Guidelines and Resources for Instructors

According to policies established by the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction in the Arts & Sciences, all syllabi distributed to students must include key elements. 

A current outline of all required syllabus elements is available at https://asccas.osu.edu/curriculum/syllabus-elements.

The Office of Undergraduate Education website also includes some helpful course syllabus recommendations, including additional current sample syllabus statements and policies (required and optional). This resource is available at https://ugeducation.osu.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources.

• Effective 2023, all syllabi must include the required statement on Religious Accommodations. 

In addition to the sample content warning language available through the Office of Undergraduate Education, you may also include the following language on mandatory reporting and trigger warnings at your discretion.

• As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. I also have mandatory reporting responsibility related to my role as an Ohio State employee. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussion or in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information regarding sexual misconduct with the University’s Title IX Office. If I can be of assistance in helping you to make a report and in finding campus and community resources, please let me know. If you would like to access resources directly, please feel free to contact the Title IX office (see above). Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting Counseling & Consultation Services at 614-292-5766 or the 24 hour helpline from the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (SARNCO) at 614-267-7020.
• Some content in this course may involve media that may elicit a traumatic response in some students due to descriptions of and/or scenes depicting acts of violence, acts of war, or sexual violence and its aftermath. If needed, please take care of yourself while watching/reading this material (leaving classroom to take a water/bathroom break, debriefing with a friend, contacting a confidential Sexual Violence Advocate 614-267-7020, or Counseling and Consultation Services at 614-292-5766 and contacting the instructor if needed).
• While it is inherently impossible to make any public space completely “safe,” there are things we can commit to in order to best care for our classroom and campus communities. Working towards safety does not mean that we aren’t interested in engaging with difficult, complex material or that we are afraid to talk with depth and authenticity as we develop our thinking around tough topics. Working towards safety does mean that we create an environment in which we’ve made it possible to lean into complexity and to be intellectually and creatively daring because we’ve committed to looking out for one another the way any good Buckeye does. A “safe” classroom won’t always be an easy classroom, but it should be a place where we model respect, generosity of spirit, and lean into curiosity about different perspectives and experiences. I encourage you to look for opportunities to learn, to speak with both care and confidence, and to imagine one another complexly.

ALL COURSES

High-level course descriptions and learning objectives should apply to every offering of a course, regardless of instructor. You may refer to the syllabus submitted when the course was approved or revised, or the public course catalog available here: https://courses.osu.edu/psp/csosuct/EMPLOYEE/PUB/c/COMMUNITY_ACCESS.OSR_CAT_SRCH.GBL

Please review these resources regularly to avoid “syllabus creep”. If you have questions about a course or course objectives, please contact an Academic Program Coordinator.

GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES

Each GE course syllabus should include (1) the relevant GE category(ies), (2) the associated goals and expected learning outcomes, and (3) a brief statement that explains how the particular course will satisfy the stated expected learning outcomes.  At this time, instructors should include any Legacy General Education (GEL) Goals and ELOs in addition to any New General Education (GEN) Goals and ELOs into their course syllabi. It should be clear to students enrolled in the course which GE category(ies), either GEL or GEN, they are fulfilling by successfully completing the course regardless of which General Education program they are pursuing.  

The GE goals and expected learning outcomes can be found at the following locations:  

• Legacy General Education (GEL) Goals and ELOs: https://asccas.osu.edu/legacy-general-education-gel-goals-and-elos
• New General Education (GEN) Goals and ELOs: https://asccas.osu.edu/new-general-education-gen-goals-and-elos

The ways in which course content is delivered and learning objectives are met can vary from course to course. In most cases, the standard number of credit hours, instruction modes, and meeting patterns are determined when a course is being developed and remain the same from semester to semester. It’s important to keep the relevant policies and guidelines in mind as you structure your course activities and assignments.

Credit Hours / Total Workload

Faculty Rule 3335-8-24 outlines the relationship between credit hours and expected workload for a 14-week course. Generally, “one credit hour shall be assigned for each three hours per week of the average student’s time, including class hours, required to earn the average grade of ‘C’ in the course”.

A typical 3-credit-hour course offered in the Autumn or Spring semesters will require approximately 3 hours of class meeting time or direct instruction per week and 6 hours of out-of-class work per week to earn a grade of “C”.

