Classes at Penn State last either 50 or 75 minutes.  Fifty-minute classes begin at 8 a.m., and proceed throughout the day with 15-minute breaks between each scheduled class period.  The 75-minute classes also begin at 8 a.m., but proceed throughout the day with either 15 or 30 minute breaks between each scheduled class period.  No classes are scheduled during the dinner hour, namely, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. (excluding special topic courses and/or seminars, which may fall during these times.)   

Teaching assignments are made by the Scheduling Officer, Steve Armentrout. Through consultation with the Scheduling Officer and the instructor/faculty, an assignment will be made. Confirmation of the assignment or any changes in the assignments will be sent out as soon as possible. It is very difficult to place the many individuals in the desired time. An attempt will be made to accommodate the many needs of those that teach for our department. However, it is the responsibility of those teaching to inform the scheduling office of any conflicts immediately. If you are a graduate student, it is very important that you schedule your courses early so that we may assign teaching schedules to fit in the times that you are not taking a course. Once assignments are made, it is very difficult to juggle changes.

There are three ways in which a student can be enrolled in a course, namely taking the course for graded credit, auditing the course, or just visiting the course.  Registration procedures depend on which of the three ways that a student wants to take a course.

Sometimes, students may have been officially enrolled in a course, but then never actually attended the course or never completed the course requirements.  In these cases, students may request an Administrative Course Registration Cancellation up to one semester beyond the semester in which the error occurred.  To request a cancellation, the student must go to the Undergraduate Mathematics Office and complete the Course Cancellation Form (students should not have access to these forms as forgery has occurred too often). Then the Undergraduate Office will contact the instructor to verify that the student has never attended, taken quizzes, or exams, etc. Once the instructor verifies this, the staff member will sign the bottom portion of the form and returns it to the Registrar's Office. 

Currently registered full-time students may request permission from the instructor to "visit" a course without officially registering.  It is purely up to the instructor, depending on course enrollment, course support, workload, etc., to accept or deny the student's request.  If the instructor grants permission, he/she should immediately convey his/her expectations of the student.  Generally, students who are not currently registered full-time at Penn State should not be permitted to visit classes.  An exception may be the occasional visit by a friend of an enrolled student, as long as the visitor does not disrupt the class in anyway.

Instructors can either obtain current enrollment numbers or an up-to-date electronic version of their class list at any point in the semester. If the instructor is experiencing problems obtaining this list, they should contact the Undergraduate Mathematics Office. The electronic class list provides enrolled student names, majors, semester standings, ID numbers, and email addresses.  To request a class list, the instructor must have a valid Penn State Access Account and be listed on the University's employee and student records databases.

The purpose of a course cancellation is provide a way to resolve documented errors and results in the removal of a course from the student’s academic record. This procedure has a time limitation of one semester beyond the semester of the error. Students receiving financial aid will have their aid adjusted if they drop below 12 credits.

To process a course cancellation, the student goes to the Undergraduate Office in 107 Whitmore Laboratory and completes the top section of a Course Cancellation form stating that the student did not attend the course. The Undergraduate Office will then verify via email that the instructor has no record of the student attending or any evaluation such as quizzes or examination scores for the student. Once the Undergraduate Office receives such verification, the Cancellation Form will be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office. Under no circumstance should a student have this form in his/her possession.

The departmental staff provide a number of support services, which include assisting instructors in the preparation of course materials, as well as handling course administration.

Currently, the Mathematics Department has the following staff members who help with the coordination/planning of the classes.

