Faculty Email

The university provides email access for all faculty members and uses email as a primary means of communicating important information. The format of a faculty email address is username@tnstate.edu with the username normally comprising the first initial and last name of the faculty member (e.g., kmcdonald@tnstate.edu or jsmith7@tnstate.edu). Faculty email is supported by Microsoft Outlook, with web access off campus at the website http://email.tnstate.edu using the login "tnstate/username" and a password.

The university provides a second email address for teaching faculty on MyTSU (see below), but this address normally forwards mail automatically to the primary tnstate.edu address.

For assistance in establishing and using a university email account, please contact the Computer Help Desk in the Humanities Building, Room 27 (phone: 963-7777, email: helpdesk@tnstate.edu).

Using MyTSU

MyTSU (http://mytsu.tnstate.edu) provides online access to class schedules, class rolls,  and student information as well as web resources for individual courses. Faculty may use the "My Courses" feature of MyTSU to send emails and post messages for enrolled students and to make syllabi, study guides, reading assignments, and other materials available to students online. MyTSU is vital for access to class rolls, communication with students, and the recording of unofficial withdrawals (see below) and midterm and final grades.

The fax machine in the department office is available for faculty use. The department's fax number is 615-963-5497, and the department's fax cover sheet is linked to this site. The department secretary promptly delivers incoming faxes to the appropriate faculty mailbox.

Adjunct Faculty Office

An office for adjunct faculty with a telephone, computers, and Internet connection is available in Crouch Hall 420. The number of the telephone is 963-2573, but because this extension does not have voice mail, adjunct faculty may wish to list the department's main office number (963-5471) on syllabi or, preferably, to encourage students to contact their instructors by email.

Keys to the adjunct faculty office may be requested using the key request form available on the university's Facilities Management website. The form should be completed electronically and submitted by email to the address of the department head. Keys should be returned at the end of the employment period. 

Office Hours

Full-time faculty members are responsible for maintaining 10 office hours each week during the fall and spring semesters. Adjunct faculty members are encouraged to maintain office hours each week approximately equivalent to their teaching load (e.g., 3 hours per week for one 3-hour course). Both full-time and part-time faculty teaching during the summer should maintain weekly office hours equivalent to their teaching load.

A weekly schedule of office hours should be submitted to the department office prior to the first day of classes each semester and posted outside the faculty member's office in a location clearly visible for students.

Course Syllabi

Prior to the first day of classes each semester, course syllabi should be posted as electronic files using the "My Courses" feature of MyTSU, and copies should be submitted to the department office for posting on the syllabus page of the department website. Faculty may distribute copies of syllabi to students on the first day of class but are encouraged to reduce copying expenses, especially in the case of larger classes, by requesting that students to retrieve syllabi online using MyTSU.

All syllabi must include the Minimum Course Syllabus Elements required by the College of Arts and Sciences. Common syllabi for HIST 2010 and HIST 2020 are developed the American History Survey Committee for all sections of these courses, with text in red indicating sections to be customized by individual instructors.

Ordering Textbooks

The campus bookstores order textbooks and other instructional materials in October for the spring semester and in March for summer and fall terms (see calendar above). From their offices on campus, authorized faculty should be able to indicate text adoptions using the department's online database. Otherwise instructors may indicate text adoptions by emailing titles, author names, and ISBNs to the department secretary, who will add this information to the database.

Overhead Projectors and Maps

Overhead projectors are located in each of the department's Crouch Hall classrooms and should not be removed from their location. Mounted maps may be relocated to other classrooms with the permission of the department head. In addition to mounted maps, the department is in the process of acquiring a collection of folded historical maps, which are stored in Crouch Hall 212 and are available for faculty use. At present the collection includes:

TV/VCR and Notebook Projectors

One cart with a television/videoplayer and two carts with notebook computers and projectors are stored in Crouch Hall 212 and are available for classroom use. Faculty should schedule use of these items in advance using the sign-out sheets posted in the department office and secure them in Crouch Hall 212 immediately after each use.

Faculty Absence

Faculty anticipating absence for travel to conferences or other work-related activities should submit a request form for approval of official leave by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at least two weeks in advance. In order to ensure continuity of classroom instruction, teaching faculty should generally request no more than three days of official leave each semester for research and conference travel.

Sick leave, military leave, and leave for jury duty may be requested using the university's leave request form. Faculty do not currently receive annual leave.

Faculty absence from official duties without prior approval should be reported to the department head using the Record of Absence from Class or Office Hours form of the Division of Academic Affairs.

Review of Class Rolls

All students attending class must be listed on the official class rolls available to faculty on MyTSU. Any students in attendance who do not appear on the class roll should be advised immediately that they are not enrolled in the course.

Students should not seek admission to a course after the official end of late registration, generally the second day of classes. The Office of Admissions and Records has emphatically asked that faculty and department heads not participate in efforts to obtain late admission of students to courses.

