Senate Bill 24-25-29
| Bill ID: | 24-25-29 |
| Name: | Proposal Regarding Conflicts with Scheduled Classes |
| Proposed: | 02/11/2025 |
| Sponsor: | Lee Friedman, Principal Lecturer, Director of Undergraduate Studies |
| Proposal: | It has been noted that during semesters, faculty whose courses require final presentations or projects, in some cases field trips, or capstone-type presentations (collectively referred to below as “projects”) have scheduled these projects outside of their scheduled class times, thus conflicting with one or more scheduled class meeting or meetings that a student has. In many cases, these projects are referred to as “required” or “mandatory” by the faculty member teaching the class or coordinating the project. These projects cannot be truly “required” as the faculty member must have some kind of a make-up procedure for students who have excused absences – if they are truly “required” then a sick student or a student with another type of excused absence would get a zero on the assignment, which is not permitted. These projects that conflict with already scheduled classes put the students mutually enrolled in these classes in a bind. The student either has to attend the project or the scheduled class – the latter of which, often at the end of the semester, may involve an exam or practical assessment in an experiential course. The students often go to the instructor of the “non-required” course and tell them that their other course has a mandatory presentation and that they must miss their scheduled course. One course should not be deemed as more important than another. The time faculty have with their students during class time is theirs to use as they see fit. It is not for another faculty member to poach or usurp. There may also be MHEC issues regarding these types of projects in that causing a student to miss meetings of a scheduled class might affect issues involving credit hours and total hours of class during the semester. This proposal seeks to create and implement a policy that explicitly states that faculty cannot schedule mandatory projects that conflict with scheduled class meetings for another non- scheduled class time without the express written permission of the Provost. Should an unavoidable conflict occur, the policy should include rules or recommendations for alternate and/or make-up assignments, including but not limited to the administering, proctoring, and transmitting of assessments. |
| Active? | Yes |
Status
| Status: | Pending Approval |
| Reviewer: | Senate Executive Committee (SEC) |
| Received: | 2025-02-21 |
| Actions: | The SEC will review the Proposal Regarding Conflicts with Scheduled Classes to determine which committee will be charged. |
| Related Files: |