Graduate
Teaching Assistant
Handbook
Table of Contents
1. ENROLLMENT...............................................................................................................................2
1.1 Course Enrollment .............................................................................................................2
1.2 Adding or Dropping a Course ..........................................................................................2
1.3 Override Requests ..............................................................................................................2
1.4 Tips for Add/Drop/Override Forms .................................................................................3
2. FACULTY CENTER.......................................................................................................................3
3. GRADE CHANGES ........................................................................................................................4
4. INCOMPLETE GRADES...............................................................................................................4
5. REPEATING COURSES ................................................................................................................4
5.1 Students Admitted Prior to Fall 2008 ..............................................................................5
5.2 Students Newly Admitted Fall 2008 and After................................................................5
6. WITHDRAWALS ............................................................................................................................5
6.1 Student-Initiated Course Withdrawal .............................................................................5
6.2 Instructor-Initiated Drop ..................................................................................................6
6.3 Instructor-Initiated Withdrawal for Disruptive Behavior .............................................6
6.4 Complete Session Withdrawal ..........................................................................................6
6.5 Medical/Compassionate Withdrawal ...............................................................................7
7. FERPA ..............................................................................................................................................7
8. STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT ................................................................................................8
9. CAMPUS RESOURCES .................................................................................................................8
9.1 Counseling Services ...........................................................................................................8
9.2 Disability Resource Center................................................................................................8
9.3 Student Success Center and Tutoring Services ...............................................................9
9.4 ASU Writing Center ..........................................................................................................9
10. SYLLABUS TIPS...........................................................................................................................9
10.1 Assignments ......................................................................................................................9
10.2 Attendance ........................................................................................................................9
10.3 Classroom Conduct ........................................................................................................10
10.4 University Course Withdrawal Deadline .....................................................................10
10.5 Academic Integrity ................................................................................................................. 10
10.6 Disability Resources .......................................................................................................11
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1. ENROLLMENT
1.1 Course Enrollment
All students attending a class at ASU must be enrolled. Each course instructor must
confirm all students’ enrollment at the beginning of the semester by verifying the class
roster.
Rosters should be verified in the first week and again before the add period ends.
If a student does not appear on your roster, they are not enrolled in your course and you
should encourage them to add the course. If they have not added the course by the end of
the add period, they should not be allowed to continue in your course.
1.2 Adding or Dropping a Course
Students enrolled for courses may drop or add courses during the University’s drop/add
period. See the Academic Calendar for dates of drop/add periods. During this period, a
student may drop one or more but not all scheduled courses without penalty. Courses that
are dropped do not appear on the student’s transcript and fees paid are refunded
according to the refund schedule based on the tuition refund policy:
http://students.asu.edu/tuitionrefundpolicy. A student who wishes to withdraw from all
courses during the drop/add period must process a complete withdrawal from the
university. Courses may be dropped through My ASU during the add/drop period or inperson by using the enrollment change request form:
https://students.asu.edu/files/Enrollment-Change_Request.pdf.
1.3 Override Requests
Any student who would like to enroll in a course that is full, a course that requires certain
pre-requisites the student does not have, or a course that conflicts with another course in
the student’s schedule may contact the course instructor and request an override.
The instructor for the course will determine whether or not to allow overrides. Consult
with your supervisor before granting overrides.
Students who wish to be considered for an override should fill out the required override
form and bring it to the instructor for signature: http://students.asu.edu/forms/overrideauthorization. For online courses, students should complete the form and e-mail the
instructor. If the instructor agrees to allow the override, he/she can reply to the e-mail and
the student should print the email and take it, along with the override form, to the office
of the unit that houses the course.
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1.4 Tips for Add/Drop/Override Forms
Be sure to indicate the course prefix and number (ARS 101, DCE 170, GRA 111, etc.)
and the schedule line number (the 5 digit number assigned to your section) for your
course on the form.
Do not sign a form if the student has not already completed the student information and
signed the form. Require the student to complete and sign the form before you sign it.
2. FACULTY CENTER
The Faculty Center is fully integrated with PeopleSoft and accessible through My ASU. Using
the Faculty Center you can view your class rosters and report grades in real time.
To access the Faculty Center, follow these steps:



Visit www.asu.edu/myasu
Click the Fall 2013 tab in the “My Classes” box and you will see a listing of your
courses. There will be icons to the right including Blackboard and Class Tools. To
view your class roster, click on the Class Tools icon. This will bring you to a page
with your class roster where you will also have the option to view “Roster Photos”.
There is also a Teaching & Student Support Tools box which includes university
grading policies and information.
Online training is available on Blackboard via self-enrollment. To take an online course:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Open this URL: http://myasucourses.asu.edu
Log in with your ASURITE ID and Password
Click on the red “Courses” tab
Search for Faculty Center classes
Scroll to the “Faculty Center for Instructors” class
Click the drop down feature under the “TRN-Faculty-01” course ID and select Enroll
On the Self Enrollment page, click on Submit and then click OK
If you are not listed as an instructor for your course, please contact the classroom schedule for
your unit. If you have additional questions, you may call the UTO Help Desk at 480.965.6500,
or you may submit a service request online at http://asuonline.asu.edu/facultysupport/index.cfm.
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3. GRADE CHANGES
After a grade has been reported to the University Registrar’s Office, the course instructor may
initiate a grade change, which is subject to the approval of the department chair or the chair’s
designee and the dean of the institute or the dean’s designee.
Once you change the grade and submit it, it will travel electronically to the unit head, then to the
assistant dean, then to the Registrar. Changes can take up to a week to work through the system.
Some grade changes must be processed by an Academic Record Change form. If you are unable
to change a grade in Roster Grades, contact your unit head or the Assistant Dean for Student
Success for information and the correct procedure.
4. INCOMPLETE GRADES
A mark of “I” (incomplete) is given by the instructor ONLY when a student doing acceptable
work is unable to complete a course because of illness or other conditions at the end of the
semester. Granting an incomplete is a privilege and not a right. Students who are failing or
earning a D grade are not eligible for an incomplete grade. The student and instructor must
complete a Request for Grade of Incomplete Form.
The mark of “I” should only be granted when the student can complete the unfinished work with
the same instructor. An “I” may be completed with an instructor designated by the unit head if
the original instructor becomes incapacitated or leaves the campus.
The student has one calendar year to complete the work from the date the “I” is recorded. A
student should not re-register or pay fees for the course. If the student completes the work within
the calendar year, the instructor must submit a grade change. If the student fails to complete the
work, the grade indicated on the initial incomplete contract is recorded. If no grade was
indicated, the grade turns to an “E.”
5. REPEATING COURSES
Students may not repeat a course for credit if they earn a grade of C or better. Repeating a course
in order to improve a C grade is considered duplication of credit. The first grade the student
earns for the class will be calculated in the grade point average, and the second grade will not be
counted towards the degree.
An undergraduate course taken at ASU may be repeated for credit if the grade or mark of "D",
"E", "W", "X" is received. To be eligible for the deletion of "D" or "E" grades from calculations
of the GPA, the course must be repeated at ASU. Undergraduate courses in which grades of "D"
or "E" are received may be repeated only once.
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SSM 203–06: Deletion of a “D” or “E” Grade Received by an Undergraduate Student in an
Undergraduate Class
5.1 Students Admitted Prior to Fall 2008
100 and 200 Level Courses
For 100 and 200 level course repetition, the student’s academic record will reflect:


both grades received in the course on the student’s transcript AND
only the highest grade received in the course in the student’s grade point average
300 and 400 Level Courses
For 300 and 400 level course repetition, the student’s academic record will reflect:


both grades received in the course on the transcript AND
both grades received in the course in the student’s grade point average
5.2 Students Admitted Fall 2008 and After
Students are permitted to repeat up to 12 hours and the following will apply:
For 100, 200, 300 and 400 level course repetition the student’s academic record will reflect:


both grades received in the course on the student’s transcript AND
only the highest grade received in the course in the student’s cumulative grade point
average
All courses taken repeated beyond the 12 hour limit the following will apply:
For 100, 200, 300 and 400 level course repetition the student’s academic record will reflect:


