Faculty members are responsible for describing the attendance policy and procedures to all students enrolled in their classes and including this information in the course syllabus. Faculty members are responsible for certifying all of their credit classes and for having established procedures to determine whether students have attended 60 percent of their courses for financial aid qualification.
Class Action Notices are issued by the registrar and sent via e-mail. They are issued for a number of reasons, all of which affect the class roll. The student may have a name change, may transfer (lateral) from one section of a course into another, or may drop the course entirely. In some cases, the registrar initiates the drop. In cases of a drop, the student's name will have a “W” grade on the final grade roll for the semester. At any time during the semester, updated class rolls can be accessed online through the eConnect system.
Effective 2007, section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code applies to students who enroll in a Texas public institution of higher education for the first time in fall 2007 or later. Based on this law, DCCCD or any other Texas Public institution of higher education may not permit students to drop more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career. Visit the Brookhaven College Catalog to review the full policy and exceptions.
Guidelines and forms for field trips are available from division offices. Forms and all support documentation must be completed and submitted 13 weeks prior to the trip.
Final examinations for all courses are to be given on the assigned date during exam week. No final exams are to be given on the last day of class.
Students must be informed in the syllabus of the manner in which grades are determined. Grading should be as objective and as quantitative as possible. A student should be able to determine current grade standing at any time based on the grading scheme. Final grades are reported for each student, for every course taken, according to the following system:
| Grade | Grade Point Value | Grade | Grade Point Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | I | not computed |
| B | 3 | W | not computed |
| C | 2 | WX | not computed |
| D | 1 | E | not computed |
| F | 0 |
At the end of the semester, when the faculty member has determined that a student has failed the course, the faculty member will need to determine whether to give the student an “F” or “N” based on the student's attendance or participation after the official drop date. If the student does not 1) submit or complete an assignment after the official drop date or 2) attend at least one class after the official drop date, then the faculty member needs to record the grade as “N.” The student will not see the “N” but rather an “F” in his/her grades in eConnect and on a transcript. The “N” will show up only in financial aid records.
A grade of “I” (for incomplete) may be given when an unforeseen emergency prevents students from completing the work in a course. If the work is not completed after 90 days, the “I” is converted to a performance grade. An Incomplete Contract is used to assign an “I” grade and states the requirements for the satisfactory completion of the course. In general, “I” grades are used with students who have substantially completed the course but might lack one or two assignments. The Incomplete Contract must be agreed upon and signed by the instructor, the student and the division dean and submitted with the final grade report.
When students drop a class or withdraw from the college before the semester deadline, students will receive a “W” (Withdraw) in each class dropped. The deadline for receiving a “W” is indicated on the academic calendar and the current semester course schedule. If students stop attending and do not withdraw, they should receive a performance grade, usually a grade of “F.”
In certain cases, students who do not complete course requirements by the end of the semester may receive a “WX” grade. This grade is given when the instructor determines that reasonable progress has been made and when the students can re-enroll for course completion prior to the certification date in the next regular semester. The “WX” grade requires that the student re-enroll in the next regular semester and complete the course requirements. If the student does not complete the course requirements, the “WX” is converted to a performance grade, usually a grade of “F.” The “WX” is set up with a contract that is available from the division office or from the office of the registrar.
In a developmental studies course, an “E” grade may be given when an instructor wishes to indicate that a student has made progress. An “E” grade is non-punitive and is not computed in the student's grade point average. The “E” grade provides more flexibility for re-enrollment, particularly for students who do not achieve a C-level grade in a course. An “E” grade indicates a student participated in a course according to TSI guidelines, but was unable to do C-level or passing work that would qualify for enrollment in transfer-level courses. The “E” grade indicates below college skill level work, but shows that the student attended the class and attempted to do the work in the course. Students on federal financial aid should check with the Financial Aid Office concerning “E” grades and any impact they might have on benefits.
Grade changes may be made only by the instructor of record for that course. Grade changes will not be considered later than the end of the term following the term in which the grade was awarded. Grade change forms are available in each division office. The completed form is approved by the division chair or dean and is sent to the Admissions Office.
Posting student grades is permissible as long as the identity of all individual students is confidential. Use of a social security number, student I.D. number or driver's license number is not permitted. Instructors need an individual student's permission in order to post that student's grade.
Instructors receive three versions of the class roll during the semester although the current class roll can be accessed at any time through the eConnect system.
The first class roll is the Temporary Roll (the yellow roll). Instructors should receive this roll before the first day of class. It will probably be incomplete because of students who register late. The Academic Roster Inquiry, RSTR, screen in Colleague can be used to print out the most current version of the roll.
