb.edu/. Click Log On and in the next window enter your email name (usually
firstname.lastname) in the domain/username box. Type in the password you got when you registered for
e-mail and click Log On.
Salary Issues
The Faculty Staff Union (FSU) contract establishes salaries for the Division of Corporate, Continuing and
Distance Education and for the main campus course offerings.
Union Dues
All new lecturers, whether part-time or full-time, short-term or long-term, are immediately entered into
the bargaining unit and are covered by the collective bargaining agreement (union contract). This means
that lecturers are eligible for all union negotiated pay raises as well as various other benefits secured for
lecturers by the union. For example, in recent years the FSU has negotiated: substantial increases in the
per-course minimum, health benefits for members who are half-time or more; the removal of the 2 course
per-semester limit, giving per-course lecturers the opportunity to teach 3 or 4 courses a semester; and the
creation of two new ranks for long-term salaried lecturers, Lecturer II and Senior Lecturer, which come
with substantial pay raises and, for lecturers with 10 years of service, multi-year contracts. In exchange
for this contractual coverage, all lecturers are legally required to pay either union dues or an agency fee to
the union. Please see the FSU website at www.fsu.umb.edu for more details, and contact the FSU
Membership Coordinator at 617-877-6295 or fsu@umb.edu for more information on dues amounts,
payment options, as well as any other union related questions.
Status and Benefits
Part-Time Lecturers have access to benefits according to guidelines determined by the Faculty Staff
Union Contract in accordance with State regulations. (For a copy of the current union contract, go to
http://www.fsu.umb.edu/; look for the section on Non-Tenure Track Faculty (Contract Faculty). The FSU
also has email contact: fsu@umb.edu.) There are pay differentials between teaching in the regular (“day”)
program and in the CE division. Several factors will affect your salary and benefits including: your status
in the regular (“day”) unit or the CE unit; your years of service; and your teaching load. Continuing health
benefits are determined by your teaching load and its continuity. The department tries to maintain the
uninterrupted half time status of all lecturers who are on our course priority lists so that health benefits
can be maintained.
Barbara Jean Conneely is the Benefits Manager in the UMass Boston Department of Human Resources
(Quinn Administration Building, 3rd Floor, Room 00076; (617) 287-5150;
barbarajean.conneely@umb.edu). Once you qualify for benefits, please contact Barbara for an orientation
to the benefits options to which you are entitled. She and her staff can provide information related to
health insurance, dental insurance, pension plans, etc. You may also check out the Human Resources web
page at: http://www.umb.edu/administration_finance/hr/benefits/index.shtml.
Retirement System
We suggest that you talk with someone in Human Resources or the FSU to find out how the retirement
system works and to assess whether it makes sense for you to participate in it.
Photocopying
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The Sociology Department staff are available to make copies of syllabi and other course handouts such as
worksheets, quizzes and exams as long as they receive electronic or hard copies several days in advance.
The office staff does not have time to type documents. Sometimes copying can be done on shorter notice
but it is not guaranteed. In no case can the department fund or handle the copying of reading packets for
your class; you will need to find an alternative way to solve that problem such as E-Reserve (see below
under Healey Library) or a coursepak through the UMB Bookstore, Kinko’s, etc. The office owns a
Rizograph machine that you are free to use if you are teaching on the main campus; the office staff can
show you how to use it. (It functions about 95% of the time so it’s best to plan ahead.) There is a copy
center on the first floor of Wheatley Hall (W-1-0078, near Wheatley Auditorium) where you can copy for
a fee. Copyright regulations are posted in the center. The hours of operation are ordinarily 8:30-5:00,
Monday thru Friday. Phone 617-287-5056.
Office Supplies
The Department provides basic office supplies such as a grade book, chalk, blue books, and basic things
like file folders, pens, paper clips, and UMB stationery. Please ask for what you need. We cannot supply
cartridges for your personal printer.
Absence from Class
If you are faced with illness or other emergency and cannot attend class, please notify both your class and
the Sociology office for cancellations on campus during the week; someone in the office will post a sign
on your classroom door. Notify the CE office if you cannot attend a CE class. An email distribution list or
a class web page can be immensely helpful in these kinds of situations. If you miss more than one class
you are expected to find a way to help the students make up the missed work.
Final Exams
Final exams must be given during the scheduled final exam period. The Registrar’s office publishes the
final exam schedule about a month in advance and it must be followed. In no case may you administer a
final exam during a regularly scheduled class. If for some reason you need to change the location of an
exam, please inform the Chair so that logistics may be adequately handled.
Change of Classroom
Please do not change your classroom without notifying the office staff. In cases of emergency, the
University needs to know how to find you and your students. If you wish for any reason to attempt to
change the meeting time of a course, you must first clear it with the Chair. If you are having a problem
with your room and/or equipment, please contact the office staff or the Chair.
Annual Faculty Reports
All instructors, whatever their status, are required to fill out an Annual Faculty Report (AFR) in early
September if they have taught during the previous year. You will receive a notice about this and a link to
the AFR form via e-mail. There is a special AFR for Lecturers. Submitting your AFR is mandatory and is
essential in rehiring and merit pay considerations. Usually there is little time in the beginning of the year
for the Department to review and submit AFRs to higher administrative levels, so submitting your AFR
by the deadline is important and appreciated. Enclosing additional requested materials such as copies of
resumes and teaching materials (syllabi and other handouts) is also important to help us assess your
teaching effectiveness. If you have any other materials or information related to your teaching, mentoring,
scholarship or service, please feel free to include them as well. Student evaluations of your teaching are
essential to our assessment of your teaching. The department administers both quantitative and qualitative
questionnaires for students to fill out anonymously. More detail on this process is provided in Part 2 under
Course Evaluation Forms.