• Cindy Lorenzo, Secretary to the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Provide information about the department, admissions, course requirements, procedures and forms to students, faculty and staff. Maintain undergraduate student records, transcripts, audits, advisor assignments, math minor requests and option information. Distribute and collect grade sheets. Update Undergraduate Handbook, Undergraduate Baccalaureate Degree Programs Bulletin.
• Lisa Dibert, Provide information to students and faculty on the Undergraduate program. Maintains schedule of classes, course offerings, room assignments and enrollment figures. Process add/drop forms, solve student problems. Contact person for publishers and faculty, orders and distributes textbooks to faculty. Handles Sperling/Cohen tutoring scheduling and payroll. Designs and maintains Undergraduate Web pages. Train staff on software programs in the Department. Prepares and distributes course and instructor evaluation forms. Assist in disenrollment procedure and advising students on course prerequisites. Reserves classrooms for review sessions.
• Kathy Wyland, Type and process technical research manuscripts, review, referee reports, abstracts, examinations, NSF/NSA research proposals. Process proctoring payroll. Assist staff in the Undergraduate Office. Update departmental directory and update campus address/telephone number. Prepare syllabi. Processes mail for Whitmore.
• Becky Halpenny, Graduate Program
• Sue Kutz, MASS Program
• Pat Snare, Type, processes, distributes and secures exams. Package and distribute exams, and course materials. Train, assign and verify proctor hours. Schedule signups for makeup, conflict and disability exams. Keep file of past exams for use as sample exams for students, Math Library and Math Center. Send copies of past exams to Continuing Ed and CWC.
• Barbara Spindler, Assists with calculus course materials for Math 110, 140 and 141. Schedule meetings and signups for makeup, conflict and deferred exams. Package and distribute exams, quizzes and course materials. Assign proctors and distribute calculators.
• Jeanne Armstrong
• Amy Stover
• Rosemary Manning
• Mary Anne Raymond
• Beth Kennedy

To obtain an office, see Mary Ann Raymond, Administrative Assistant, in 228 McAllister Building. For office keys, see Becky Halpenny in 224 McAllister Building.

With the exception of copy paper and envelopes, all office supplies (such as pens, pencils, pads of paper, transparencies, overhead pens, and file folders) are stored in a locked facility in either McAllister Building or Whitmore Building.  To obtain office supplies, instructors should see Pat Snare in 108 Whitmore or Beth Kennedy in 229 McAllister between 8 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.  To order special office supplies that would typically not be stored in large quantities, such as calendars, desk trays, and computer diskette holders, see Beth Kennedy. 

Everyone working in the Mathematics Department should obtain two kinds of computer accounts. One being the PSU Access account. For this account, you will need to go to CAC (Center for Academic Computing) in 2 Willard Building or 215 Computer Building.

• Jeff Minelli, Systems Administrator
• Bob Morse, Systems Programmer

Multimedia technology facilities are automatically requested from the University Scheduling Office for all standing statistics courses.  If, at the beginning of the semester, an instructor finds that his/her classroom does not have the necessary technology equipment, she/he should ask Cindy Lorenzo to contact the University Scheduling Office immediately.  On the other hand, instructors assigned to use mobile multimedia technology carts in Chambers, Thomas or Willard Buildings must still confirm their schedule through Audio-Visual Services even though the classroom technology requests were originally completed and sent to the University Scheduling Office.  Contacts for technology cart scheduling are:

All users of computing facilities in the technology classrooms--whether equipped with permanent technology installations or mobile technology carts--have to logon and are authenticated using their Penn State Access Account userids and passwords for each class session. Instructors who do not have Access Accounts can apply for one at the Center for Academic Computing's Accounts Office in 227 Computer Building (phone 814-865-4772).

For security purposes, the computer podiums and computer and Audio-Visual Services cabinets in multimedia technology classrooms have combination locks.  There is also a code combination that disarms and rearms the fiber-optic alarms to Police Services on the computer podiums and cabinets.  There are several ways that instructors can get the necessary codes, including going to one of the Multimedia Technology Classroom Orientation sessions, going to the Audio Visual Service's Equipment Desk in room 26 Willard, or asking Donna Kemper in room 122 Computer Building.    

The University Faculty Senate requires that instructors distribute, within the first ten days of class, a course syllabus, which minimally describes the course requirements, grading policy, and anticipated dates for exams and major assignments.  Every instructor additionally must give a paper copy of his or her syllabus to the Undergraduate Office, so that it can be placed in a public file in the main office.

The importance of a course syllabus should not be underestimated.  While a course syllabus can certainly contain only the basic requirements, it can also serve to communicate the most important aspects of a course to the students. 

A copy of a generic syllabus may be obtained from the Undergraduate Office for those courses under 400-level. This syllabus will only list topics and suggested periods spent on the topics. The instructors and/or coordinator should determine the grading policy and other important policies such as makeup exams etc and add those to the syllabus.

The department schedules examinations for undergraduate courses under the 400-level that have evening examinations. The Undergraduate Office will provide each instructor with a listing of the evening examination dates on the first day of classes. The students must be notified of the evening exam schedule during the first week of the semester.  Each course, through a coordinator, should decide on a makeup date for those students who provide a legitimate reason for missing the regularly scheduled examination. Policies regarding examinations must be included on the syllabi. For information on how students should sign up for makeup examinations, please refer to Pat Snare or Barbara Spindler. Do not send the students to them for answers unless Pat and Barbara indicate that it is appropriate for your course. Evening examination locations will be distributed after the tenth day of classes.

