Course Preparation

• Listing Your Course
• Syllabi
• Book Orders
• University Academic Calendar
• Library Reserves
• Reading Packets
• Course Rosters/Enrollment
• Purchase Request Form
• Grading Criteria 
• Grading and MyAccess
• Student Workloads 
• Incomplete Grades

Listing your course

Summer and Fall courses must be submitted in January. Spring courses must be submitted in September. The Academic Program Manager will be in touch with you regarding course details. The course will also be listed on the main Georgetown University Web site, via explore.georgetown.edu, so it is visible to students and faculty in other programs.

Return to Top

Syllabi

Upload your syllabus to the University's website via Explore by these dates:

• Spring classes: December 2
• Summer classes: April 14
• Fall classes: August 15

The syllabus should include:

• Your contact information and your office hours 
• Course number, day, time and location of the class 
• A list of all readings/materials to be purchased and where they can be found
  • Make sure that the students can easily obtain all books/articles before you include them on your syllabus
  • All books/articles that you expect students to purchase, or want to have available, should be put on reserve at Lauinger Library
• A synopsis of the general focus for each week
• Reading/Homework assignments for each week
  • It is reasonable to expect students to read approximately 130 or more pages per week
  • Some professors divide their readings between assigned and recommended readings, and this seems to work well with the students
  • Most important--based on student feedback--is that the readings be relevant to class discussions
• A description of what you expect from the students in the class
• Due dates for all major projects and papers
• Components of the grade (ex: 50% final paper, 50% weekly short presentations, etc.)
  • If participation is a criteria, use concrete standards (such as an attendance record or contributions to online discussions) by which to measure.
  • Grading criteria should be listed in the syllabus in percentages, i.e. 30% final paper, 30% class participation, etc.
  • Keep in mind that students like to get feedback on how they are doing before it's too late to do something about it.
    

It is especially important to complete and submit your syllabus on time.  Students want to view the content and requirements before classes begin. A snappy syllabus and course description can increase the number of students who will enroll in your course. 

Return to Top

Book Orders

Course texts are ordered through the Georgetown University Bookstore in the Leavey Center on the main campus. The bookstore has recently launched a web-based system for Faculty Book Orders, which you are encouraged to use. You will be redirected to the Georgetown-affiliated efollett.com site.

1. Select "Faculty" from the navigation bar
2.  Select "eDoption"
3. Follow prompts. New users should input 873 as their password. After placing your order, you may want to follow-up by telephone, particularly if you have any problems: 687-7525. Please make an effort to order your books at least one month before the start of classes to ensure that books are available in a timely fashion.

Return to Top

Library Reserves

Any books or articles that you ask students to purchase, or simply want to have available, should be put on reserve at the Lauinger Library. You can place materials on reserve, which means the students can physically check them out for a few hours to copy or read, or you can place materials on electronic reserve, meaning the library will scan materials and have them available online for students to read or print. Only articles are placed on electronic reserve, but this is an option in lieu of making course packets. Although there is no limit to the number of books that a professor may place on reserve, there is a limit of 40 photocopies/electronic reserve items that can be put on reserve for each course. The forms can be accessed from the library web site. They must be physically submitted along with the materials you want to have put on reserve to the library circulation desk. The requesting professor must sign all photocopy/electronic reserve request forms. Processing may take ten or more business days.

Return to Top

Reading Packets

Lauinger Library no longer prints course packets. Please refer to this document for information on where to print course packs.

Return to Top

Course Rosters

Use MyAccess to obtain a list of students enrolled in your class(es). You can also email all the students enrolled in your class using Faculty Access+.

Return to Top

Purchase Orders

Need a book, movie or journal for your course that the library does not have? Faculty can request items from the library by submitting a Purchase Request Form.

Return to Top

Grading Criteria

• Be sure to use the appropriate grading system for each student. The grading system for undergraduate students is different than the one for graduate students. Please see the Undergraduate Bulletin and Graduate Bulletin for the seperate policies. **Note that undergraduate students cannot recieve an incomplete.
• Faculty use different criteria for grading students. It is important to make the criteria you plan to use explicit and to include it in your syllabus.
• If participation is a criteria, use concrete standards (such as an attendance record or contributions to online discussions) by which to measure it.
• Grading criteria should be listed in the syllabus in percentages, i.e. 30% final paper, 30% class participation, etc.
• If you announce that you will have a mid-term or quizzes, please follow through, unless you come to some alternative arrangement with the students during the semester. Keep in mind that students like to get feedback on how they are doing before it's too late to do something about it.
  

The grading is as follows: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C, & F. Students may request an incomplete grade (I), which is given at each professor's discretion and must be resolved to a completed grade within a specified timeframe. The Professor may also give a student an incomplete grade even if a student does not request it. Please refer to for more information.

Return to Top

Faculty Access+ and Grading

All Faculty must use MyAccess to submit grades for their courses. You will need your NetID and password to use Faculty Access+. However, if you want to change a grade after submitting it online, you must use the Change of Grade form, acquired from the CCT office. Grading criteria are available on the Graduate School's website.

Faculty Access+ also allows you to access rosters for your courses.

CCT Academic Advisors will use MyAccess to approve their advisees' course requests during pre-registration.

Return to Top

Student Workload

With regard to readings, it is reasonable to expect students to read approximately 130 pages per week (75 pages per session for a class offered biweekly). Some professors divide their readings between assigned and recommended readings, and this seems to work well with the students. Most important--based on student feedback--is that the readings be relevant to class discussions.

Return to Top

Incomplete Grades

If a student can not finish the coursework by the end of the semester, he or she can request that you give more time to finish. It is your discretion to approve the request given the reasons. If approved, you need to:

1. Submit a grade of I (Incomplete) for him or her during the grading period.
2. Give him or her a deadline for the submission of the work. The deadline can not be later than a semester after the course was offered. Earlier deadlines are encouraged.
   
3. Notify the Academic Program Manager of the deadline you set, and she will send the student, with copies to you, the Graduate School, and the International Student Advisor as necessary, an Incomplete letter, formally noting the deadline. 
   
4. When the student submits the work, give the Academic Program Manager the final grade, and she will submit a grade change form to the Graduate School.

 

Please do not leave a course ungraded at the end of a semester. The grade should either be submitted with the work you have received or with an Incomplete if requested and granted.

With the exception of medical or emergency issues, students who request more time to complete coursework, should be marked lower in relation to other students who submitted the work on time. They have simply had more time to do the work. An example is that instead of starting grading at the A level, make an A- the highest grade possible. More information on changing grades is available in the Graduate School Bulletin. requests an incomplete in your course. Please fill out, and print the Incomplete Form, and return to Heather Kerst.

Return to Top