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Continued Employment
In accordance with FSU guidelines, the department maintains a priority list of post-probation Lecturers
and the courses that they have taught. The point of this list is to use seniority, FSU guidelines, and coursespecific expertise in making course assignments. Courses are assigned on the basis of need for particular
offerings at various times of day or evening. There is a fixed number of slots given to the department
each term and the day unit slots are determined by the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. When fulltime faculty are on leave there is greater need for Lecturers to cover their courses in the day unit. The
number of faculty on leave can vary from zero to as many as 4 in any given semester. Within this frame,
Lecturer seniority, expertise, and availability for specific time slots inform course assignment. Each fall
the Chair distributes schedule requests for the following academic year. Please fill out the form if you are
interested in continued employment. We will attempt to meet your schedule and course preferences if
there is sufficient need. Lecturers may be scheduled for regular program classes (during day or evening),
CE classes (night, weekends, winter, summer, on-campus or off-campus), or both. You may be scheduled
for CE because your expertise is needed there and/or because there are no courses available for you in the
regular schedule.
Merit Raises
Each year the department reviews lecturers’ course evaluations and teaching materials and makes
recommendations for merit-related increases in pay. These are in addition to the across-the-board
increases negotiated by the Faculty Staff Union. Dean Donna Kuizenga has a separate pool of merit
money and considers additional merit raises for lecturers who have excelled in both teaching and service.
The department does not ordinarily require service on the part of Lecturers but does occasionally
negotiate service obligations with Lecturer I’s and II’s and Senior Lecturers. If you would like to get
involved in department service, please talk with the Chair about possible committee work or advising.
Given that the merit raises involved are very small, this might not be worth your time. Here is the FSU
Contract language related to workload in Section 21(B).3:
(a) The workload of per-course lecturers (probationary and post-probationary) shall normally
consist of teaching and directly related responsibilities, such as regularly scheduled office
hours and normal extra-classroom instructional assistance to students. In cases where percourse lecturers perform additional workload assignments, such assignments and the
compensation to be paid shall be mutually agreed upon by the Employer/University
Administration and the lecturer and shall be specified on his/her appointment and
reappointment forms.
(b) The workload of Lecturer I’s, Lecturer II’s, and Senior Lecturers shall include those
activities listed in the first paragraph of this Article, plus additional responsibilities in
assisting the department chair/program director or his or her designee on scheduling
matters or other appropriate professional matters the department chair/program director or
designee may determine. All such additional responsibilities shall be specified on the
lecturer’s appointment and reappointment forms.
Promotion to Senior Lecturer
In the most recent contracts negotiated between the Faculty Staff Union and the University, a limited
number of long-term Lecturers have been eligible for promotion to Senior Lecturer. Senior Lecturers
receive multi-year contracts. The primary criteria for promotion are seniority and good teaching. The
Dean’s office maintains a list of people in line for this promotion. In the Fall of 2007, Lecturers hired in
the 1970s were at the top of the list.
Emergencies
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In an emergency—medical or otherwise--please call the campus police at 617-287-7799. UMass Boston
has an Emergency Response System that we suggest you sign up for. Information about what it is and
how to sign up is included in Appendix B.
Part 2
Course Logistics
Finding Your Classroom
The numbers on rooms in Wheatley Hall (where you are most likely to be teaching if you are on the main
campus) are the original architect’s numbers and are confusing. Please leave extra time to locate your
classroom the first time you look for it.
Web Support
If you would like to set up a web page for your class in order to put course materials on the Web and/or
arrange for on-line communication among students, see Professor Gore for the current list of contact
people in the Information Technology department.
Library Resources
Film Library
Healey Library has a substantial collection of films and DVDs that you can reserve in advance and
hold for up to 10 days. To search the holdings or to reserve a film, go to: http://www.lib.umb.edu/media/.
E-Reserve
Handled by Mark Kolkebeck at Healey Library, e-reserve is a good solution to the photocopy
problem. Within relatively generous guidelines, you may post course readings at a rate of up to one
chapter per book and up to 20 items total per semester. Please submit clean hard copies without wide
black margins to Mark Kolkebeck, 4th Floor, Healey Library. (The black areas burn out students’
cartridges too fast.) For more about e-Reserve, check the e-reserves web page:
http://www.lib.umb.edu/reserves/faculty_index.html.
Reserve Materials - Books and Articles
Go to the Circulation Desk in the library to obtain request forms to put books on Library Reserve.
The Library will purchase books for reserve if needed and if they have enough advance notice; but if you
have been hired at the last minute, don’t count on this resource.
Wikispaces and Library Guides
Our librarians will do their best to set up Wikispaces and guides to various resources for your
course (e.g. links to reference works or to ASA or APA style, etc.). To do this, please contact Janet
DiPaolo as soon as you know what you’ll be teaching. janet.dipaolo@umb.edu. To see samples of
existing Wiki pages for Sociology, and for specific Sociology courses currently taught, visit
http://www.lib.umb.edu/ and click on Course Wikis on the left column.
Smart Classrooms
Most classrooms on the main campus have consoles for VHS and DVD showing, plus computer hookups.
You’ll need to visit the media services office in whichever building you are teaching in order to learn the
code for opening the console (usually all classrooms in a particular building have the same code). If you
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need to borrow a laptop for use in the classroom, you’ll need to reserve it, ideally well in advance.
Locations: Wheatley, First floor, room 039; McCormack, 2nd floor, room 00112. If you have to borrow a
TV and DVD/VHS player, allow time to pick it up and deliver it back to the media lab. We recommend
practicing with the equipment before the semester begins if possible in order to become familiar with how
things work.
WISER
The system for handling course registration, course rosters, enrollments, grades, student degree progress,
etc. is called WISER.1 For information on the functions of WISER Faculty Self Service, navigate to
http://wiser.umb.edu and click on Wiser for faculty on the left side of the page, then on Wiser Reference
Guide on the left side of the page. If you need help logging into WISER Faculty Self Service or have any
other problems using it, please call IT User Services at 617-287-5220.
Checking your course(s)
Please check WISER early to make sure that your name is on the course you are teaching. If it is not, the
office staff will arrange to correct the error.