In spite of the registrar's best efforts, some students will still have scheduling conflicts with some of their final exams.  There are two types of exam conflicts--a direct conflict and an overload conflict.  A direct conflict occurs when a student has two or more final exams scheduled at the same time; while an overload conflict occurs when a student has three or more final exams scheduled in a 15-hour block of time from the beginning of the first exam to the beginning of the third exam.  Students with direct conflicts are required to file for a conflict exam with the Office of the Registrar.  Students with overload conflicts can either opt to take all of their exams as originally scheduled, or they can also file for a conflict exam.  Students must file all conflict exam requests during the period established by the Registrar's Office.  Instructors are strongly encouraged to announce the final examination schedule, as well as the conflict exam-filing period, to their classes. A notice of the dates and times will be distributed to each instructor several days before they are published on the web.

The Mathematics Department requires all students to be present for the final examination based on the schedule determined by the Registrar's Office. This should be made clear to all students from the beginning of the semester. Only emergency cases such as verified deaths in the family, or medical verification, etc are acceptable excuses from the set dates. In such cases, a deferred grade should be submitted. Travel plans are not a legitimate reason for missing a final examination.

An instructor may consider scheduling additional classrooms for review sessions before.  To schedule rooms for reviews, the instructor should email Lisa Dibert (dibert@math.psu.edu), sufficiently in advance, to schedule the necessary room(s).  To schedule the rooms, the following information will be needed:

• the date and time when the room(s) are needed
• how many seats are needed in each room, and
• for which course the room is needed

The instructor is responsible for ensuring that the rooms are left in good order.

Note: Rooms for daytime review sessions may not be requested until AFTER the first week of classes.

Final grades must be submitted to the Undergraduate Office within 48 hours of the course's final examination.  Under no circumstances can the instructor submit their final grades later than the university-wide deadline that is officially announced at the end of each semester.

When posting final grades in public places, be sure that the listing is in numerical order based on the last four digits of the ID numbers. Do not send the students to the Undergraduate Office for final grades as they can obtain them using CAAIS online or by calling 1-800-876-0354.
 

Every semester, an instructor may have a student, or two, who has been evaluated by the Office of Disability Services (ODS) as requiring special circumstances for taking exams.  For some students--in particular, those needing a reader or twice as much time to take an exam--ODS will make arrangements with the student to proctor the exams for the instructor.  For other students--especially those only requiring time-and-a-half to take the exam--the instructor is responsible for either proctoring the exam or for making arrangements within the department to have the exam proctored by a teaching assistant.

At the request of an instructor, University Testing Services (UTS), located in 23 Willard Building, provides a number of testing services, including grading multiple-choice exams, creating test banks and, on an experimental basis, offering computerized testing.  Instructors who are interested in any of the testing services provided by UTS should plan to meet with someone from UTS in the beginning of the semester to discuss their needs.  Most of the time, UTS is prepared to meet with instructors on a drop-in basis.

The department must buy each sheet for 5 cents, but there is no additional charge when the sheets are graded.  The various score sheets available permit up to as many as 10 multiple-choice item responses.  When the instructor submits the exams for grading, the instructor must complete a job request form, which indicates how the instructor wants the exam graded.  Options include using a test unscrambler for different test versions, allowing for more than one correct answer, weighting items differently, and/or eliminating items.  Once the exam is graded, the instructor will receive a summary of the results by e-mail.  Then, if the instructor desires, UTS can also forward the results directly to each individual student.

The possible grades assigned to students depend on their enrollment status.  Students who are officially enrolled in and have completed the course should be assigned one of the following letter grades:  A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, or F.  Instructors are free to determine the appropriate cut-off for each letter grade.  However, the following table illustrates a common cut-off scheme:
 

The nine possible letter grades correspond to the following grade point averages:
 

The remaining possible grades depend on the student's enrollment status.  Students who have audited a course should be assigned an AU (if attendance has been acceptable) or a W (if attendance has been unsatisfactory).  Typically, instructors assign students who have late-dropped a course a WN (for no grade to report at time of withdrawal).  But, instructors can instead assign a late-dropped student a WP (for passing at time of withdrawal) or WF (for failing at time of withdrawal).  Students who have officially withdrawn from the university are automatically assigned a W (for withdraw) by the registrar.