For classes offered in the Summer terms or a 7-week Session, the total workload for a 14-week offering should be re-distributed across the assigned term. For example, a 3-credit-hour course offered during a 6-week summer term should require approximately 7 hours of direct instruction per week and 14 hours of out-of-class work per week.

Classes with meeting times that are different from those outlined in the Approved Weekly Schedule should keep the expectations for total workload in mind when assigning work outside of class.

Instruction Modes

Courses may be offered in one of four instruction modes: In-Person, Hybrid, Distance-Enhanced, or Distance-Learning. In addition, courses with significant online components may be described as “synchronous” or “asynchronous”.

Helpful descriptions and strategies for each mode are available through the Teaching & Learning Resource Center:

• Guide to Instructional Modes
• In-Person Planning Strategies
• Hybrid Planning Strategies
• Distance Learning Planning Strategies

Not all courses are approved to be offered in both an In-Person and Distance-Enhanced/Distance Learning mode. In addition, Faculty must have the formal approval of their College’s academic leadership and the Office of Academic Affairs to change the overall delivery mode of a course they are teaching (e.g., changing a course from in-person to hybrid or distance learning after students have already registered for the course). If you have questions about the mode assigned to your class or your options for future course offerings, please contact the program coordinator.

According to the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), course materials must be available by the first date students may begin registering for classes. While the specific registration dates may change, the general schedule of deadlines is as follows.

• Summer Term deadline: mid-February
• Autumn Term deadline: mid-March
• Spring Term deadline: mid-October

Faculty have several options available to you when ordering materials for your courses. Please visit https://affordablelearning.osu.edu/book-orders for more information about ordering course materials through Barnes & Noble or CarmenBooks, as well as materials available through the University Libraries. If you choose not to require textbooks, please log on to the Barnes & Noble AIP site to verify that you will not be using textbooks for the class.

In most cases, instructors should place their own textbook by the deadlines above (prior to student enrollment). Course supervisors should work with Lecturers and Graduate Teaching Associates to confirm the textbook options and select appropriate texts via BN AIP process (when applicable). 

If textbooks are not selected by the deadline, a previous semester’s selection or standard textbook may be adopted by the department in compliance with the university’s Textbook Auto-Adoption Policy. 

See: Faculty instructions, AIP Bookstore selection process (step-by-step)

Carmen Canvas is the university’s online course management system. Your Carmen courses, the CarmenCanvas Resource Center, and the online help form is available at http://carmen.osu.edu. More information about all Learning tools offered by the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation is available at https://it.osu.edu/learning-systems.

Instructors new to Carmen Canvas will find the "Setting up a course in Carmen" page particularly helpful. Once the course is created, there are many help guides, templates and other resources available to help you set up the course page.

Enrolled students and instructors will be added to the Carmen through an automatic process. More information about Carmen roles is available here: https://teaching.resources.osu.edu/toolsets/carmencanvas/guides/roles-carmen

If you would like to give someone else access to your Carmen course (e.g. a colleague observing the class or a graduate students enrolled in a related Directed Teaching course) you may also manually add participants through your Carmen landing page. This method should not be used for students who wish to enroll in or audit the course.

Please note that all updates to Carmen access take effect overnight.

Information about the course offerings assigned to you, including class rosters, grade rosters, meeting times and locations, are available through the BuckeyeLink Faculty Center. Information included in the Faculty Center is live and updates take effect automatically.

More information on using the Faculty Center is available here: https://admin.resources.osu.edu/student-information-system-sis/sis-faculty-center

The official grades of the university most commonly used by instructors are: 

• A(-), B(+/-), C(+/-), D(+)
• E – student did not satisfy the objectives of the course (non-passing)
• "I" – incomplete; student must complete all outstanding work by the sixth Saturday following the semester, or grade will lapse.
• “EN” – E, non-attendance
• "R" – Registered audit (pass)
• "S" / "U" – Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory
• "W" – Withdrew

Details on the official grades that may be assigned at Ohio State are outlined in Faculty Rule 3335-8-21 Marks.  

Learn more about Grade Posting and Grade Instructions.

Submitting a grade change: Use of the grade assignment or change forms can only be made by instructors with "post access" and are required for: changing a grade; reporting a missing grade; replacing an "EN" or NG" grade; assigning a final grade for an Incomplete (I) grade; changing the week a student stopped attending relative to an EN grade. View Step-by-Step Directions, then submit through the Online Grade Assignment or Change Form.  