both grades received in the course on the student’s transcript AND
the average course grade be included in the student’s cumulative grade point average
6. WITHDRAWALS
6.1 Student-Initiated Course Withdrawal
After the drop/add deadline through the course withdrawal deadline for a class, students
can withdraw from the course with a mark of “W” while remaining enrolled in other
courses. Students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor to discuss the impact
this may have on meeting critical requirements for their degree program. Visit the ASU
Academic Calendar for detailed semester and session information with the corresponding
deadlines: http://students.asu.edu/academic-calendar.
The mark of “W” simply means that a student opted not to complete a course. The “W” is
not factored into GPA calculation and has no bearing on a student’s academic record.
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Requests to drop a course after the drop deadline will not be honored and students must
instead withdraw from the course. Requests to withdraw from a course after the
withdrawal deadline will not be honored and students must accept the grade they earn for
the course.
A student may not avoid any penalty for academic dishonesty by withdrawing from a
course. A student may be reinstated to a course to receive a penalty of a reduced or
failing grade, or XE.
Students may request a drop/withdrawal from a class by signing into My ASU, clicking
on the “Registration” link in your My Classes box, and selecting
“Drop/Withdrawal.” Students should refer to the Tuition Refund Policy to determine if
dropping/withdrawing from course(s) will generate a tuition refund. No signature from
the instructor is needed for a course withdrawal.
6.2 Instructor-Initiated Drop
An instructor may drop a student for non-attendance during the first or second week of
classes in fall or spring semesters or the first four days of each summer session.
Instructor-initiated drops for non-attendance are signed by the dean or dean’s designee.
The institute notifies students by e-mail. It is recommended that the student contact the
instructor before the end of the first week of classes if absences during that period cannot
be avoided. Students should not assume that they will be withdrawn from a course for
non-attendance.
6.3 Instructor-Initiated Withdrawal for Disruptive Behavior
An instructor may withdraw a student from a course with a mark of “W” or a grade of
“E” only if the student’s continued attendance in the class is disruptive to the instructor’s
ability to conduct the course. There is a specific procedure that must be followed. If you
have a disruptive student, please see your direct supervisor immediately and/or consult
with the Assistant Dean for Student Success.
6.4 Complete Session Withdrawal
To request a complete withdrawal from all classes, a student must submit a signed
withdrawal request form in-person at the Registrar’s Office:
https://students.asu.edu/files/CompleteSessionWithdrawal110912.pdf. A student may
withdraw from all courses with marks of “W” through the semester transaction deadline.
Visit the ASU Academic Calendar via http://students.asu.edu/academic-calendar for dates
of the complete withdrawal periods. A student may not avoid any penalty for academic
dishonesty by withdrawing from a course. A student may be reinstated to a course to
receive a penalty of a reduced or failing grade, or XE.
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6.5 Medical/Compassionate Withdrawal
A medical/compassionate withdrawal request may be made in extraordinary cases where
serious illness or injury (medical) or another significant personal situation
(compassionate) prevents a student from continuing in his or her classes, and where
incompletes or other arrangements with the instructor are not possible. This policy covers
both physical-health and mental-health difficulties.
Requests for less than a complete withdrawal must be especially well-documented to
justify the selective nature of the medical/compassionate withdrawal request. All
applications for a withdrawal require thorough and credible documentation. Again, a
student may not avoid any penalty for academic dishonesty by withdrawing from a
course. A student may be reinstated to a course to receive a penalty of a reduced or
failing grade, or XE. Information on how to file a medical withdrawal can be found here:
http://students.asu.edu/forms/medical-compassionate-withdrawal-request.
7. FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, also known as the Buckley
Amendment or FERPA, sets forth the requirements governing the protection of the privacy of
education records of students who are or have been in attendance at ASU.
Arizona State University follows the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act with regard to
release and/or disclosure of student education records. In some instances, additional regulations
may apply. ASU's policy may be found at: http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/usi/usi107-01.html.