Ideally, class rolls should change after late registration only in cases of withdrawals. Instructors are nevertheless encouraged to review class rolls regularly during the first weeks of classes and report to the department office any unexplained changes in their official class rosters.

Students enrolling in a course are responsible for ensuring that they have met its prerequisites, but it is generally advisable for the instructor to reinforce this during the first days of class. Students should normally complete English composition before attempting sophomore-level courses and should substantially complete the university's General Education Core before attempting junor or senior-level work.

Grading Policy

Grading with objective reference to these standards is important for consistency across the university in evaluating student performance. Grades of "A," as indicated, should reflect "the highest level of attainment in a course," and grades of "B" should reflect "a high level of achievement."

The criteria for grades of "X" and "I" are described in separate sections on this page.

Class Attendance

Faculty support for the university's attendance policy is essential to the integrity of the department's programs and curriculum. Students are required to attend all scheduled class meetings on time and to remain for the entire class period. Students arriving to class late or leaving class early without the permission of the instructor may be considered absent.

The university's undergraduate catalog defines "excessive absences" as "no less than one more than the number of times a class meets per week" -- i.e., four absences for MWF classes and three absences for MW and TR classes. Prior to the final date for course withdrawals, instructors may, in syllabi and elsewhere, encourage students with excessive absences to withdraw from the course in order to avoid receiving a grade of F.

Student who never attend or stop attending classes should be reported to the Office of Admissions and Records as unofficially withdrawn from the course (see below).

Academic Integrity

Faculty are responsible for maintaining a learning environment consistent with high standards of academic integrity. Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty constitute violations of the university's Code of Student Conduct and should normally be reported to the Vice President for Student Affairs using the department's Academic Dishonesty Reporting Form. Instructors in such cases may also assign a failing grade for the assignment or for the course.

A university committee on academic integrity has advised faculty members to be especially alert to the copying of papers from Internet sources. This form of plagiarism can usually be identified very quickly and easily by using an Internet search engine to locate the phrases or passages in question. By placing words within quotation marks (e.g., "learning environment consistent with high standards"), Internet searches can be limited to sites containing a specific phrase. 

Makeup Examinations

Two official dates are scheduled at the end of each semester for the departmental proctoring of makeup examinations between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon in Crouch Hall 218. The first date, normally the Friday following the last day of classes, is set aside for the makeup administration of midterm examinations and other tests missed during the course of the semester. The second date, normally on the Friday of the following week, is for the makeup administration of final examinations.

Because of reception and other responsibilities of the department secretary, departmental support for makeup tests is limited to the two dates designated. Faculty offering makeup examinations, tests, and quizzes at other times are responsible for supervising students during the entire test period.

Faculty requesting departmental proctoring of a make-up examination should submit a completed request form along with test materials to the department secretary at least one day prior to the examination date.

Unofficial Withdrawals (X Grades)

Generally twice each semester, the Office of Admissions and Records designates a date for the reporting of "unofficial withdrawals" -- i.e., students who have either never attended or have stopped attending class. The purpose of reporting unofficial withdrawals is to ensure that students receiving financial aid are attending class.

Unofficial withdrawals are reported using the grade-posting function under MyTSU's "Faculty Resources." An unofficial withdrawal is indicated by posting a grade of X, which is the equivalent, in determining a student's overall grade-point or quality-point average, of a grade of F.

Unofficial withdrawals, or X grades, should be reported only for students who have either never attended class or who have stopped attending, generally for a period of at least two weeks. Although assigned during the course of the semester, an unofficial withdrawal is a final grade, and withdrawn students should not be readmitted to class. In very rare cases where a student has been unable to notify the instructor concerning an extended legitimate absence, the instructor may request the Dean of Admissions and Records to change a grade of X to an official withdrawal (W).

Midterm Grades

Faculty are required to post midterm grades using MyTSU each fall and spring semester, generally between the university's midterm examination period and the last day on which students can withdraw from courses (see calendar above). Midterm grades should accurately reflect students' progress in the course with respect to all work completed through the midterm examination period.

The names of students who have previously received a grade of X (see above) may still appear on the roster for the assignment of midterm grades, in which case the instructor should simply indicate a midterm grade of F. An unofficial withdrawal or grade of X should not be reported as a midterm grade.

Final Grades

Faculty are required to post final grades on MyTSU by 4:30 p.m. on the date indicated on the university's Academic Calendar and should ensure their access to and familiarity with the grade-posting functions of MyTSU well in advance of this date (see information on MyTSU above).

Faculty should post final grades online directly to MyTSU and should not submit grades to the department secretary, department head, or the Office of Admissions and Records for posting.

The department prints and maintains records of all final grades from the university's course information system, so it is generally not necessary for faculty to submit printed grade records to the department office. Grade books or computer files of grade records, however, should be maintained by instructors at least one year after final grades are submitted.

Incompletes

An temporary grade of I (Incomplete) may be assigned to a student who is passing a course but because of illness or other circumstances beyond his or her control cannot complete the final examination or other assignments. A grade of I should not be assigned in place of an F to a student who is failing a course.