Your classroom assignment for each class can be viewed on the “My Schedule” section of the Faculty Center.

Department classes generally take place in the Theatre, Film, and Media Arts building (room codes starting with TFM) or in the university “Classroom Pool”. 

Detailed information and photos are available for most classroom pool rooms here: https://odee.osu.edu/classroom-search. You can also see more information about classroom technology and classroom locks (video). 

Questions about classroom pool rooms, including requests for onsite tech/facility assistance or service requests, should be directed to Classroom Services.

Questions about reserving a class/meeting space in the Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Building may be directed to Jen Carpenter.376@osu.edu. 

• Please note that TFM 215 classroom is a General Classroom Pool classroom scheduled by the Registrar, not the department.  
• Please note that the 1st floor Lobby and 2nd floor Student Lounge are not available to be used for class breakout sessions or small group rehearsals or filming.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

All syllabi must include a class attendance policy, including a statement on student absences and a class cancellation policy.

• Absence Statement:  Make sure that your syllabus has a clear class attendance policy statement regarding excused and unexcused absences, and that you apply it in a consistent way. Your absence policy can be tailored to fit each particular course, and should be one that you are comfortable with, but it must be in the syllabus in order to carry weight. Without a clear and consistently applied absence policy, a grade based on missed absences can be overturned.  Note that it is important to keep accurate records of when a student is late or absent from class.
• Class Cancellation Policy:  It happens on occasion that instructors must be absent from a scheduled class. When such absences can be anticipated (e.g. approved research travel or university business), it is your responsibility to arrange in advance for a colleague to meet your class to carry out a lesson plan that you have prepared and/or to arrange for appropriate alternative work or instruction. Instructors may consider taking advantage of in-class workshops offered by ASC Career Success or Student Wellness Center. GTAs and lab/recitation instructors must also request written approval from the course supervisor for any planned absence that will impact teaching responsibilities.

When it is more difficult to anticipate an absence (such as in the case of illness or injury), it is your responsibility to communicate effectively to students the message that class has been cancelled. In these cases, please take the following steps:

1. IF YOU ARE A GTA: include your course supervisor on all communications.
2. Contact your students via Carmen, Faculty Center in SIS or using an e-mail list that you create at the beginning of the term.
3. Call the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts at 614-292-5821 or email theatreandfilm@osu.edu to report your cancellation. You may request that a note be placed on your classroom door if the classroom is within our building. Provide the course number, (for example, Theatre 2367.01) class building, room number, and meeting start time for the class that has been cancelled.
4. Contact your students as soon as possible following the cancellation to let them know how the syllabus and work deadlines will be affected.
5. If there is a chance your unexpected absence will extend beyond two class meetings, please contact the Chair as soon as possible to discuss possible arrangements for class coverage.

Suggested wording for syllabus:  "In the unlikely event of class cancellation due to emergency, I will contact you via e-mail and request that a note on be placed on the door. In addition, I will contact you as soon as possible following the cancellation to let you know what will be expected of you for our next class meeting."

Instructors should also be familiar with the Outside Activities and Conflicts Policy, which outlines the expectations for identifying and disclosing possible conflicts of commitment or conflicts of interest. 

WEATHER OR OTHER SHORT-TERM CLOSING

Following Policy 6.15 (Weather or Other Short-Term Closing), faculty are to notify students of alternative teaching methods when in-person classes are canceled. Alternative teaching methods can include virtual synchronous class meetings or asynchronous activities, including but not limited to videos, podcasts, supplemental readings, or discussion posts. It is at the discretion of the instructor as to which alternative method of teaching will occur when in-person classes have been canceled under the Weather or Other Short-Term Closing Policy. Faculty are to discuss their continuity plan with students and include language in their syllabus. Examples could include the following:

• Should in-person classes be canceled, we will meet virtually via CarmenZoom during our regularly scheduled time. I will share any updates via [CarmenCanvas, email or other mode of communication].
• Should in-person classes be canceled, I will notify you as to which alternative methods of teaching will be offered to ensure continuity of instruction for this class. Communication will be via [CarmenCanvas, email or other mode of communication].
• Faculty teaching online are encouraged to include the following: “Unless otherwise announced by the university, online or distance-learning classes will occur as scheduled.”

