Teaching a Content Course

Every course instructor is required to submit a syllabus electronically for each course before the beginning of each semester to be kept on file in the Graduate Suite. Course syllabi include course outlines, bibliographies, course goals, assignments, a statement about religious observance, the statement regarding services for students with disabilities, and details about the national standards that the course addresses. Instructors must clearly state on their syllabi all factors considered in ​affecting grades as well as instructor’s policies regarding absences and lateness. Any instructor wanting to enforce specific policies regarding attendance need to include it in writing in the syllabus. If there is any question about a student’s progress, the instructor should discuss it with the student by mid-semester. Concerns about a student’s class performance should be discussed with the student’s advisor.

Every Graduate School course syllabus should include a statement explaining services for students with disabilities as follows: Bank Street College has both a legal and philosophical commitment to making reasonable accommodations in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Any students requiring specific accommodations should contact Kim McLeveighn, Director of Student Learning Support, at kmcleveighn@bankstreet.edu or at dso@bankstreet.edu. You can also call Kim at 212-875-4462. The Disability Services Office is located in Room 811 at 610 West 112th Street.

Bank Street College’s graduate courses seek to address the standards established by the following Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs) in the preparation of teachers and school leaders: Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI); Council on Exceptional Children (CEC); Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC); International Literacy Association (ILA); and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Instructors must insert a reference to the relevant SPA standards in their graduate syllabi for embedded courses, as part of our NCATE accreditation requirements.

Instructors need to ensure that syllabi for 3-credit courses address NYSED-mandated instructional hour requirements. For 3-credit courses, this translates to 37.5 hours of instructional time. An additional 9.5 hours of out-of-class instructional time is required to reach the 37.5 hour requirement. See the following link for guidance on how to structure out-of-class instructional time.

Instructors must clearly state any special requirements, such as assignment due dates, trips, the need to find a child to work with, etc., related to course assignments. The course syllabus and assignments should be reviewed with the students during the first class session so that students can make an informed decision about whether to add or drop a course within the add/drop period. (Students must drop a course by the last day of the Add/Drop period in order to receive a 100% tuition refund.)

For instructors who are teaching courses they taught previously, the syllabus should be updated and filed in the Graduate Suite each time it is taught. Esperanza Olivo coordinates syllabi and will request a new copy each semester. See the link for Required Elements of a Syllabus.

Prior to the beginning of the term, emails are sent out regarding deadlines for course materials. Please honor these deadlines. All course materials must conform to the Bank Street College Copyright Guidelines. (See http://libguides.bankstreet.edu/copyright for more information.)

Students may purchase textbooks through the online store TextbookX.com. Instructors are emailed each term regarding orders for textbooks, course packets, library requests, and copy guidelines. Please follow these instructions.

Through the library, faculty may make course materials available through the eReserve system. Before the beginning of the term, all faculty will receive an email with information about how to use the reserve course materials.

Instructors are given a prompt by email to review their course rosters twice a term. Instructors are responsible for reading the instructions that come with each roster and for communicating with the Registrar’s Office as indicated on the material accompanying the rosters.

The first roster, available before the first class meeting, lists all students enrolled as of the end of the registration period.

The second roster is available after the end of the add/drop period. It is critical that instructors check rosters both times for students who are not listed but who are attending and for students listed who are not attending, and that they communicate this information to the Registrar’s Office.

Students are expected to attend all classes, fieldwork placements, and conference groups. Students who miss class due to illness or other emergency are expected to inform the instructor and/or advisor and make up any missed work. If a student is in Supervised Fieldwork/Advisement, the school or agency must also be notified of any absences.

The College respects individuals’ observances of religious holidays. When students anticipate absences for religious reasons, they are responsible for informing instructors and advisors of this at the beginning of the term. They are also responsible for working with faculty to develop alternative means of fulfilling missed course and field assignments.

If students are not attending class regularly, the instructor is urged to communicate with the student, the student’s advisor or the program director. The Catalog provides detailed policies and procedures in regard to Leave of Absence and Medical Leave of Absence options.

The grades used in the Graduate School are defined in the Catalog. When the window for web grading is open each term faculty are notified and instructions for grading are provided. Faculty members are expected to turn in grades by the stated due dates. The timeframe may vary especially during the spring term as students who are graduating receive the final academic audit in preparation for commencement. It is imperative that the due dates be observed so that students may receive their grades in a timely fashion.

Faculty members make it a rule to provide feedback and return all papers, since instructional comments and interactions on papers and projects are part of the experience of the course. Students should be advised that only those papers that are accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope will be returned by mail. Other papers are kept in faculty offices for pick-up. They should never be left in publically accessible places.