Adding Students to a Full Course
During the add-drop period (which is roughly the first week of the semester), students may add a
course online if it is not full. If your course is full and you agree to let an extra student add, that student
will need a “permission number.” These can be found on your course roster.
Grades. UMB grades range from A (4.0) to F with interim steps between grades: A, A-, B+, B, B-,
etc. D- is the lowest passing grade. See below for more information on grading, including the grade of
“Incomplete.”
Grading
How to Enter Grades
·
Navigate to http://wiser.umb.edu, click on Faculty Self Service and sign in.
·
In Learning Management, under Management on the left side of the page, click on Record
Grades.
·
Click on the relevant semester.
·
Click on the Course Title of the class for which you want to enter grades.
·
Enter the grade in the Grade Input field.
·
Save frequently by clicking on the Save button in the lower left corner of the page.
·
When you have entered a grade for every student on the roster, click on Save, then locate the
Approval Status field above the list of students, click on the down arrow and select Approved.
·
Click on Save.
·
The next time the grade posting batch process is run, the grades will be posted to the students’
records. Students can then log into WISER Student Self Service to view their grades.
·
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Important Notes:
You do not have to enter all grades at once; just be sure to save the grades frequently as you
enter them.
Note: The information about WISER has been copied from an email message sent to the faculty from the
IT department in December 2007.
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·
·
·
Grades must be entered for ALL students before the Approval Status field can be changed to
Approved.
Grades will not be posted to any records until the status is Approved.
After the grades for a course have been posted, to change a grade you must submit a Change of
Grade form to the Registrar’s Office.
Remember to provide the chair or the office staff with a hard copy of your grade list for each class
after you have submitted your final grades.
NA Grades
A few weeks into the semester the Registrar’s Office sends a memo to all faculty asking us to
report any students who have attended only one or two sessions and disappeared or who have not shown
up in class at all. This way, a grade of NA (Not Attending) can be entered for them and you will not be
forced to enter an F at the end of the semester. A grade of NA has no effect on the student’s grade point
average; it simply indicates that they did not attend the course in which they had been formally enrolled.
A Grade of Incomplete
It is both university and department policy that Incompletes must be given only when students in
good standing who have completed all work satisfactorily are unable to meet a last assignment or small
portion of work for a credible reason. You should include a statement about receiving permission for an
incomplete in your syllabi, just as you include a statement about missed work and grading practices for
missed and late work. Students who have missed work, or who have failed work, or who plan to miss
work, must have an agreement in place and tell the professor what has happened as soon as possible. A
student who has not been in contact with you, and/or the semester has ended and the work has not been
submitted is seldom a candidate for an INC though you will have to apply this policy to individual cases
in extenuating circumstances (e.g. the person was hospitalized and unable to contact you). If you are not
sure what to do, please speak with the Chair. In all cases in which you grant an INC you must fill out an
agreement about submitting the work and regarding when the INC will turn to an F if the work is not
completed satisfactorily. See below for the one year rule. You should consider a shorter and appropriate
time frame. The Grade Incomplete Form can be obtained in the Sociology Department Office (W-4-012).
Here is the wording of the official University policy. Feel free to show it to students:
The incomplete (INC) grade is reported only where a portion of the assigned or required class
work, or the final examination, has not been completed because of serious illness, extreme
personal circumstances, or scholarly reasons at the request of the instructor. A student who would
fail the course regardless of the missing work will not receive an incomplete, but will fail the
course.
A student wishing to receive the INC grade must obtain the instructor’s permission and must fill
out the “Grade Incomplete” form, available from the appropriate departmental office. A student
receiving the grade of Incomplete is allowed one full year in which to complete the course. The
new grade must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the grading deadline for that semester,
i.e., by the end of the next fall semester for fall incompletes; by the end of the next spring
semester for spring incompletes. The grade for any course not completed by this deadline will be
converted to the grade of “F”, and the student will not be allowed to complete the course.
http://www.umb.edu/admissions/ugrad_catalog/standardsregs.html
We encourage you to give a grade of INC only as a last resort. If you are willing, you may give a course
grade based on the work completed, calculating the missing piece of work as a zero. Do not give an INC
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on the basis of missing work due earlier in the semester unless everything else has been completed and the
student has been in touch with you to work out a plan for completion of the work.
If you choose to calculate the missing work as a zero and the student later completes the missing work,
you may change the grade by submitting a Change of Grade Form (available in the Department Office) if
you are willing to read late work. If you agree to do that, we suggest that you write up an agreement with
the student stating the deadline for the late work. This approach assures that the grade will not become an
F and if you leave UMB you are less likely to have students trying to find you so that you can read their
late work. It also assures that after a certain point you will not have to read late work.
Get Work Back to Students in a Timely Manner
Students want and deserve to know where they stand in a course. The quicker you return their exams and
papers, the better. You should assign and return at least one major graded assignment before the Course
Withdrawal Deadline.
Pass-Fail Deadline and Course Withdrawal Deadline
Students who are not performing at an acceptable level in your class usually have two options—to take
the class pass/fail (P/F) or to withdraw from the course. The deadline for doing so happens in early
November or early April. Check the Schedule Book for the exact date.
Pass-Fail means that the student can earn as low as a D- and still pass the course. The “P” grade
does not affect the student’s GPA. If a student fails, however, the F does affect the GPA. However, there
are exceptions to the P/F option since some courses may not be taken P/F. In the Sociology
Department, for example, students may not take any of the following P/F: SOCIOL 351L Methods of
Sociological Research, SOCIOL 341 Sociological Theory; or anything that qualifies as the student’s
Senior Experience/Capstone.
Students are allowed to take up to one P/F course per semester until they reach a maximum of 8.
Withdrawal eliminates the student from the course. A W is placed next to the course on the
transcript, indicating that the student started the course but did not finish it. However, withdrawing from
a course can sometimes create trouble for the student. In some cases it could conceivably interfere
with the student’s financial aid so the students should check that with the Financial Aid office. In others it
might make the student ineligible for inclusion on his or her parents’ health insurance policy if full-time
status is a requirement.