TYPES OF ABSENCES

There are many reasons why a student may need to be absent from class. Please keep the following examples in mind when finalizing your absence statement and working with individual students:

• Illness or injury: Students with chronic health concerns or long-term needs may request assistance through Student Life Disability Services or Student Advocacy.
• Short-term leave for military-connected students: Throughout the academic year, military-connected students may receive orders from the United States military that requires them to miss class for short periods of time. It is recommended that instructors make reasonable accommodations for military-connected students who are required to attend military duty. More specific guidance is available from the Office of Undergraduate Education or from Military & Veterans Services.

• Religious accommodations: The Ohio State University's inclusive environment allows for religious expression. Examples of religious accommodations can include, but are not limited to, rescheduling an exam or presentation, or flexibility in due dates or research responsibilities.

  Effective AU 2023, university practices have been updated to align with state legislation enacted in Spring 2023. According to university policy: "Students must be in early communication with their instructors regarding any known accommodation requests for religious beliefs and practices, providing notice of specific dates for which they request alternative accommodations within 14 days after the first instructional day of the course. Instructors in turn shall not question the sincerity of a student’s religious or spiritual belief system in reviewing such requests and shall keep requests for accommodations confidential."  

  Further, each course syllabus must include the following complete statement and policies: 

  • Ohio State has had a longstanding practice of making reasonable academic accommodations for students' religious beliefs and practices in accordance with applicable law. In 2023, Ohio State updated its practice to align with new state legislation. Under this new provision, students must be in early communication with their instructors regarding any known accommodation requests for religious beliefs and practices, providing notice of specific dates for which they request alternative accommodations within 14 days after the first instructional day of the course. Instructors in turn shall not question the sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief system in reviewing such requests and shall keep requests for accommodations confidential.
  • With sufficient notice, instructors will provide students with reasonable alternative accommodations with regard to examinations and other academic requirements with respect to students' sincerely held religious beliefs and practices by allowing up to three absences each semester for the student to attend or participate in religious activities. Examples of religious accommodations can include, but are not limited to, rescheduling an exam, altering the time of a student's presentation, allowing make-up assignments to substitute for missed class work, or flexibility in due dates or research responsibilities. If concerns arise about a requested accommodation, instructors are to consult their tenure initiating unit head for assistance.
  • A student's request for time off shall be provided if the student's sincerely held religious belief or practice severely affects the student's ability to take an exam or meet an academic requirement and the student has notified their instructor, in writing during the first 14 days after the course begins, of the date of each absence. Although students are required to provide notice within the first 14 days after a course begins, instructors are strongly encouraged to work with the student to provide a reasonable accommodation if a request is made outside the notice period. A student may not be penalized for an absence approved under this policy.
  • If students have questions or disputes related to academic accommodations, they should contact their course instructor, and then their department or college office. For questions or to report discrimination or harassment based on religion, individuals should contact the Office of Institutional Equity.
• Policy: Religious Holidays, Holy Days and Observances
• Religious accommodations checklist for instructors/students

Final exam schedules are made available at https://registrar.osu.edu/staff-resources/class-catalog-and-space/finals-exam-schedule. 

If you do not plan to hold an examination or class meeting during the final exam period, wish to schedule an alternate final exam time, or would like to discuss possibilities for an alternate final exam meeting space, please notify the department at the beginning of the term by emailing theatreandfilm@osu.edu.

Exam scoring  and grade posting resources are also available on the registrar site.

The policy on schedules for final examinations (Faculty Rule 3335-8-20  Schedules for final examinations) states the following:

• [E]xaminations administered during the final exam period shall be centrally scheduled by the office of the university registrar. The official examination schedules shall be strictly adhered to by all instructors. Any deviation must first be approved by the appropriate university official (department chair, regional campus dean and director, or college dean) in consultation with the office of the university registrar, which shall have the power to resolve all conflicts.
• Final grades for graduating students must be submitted electronically to the office of the university registrar by the deadlines established by that office.
• In performing its scheduling function the office of the university registrar shall limit individual examinations to two-hour duration and the total examination period to no more than five days.

The Department encourages all faculty and instructors to be familiar with the University’s helpful resources regarding Artificial Intelligence, and to understand the uses and limitations of AI/generative tools. The Ohio State AI site features resources and events related to AI, including guidance and instructional toolsets for AI, and recordings of past webinars/workshops at https://ai.osu.edu/faculty-staff-students. 

