Who
are the students I will be teaching?
The students at Webster, as a group, are probably unlike any collegiate group you have been accustomed to either as an instructor or a graduate student yourself. Some significant differences are the fact that the average age is probably about 35 years and there has been a ten-year absence from the classroom. More than likely they are married, have families of one or two children, and work full-time. They tend to be graduates of smaller South Carolina colleges. Their level of motivation is probably higher than younger graduate students since they are in the working world and have more of a sense of where their education should take them.
How
are they admitted?
Students
are admitted to our programs on the basis of satisfactory completion of their
undergraduate degree. In a sense we
have an "open admission" policy inasmuch as none of the traditional
graduate level pre-admission exams are used (GRE, GMAT, etc.)
Students are admitted to conditional candidacy.
During the first 12 hours they must maintain grades of B and above (two
"C's" or one "C" and an "F" will cause the student
to be academically dropped).
What
is expected of me as an instructor?
Attached
you will find the actual letter of appointment for a faculty member detailing
the specifics of Webster's expectations. In addition, you are expected to attend
the graduation ceremony held each year. Faculty should keep in mind that full
delivery of the instructional program is basic to our accreditation, licensure,
and integrity as a graduate institution.
Anything
else?
Yes--one
more thing. Where it is appropriate
to a course the University emphasizes the importance of writing and speaking.
Typically, a syllabus will reflect both writing and speaking assignments.
The common denominator of success in any field is skill in expression and
in interpersonal relations.
In
my teaching efforts what kind of support can I expect from Webster Greenville?
We
can support you in several ways. One
faculty meeting per year (usually the Fall meeting) is devoted to instructional
improvement. The Faculty
Coordinator is available to meet with you regarding your instructional efforts
including classroom management problems should they occur.
You are encouraged to contact other faculty in your discipline.
Another excellent resource is the publication "Webster
Worldwide---Best Teaching Practices 2001," which contains many excellent
cues to improved teaching. You are
also encouraged to contact Webster faculty whose e-mail addresses are in the
publication. You may request the Faculty Coordinator and/or Director to observe
your class and make constructive comments on your teaching.
An alternative would be to request another instructor in the discipline
to observe your teaching.
How
will my teaching be evaluated?
For
the first three years, an instructor will be evaluated by the students every
class he/she teaches at the end of the session.
After three years an instructor is evaluated once during an academic
year. The faculty members are encouraged to develop their own
evaluation efforts during the session. The
Faculty Coordinator will be glad to assist you in this process.
Faculty members are encouraged to discuss the results of their
evaluations with the Faculty Coordinator.
How
do I know who will be in my class?
There
will be a packet of information given to you the first night of class. In
this information there will be a pink attendance sheet.
It is important to keep careful attendance and to report absences for the
first two weeks of class by returning the pink sheet to the front desk.
Federal student aid requires records of attendance. Your attendance sheet
is to be turned in at the end of the nine weeks session along with the textbook
and any instructional materials accompanying the text. If a student does
not attend the first two class meetings, they will be administratively dropped
from the class. This is only if they miss both weeks. If they attend
one of the two, they are not dropped by the University.
What
happens if, for some reason, I cannot meet my class?
Contact the Faculty Coordinator as soon as you know you need to miss the class. At your next class meeting you will need to make arrangements with your class for a make-up session.
When
do I get paid?
Thought
you would never ask! Faculty
members receive electronic transfer of payment to their bank accounts three
times during the instructional period. The
exact dates for each period are posted in the mailroom and are on the letter of
appointment.
Can
I change the syllabus for the course as it has been taught?
Yes.
You will receive via e-mail
the
course syllabus. You can modify everything except for particular policies
such as attendance, grade system, course description,
etc. that are mandatory by the University.
Please return these in a
timely manner since the syllabi are made available to students as soon as
registration starts. This is
important because students are cautioned not to order books until they receive
the syllabus. Since their books are
ordered in St. Louis we can experience instructional delays if the syllabus
production and book ordering are delayed.
Can
I change the textbook?
Yes.
A good bit of lead-time is necessary since we operate nine-week sessions.
An excellent resource for selecting texts is www.facultycenter.net.
There you will use the ID: 71469 and the Password POI879.
This resource rates texts and indicates which other universities are
using that text. The Faculty
Coordinator will obtain desk copies and instructional accompaniments once you
have selected a text. We ask that
you return the materials at the end of the session unless you will be teaching
the same course in the next session.
What
are the chances of teaching other courses in my area?
Excellent
providing your academic transcript and professional experiences support that. The Faculty Coordinator gains approvals from the academic
departments in St. Louis.
How
often can I teach?
Normally,
you may teach twice in an academic year.
Will
I have access to audio-visual
equipment?
Yes!
Overhead projectors, VCR's, and projectors, that run off of a PC for uses
with programs such as MS PowerPoint, are available.
All of these are limited in availability and require prior reservation at
the front desk. Please try to
reserve these machines early, as the demand is high.
Please cooperate with other faculty.
Is
there a preferred method of testing of students?
Typically, mid-term and final examinations are part of each syllabus. The method of testing is the prerogative of the faculty member. In general, we stress the use of written examinations, short and long essay tests, over objective testing. However, each faculty member must judge the appropriateness of his/her testing methods to the course content.
Is
there a preferred format for writing assignments?
Yes.
The
APA writing format is standard
for Webster University. Summaries
of it are available for students and faculty members on our Greenville website
at http://www.webster.edu/greenville/apa_research_writing.htm.
What
should I stress with students at our first class meeting?
Faculty
members are advised to remind students of the attendance policy of the
institution and of their intent to enforce this policy.
Secondly, faculty would do well to remind students of the institutional
policy on academic dishonesty, a growing problem in higher education. Faculty members should also use this occasion to go over the
syllabus and be explicit as to the faculty member's expectations of students.
How
are grades handled?
The
grading of students is the responsibility of the instructor.
The instructor is the final authority in the matter of grading.
As such, it behooves an instructor to establish fair and equitable
standards applied to all students in a course.
The instructor should keep a record of those grades for a period of at
least one year.
What
is an incomplete grade?
If
for some reason, acceptable to the instructor, a student is not able to complete
a course on time, the instructor may issue an incomplete grade, or I. This grade
of I should not be assigned until at least the 7th week of classes. The
form requires the instructor to list what the student must do in order to
complete the course and how long of a time frame they have to complete the
work. This form must be filled out in detail explaining the exact tasks
needed to be completed before course is considered complete.
Instructors are not to use an incomplete grade with the recommendation
that the entire course be retaken. Students
will be charged tuition to re-take a course.
Do
I have access to the
Online
library/Passports
system?
Of
course! Faculty members have an I.D. number that may be used for
Webster's online library. Please
contact someone at the front desk about looking up your I.D. number if you do
not have yours. As an off-site
institution, Webster University has created one of the most outstanding on-line
library facilities that can be found. http://library.webster.edu/
is the website for the online library.
Can
I get an e-mail account through Webster?
Yes! Free e-mail accounts are available to all faculty. Full-time and part-time faculty who wish to receive e-mail accounts just need to notify the Faculty Coordinator and one will be requested for you.
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