A campus of The California State
University
Office of the Academic Senate •
F06-2
At its meeting of
Sigurd Meldal for the
Instruction and Student Affairs Committee.
POLICY RECOMMENDATION
GREENSHEETS (SYLLABI)
Rescinds S05-14
Whereas: Greensheets provide an opportunity
for faculty to openly communicate with students so that students more
thoroughly understand the course requirements; and
Whereas: Greensheets uphold professional
responsibility by providing full information to students to increase student
success in the classroom; and
Whereas: As stated in university
policy S99-8 Academic Freedom and Professional
Responsibility,
"Professional responsibility is the natural complement of the academic freedom
essential to the university's mission. Through their responsible professional
conduct, faculty members promote and protect academic freedom." and
Whereas: Responsible professional
conduct includes announcing course requirements in a timely fashion; explaining
how course grades are determined; assigning marks based only on criteria
providing dependable evaluation of academic performance; and prohibiting the
belated imposing of requirements not originally made clear; and
Whereas: It is desirable to
support accessibility of students to faculty; and
Whereas: Confusion exists among
faculty and students about University policy about grading on attendance and
participation; and
Whereas: There is a need to
enhance the students’ understanding of the professor's goals and the criteria
upon which the students’ performance will be evaluated, and
Whereas: There is a need for
accurate and consistent language on greensheets
regarding university policies; and
Whereas: The SJSU Accommodations Advisory Board has
recommended language for greensheets to ensure SJSU
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,
Whereas: There is a need to
enhance the students’ understanding of the Academic Integrity policy including
faculty requirements under that policy and University policy F06-1 states “It
is the role and obligation of each faculty member to: 1) Apprise classes of the
Academic Integrity Policy and the ethical standards required in courses and the
permissible procedures in class work and/or examinations. This information
should be referenced in course syllabi (and other materials as appropriate) and
Whereas: There is a need to
encourage discussion of expected classroom behavior; and
Whereas: It is desirable to
provide resources for faculty, especially new faculty and lecturers, in syllabi
development; and
Whereas: The Office of Judicial
Affairs has changed name, and consequent changes have occurred to the names and
URLs of referenced documents; now therefore be it
Resolved: That the attached document
replace S05-14 GREENSHEETS (SYLLABI); and be it further
Resolved: That the Provost be
urged to have the Center for Faculty Development and Support develop a greensheet template to be made available to all faculty electronically and provide further resources such as
samples of greensheets that meet policy requirements;
and be it further
Resolved: That this policy be
provided in New Faculty Orientation sessions held by Faculty Affairs each Fall semester; be provided by Chairs to new faculty unable
to attend orientation and to new temporary faculty hired in the spring; and be
it further
Resolved: That College Deans shall
remind all faculty periodically of these greensheet requirements; and be it further
Resolved: That faculty are encouraged to use strategies to counter the
potential for negative environmental impact of potentially longer greensheets.
Resolved: That the attached policy be implemented.
Approved:
Present: Lessow-Hurley, Meldal, Sigler, Phillips,
Lee, Najjar, Hebert, McClory
Absent: Bros,
Vote: 8-0-0
Financial
Impact: None
Greensheets
(Syllabi)
Introduction:
Greensheets help enable students to better understand
and fulfill their responsibilities as learners in courses. They are a necessary
tool in higher education to enable students to take part in the learning
process through knowing what is expected of them and what they can expect from
the course. Student success is aided by students knowing in advance as much as
possible about the course requirements so that they can plan their study time
and coordinate work on assignments from multiple courses. Student success is
also aided by encouraging students to contact their professors and providing
information about key university policies to which they are subject. In
addition, greensheets provide an opportunity to model
thorough, clear, professional communication.
A. General greensheet procedures
o Each
member of the faculty at
o If the faculty member chooses to make the greensheet available only on-line and not distribute hard copies to students, it must be available not later than the first class meeting. The faculty member shall provide an electronic or hard copy of the greensheet to the department office for department files on or before the first day of class.
o The greensheet is an agreement to provide certain classroom experiences to students. While it may be changed as the semester develops, any changes must be communicated to the students. Changes to the greensheet are not allowed after the semester ends.
B. Each greensheet shall include, at a minimum, the following items.
1. Course
Information
a) Basic
information:
o
o Course title, number, and section; days and times taught, location of class
o Semester and year course is being taught
o Professor’s name, office number and location
o Professor’s contact information: include as much information as possible and at least one direct way for students to reach you, i.e. phone number(s) or email
NOTE: While
not required, it is strongly recommended in the spirit of encouraging
interaction with
students, that faculty members include a statement of the method by which they
prefer students to contact them to maximize successful communication between
faculty and student.
b) Office hours and days
c) Course or
section information:
o Description of the course from the University catalog augmented by section-specific description.
o Prerequisites
o Required and recommended texts, readers, or other reading materials
o Any other necessary equipment/materials/fees
d) Student learning objectives for the course, and if the
course is GE, GE area student learning objectives
e) Course requirements, e.g. papers, projects, exams, quizzes, homework, laboratory work, fieldwork, participation, etc.
o
Tentative course
calendar including assignment due dates, exam dates, date of final exam; you
might want to include “subject to change with fair notice” as well.
NOTE: It
should be noted that the Academic Vice President in a memorandum dated October
25, 1977 cites a university policy that states that there shall be an
appropriate final examination or evaluation at the officially scheduled time in
every course, unless specifically exempted by the college dean who has
curricular responsibility for the course.
o
Since attendance per
se may not be used as a criterion for grading, if you grade on participation (which
can be used) some indication of how participation will be assessed should be
included, pop quizzes, in-class writing assignments, conversation and
discussion groups, etc.
NOTE: According to University policy F69-24, “Students
should attend all meetings of their classes, not only because they are
responsible for material discussed therein, but because active participation is
frequently essential to insure maximum benefit for all members of the class.
Attendance per se shall not be used as a criterion for grading.”
f) Grading
information:
o A statement of how you will determine letter grades for the course, including +/- grades if you use them
o Extra credit options, if available
o List of the percentage weight assigned to various class assignments
o Penalty (if any) for late or missed work
2. University,
College, or Department Policy Information
a) Academic integrity statement (from the Office of Student
Conduct and Ethical Development):
“Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at
b) Campus policy in compliance with the Americans with
Disabilities Act:
“If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or
if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please
make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours.
Presidential Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities
requesting accommodations must register with DRC to establish a record of their
disability.”
c) Policies or information required by the department, or college with which the class is associated.
APPENDIX
The following items are recommended for consideration. This list is not
exhaustive.
o “In addition to my specifically posted office hours, I am available by arrangement.”
o An invitation to use office hours for help
o “You are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, withdrawal, etc. found at http://sa.sjsu.edu/student_conduct.
o Expectations about classroom behavior; see Academic Senate Policy S90-5 on Student Rights and Responsibilities.
o As appropriate to your particular class, a definition of plagiarism, such as that found on the website of the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development athttp://sa.sjsu.edu/student_conduct.
o “If you would like to include in your paper any material you have submitted, or plan to submit, for another class, please note that SJSU’s Academic Integrity policy F06-1 requires approval by instructors.”
o Statement about whether collaboration is allowed and in what form.
o The name and contact information for the librarian liaison.
o Evacuation plan for the classroom.
ACTION BY
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: Approved by
President Don Kassing on