Schedule Book
Each semester a schedule book is printed listing most of the courses that will be offered in the following
semester. In spite of its inevitable errors it is a useful resource for information about the academic
calendar, requirements, the general education designations of courses, pass-fail deadline, course
withdrawal deadline, etc.
Course Evaluation Forms
Course evaluations must be administered at the end of every course, whether offered through CE or in the
regular main campus program. Please announce in advance the date you will administer the evaluations
(not during the final exam); this should be on a day when you expect most students are present. The office
staff will set up in advance a packet for each of your courses for offerings on campus during the regular
program. CE provides its own evaluation forms. Please look over the directions to make sure you
understand them so that you can show the students how to fill out the opscan form. You are expected to
leave the classroom while students fill out the forms. A student should return the evaluations to the
department office. If you are teaching at a time when the office is likely to be closed, you will have to
accompany the student to the office, seal the envelope, and put it in the box with other packets of
evaluations or on a desk in the office.
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As mentioned above in the section on Annual Faculty Reports, course evaluations are an essential aspect
of assessing your teaching and must be administered.
Independent Study
Upper level students have the option of doing an independent piece of research (via library only or library
plus data gathering) via SOCIOL 478 and 479 - Directed Study in Sociology. Unfortunately, we are
unable to compensate Lecturers for the time involved in supervising these kinds of projects. You may
agree to supervise such projects as long as a full-time faculty member works with you on them, but you
are under no obligation to do so. If you do supervise a Directed Study with a student, make sure to list it
on your Annual Faculty Report. Guidelines for this are available on the rack near the department office
(W-4-012).
Individual Major
UMB offers students the option to do an individual major, drawing upon courses from various
departments. This is a complex, slow process with many guidelines and must be supervised by a full-time
member of the faculty. If you are approached by a student about this, please refer her or him to Estelle
Disch (estelle.disch@umb.edu).
Boilerplate Language Related to Disabilities and Plagiarism
University policy requires the following language to be included in each syllabus. You may edit it lightly
for style or to personalize it but the basic information needs to be there.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 offers guidelines and support for curriculum
modifications and adaptations for students with documented disabilities. If applicable, students
may obtain adaptation recommendations from the Ross Center for Disability Services, CC-2-2100,
617-287-7430. The student must present these recommendations and discuss them with each
professor within a reasonable period, preferably by the end of Drop/Add period.
STUDENT CONDUCT, PLAGIARISM, etc.
Students are required to adhere to the University Policy on Academic Standards and Cheating, to
the University Statement on Plagiarism and the Documentation of Written Work, and to the Code
of Student Conduct as delineated in the Catalog of Undergraduate Programs. The Code is
available online at: http://www.umb.edu/student_services/student_rights/code_conduct.html
Suggested Language Related to Academic Support
Support for students who are struggling academically or who simply want to improve is often available at
the Office of Academic Support. For more information about available services go to CC-1-1300, call
617-287-6550, or check out this web site: http://www.academicsupport.umb.edu/
Advising
All full-time faculty and a few designated Lecturers serve as advisors. Lecturers typically are not expected
to do any formal advising. Please refer students to the Department office for assignment of an advisor.
The University Advising Center also has a great web site, in case you want to refer a student there:
http://www.uac.umb.edu/. Included are links to Career Services. The Department Handbook for majors in
Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Social Psychology and minors in Sociology and Criminal Justice is
available on the rack near the office (Wheatley Hall, 4th Floor, Room 012).
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Individual Administration of Exams or Quizzes
If you agree to allow a student to take an exam separate from the regular administration of the exam you
will need to make your own arrangement to distribute and monitor the exam. The office staff cannot
handle this and there is often no quiet place where the student can take the test.
Part 3
Our Students and Our Classrooms
UMass Boston has some of the most interesting students anywhere. They are bright and motivated and
bring a wide range of life experiences to the classroom conversation. Most are in school because they
really want to be here, see education as their path to a better future, and are ready to do their best to
succeed. In our sociology classrooms you might find speakers of 10 different languages and
representatives of at least that many cultural groups. Currently about two-thirds of our students attend
full-time and close to 80% are young (18-24). Within this group, many are the first in their families to
attend college. Some have joined us right after high school while others will have waited a while before
starting college and may have transferred in. Some are parents, some have been through very rough
times, and many hold full-time jobs. Because of the relatively high cost of UMB, low wage jobs, and
family responsibilities, many of our students have a difficult time juggling school, work, and family. One
of the most challenging aspects of teaching here is addressing the needs of students from a wide range of
circumstances and preparation. We’ll begin by introducing you to a few of them and then move on to
suggest some pedagogical approaches for success with our students.
Theresa transferred to Wellesley College for her last 2 years and is now in graduate school. She
said that she was fully prepared for Wellesley as a result of her 2 years at UMass Boston. She
started her college experience in a UMB 6 week intensive summer program for students with weak
academic preparation (Directions for Student Potential (DSP)). Halfway through her first semester
when she told the teacher she had needed that program the teacher was surprised. She was earning
A’s and was one of the strongest students in the class. She had greatly improved her weak high
school skills in just 6 weeks. She participated in UMB’s Honors Program for 2 years but really
wanted a residential experience, so she left.
Terry is in the Honors Program and is very involved in campus government. She is a proactive
leader who plans a career in law. She has a lot to share about what is going on on campus if the
teacher invites her to make occasional announcements about what she and other active students are
doing.
Paul, an immigrant from Africa, has a wonderful way of adding a cross-cultural perspective to his
US-focused diversity course. Gently encouraging a wider point of view, he is a wonderful
educator when the teacher invites open discussion.
Janet is a moderately strong full-time student living at Harbor Point Apartments. She works hard,
keeps up with the reading, and turns in her work on schedule. She has a difficult time working
with complex ideas and also has a tough time mapping out a paper. Thesis statements escape her
as she dives right into the story she wants to tell. It will likely take her a couple more semesters to
get her writing up to the A level she would like it to be.