Further resources for teaching with AI may be found here: https://teaching.resources.osu.edu/teaching-topics/ai-considerations-teaching-learning

University statements and resources on Artificial Intelligence: 

• OSU Teaching & Learning Resource Center, AI Considerations for Teaching and Learning
• OSU Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Instruction
• OSU Office of Academic Affairs, Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity
• OSU Office of Technology and Digital Innovation, Security and Privacy Statement on AI 

Instructors should clearly specify in all course syllabi when and how AI tools may be used. Where possible, instructors might consider incorporating exercises in courses to demonstrate the proper use of AI. Doing so may short-circuit any attempt to use it improperly, and may also help students understand the risks involved (including but not limited to data harvesting, clicking on agreements wherein they give up rights to intellectual property, and questions of academic integrity/plagiarism). The Teaching & Learning Resource Center has created robust, step-by-step guidance for how to craft an AI syllabus statement customized to meet an instructor’s needs: https://teaching.resources.osu.edu/teaching-topics/ai-teaching-strategies-crafting

All students have important obligations under the Code of Student Conduct to complete all academic and scholarly activities with fairness and honesty. Specifically, students are not to use “unauthorized assistance in the laboratory, on field work, in scholarship or on a course assignment” unless authorized by the course instructor. In addition, students are not to submit any work without acknowledging any “word-for-word use and/or paraphrasing” of any work not their own. Generative AI tools may be used only with the explicit and clear permission of each individual instructor, and then only in the ways allowed by the instructor. Instructors may report cases of suspected abuse to the Committee on Academic Misconduct (COAM).

>  See section below, "Academic Misconduct" under "Classroom Management and Individual Student Concerns" for College guidance on suspected academic misconduct using AI.

The following web resource provides guidance on how to have conversations about AI use with students: https://drakeinstitute.osu.edu/news/2024/12/11/genai-syllabus-statements-supporting-transparent-conversations-students

A list of links to articles and reports on AI shared by the Drake Institute Teaching and Information Literacy workshop:  https://padlet.com/ohiostateuniversitylibraries/teaching-ai-with-authenticity-and-vulnerability-resources-semae30m4mivz57h
 

Detailed information on deadlines for each semester or term may be viewed at registrar.osu.edu/registration. Below is some general information about key deadlines for the regular 14-week Autumn and Spring semesters.

Students are assigned an individual enrollment appointment for each semester, which are determined by academic level or inclusion in some priority groups (like Honors students). Enrollment appointments begin 12-22 weeks before the first day of classes. Students are able to add or drop classes through the first Friday of the semester, so it is possible to have new students joining your class for the first time in the second week of classes.

Enrollment after the first Friday of the semester requires instructor permission, and a staff member with appropriate system access (typically an academic advisor) will need to process all enrollments after this date. It is much more difficult to add a class after the second Friday after the semester; at this point, a petition is required and late fees are assessed.

Students may drop a course without “withdrawing” through the fourth Friday of the semester. Withdrawals require additional approvals and appear on the student transcript.

Students may contact the instructor of a course to request permission to enroll for a variety of reasons:

• They do not meet the published prerequisites for the course.
• They would like to be added from the waitlist or above the class enrollment capacity. (See Managing Waitlists section below for additional information.)
• The course requires all students to obtain instructor permission to enroll.
• They wish to enroll after the 1^st Friday of the semester.

In these cases, instructors may grant or deny students permission to enroll at their discretion. (Exception: the total enrollment for the class may not not exceed the published room capacity. If you’re unsure of the published classroom capacity, please contact the Academic Program Coordinator.) A GTA who wishes to grant a student permission to enroll must always consult their course supervisor. 

Course Enrollment Permission Forms may be used to enroll a student in a course that requires instructor permission. Written permission to enroll via email is also accepted for most routine enrollments. In either case, students should be directed to share the email or form with their academic advisor or graduate program coordinator in order to be added to the class.

In some cases, students will need additional approval to add the class to their schedule and may be assessed additional fees upon enrollment. Again, students should be directed to discuss these situations and their options with their academic advisor or graduate program coordinator:

• They want to enroll in more than 18 credit hours.
• An undergraduate wishes to earn graduate credit.
• They want to enroll after the 2^nd Friday of the term.
• There is a hold on their account.
• They want to audit or repeat a course.

As noted above, instructors with full classes often receive inquiries from students on the waitlist who would like to add the class, or students not on the waitlist who would like to join a full class.