Instructors may simply post a grade of I on MyTSU when reporting final grades but should also submit to the department office a copy of the Conditions for the Removal of an Incomplete form signed by the instructor and the student. This document indicates the conditions that must be met for the assignment of a final grade and the date by which remaining work must be completed.

Instructors wishing to replace a grade of I with a passing grade must do so by the end of the following fall or spring semester. The instructor should request a grade replacement card from the Office of Admissions and Records, obtain the signature of the department head, and return it to the Office of Admissions and Records by no later than the last date established for the posting of grades.

An outstanding grade of I automatically becomes an F at the end of the following fall or spring semester.

Grade Appeals

Students who believe that an instructor has evaluated their work incorrectly may, after discussing the matter with the instructor, request a departmental review the work in question. Such requests may be made by letter within 30 calendar days of the beginning of the fall or spring semester following the term in which the grade was awarded. The letter should identify the specific examinations or assignments for which a grade is in dispute, and all course work in question should be attached.

Upon receipt of a grade appeal, the department head provides a copy to the instructor, who is responsible for submitting a written response within 10 working days. On the basis of the student's letter and the instructors response, the department head either recommends a reconsideration of the grade assigned or finds that there is lacking basis for such a recommendation. If the department head's decision and/or the response of the instructor are not satisfactory to the student, he or she may make further appeal to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Grade Changes

Following notification of the student, an instructor who assigns a grade in error may request a Change of Grade Form from the Office of Admissions and Records. The completed form should be submitted to the department head and must be reviewed and approved by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The instructor should initial next to the explanation of the grading error and attach a complete record of the student's attendance and grades in the course.

Faculty Goals and Performance Evaluation

All full-time faculty should indicate their annual instructional, research, and service goals at the beginning of each academic year using the Faculty Goals and Objectives form of the College of Arts and Sciences. Faculty goals should be formulated with reference to the "best practices" and expectations indicated on the college's year-end faculty evaluation forms (see below), previous performance evaluations, and the draft of the department's annual planning goals, which are then modified to reflect goals and projects of individual faculty members. Research and service goals may comprise brief project descriptions, but instructional goals should indicate specific plans for the improvement of teaching.

At the end of each academic year, full-time faculty should submit to the department a completed Faculty Performance Self-Report form describing performance during the year and a Faculty Self-Evaluation form rating this performance. These documents and a conference at the end of each academic year provide information for the department head's annual evaluations of faculty performance submitted to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The evaluation forms for full-time and adjunct faculty are linked to this page for reference in faculty planning and self-evaluation.

The performance of members of the adjunct faculty is evaluated by the department head at the end of each academic year. Although it is not required, adjunct faculty may also report annual goals and objectives and submit year-end self-evaluations.

Tenure and Promotion

Applications for tenure and/or promotion should be submitted to the department head by qualifying faculty to the department head by the first Friday in October. In preparing applications, candidates should consult the dossier content outline provided for faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences and the university's tenure/promotion review timeline.

Release Time

The university normally assigns tenured and tenure-track faculty a 15-hour workload comprising 12 hours of teaching and 3 hours of release time for research and scholarship. The workload of full-time, temporary faculty generally comprises 15 hours of teaching.

Faculty members who wish to request release time should complete and submit a release-time justification form during the prior semester by the dates indicated on the calendar above. New faculty may request release time at the beginning of their first semester of employment.

Faculty members should complete and submit a release-time reporting form at the end of each semester in which they are granted release time. Dates for release-time reporting are also indicated on the calendar above.

Faculty Travel

The department budget normally provides approximately $750 per full-time faculty position for work-related travel each year.

Travel requisition forms (to reserve travel funds) and travel claim forms (to claim reserved funds) are available on the university's travel website. Faculty seeking funds for work-related travel should submit a completed travel requisition to the department office at least 20 days in advance and submit a travel claim no later than 30 days after the completion of travel.

Faculty anticipating use of travel funds toward the end of the academic year should notify the department in writing head no later than March 1.

Graduate Faculty Membership

Curriculum Proposals

Faculty may initiate curriculum proposals by submitting a completed course action request form to the chair of the Curriculum Committee (see committees page on this site) by the date indicated for each semester on the calendar above. A curriculum proposal may entail the creation of a new course or the revision of the title, number, and description of an existing course.

A curriculum proposal should not duplicate an existing course, and a proposed course number should reflect the appropriate academic level. Lower-level courses requiring the prior completion of freshman composition should be numbered at the sophomore (2000) level, and senior-level numbering (4000) should be reserved for advanced courses, normally limited to majors in the discipline.

A proposed course description of approximately 50 words should briefly indicate the essential subject matter of the course, the principle topics covered, and any course prerequisites.

Curriculum proposals are normally scrutinized carefully at several levels and should be prepared with close attention to the all of the guidelines indicated on the course action request form.