FERPA governs the protection of the student records including: transcripts, registration,
enrollment verification, degree verification, academic advising, counseling, disciplinary, e-mail,
library, medical, residential life, student accounts, tuition payment, student financial assistance,
and student photo records. Requests for records from multiple offices may be simplified by
submitting a single request to the University Registrar's Office which will coordinate the
response. Questions may be directed to the University Registrar's Office at (480) 965-7302 or
registrar@asu.edu.
ASU will not disclose student records to a parent without a signed consent form, which can be
found here: http://students.asu.edu/forms/FERPAconsent.
If parents contact you, please do not discuss a student’s academic record without first checking
with the Dean’s Office of Student Success or your unit’s undergraduate office to see if they have
a FERPA waiver on file. The FERPA waiver is maintained online and staff members responsible
for student records have access to this information.
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8. STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY and STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT
The university and the institute expect the highest standards of academic integrity from all students.
Failure to meet these standards may result in suspension or expulsion from the university or other
sanctions as specified in the University Student Academic Integrity Policy. Please review the policy at
http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity. In addition, ASU adheres to a university-wide Student Code of
Conduct. The philosophy behind this policy states:
The aim of education is the intellectual, personal, social, and ethical development
of the individual. The educational process is ideally conducted in an environment
that encourages reasoned discourse, intellectual honesty, openness to constructive
change and respect for the rights of all individuals. Self-discipline and a respect
for the rights of others in the university community are necessary for the
fulfillment of such goals. The Student Code of Conduct is designed to promote
this environment at each of the state universities.
9. CAMPUS RESOURCES
9.1 Counseling Services
Counseling Services provides confidential individual assessment and counseling, psychoeducational programming, and consultation services for faculty, staff and students.
Counseling staff have training and experience in issues facing university students and are
committed to helping them adjust to campus life and meet their academic goals. Each
ASU counseling center prioritizes immediate access to services to ensure that all who
request or need services can be seen within the same day. Counseling and psychiatric
services are primarily short term and include developmental, preventive and educational
services. For more information, consult the ASU Counseling Services website:
http://students.asu.edu/counseling.
9.2 Disability Resource Center
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the central location for establishing eligibility
and obtaining services and reasonable accommodations for qualified students with
disabilities. The Center serves as an information hub for ASU and the community.
Students are encouraged to visit the DRC and make it an integral part of their educational
pursuits.
Qualified students with disabilities may be eligible to receive academic support services
and accommodations. Eligibility is based on qualifying disability documentation and
assessment of individual need. Students who believe they have a current and essential
need for disability accommodations are responsible for requesting accommodations and
providing qualifying documentation to the Disability Resource Center (DRC).
Retroactive requests for accommodations may be difficult to make.
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See the Disability Resource Center website: http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/ or
call 480-965-1234 for information on requesting reasonable accommodations.
9.3 Student Success Center and Tutoring Services
The Student Success Center (http://studentsuccess.asu.edu/) is dedicated to serving the
needs of students and provides a broad range of services in support of academic success.
Tutoring services (http://studentsuccess.asu.edu/tutoringoptions) are available for
students through a variety of resources on campus.
9.4 ASU Writing Center
The ASU Writing Center helps undergraduate students become better writers. Even
accomplished writers can benefit from sharing work in progress and making revisions
based on constructive feedback. More information on the writing center programs can be
found here: http://studentsuccess.asu.edu/home/writingcenters. The Writing Center also
provides helpful writing handouts on various topics also available at this website.
10. SYLLABUS TIPS
For sample syllabi and suggestions, please feel free to visit:
http://provost.asu.edu/files/shared/capc/TCCS_sample_syllabi_000.pdf
10.1 Assignments