There are a few important things to know about how waitlists operate:

• Even for classes that require instructor permission for all students, it’s helpful to manage class waitlists through the Student Information System rather than a personal waitlist. Some enrollment processes are automated, students can view their position on the waitlist at any time, and the waitlist can communicate information about course demand to staff within and outside of the department.
• Students on a class waitlist are slotted in "first-on, first-off" order and are not guaranteed a seat in the class. Students receive an email if they move off of the waitlist and are officially enrolled in the class.
• Students will not be enrolled from the waitlist if they are enrolled in a conflicting class, they are enrolled in another section of the same course, or if enrolling will put them over 18 credit hours. In these cases, the next eligible student on the waitlist is enrolled.
• Class waitlists are closed and removed after the first Friday of the semester.

Here are some suggested steps to manage student enrollment requests:

1. Encourage students to enroll in an open section over a waitlisted full class.
2. Encourage students to attend lectures and keep up with assignments while on the waitlist during the first week of the semester. These students will be ready to jump in if they receive your permission to enroll.
3. Have students wait until after the first Friday of the semester to get special permission to enroll in your course. There is often roster movement during the first week of the semester and students may get into the course without special permission. If they have not been enrolled in the course by the first Friday, encourage them to speak with you then for permission to enroll. SIS waitlists are only active until the first Friday of the semester. During the second week of the term, students must have instructor permission to enroll.
4. Know that enrollment after the first Friday is up to you. Generally, the department encourages you to consider permitting students into your course up through the second Friday if you are not at course capacity. However, you do not have to grant permission for students to enroll in your course after the first Friday for any reason. Consider the burden to yourself before allowing additional students to enroll, particularly if you will be taking students above the course capacity. Additional enrollments are not recommended for first time instructors.
5. It is not recommended that you permit students to enroll past the second Friday. After the second Friday, students must petition the University for permission to enroll, in addition to having instructor and departmental permission. However, you may consider this in exceptional circumstances. Should this arise, contact the program coordinator for further assistance.

Sample enrollment emails to students:

“Thanks for contacting me about my THEATRE 5000 course and the waitlist. I do not increase the course capacity of 25 students as it is an online, writing-heavy course and too many students decreases the quality of the course for everyone enrolled. As to how the waitlist is prioritized – if there are graduating seniors ahead of you on the waitlist, those are always the top priority. Thanks for your interest in the course.”

“Thank you for your interest in THEATRE 5000. I will consider taking on additional students above the course capacity after the first Friday of the semester. For now, I encourage you to attend the classes and do the assignments listed on the syllabus (attached). Graduating seniors and those who keep up with the class will be given enrollment priority. Please contact me after the first Friday if you are still interested in enrolling.”

The Ohio State University implemented a required Participation Roster in 2017 in order to comply with federal Title IV regulations. Each semester, instructors are prompted via email to complete the Participation Roster. A student may be disenrolled from a course if the instructor indicates the student has not participated in the course during the first week of classes.

More information about the Participation Roster (including step-by-step instructions) is available at https://registrar.osu.edu/participationroster.

The Office of Disability Services collaborates with the university community to create accessible educational environments for students with disabilities. Students can register with this office to receive accommodations and services to students with disabilities. You may be contacted by staff or students directly regarding accommodation requests. 

If you have questions about managing accommodation requests, a student’s ability to meet the expectations of the course, or implementing inclusive curricular design in your course planning, we strongly recommend talking with an Access Specialist in SLDS.   

Additionally, the Student Advocacy center helps students navigate university structure in resolving issues they encounter. They work to empower students to overcome obstacles to their growth inside and outside the classroom. 

ADA Title II regulations require all digital course materials and communications to meet accessibility standards. At Ohio State, this means ensuring the content you use or share in your courses is accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. Visit the Digital Accessibility Services website for easy-to-use guides on producing accessible digital content. 

Policy guidance and contact information for each unit's respective Digital Accessibility Coordinator is available through the ADA Digital Accessibility Center. See also: recommended trainings, guides, and tools to help you meet accessibility requirements at: https://das.osu.edu/resources. 

All digital course materials and communications (documents, presentations, images) must meet accessibility standards by the compliance deadline of April 2026. 

We encourage all instructors to review the health and safety information available through various university offices regularly, as well as the interactive Health and Wellness Resource Guide so you are familiar with the resources available to you in an emergent or stressful situation. If you are concerned for your immediate safety or that of others, please call 911, the Ohio State Police Department at 614-292-2121 or the Wexner Medical Center at 614-293-8333.

