The DEO is responsible for final oversight of the undergraduate courses offered by the department and for ensuring that CLAS policies and procedures are upheld. Many of these policies and procedures were created to make sure undergraduate students are treated fairly and that they have adequate information to make excellent choices. Adherence to these policies and procedures helps the College to adjudicate issues fairly and swiftly if complaints should arise.

Primary Instructors of Academic Courses

All academic courses must list a UI employee (in active status) with a qualifying faculty jobcode as the Primary Instructor in the MAUI system. In the case that a non-faculty member is listed as the Primary Instructor, then a person with a faculty jobcode must be listed as the Course Supervisor. In this way, the UI can verify that all academic courses are either taught by or supervised by a faculty member. Read more about this policy at Provost Guidelines for Establishing "Instructors of Record" in MAUI.

Syllabus

The DEO must ensure that all syllabi for any given semester are collected before the semester begins and are reviewed for adherence to CLAS policies and procedures. In particular, DEOs should make certain that all syllabi contain all of the required components, including appropriate contact information and office hours. Additionally, no exams or quizzes should be scheduled during the last week of classes and all final exams must be scheduled during final examination week. The DEO should educate the department about these requirements. Problems with a syllabus should be corrected before the semester begins. For more information, see Required Syllabus. Questions should be addressed to Cornelia Lang, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.

MyUI Descriptions

The DEO should make sure that all courses on MyUI have current and useful MyUI descriptions. 

Student Evaluations

The DEO is responsible for ensuring that all courses have student evaluations, including courses offered teaching assistants or adjunct instructors. Online courses as well as all courses taught in the summer and winter sessions must also have student evaluations. Student evaluations of teaching must be kept on file as evidence of teaching effectiveness and are included in all reviews of teaching assistants and of tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty.

Academic Misconduct

The complete procedures for handling academic misconduct should be read and followed by the DEO as closely as possible. The DEO should make sure all instructors in the department understand the academic misconduct policy and procedures. Questions about academic fraud may be addressed to Amy Korthank.

Grade Distributions

The Office of the Registrar posts a grade distribution report online each semester. These reports may be found in MAUI under Registrar, Grade Distribution.

The DEO should review and approve all departmental grades, monitoring any significant divergences from the recommended collegiate guidelines. DEOs should raise questions or concerns about grades with Cornelia Lang, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.

Under-enrolled Courses

The DEO is responsible for making sure that enrollment in courses and sections offered by the academic unit is closely monitored and that alternative plans exist if a course is canceled. Undergraduate and graduate courses and sections with a low enrollment must be reported to the Executive Associate Dean as soon as possible after the end of the early registration period. 

Independent Study Courses

Independent study contracts are required for all independent undergraduate courses and must be kept on file by the department. The DEO must also make sure that all undergraduate independent study courses are reported to the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education at the end of each academic year or before the beginning of the fall semester. The Undergraduate Independent Study Report may be submitted electronically. Questions should be addressed to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.