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Advising: Student advising of undergraduate physics majors is conducted by the student’s assigned undergraduate major advisor.  Student advising at the graduate level is conducted by the student's assigned curriculum advisor until a Research Advisor is chosen, after which this individual and the student’s dissertation committee members assume the role.  In order to assist in student advising, Faculty members should maintain current knowledge of University, College, and Department programs and requirements.

Final examinations: Final exams in all courses must be offered at the time and date specified in the University’s schedule of final examinations.  Changes of the time and/or date of a final examination require prior approval of the Chair and the Dean, but in any case, the exam must also be offered at the time scheduled and publicized by the University for those students who desire to take the exam at that time.

Grades and Student Records: Faculty members must inform students of their progress throughout the semester.  Grades are a Faculty member's responsibility and should be assigned fairly and objectively.  Submission of final grades must comply with University Policy, including but not limited to the deadline for the timely submission of grades.   Materials used in computing grades (e.g., exams, papers, reports, etc.) should be retained by the Faculty member for two (2) years after final grades are submitted.  Students have a right to inspect the written work performed during a course and discuss grades with the Faculty member.

All members of the Department must comply with all laws and University Policies that govern the privacy of student education records, including but not limited to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).  These regulations require, among other things, that Faculty members keep thorough academic records and forbid the posting of grades by name, social security number or any other system that might identify a student with her/his education record.

Failure of Faculty members to provide grades in compliance with University Policy will be taken into consideration in reappointment, tenure, promotion, and merit decisions.

Office Hours:  Faculty members are expected to schedule and attend at least five (5) office hours per week (See, UPR 3342-6-18.101).  The times for office hours shall be communicated to the Department office as well as to the Faculty member's students, and will be posted on the Faculty member’s office door.  If a student, for a legitimate reason or reasons, is unable to meet during the Faculty member’s scheduled office hours, the Faculty member shall make appointments to meet with the student at an alternate time.

Participation in University Activities: Faculty members are expected to participate in recruitment programs, graduation ceremonies and other activities that are appropriate to their role as a Faculty member in the Department.  Details of such participation shall be decided by the Chair.

Student and Peer Evaluation: A Student Survey of Instruction (hereafter “SSI”) is required in each course in each semester and will be conducted under the auspices of the Chair pursuant to applicable University policies and procedures (See, Section IX of this Handbook).

Probationary Faculty members are required to undergo peer review of teaching during each year of the probationary period.  Details of this process may be found in Section V. B. of this handbook.

Syllabi: Faculty members are expected to provide students with a syllabus that describes the subject matter to be covered in a course, the expectations of the instructor regarding students, grading policies, and other pertinent information.