List all assignments and due dates on your syllabus
Include a “Subject to Change” clause if you think you might change things based on the
class performance
Include a requirement that students check their ASU e-mail if you plan to communicate
syllabus changes via e-mail or the course blackboard site if you are using blackboard.
10.2 Attendance
Outline your expectations for attendance and class participation in your syllabus:
 You can require attendance
 If you indicate an absence policy (no more than 2 unexcused absences, etc.), you must
follow it for all students in the class
 You should also explain that you determine whether an absence is excused and not the
student
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10.3 Classroom Conduct
Outline and discuss acceptable behavior in your syllabus:
 You can ask students not to interrupt in class
 You can designate the instructor as leading the discussion (deciding who can speak,
and when)
 You can limit the topic of discussion to matters you deem relevant to the class
 You can require that cell phones, iPods, pagers, PDAs, etc. be turned off during class
10.4University Course Withdrawal Deadline
It may be helpful to include or reference the university course withdrawal deadline in your
syllabus as well to include a statement that should a student decide to withdraw from the course,
it is their responsibility to do so.

The university course withdrawal deadlines by session for the fall 2013 semester are:
Course Withdrawal
Deadline


Session A
September 11,
2013
Session B
November 5,
2013
Session C
November 6,
2013
Failure to attend the course will not immediately result in a mark of “W” for the course; it
is your responsibility to withdraw from the course.
Enrollment changes are made and processed through My ASU: http://my.asu.edu.
10.5 Academic Integrity
ASU's Policy
ASU’s academic integrity policy can be found here: http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity.
Include a statement in your course syllabus regarding academic integrity, such as:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All students at ASU are expected to follow the Student Code of Conduct. All necessary
and appropriate sanctions will be issued to all parties involved with plagiarizing any and
all course work. Plagiarism, and any other form of academic dishonesty that is in
violation with the Student Code of Conduct, will not be tolerated. For more information,
please see the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy:
http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity.
Or this, from Professor Julie Codell:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All necessary and appropriate sanctions will be issued to all parties involved with
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plagiarizing any and all course work. Plagiarism, and any other form of academic
dishonesty that is in violation with the Student Code of Conduct, will not be tolerated.
http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity
Integrity is expected of every student in all academic work. The guiding principle of
academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own. This
principle is furthered by the student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures
established by ABOR Policies 5-308-5-403, all provisions of which apply to all Arizona
State University students. If you are unsure how to credit your source, ask the instructor
for clarification.
Or this, from Assistant Professor Tom Morton:
Academic dishonesty of any kind (especially plagiarism) will not be tolerated. For a
description of what constitutes academic dishonesty, please see the ASU Student
Academic Integrity Policy: http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity. For this course
plagiarism is not limited to papers, assignments, quizzes, and exams, but encompasses all
materials connected to this course. If you are caught cheating, plagiarizing or committing
any other act of academic dishonesty, you will automatically fail the course and other
academic penalties could follow.
Academic Sanctions for Dishonesty
The Institute works with the units to ensure equitable treatment of students in situations
of academic dishonesty. If you catch a dishonest student, you have the following options:



Award a failing grade for the assignment
Award a failing grade for the course
Award an XE grade. The XE grade must be handled through the Assistant Dean
for Student Success. In cases of egregious plagiarism, forgery, and cheating, the
Herberger Institute recommends this choice. The XE grade is placed on the
transcript with an added notation: “Failure due to Academic Dishonesty.”
You should talk over each case with your immediate supervisor before discussing the
situation with the student. You should always discuss this privately with the student and
not in front of other students or faculty.
10.6 Disability Resources
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is the office on campus that reviews and approves
disability documentation. Instructors may not review medical documentation for
compliance. If a student comes to you and mentions a disability, you should first ask if
they have registered with the DRC. If they have not, send them to the DRC to do so. The
DRC consultant will correspond with you and the student regarding acceptable and
reasonable accommodations.
Include a statement in your course syllabus regarding DRC special accommodations, such as:
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SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the ASU
Disability Resource Center (http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc ; Phone:
(480) 965-1234; TDD: (480) 965-9000). This is a very important step as
accommodations may be difficult to make retroactively. If you have a letter from
their office indicating that you have a disability which requires academic
accommodations, in order to assure that you receive your accommodations in a timely
manner, please present this documentation to me no later than the end of the first
week of the semester so that your needs can be addressed effectively.
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