A brief description of services is included next to each office. Please visit their website for a more comprehensive understanding of the scope of services provided.

• Counseling and Consultation Services [Individual and group mental health services, including immediate or urgent assistance]
• Student Advocacy Center [Academic appeals and grievances; Emergency financial assistance; Health and personal crisis]
• Student Wellness Center [Alcohol, tobacco and drug use and recovery; Nutrition coaching; Resources for food insecurity; Financial coaching]
• The Dennis Learning Center: [Academic support, coaching, workshops, resources for time-management, study skills, procrastination, etc.]
• Ohio State Department of Public Safety [Crime and safety notices (Buckeye Alerts); Emergency procedures; Safety resources]
• Office of Institutional Equity [Reporting Discrimination, Sexual Misconduct, Harassment, Child Abuse/Neglect]

If you need to report an incident or injury that occurred during your class, please use the form available here: Department Incident/Injury Report Form:

In general, incompletes should be given only when the student has completed a major portion of the work for a course and the instructor feels the student has provided legitimate reasons for extending the deadline for the remainder of the course requirements. This also implies that, usually, the request for an incomplete is initiated by the student and not awarded automatically by the instructor. If an incomplete is given, you must also record an alternate grade, representing the grade the student should receive if no further work is submitted. 

Make-up work should be submitted in time for the instructor to submit the revised grade by the end of the sixth week of the subsequent term.  Deadlines for submitting incomplete grades are found at the Registrar’s website listed as Important Dates. 

If by the end of the sixth week of the subsequent term no make-up grade is submitted, the alternate grade will automatically be entered for the student. If, through consultation with the student, an instructor feels an extension beyond the sixth-week deadline is warranted, a request for extension of the incomplete must be submitted before the incomplete grade submission deadline. Otherwise the incomplete will lapse to the alternate grade. A Grade Assignment/Change request must be submitted; the instructor must check the box to “extend incomplete deadline beyond the 6^th Friday of the next term,” set a new due date and sign the form. 

For grade changes, see Faculty Rule 3335-8-23 ("Alteration of Marks").  It is important to note that a grade "is subject to change only when a procedural error has been discovered in evaluation or recording of a grade," and that "action to change a grade must be initiated before the end of the second succeeding term." Changes will be denied by the Dean of the unit unless it is clear that the basis is a procedural error; you cannot, for instance, file a Grade Assignment/Change request on the basis of work submitted late. The principle at work here is that uniform grading standards must be applied to all students in a course.

Grade Assignment or Change Forms may be found on the Registrar's site:  

• Online Grade Assignment or Change Form
• View Step-by-Step Directions
• Learn more about Grade Posting

Use of the grade assignment or change forms are required for: changing a grade; reporting a missing grade; replacing an "EN" or NG" grade; assigning a final grade for an Incomplete (I) grade; changing the week a student stopped attending relative to an EN grade; and/or extending the incomplete deadline beyond the 7th Friday of next term.

Note: The online grade assignment or change form can only be used by those with "Post" access for that specific course. Third parties (such as department chairs, etc.) needing to submit a grade change should contact their department scheduling contact to request access to a course. Please allow 24 hours for grading permissions to be updated. 

Helpful information regarding the university policies and procedures for Academic Misconduct is available here: https://oaa.osu.edu/academic-integrity-and-misconduct/faculty-obligations. GTAs should always discuss possible cases of Academic Misconduct with their course supervisor before submitting a report.

Conflicts and disagreements can arise in the context of teaching. When navigated appropriately, it can become a productive opportunity for learning and growth. The Drake Institute now has a toolkit with resources to help instructors navigate conflict in their courses, with resources to build inclusive learning environments that support freedom of expression and respectful dialogue: https://drakeinstitute.osu.edu/resources-instructors/navigating-conflict-toolkit-instructors

The instructor toolkit includes: 

• New and Ongoing Policies, Guidelines, and Frameworks
• Strategies for Managing Classroom Conflict
• Educator Learning Opportunities/Endorsements
• Resources for Students
• Helpful links with free speech rights, information, different ways to respond to controversies over free speech and inclusion.

Ohio State’s "Listen. Learn. Discuss." initiative also provides workshops and tools to develop skills to safely and respectfully navigate difficult conversations, practice those skills in productive and facilitated environments and gain new perspectives that enable all of us to be more effective thinkers, communicators and influencers—with one another and with students.