11
Jamie got involved with drugs as a teenager and has been in and out of rehab programs and in and
out of school. He needs a lot of help with reading, writing and critical thinking, probably a result
of his inconsistent schooling. Although he has had some basic writing courses to help him develop
his academic skills, he is barely passing as he works 30 hours/week to pay his bills and attends
many 12-Step meetings. As a person he sparkles - sweet, friendly, engaging, very lovable. He has
good friends in school.
Near the start of the semester a family member was shot in Linda’s presence. She missed a lot of
classes and needed time to grieve his death with her family. She finished all the course work on
time and did it very well, but she needed a flexible attendance policy because of the trauma. She
could not sit in class without crying.
Lena works in a medical setting where she shines—she loves the patients and works very well
with a diverse group of patients and staff. She brings wonderful stories to the classroom based on
her childhood in her country of birth and on her work with ill adults and interesting coworkers.
She is bright, spunky, funny, and very pleasant when she is not bummed out over a low grade or
her child’s abusive father. She works full time in order to pay her bills and is the single parent of a
preschool child. She runs from work to daycare to the evening baby sitter before coming to her
evening classes. Her writing and academic analysis skills are weak, and she is in a course for
people who have not been able to pass the Writing Proficiency Exam/Portfolio. She gets grumpy
when she gets a low grade on a paper, is impatient and frustrated with her situation, and says she’ll
be glad to finish her requirements and graduate. She would like to eventually go to graduate
school.
Dan started the semester struggling to write half a page on 1-page assignments. His writing was
incomprehensible to the teacher. Yet he had done well in the summer Directions for Student
Potential (DSP) program (DSP) and was deemed ready for regular first year classes. He needed
serious coaching in order to bring to the class the skills he had practiced in DSP. When he applied
himself he could put thoughts together and write clearly but it took a lot of effort on his part and
some serious coaching by the teacher to get him to do that.
Bill has a 3.8 average. He works 40 hours a week, recently became the father of his 3rd child, and
is carrying 4 courses. His efficiency and focus are stunning. His goal is to finish school as quickly
as possible so that he can spend more time with his family.
In a senior Capstone course, Tom and Mei, both excellent students, were quiet; the teacher
assumed that both were simply uncomfortable speaking in front of the whole class. But Tom, a
native of South Boston, became very talkative and animated when the class read All Souls: A
Family Story from Southie. His family had known the MacDonald family and he had a lot to say
about both the book and his neighborhood. When the class read The Spirit Catches You and You
Fall Down, Mei came alive in the large group. Comparing the Hmong family in the book to her
own Cambodian family, she lent credibility to the book while communicating touching and
humorous stories about her own family. The teacher erroneously assumed that Mei’s reluctance to
speak in the large group had to do with insecurity speaking English, and that Tom’s was
attributable to a shy personality.
If you get to know our students you will learn wonderful, interesting, tragic, and joyful things about their
lives. Some of the teaching strategies suggested here are designed to help you get to know your students
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and to help them get to know each other so that their stories can become part of the classroom
conversation.
Community in the Classroom
Given that UMB is a commuter school and that the vast majority of students do not have time or interest
to get involved in clubs or other campus activities, if community does not happen in the classroom it is
not likely to happen for them at UMB. If you can do a bit to foster communication among students you
will contribute a lot to their connection to the institution and to their academic success. Here are a few
quick and simple things you can consider:
 Do an icebreaker in the first class to help students talk with each other in pairs or threes, and have
them introduce themselves to the class. What they talk about in pairs could be as simple as
exploring what they already know about the topic of the course, what they hope the course will
offer, discussing their backgrounds, their favorite song or movie or TV show, etc.
 Circulate an information sheet asking the students for contact information (and anything else
you’d like to know). Ask whether it’s OK to put any of their contact info on a list to distribute to
the class so that students can get in touch with each other if they miss class, need to work together
on an assignment, etc.
 Suggest that students make name signs to hang over the edges of their desks so that you and the
class can more easily learn names. (Alternative: make the signs yourself with a magic marker and
hand them out.)
 Set up an email distribution list of all students willing to be on such a list. Students can then
“reply to all” in order to send messages to the group.
 Ask students to spend a bit of time in each class in small groups discussing the readings. They
could simply talk with their neighbors or you could count them off in order to help them talk with
new people. Give them specific questions and walk around to make sure they are not talking
about unrelated topics.
Early Feedback
 In the first or second class, ask students to write a short in-class essay on something they should
know about, related to the course. This will give you a sense of how many weak writers you have
in the group.
 Assign a short graded paper very early--perhaps 2 pages, related to the reading. This will give you
a sense of how well the students can make sense of the reading and write clearly about it. Large
class alternative: Give a short quiz very early.
Are they getting it?
 One-Minute Paper. At the end of class, or even in the middle, ask students to write anonymously
for one minute about what you’ve been teaching: What was the main point of tonight’s lecture?
What was the most confusing aspect of this evening’s class? What do you wish you or someone
else had said about the topic that was not said? (See Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross,
Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, 2nd Edition, for more
examples of learning assessment techniques. Here is a link to further information about the book,
or look for it in Healey Library: http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd1555425003.html)
 Ungraded Quiz. Put together a few quiz questions. Give students a few minutes to answer the
questions on their own anonymously. Then invite them to convince a neighbor that they are
correct. Then gather the responses by asking for a show of hands or collecting the papers and
redistributing them. If you create short-answer questions, the wrong answers can become part of
the lecture as you go over the quiz (e.g. why is “b” wrong?). Alternative approach: Collect the
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papers before allowing discussion of the answers to see how the students are doing. If you plan to
give in-class exams, the kinds of questions you ask on these short ungraded quizzes will help the
students understand what you expect of them.
A student is in academic trouble…What should I do?
 Assess the level of trouble. Talk with the student if you can and find out what is going on. Is she
doing her best work? Is he facing a family crisis? Does she have major writing issues no matter
how much time she puts into the assignment? Would a revision help if you are willing to read
another version of the assignment, raising the grade if the work improves?
