Now that we’re in the process of finalizing (right!) our syllabi and getting ready for the start of the new school, there are several policies and deadlines that you should be aware of as we start the new year. Some additional instructional policies can be found in the University Policy Library. In particular, please pay close attention to the following important matters.

1. The academic integrity process has new rules and procedures (see email from Brooke Spangler Cropenbaker and post below) going into effect this fall. Please, please, please be sure you familiarize yourself with it, discuss it with your classes on the first day, and make sure your syllabi reflects the new policies (these policies only apply to undergraduate courses). A lot has changed, and it’s very important that we’re all on the same, and official, page!
2. If you are teaching the following classes, please review the TAG post below to ensure that your courses meet the requirement of the Ohio Department of Education Transfer Assurance Guide: PSYs 111, 221, 231, 241, 242, 332, 333, or 334.
3. If you are teaching the following classes, please review the TAG post below to ensure that your class is meeting the Global Miami Plan requirements: PSY 111 or 210.
4. if you have students, graduate or undergraduate, who are taking independent study credits with you this semester (e.g., RAs in your lab receiving PSY 1/2/3/477, students taking independent study credit), they MUST process their independent study registrations during the first week of classes. Please make sure they get their “pink sheets” in to the office no later than Friday, August 30. Last year, we were given some wiggle room on the “first week deadline,” but there are no grace periods this year — the first week deadline will be enforced. Please be sure that all of your advisees and RAs get this done ASAP!
5. Remember that each instructor must validate whether each student has attended class during the first week of the semester. Although this can be done rather easily in small classes, it can be more tricky in larger sections (one approach is to have a 0-point assignment in Canvas where students have to post a selfie pic of themselves in the classroom by the end of the first week so you can verify that they were there). Regardless, please don’t forget to verify student attendance this semester!
6. Students are required to notify instructors within the first two weeks of any religious or cultural observance that might interfere with assignments laid out in the syllabus. Please be sure to invite students to bring them to your attention and that this must be done in the first two weeks of class, per university policy.

Finally, per Hannah Caldwell’s email, please be sure to upload a copy of your syllabus for each course you are teaching to the formstack provided by August 30.

Thank you so much for attending to all of these issues. I know a lot of this work can seem relatively pointless, but complying with them is important for making sure that our classes serve a much larger system of requirement and processes. Thanks for your diligence on these matters!

Some of our courses are subject to meeting specific requirements for student learning outcomes, either as part of the Global Miami Plan (GMP) foundation or Ohio Department of Education requirements, to facilitate credit transfer across institutions in the state (i.e., Transfer Assurance Guide, or TAG). If you teach one of the courses listed below, you need to ensure that your course meets the prescribed learning outcomes, which should be clearly indicated on your syllabus.

For TAG requirements, You can find more information on the ODE website. Specifically, under “Social and Behavioral Sciences,” you should use the code below to find your course and click on the link for the relevant documentation:

PSY 111 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 015).
PSY 221 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 016).
PSY 231 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 048).
PSY 241 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 018).
PSY 242 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 017).
PSY 332 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 045).
PSY 333 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 046).
PSY 334 needs to meet TAG requirements (OSS 047).

For GMP foundation courses, you should be able to demonstrate how students develop skill in writing and critical thinking, as well as two other core competencies selected by the instructor. More information and a list of competencies can be found on the Liberal Ed website. Please be sure that your syllabi and SLOs clearly indicate these competencies. The GMP foundation courses in Psychology are PSY 111 and PSY 210.

If you have any questions, please ask Allen.

As Brooke Spangler Cropenbaker noted in her email on 21 August, there is a new Academic Integrity Policy that goes into effect THIS FALL. The university has developed syllabus language, a guide to the new policy (what to do during the first class, how to continue the discussion, and what you should discuss on exam days, etc.) and a brief overview of what differs between the old and new (developed by Brenda Quaye, Assistant Director of Academic Integrity)

This academic year, Brooke will serve as the department’s designee to handle academic dishonesty issues. If you have questions about the policy, please contact Brooke.

Please note a few things. First, all instructors are required to report suspected cases of academic dishonesty. This is now done using an on-line submission form, and the initial investigation is handled by Brenda Quaye’s office. Only in cases where a student contests responsibility or the sanction does the department get involved. By having Brenda’s office handle the first layer of academic integrity issues, we hope to reduce the workload involved in the department and to encourage faculty reporting academic integrity issues.

Please familiarize yourself with the new policies and processes so that (1) your syllabus addresses things appropriately, (2) you spend a couple of minutes on the first day of class discussing academic integrity and its importance, and (3) you know what to do should you encounter behavior that requires your reporting suspected academic dishonesty.