Several weeks into the semester, instructors will receive the Permanent Roll (the blue roll). It is important to check this roll carefully and send any students who have been attending classes but are not on this roll to the Admissions Office, Room S052. The Permanent Roll is the official record of the class and student grades, and therefore it is important that the roll be kept clearly and accurately. It should be obvious to a third party, such as an auditor, exactly how students’ grades were determined.
Near the end of the semester, instructors will receive a Final Grade Roll. The Final Grade Roll should be checked carefully and any discrepancies between this roll and the Permanent Roll should be reported to the division office. The Final Grade Roll is accompanied with instructions for its completion.
Students who have dropped a course will have a pre-printed “W” following their names. If no “W” appears next to names of students the instructor believes have dropped the class, contact the division office or the Admissions Office for clarification.
Faculty members are responsible for the preparation of the syllabus for all courses taught. Sample syllabus formats are available in the division office. All course syllabi must be on file in the division office. The following items must be included in syllabi:
If a faculty member wishes to propose a new program or project that can't be budgeted by the division, the possibility of obtaining external funding can be discussed with the Office of Resource Development. Full or partial release time for new assignments under a grant project might be an option.
The curriculum revision process begins with the district discipline/program faculty committees and involves campus and district personnel. District discipline/program committees meet to identify and propose curriculum changes early in the fall semester. Campus faculty, division deans, Corporate and Continuing Education deans, vice presidents of instruction, and college curriculum committees conduct a review of the proposed changes. Approval of all proposed curriculum changes is finalized during the spring semester.
The campus room coordinator monitors and schedules classrooms and conference rooms. E-mail BHC Room in your GroupWise e-mail to reserve a room. Meeting rooms in the Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute, EMGI, are managed by that facility, but requests must be submitted through BHC Room. The School of the Arts manages the performance hall. The Physical Education Department manages athletic facilities.
For emergencies, contact the college police from a campus phone at 911. From an off-campus location call 972-860-4290. Coverage is available 24 hours a day. Emergency phones are available at a number of locations throughout the campus: red emergency phones are inside campus buildings and outdoor emergency phones are mounted on tall white posts throughout the campus parking lots and grounds.
Additional help:
The police can respond more efficiently when complete information is provided. To report an emergency situation, do not hang up until the following information has been clearly reported:
The college's Web site will post closing notices, and local radio and television stations will be notified. Inclement weather hot line for employees is available from 5:45 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. Employees should call 972-860-4100; students should call 972-860-4200.
Buildings designated as tornado shelters are marked at each entrance. In the event of an emergency evacuation, instructors are responsible for moving students out of the buildings quickly and efficiently to the locations specified during the drills and in the Emergency Operations Plan. Flip charts in each classroom contain all emergency procedures.
Faculty members must have a parking sticker to use designated parking spaces. Parking stickers may be obtained at the campus Police Department, located in Building B, either at the beginning of the fall semester or upon employment. Parking is not allowed on road shoulders.
Faculty members should keep their office doors locked when not in the office and should not store valuables overnight.
The DCCCD has a grievance procedure for faculty. Contact the campus Human Resources Office for more information. The Board Policy Manual, section DGBA, also contains information.
Infringement of copyright laws is a serious matter, but the law does provide parameters for the use of copied material in the classroom. What follows is reprinted from the United States Code, Title 17. The complete text is available at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/uscmain.html.
See Answers, Procedures, Guidelines, VII-J, about specifics, which includes guidelines about length restrictions.
“ … the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.”
“A single copy may be made of any of the following by or for a teacher at his or her individual request for his or her scholarly research or use in teaching or preparation to teach a class:
“Multiple copies (not to exceed in any event more than one copy per pupil in a course) may be made by or for the teacher giving the course for classroom use or discussion. …”
If a faculty member desires to copyright material, the district has some parameters. What follows is reprinted from the DCCCD Board Policy Manual, section DBD. The complete text is available at: http://www.tasb.org/policy/pol/private/057501/pol.cfm?DisplayPage=DBD(LOCAL).html&QueryText=COPYRIGHT
“A District employee owns all rights to copyrightable or patentable work that is created by the District employee while not in the course and scope of his or her employment as illustrated by, but not limited to, the following appropriate factors:
… the District owns all rights to copyrightable or patentable work that is created by a District employee in the course of the employee's employment with the District as illustrated by, but not limited to, the use of significant facilities, time, or resources of the District, including, but not limited to, released time, grant money, sabbatical leave, or other material or financial assistance by the District.” If you have any questions about copyrights, contact the District Office.
To install new software on a computer, contact the executive dean of information technology, who will provide the necessary resources, including Brookhaven's and the district's computer use policies. Do not install any new software on any computer prior to consulting the dean.
All college-related publications such as brochures, posters, fliers, etc. must be approved by the college's Marketing and Public Information Office. Classroom and instructional material is not included. See chapter 4, section C, for complete details.