The policy regarding incomplete grades is stated in the Catalog. Students generate a request for an incomplete grade and they are given at the discretion of the instructor. The student must have done satisfactory work to the point of the request and generally have a legitimate reason necessitating the request. Instructors have found that if students have not completed a significant portion of the assignments, the work required to reverse the incomplete cannot be completed satisfactorily. While instructor and student negotiate together concerning appropriate due dates for outstanding work, those dates may not exceed the dates described in the Catalog. Incomplete grades are accepted only if appropriate paperwork has been submitted to the Registrar’s Office once grades are submitted on time.

The policy is as follows:

• The instructor should return all but the final paper before the end of the term in class.
• Students who want their final paper/project returned must provide the instructor with a self-addressed, stamped envelope prior to the end of the semester. This will require them to go to the post office in advance to determine how much the mailing will cost.
• Students who do not provide envelopes will not have their papers returned; the instructor is not required to keep these papers.
• Papers may also be returned via email or Google drive, format permitting.
• Instructors should encourage students to make a copy of their work before turning it in, just in case papers are lost.
• Instructors of courses in which the final projects are too awkward to mail (for example, art projects) should make arrangements with their students for returning the projects.

It is a violation of students’ privacy rights (FERPA) to have students’ grades or graded work available in a public space.

Once a student is matriculated, continuous enrollment is expected. Students may study on a full-time or half-time basis after consulting with an advisor or program director regarding appropriate course load.

As defined by New York State, full-time = 9 credits or more in both the fall and the spring; 3 credits during summer terms. Half-time = 5-8 credits in both the fall and spring; 2 credits during summer. For financial aid eligibility, students must be enrolled for at least half-time status for each term. See the brochure or visit their office or website.

The length of time students take to complete their degrees varies depending on individual circumstance; however, all students are expected to make satisfactory academic progress toward their degree in order to be considered in good academic standing and to maintain eligibility for financial aid programs. Students must earn a minimum number of credits per year at a pace sufficient to complete all degree requirements within five years.

Please refer to the Graduate School Catalog for a more detailed explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, as well as information on Leave of Absence, Medical Leave of Absence options and procedures for requests for extensions of matriculation beyond the 5-year limit.

Instructors who have 23* or more students are eligible for a course assistant. Course assistant vouchers represent a contract of employment between the Graduate School and the student. Because the course assistant is considered an employee, we need to be sure we are keeping careful records. To accomplish that, our records must be complete at registration and course assistants must have their vouchers (which constitute a contract with the students) in hand in order to use them during the registration process.

*Certain courses may be eligible with a lower number based on budget and other criteria.

Procedures for Employing a Course Assistant (CA)

During the first week of each semester, instructors with the required number of students may submit a Request for Course Assistant Form. Prior approval is necessary before hiring a CA. Prospective course assistants for courses with enrollments hovering near the required number should be warned that their eligibility might change during the add/drop period. Every opportunity to retain the student will be made (e.g., placing the student in another qualifying section of the same course). We recognize that course assistants dropped due to enrollment numbers following the add/drop period will likely have supported faculty for one or two class sessions. Those students who have attended a course session for which their assistance is no longer required will receive a Bookstore voucher for $200.00. Course assistants for one-credit courses and other courses with special dates, which have not yet met at the end of add/drop, will not receive the Bookstore voucher. Course assistant vouchers will be mailed directly to the students.

Restrictions

Approved course assistants receive a voucher for either one (1) or two (2) credits—course assistants serving in three (3) or two (2) credit courses receive two (2) credits. Course assistants for one (1) credit courses receive one (1) credit. These vouchers are redeemable at registration during one of the four semesters (fall, spring, summer I, and summer II) following the semester of service. Course assistant vouchers may also be used for CPS courses. Course assistant vouchers may not be applied to a prior balance or used to offset the student’s bill during the semester of service. Course assistant vouchers cannot be split. If the assistant decides to register for a one credit course and the voucher is worth two credits, the value of the remaining credit will be lost.

The course assistant must be a current student or a Bank Street graduate and have successfully completed the course prior to working as a course assistant. Priority will be given to current students. The course assistant must have successfully completed a minimum of twelve coursework credits.

All course assistant questions should be directed to Esperanza Olivo, eolivo@bankstreet.edu, 212-875-4467.

Instructors may invite up to two guest speakers per two or three credit course. The instructor is responsible for returning the appropriate paperwork on behalf of the guest speaker. Payment forms are available in the suite. Graduate School faculty members on professional contracts are not eligible for guest speaker payments.

The Graduate School requires that course evaluations be completed at the end of every course. These will be sent directly to students via Watermark Course Evaluations on the last synchronous session or the last day of class, according to the website schedule. If no date is listed, they will be sent on the last day the course meets for the term, i.e., last day of Monday classes for fall. Once all grades are submitted two weeks after the end of the term, the feedback will be emailed to you. If you want to have your evaluations made available earlier, please email Gretchen Adams, gadams@bankstreet.edu, with the date.

Mid-Term Course Feedback

Some advisors request that students evaluate the course in the middle of the term; such evaluations are distributed and collected by the instructor.