In extenuating circumstances, a student may ask an instructor before the beginning of the final exam period to defer his/her final grade.  Typically instructors approve the request only if the student has completed the majority of the course work and/or the student can document an extreme situation that prevented the student from completing the course.  In general, instructors should not approve deferments for students merely interested in delaying the completion of the course without good reason.  If the instructor does approve the request, the student should be assigned a final grade of DF (for deferred).  The student then has six weeks into the next semester in which they are enrolled to complete the course work.  A deferred grade that is not changed to a passing grade by the instructor before the end of this period is automatically changed to an F by the registrar.  In extenuating circumstances, students may receive approval to complete the course by the end of the next semester, rather than the standard six-week limit.  In this situation, instructors may consider having the student complete the course work by sitting in their next semester's lectures, thereby effectively treating the student as just another student.

According to University Policy 48-40, If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; the executive officer of the Commonwealth Campus if the student is enrolled at a Commonwealth Campus. Permission for filing a deferred grade should be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period.

In certain courses where normal work of the course extends beyond the scheduled period, deferment may be granted routinely for all students in the course if prior approval of the Senate Committee on Curricular Affairs has been obtained.

The period during which a grade may be deferred shall not extend, without further approval of the dean of the college, the director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies, or the executive officer of the Commonwealth Campus concerned, beyond the end of the sixth week of the next semester in which the University is in session. A deferred grade that is not changed to a passing grade by the instructor before the end of this period automatically becomes an F. If the next semester is a summer session, this rule shall not apply unless the student is enrolled for that session. If the student is not enrolled for that summer session, the period during which the grade may be deferred shall not extend, without further approval of the dean of the college or of the director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies or of the executive officer of the Commonwealth Campus, beyond the end of the sixth week of the succeeding fall semester. For courses taken through Continuing Education, the grade must be changed no later than sixty days after the last class; otherwise, an F will be recorded.

To request approval for a deferred grade, a student first obtains an approval of a deferred grade form or college/campus petition from the student’s Dean’s Office, signs it, and takes it to the course instructor for concurrence and signature. The student then takes the form back to the student's dean, the director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies, or the executive officer of the Commonwealth Campus, whichever is appropriate, for approval, signature, and distribution as indicated on the form. When a deferred grade has been authorized, the instructor shall enter the symbol DF instead of a grade when completing the grade-reporting forms.

A deferred grade may be extended beyond the six-week deadline only for an extenuating circumstance. The grantor completes a second approval of deferred grade form and gains the concurrence of the instructor/department. The date the deferral expires must be indicated. Deferred grades should not be extended beyond the end of the semester following the semester when the deferred grade was originally granted.

At the request of an instructor, University Testing Services (UTS), located in 23 Willard Building, will store individual student grades in a computerized file. The grades can be processed either directly from UTS "bubble" score sheets or from work graded by the instructor.  For the last job of the semester, UTS calculates an overall number grade for each student based on the instructor's planned grading system.  If the instructor then tells UTS his/her desired grade cutoffs, UTS will translate each number grade to a letter grade, and transfer the final grades directly to the Registrar.  (This is a nice way for instructors to avoid having to fill out the grade bubble sheets at the end of the semester!)

The Undergraduate Office will provide desk copies. The department will also try to make an attempt at obtaining grader copies, but that is not always possible due to policies of the publishing companies. 

The University also provides a lot of web space and instruction on how instructors may make use of the web space for the courses. They provide easy steps to help you create a functional web site with them. Refer to the "Other Useful Teaching Resources" section at the end of this manual.

Graduate students who are teaching will have their class complete handwritten evaluations. The Undergraduate Office will prepare packets for distribution midway through the semester. A student should be assigned to return the completed evaluations back to the Undergraduate Office. Reviews will be made and if necessary, a meeting will be established to speak to the graduate students on the feedback.

Full-tenured faculty will have the option to provide evaluations at the end of the semester. The department however maintains the right to request that such evaluations take place as well.

Those faculty members who are up for tenure and promotion (or who will be up in the future) will be required to use both the SRTE and the handwritten evaluations.

Fixed Term Instructors will have the option as to which type of evaluations they wish to use at the end of the semester.