 Tutoring. The Office of Academic Support Programs (Campus Center, first floor, area 1300;
617.287.6550) offers support for reading, writing, and critical thinking plus workshops on study
skills, exam taking, and time management. Sometimes they can provide subject tutors as well for
100 and 200-level courses such as Sociology 101. They offer walk-in writing workshops usually
several times a week starting a few weeks into the semester. If a student needs help, please refer
them there. The sooner you do so, the better, since as the semester progresses there is a waiting list
for individual tutoring. If you would like to talk about a particular student’s situation, ask to speak
with Susan Irvings (susan.irvings@umb.edu).
 Suggest the Pass-Fail option or Withdrawing from the course. Check the deadline for these
possibilities. See above for details about these, including limitations on these possibilities.
 Refer the student to the University Advising Center (CC-1-1100), Career Services (CC1-1100),
or their Sociology Advisor to discuss their future plans, why they are in college, etc. Sometimes
clarification of longer-term goals can help a student get motivated to work harder. If you have
time, feel free to have such a conversation with the student yourself.
 Use the Student Referral Program. If a student disappears or is performing very badly and you
cannot talk to the student to make referrals, contact Linda Hamilton (CC-1-1100; 617.287.5500)
and tell her what has been going on. She will try to contact the student and help him/her address
the issues that are interfering with school performance. This does not always work, but the
University likes to at least try.
 Suggest that the student consider repeating the course if a low grade is inevitable. Students may
repeat up to 4 courses in order to (hopefully) raise their grades. The second grade becomes the
permanent grade, whatever it is (even if it is lower). They do have to pay for the repeated course,
however, so that can be a problem. And if the course is not offered often, repeating it may not be
possible.
Syllabus and Course Plan Suggestions
 Include your own contact information on the syllabus so that students can reach you (ideally a
phone number and your email address). Please respond to students in a timely manner in order to
address problems and questions as they come up.
 Use your syllabus to communicate expectations. Early testing and papers (graded promptly)
become a basis for telling students that their performance must improve when applicable. The
advising center sends a memo about referring students in trouble (see above). Anyone in jeopardy
and who has not been attending or has not been doing assignments adequately should be apprised
of the situation and told that they cannot have an incomplete simply in order to catch up or do
different assignments. If a student is doing poorly you may suggest that they consider withdrawing
(see discussion of Course Withdrawal on page 5 above). Be sure to do this before the withdrawal
deadline. Students often do not want to do this so you need to take this into account in the message
you give.
 Clear attendance policy. Our students are very strategic in the choices they make. Life presses
them hard and if they think they can skip class without paying a price, they will do so when other
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demands are heavier. Vague comments like “attendance and participation are part of your grade”
do not tell a student much and leave them wondering. Specific comments about how a grade is
lowered based on number of absences, and a clear statement about how lateness accumulates
towards absences can help avoid many difficult situations.
Clear grading criteria. Make sure to include how much each piece of work is worth and set the due
dates. Teachers who present surprise assignments or do not set dates for midterms and papers
leave students confused about what to expect and unable to plan their time. You may certainly be
flexible about the dates once you set them (e.g. allow work to come in later), but for students who
need to plan ahead, due dates can be a big help.
Day-by-Day Reading Schedule. Try to be clear about when you expect the reading to be done and
the assignments turned in. A lot of students have told me that if I list reading for a particular date,
they assume that it is due at the following class. This drives me nuts and I state clearly in the
syllabus the first time I assign reading or a paper that the due date is the date listed (e.g. bring this
paper to the class on Friday).
Staged Paper Assignments. If you are assigning a research paper, requiring the work to be turned
in in stages can help students to focus in on the topic, gather resources in advance (instead of the
night before the paper is due!) and start writing. Example: Stage One: Name the topic, say why
you chose it, and submit the titles of the sources to be used. This will give you (the teacher) a
chance to make sure the sources are of the kind you want them to use (e.g. scholarly articles
instead of Wikipedia) and focused on the theme in a coherent way. Stage Two: Write a clear
introduction to the paper and provide a brief description of the rest of it. Stage Three: Bring a draft
for peer review. I find that this works best if you’ll dedicate an hour of class time to peer review; if
students take the papers home there will be some students who miss the next class and fail to
provide timely feedback. You’ll need to provide some clear guidelines for the students to follow
that can help them self-review their own paper even if their peer reviewer is not all that helpful.
Stage Four: Submit the paper for grading. Stage Five: Optional revision after grading. When I
allow this, I insist on having students mark all changes (highlighted or bold) and submit the
original graded version with all my comments. Then I look for changes; I do not reread the whole
paper unless it has been entirely revised.
Emphasize the importance of participation in class.
When the Course is Over
An occasional student will want to contact you after the course is over. Some will inquire about their
grades. Others will want you to certify a paper for their Writing Proficiency Portfolio; for that, students
need to submit the original paper that includes the comments you made when grading the paper. Others
might want a reference for graduate school or a job. If you can let us know where you are when you are
not teaching here, that would be helpful to those students. Students who want to use their papers in the
Writing Proficiency Portfolio should provide you with the appropriate coversheet and a stamped selfaddressed envelope so that you can easily return the paper when the semester is over; please remind such
students to do that.
Conflicts, Distressed Students, Distressing Students
If you are having a conflict with a student and cannot easily resolve it yourself, please see the Chair
(currently Sue Gore) who will help you figure out what to do. The Code of Student Conduct
(http://www.umb.edu/student_services/student_rights/code_conduct.html) describes inappropriate
behavior on the part of students and includes grievance procedures. The University has recently
developed a protocol for dealing with Distressed and Distressing Students. It is included as Appendix C in
this document.
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Troubleshooting
If any of the following statements fit you, you might benefit from some support in a tough situation or
some advice aimed at helping you become a more effective and efficient teacher so that you can both
enjoy teaching more and have more time to do your other work. If the department has assigned you a
mentor, you might start there. Alternatively, feel free to contact Estelle Disch (Estelle.disch@umb.edu) to
discuss what is going on in your class.