Papers cannot be left in boxes outside instructors’ offices for students to pick up after the end of the term, and grades may only be posted on or outside office doors under special circumstances. Doing otherwise is a violation of law as well as policy:

• The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) places legal restraints on the release of student records, including grades. Without the express consent of the student, grades may not be posted or announced in a manner that allows personal identification of the student. Thus, in most cases, posting grades by first or last names, initials, or social security numbers is not permitted under FERPA. Grades may be posted by a number or other symbol known only to the student and you. Furthermore, in an effort to maintain confidentiality, it is not advisable to leave exams, quizzes, or papers outside of your office to be picked up by students.

As to "retention or disposal of materials submitted to meet course requirements" Rule 3335-8-231 states:

• Materials submitted by a student to satisfy course requirements shall either be returned to the student or made available for the student’s inspection, after they have been marked or otherwise evaluated, before the end of the quarter, semester, session, or term in which the work is performed or, in the case of final projects and final examinations, no later than the fourteenth day of instruction of the following term [...].
• Materials of this kind which have not been returned to the student shall be retained by the academic unit or the individual instructor until the last day on which a grade change may be initiated as provided for in paragraph (A) of rule 3335-8-23 of the Administrative Code [i.e., "the end of the second succeeding term"].

The university’s Records Retention Schedule can be found at the following link: https://library.osu.edu/osu-records-management/retention-schedules.

Simply put, do not leave papers in the hall; keep student papers for the next two terms. Materials may be carried to the department office for disposal (shredding) at the appropriate time. 

Student work must be removed from department classrooms and studios no later than one week after the grade posting deadline, except in cases where the work will be used for a production in the following semester or the student has made individual arrangements with the studio manager.

Undergraduate and Graduate degree programs at Ohio State are required to provide annual assessment reports related to our program-level goals and objectives. Each assessment plan for our undergraduate and graduate degree programs includes measurements embedded in specific coursework throughout the curriculum, including:

• Film Studies 2271
• Film Studies 4895
• Moving-Image Production 4200
• Moving-Image Production 4502
• Theatre 2211
• Theatre 3000
• Theatre Adv Design Elective (3411, 3511, 3611)
• Theatre 3731 & 3732
• Theatre 3831
• Theatre 4000.08
• Theatre 5771.XX
• Theatre 6701
• Theatre 7000.XX
• Theatre 7215

If you are teaching any of these courses and need more information about required assessment measurements, speak with the course supervisor or Academic Program Coordinator. General information about Assessment at Ohio State is available through the Office of Academic Affairs: oaa.osu.edu/assessment.

Student evaluations are an essential part of your performance review. Every instructor should provide students with an opportunity to complete written evaluations of every course taught. This is a guideline built into Faculty Rules (3335-3-35), obscured somewhat by being placed under the heading of "Duties of the Chair" – “… To promote improvement of instruction by providing for the evaluation of each course when offered, including written evaluation by students of the course and instructors, and periodic course review by the faculty.”

The online Student Evaluation of Instruction (SEI) is the official, university-wide instrument for this purpose. More information about the university-wide eSEI is available online through the Office of the University Registrar (https://registrar.osu.edu/sei/index.html).

The Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts also provides an avenue for instructors to collect additional, narrative evaluations of instruction that address questions specific to the course or instructor. These evaluations are strongly encouraged for all instructors, especially faculty who may be considered for promotion in the future. If collected, narrative evaluations will be summarized and included in the documentation for the Promotion & Tenure process.

Care should be taken to develop a set of questions that is both appropriate and effective. In general, make sure that all evaluation forms have a place for students to comment on the instructor’s performance.

You should also assure students that you will not read their evaluations until after grades have been turned in for the course. To guarantee this, you should not be in the room when they write evaluations and you should not collect them yourself. Give the students twenty minutes to do the evaluations at the beginning of the class, to make sure they have an opportunity to respond fully, and ask them to write in ink, to avoid problems with photocopying. Designate a student to collect evaluations and return them to the Department office. Instructors may copy and review all evaluation forms any time after the deadline to submit grades for the term has passed. Original copies will be retained in the Department office according to the university Records Retention Schedule (Current year + 5 years).

The Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning may also be a helpful resource in gathering and using feedback to improve teaching: https://drakeinstitute.osu.edu/instructor-support/getting-feedback-your-teaching.