Important Syllabus Statements

blackboard > faqs > important syllabus statements

You may use the below text in your syllabus by copying and pasting parts or all of it or downloading this MS Word document.

University Electronic Mail Notification Policy
(Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students)

All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy. It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail address are available at http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html.

In this course e-mail will be used as a means of communication with students. You will be responsible for checking your e-mail regularly for class work and announcements. Note: if you are an employee of the University, your e-mail address in Blackboard is your employee address.

Documented Disability Statement for Syllabus

Students with disabilities who require special accommodations need to get a letter that documents the disability from the Services for Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean of Students (471-6259 voice or 471-4641 TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing). This letter should be presented to the instructor in each course at the beginning of the semester and accommodations needed should be discussed at that time. Five business days before an exam the student should remind the instructor of any testing accommodations that will be needed.

See following website for more information: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/providing.php

Use of Blackboard in Classes

This course uses Blackboard, a Web-based course management system in which a password-protected site is created for each course. Student enrollments in each course are updated each evening. Blackboard can be used to distribute course materials, to communicate and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to take online quizzes and surveys.

You will be responsible for checking the Blackboard course site regularly for class work and announcements. As with all computer systems, there are occasional scheduled downtimes as well as unanticipated disruptions. Notification of these disruptions will be posted on the Blackboard login page. Scheduled downtimes are not an excuse for late work. However, if there is an unscheduled downtime for a significant period of time, I will make an adjustment if it occurs close to the due date.

Blackboard is available at http://courses.utexas.edu. Support is provided by the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400 Monday through Friday 8 am to 6 pm, so plan accordingly.

Course/Instructor Feedback

Note to Faculty

Research on teaching shows that frequent feedback from students can help instructors better meet students' needs. Too often, instructors rely solely on the final student course surveys (Course-Instructor Survey - CIS). The information received from this survey is important, but it comes too late to make adjustments that could help your students learn more effectively. DIIA offers an online tool for ongoing course assessment at: https://wnt.utexas.edu/~diia_oca/oca/

Alternatively, staff members from the DIIA's Center for Teaching Excellence can meet with you to design mid-semester and/or ongoing feedback instruments to use with your classes. Examples of assessment tools are available on our Web site: http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/

The Course-Instructor Survey (CIS) is a very important document so you need to keep all copies of them to support your teaching portfolio when you come up for promotion or tenure.

Note to the Students about Feedback

Feedback is an important part of any kind of learning. Without feedback on how well you understand the material, it is more difficult for you to make significant progress. During this course you will give me feedback on your learning in informal and formal ways, such as assignments or exams. I want you to let me know when something we discuss is not clear. This kind of communication will enable me to provide additional information when needed or to explain a concept in different terms.

In addition to feedback on your learning, I will ask for feedback from you about how my teaching strategies are helping or hindering your learning. This kind of feedback is very important to me as I continually strive to be the best teacher I can be. Some of this feedback will be gathered from online anonymous surveys. I encourage you to respond to these surveys so that together we can create an effective teaching and learning environment.

Religious Holidays

Note: To be included in the section of your syllabus that discusses absences

Religious holy days sometimes conflict with class and examination schedules. If you miss an examination, work assignment, or other project due to the observance of a religious holy day you will be given an opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence. It is the policy of The University of Texas at Austin that you must notify each of your instructors at least fourteen days prior to the classes scheduled on dates you will be absent to observe a religious holy day.

Please contact the ITS Help Desk by calling 475 - 9400 or by submitting a help request at http://www.utexas.edu/cc/help/blackboard/bbform.html.