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I tend to stay up very late preparing my classes and have little or no energy when I finish
teaching.
I feel like I’m running on adrenaline whenever I teach and I don’t like the feeling.
I am so swamped in papers to grade that I can’t do much else.
The students seem to need a lot of help with their writing. I spend an immense amount of time
correcting their errors.
I never seem to get to my research during the semester; teaching takes up most of my time.
There is a student in my class who seems to hate the course (or me).
A student in my class recently told me that other students are making insulting comments
related to sexual orientation or race or class or ethnicity, etc.
A student made a demeaning comment out loud and I’m not sure how to deal with it.
There’s a student in the class who I wish would stay home.
There’s a group of students who sit together and frequently talk among themselves, interfering
with other students concentration (and/or my own).
Someone in the class keeps challenging me in an aggressive way and I’m not sure how to
handle it.
There’s someone in class who always has his/her hand up and the other students appear to be
tired of that student’s questions/concerns.
There’s a student in class who talks at length about issues unrelated to the topic at hand.
In one of my classes I can’t get the students to talk. I feel like I’m doing all the work.
It seems like most of the students are not doing the assigned reading before class.
I just gave a test on which the students did very badly. I was sure that I had covered everything
systematically and had explained things very clearly.
I can’t wait for the semester to be over.
I dread going to one of my classes.
A particular student is frequently in my office and seems to need a lot of attention for issues
unrelated to the course. I’m not sure how to set limits on the time I spend with the student.
A student is sexually harassing me, or another student.
I’m doing all I can to be a good teacher but the student evaluations are not as high as I’d like
them to be.
Appendix A
Application for a UMB e-mail account
MS EXCHANGE EMAIL ACCOUNT REQUEST
1. Please type or print clearly
2. Get authorizing signature(s)
3. Return completed form to: Information Technology Quinn 01, 012A, Attn: E-mail account
Name of Applicant: __________________________________________________ Date: _____________
Employee ID Number: ________________________ Campus Telephone: _____________________
Department: ___________________________________________________________________________
Campus Address (bldg/fl/rm): _____________________________________________________________
16
University policy requires that e-mail addresses be a true representation of the user.
The standard formats are:
firstname.lastname@umb.edu Example: john.doe@umb.edu
unitname@umb.edu Example: helpdesk@umb.edu
Note: The username <first.lastname> must not exceed 20 characters.
If you believe you need a different e-mail name, please attach a written request stating the reason, signed
by both you and your department head. (You will be contacted if your request cannot be approved.)
Individual Account Type: Faculty __ Staff __ Temp __ Status: Full-time __ Part-time __
Departmental Account Type: Main __ Other unit __
Unit name needing account: ____________________________________________________________
Departmental accounts also require a formal display name for the directory, a name that is descriptive for
the university community.
Example: If “helpdesk@umb.edu” is the account name, the display name should be “IT Helpdesk”
Formal display name: ___________________________________________________
Applicant: ___________________________________________________ Date: ___________
(signature)
Department Head: _____________________________________________ Date: ___________
(signature)
Questions? Please email the Helpdesk or call 617-287-5220
Note: In the event that the faculty member does not have an Employee ID yet, the form must also be signed by
the department head or supervisor and submitted. A short explanation should be included with the form with a
brief explanation to justify the email account. (Examples: new faculty hire, Employee ID pending). If the faculty is
hired under special circumstances and they will not be assigned an Employee ID, the form must be signed by the
department head or supervisor and submitted along with a letter containing a brief explanation of such.
Appendix B
Emergency Notification System
February 2008
Campus phone call 911
c: 617-287-1212
Q) What is the Emergency Notification System?
A) The Emergency Notification System is a communications service that UMass Boston provides for all
students, faculty and staff. All students, faculty and staff can voluntarily register to receive alerts about
threats of imminent danger at or near any UMB location via email, text messaging, and voicemail. This
service is used in conjunction with other communication channels including public address
announcements and campus-wide e-mail.
The university provides this valuable service through an independent vendor Dialogic Communications
Corporation http://www.dccusa.com/
Q) How do I sign up?
A) As a student, faculty or staff member you automatically have the ability to logon to a secure webbased portal:
https://umb.ecoporte.com/emergency/jsp/home/home.jsp
Using your current email logon credentials to enter the portalExample: first.lastname (username) do not use your full @umb.edu address
your current email password (password)
Q) How will I be notified in the event of an emergency?
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A) The Emergency Notification System will send email and text messages from the following address:
MassHigherED@dccnotify.com. Voicemail messages will note the UMass Boston Emergency
Notification System as the caller.
Q) Is there a cost if I sign up?
A) The university is not charging students, faculty or staff for this service; however, depending on your
agreement with your mobile phone provider, you may incur charges if you opt to receive text messages.
Please check with your provider to understand your charges.
Q) What kind of situations will this notification process be used for?
A) The university only will send you messages when circumstances arise posing a threat of imminent
danger. Emergencies such as, but not limited to, fire, hazardous materials spill, or an act of violence. The
system may be tested several times throughout the year to ensure effectiveness.
For more information: http://umb.edu/safety/ens/
Appendix- C
Distressed and Distressing Students
University of Massachusetts Boston
University-wide Safety Planning Committee
If you know a student who seems to be distressed or distressing to others, take these
three steps.
1. Gather information
If a student tells you he or she is personally troubled or is troubled about another student, or if you are troubled about a
student, and one or more of the following warning signs are present...
Psychological or physical signs, such as
• extreme emotionality, high levels of irritability or hostility, indirect or overt expressions of intent to harm or kill oneself
or other(s)
• withdrawal, social isolation, or absence of emotion
• written assignments with themes of despair, hopelessness, isolation, or intense anger
• confusion or inability to make decisions
• odd or bizarre speech or behavior
• change in (or lack of) concentration or motivation
• excessive fatigue, lack of energy, or frequent falling
asleep in class
• deterioration in personal hygiene or physical appearance,
or noticeable change in weight
• evidence of injury, such as cuts, bruises, black eyes, missing patches of hair, etc.
• evidence of alcohol or drug intoxication (e.g., slurred or
incoherent speech; slow verbal responses; gross and fine
motor coordination difficulties; bloodshot eyes or abnormal pupil size; use of sunglasses or long-sleeves when not
appropriate), or
Academic signs, such as
• inappropriate classroom or online behavior
• deterioration in the quality of work submitted
• missed or late assignments, including repeated
requests for extensions
• missed appointments
• repeated absences from class
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• decrease in or lack of engagement in group- or
participation-oriented classes
Go to step 2.
2. Assess the level of distress
If the situation is urgent, call Public Safety immediately
at 911 (campus phone) or 617.287.1212 (cell phone). The situation is urgent if the student is at immediate risk of harming
self or others, is incoherent or unresponsive, or is in extreme distress or causing extreme distress to others.
Stay with the student to provide support for the student and information for the officers, unless
you fear that your safety might be in jeopardy.
If the situation is important but not urgent—that is, if the student does not appear to be in acute and current distress, but has
been showing signs of difficulty such as those listed above—
Go to step 3.
3. Assess your relationship to the student
If you don’t know the student or you don’t feel able to deal with the student directly, on the same day (or the next
business day, if the concern arose after hours), contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. Call
617.287.5800, or email Assistant Dean Joyce Morgan (joyce.morgan@umb.edu) and Vice Chancellor Patrick Day
(patrick.day@umb.edu).
If you know the student and feel you have the experience,
ability, and time to deal with the student directly and
determine what assistance may be needed,
Before the conversation,
• Ask the student to meet privately.
• Let someone else know about the meeting (best
scheduled during the regular business day) so he or
she can be available to help you if necessary.
During the conversation,
• Let the student know what you have noticed about
his or her behavior that has caused you to be worried,
and express your concern. (“I have noticed that you seem very tired the past two weeks.” “I’ve noticed
you’ve missed class three times in the past two weeks.”)
• Do not promise to keep information confidential.
• Ask open-ended questions. (“How are things going for you this semester? What’s been difficult for you
this semester?”)
• Listen to the student’s response. You need not be scared off
by an emotional response. Talking about a problem, or
labeling a crisis, does not make it worse—it is the first step
toward resolving it. Be patient. Don’t give up if the student doesn’t talk easily.
• Suggest a visit to the University Advising Center if you
have noticed academic signs (617.287.5500), the UHS Counseling Center if you have noticed psychological signs
(617.287.5690), or UHS General Medicine if you have noticed physical signs (617.287.5660).
• If the student agrees to go, accompany him or her to the
appropriate office or call the campus resource to let them know to expect the student and indicate whether the
student should make an appointment or be seen right away.
After the conversation:
• Inform the person in charge of your area or department
of the situation and your actions.
• That day (or the next business day if the concern arose
after hours), contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor
for Student Affairs. Call 617.287.5800, or email Assistant
Dean Joyce Morgan (joyce.morgan@umb.edu) and Vice
Chancellor Patrick Day (patrick.day@umb.edu) to express
your concern and inform them of your actions.
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The guidelines on this poster, which were developed by a multidisciplinary task force of the University-wide Safety Planning Committee, are
intended to help all members of the UMass Boston community respond wisely and consistently in situations where there is cause for concern
about the well-being of students. If you have questions about the guidelines, please contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs (617.287.5800).
A note about Estelle Disch, the author of this document:
In 1978 I left a tenure-track position at Smith College to teach at Boston State College. I had been at
Boston State for two years before teaching at Smith and had greatly enjoyed the students and my
colleagues. Although Smith students were very nice, hard-working, had time to do their homework, and
almost always showed up for appointments, I did not find them as interesting as those at Boston State and
they were not brighter; rather, they had had solid K-12 educations, had enough economic support to not
have to work much, and had been socialized to be good students. I left Smith when a permanent job
opened at Boston State because I felt deeply moved by the students, many of whom had not had a good
high school education but were working hard to catch up and keep going with their studies. Boston State
was merged into UMass Boston in 1982 and most of the students made the transition to UMass Boston;
those of us with tenure came along with them. I hope you will enjoy UMB students as much as I do, and
if I can be of any help as you learn your way around UMB, please get in touch. estelle.disch@umb.edu.
Table of Contents
Part I – Workplace Logistics
1
Paperwork
Contact Information
Office Assignment, Key, Office Hours, Security
ID Card and Library Bar Code
E-Mail
Salary issues
Status and Benefits
Retirement System
Photocopying
Office Supplies
Absence from Class
Final Exams
Change of Classroom
Annual Faculty Reports
Continued Employment
Merit raises
Promotion to Senior Lecturer
Emergencies
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
Part 2 – Course Logistics
6
Finding Your Classroom
Web Support
Library Resources
6
6
6
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Film Library
E-Reserve
Reserve Materials – Books and Articles
Wikispaces and Library Guides
Smart Classrooms
WISER
Checking your course(s)
Adding Students to a Full Course
Grades
Grading
How to Enter Grades
NA Grades
A Grade of Incomplete
Get Work Back to Students in a Timely Manner
Pass-Fail and Course Withdrawal Deadline
Schedule Book
Course Evaluation Forms
Independent study
Individual Major
Boilerplate Language – Disabilities and Plagiarism
Suggested Language Related to Academic Support
Advising
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Part 3 – Our Students and Our Classrooms
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Community in the Classroom
Early Feedback
Are they getting it?
A student is in academic trouble…
Syllabus and Course Plan Suggestions
When the Course Is Over
Conflicts, Distressed and Distressing Students
Troubleshooting
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Appendix A – Application for E-Mail Account
Appendix B – Emergency Notification System
Appendix C – Distressed & Distressing Students
A Note about the Author
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