Resources

Department Chair Resources

Department Chair’s Calendar, Handbook, and Helpful Links

Summer

  • Summer Chairs-2016 Memo-jo-2-29-2016
  • Summer Chair SENIOR COLLEGE Template Worksheet

CUNY policy on summer assignments for graduate assistants

Summer pay for faculty who work only one semester (additional information)

Course Processes and Procedures

The course syllabus

Faculty provide a syllabus for each course during the first class session. The syllabus contains essential information about the course and relevant department policies. Departments maintain for at least two years a file of current syllabi for all classes.

Office hours
Full-time faculty: Office hours must be scheduled and maintained by all full-time faculty regularly during the semester. A minimum of an hour a week is required. Additional office hours may be scheduled by appointment.

Adjunct faculty: ​Adjunct faculty who are paid the seventh professional hour must maintain some office hours, as indicated in this memorandum from the CUNY University Registrar, August 20, 2014.

Credit hours

Missed Classes
All planned absences for legitimate professional or personal reasons must be approved in advance by the department chairperson or program director. In such cases, the instructor is responsible for arranging for a makeup class or alternative instructional activities. When an illness or unforeseen emergency results in the cancellation of a class, the instructor should notify the chairperson as soon as possible and arrange for notices to be posted informing students of the cancellation. In the event of an extended absence of the instructor, the chairperson is responsible for arranging for continuing instruction in the course.

Final examinations
​​Final examinations and records of midterm grades and other course work for all students must be kept on file in the department office; see guidelines on retention of selected academic records.

Grading​
Final grades are submitted to the Registrar within two weeks of the last day of final examinations in the Fall semester, and within one week of the last day of final examinations in the Spring semester.

Other ​policies

Information for Students

See also:

Courses: Final Exam Guidelines

Guidelines Regarding Final Examinations

These guidelines were developed to help chairpersons make decisions about which courses may be exempted from having a final examination during the fifteenth week of the semester, and to make the process for these decisions more transparent for faculty. While the guidelines may appear to be restrictive, they are necessary for clarity, uniformity, and accountability.

Background

In accordance with long-standing practice and the support of a sizable portion of the faculty, it is generally agreed that a final examination supports the maintenance of academic standards and is sound academic policy.

According to the New York State Education Department, a “semester hour means a credit, point, or other unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a course which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of supplementary assignments (…). This basic measure shall be adjusted proportionately to translate the value of other academic calendars and formats of study in relation to the credit granted for study during the two semesters that comprise an academic year.” This definition was adopted by the CUNY Board of Trustees in 1978​. (Credit hour requirements also apply during Intersession and Summer Session.)

The academic calendar at Queens College calls for a fourteen-week term, with the fifteenth week reserved for final examinations. The fifteenth week is provided to give students time to prepare for final examinations without conflicting with other course commitments. If one class has an examination in the fourteenth week, while classes are still in session, students often feel the need to “cut” their other courses so they can prepare for the fourteenth-week examination. Clearly the lack of standardization is a hardship for some students and creates inequitable conditions.

Recommended Practices

1. It is good academic practice to conclude a course with a formal final examination, or the last in a series of shorter examinations. These examinations should be given during the fifteenth week of the semester.

2. There are courses for which reasonable alternatives to final examinations exist. Such courses might include seminars, studio and performance courses, certain laboratory courses, student teaching, etc. All such courses should, however, include appropriate summative evaluation activities.

3. Classroom examinations given during the first fourteen weeks of the semester do not satisfy the requirement for a final examination or an alternative summative evaluation.

4. Whenever possible, summative evaluation activities should take place during the fifteenth week of the semester.

5. Waivers from the requirement for a formal final examination during the fifteenth week of the semester must be obtained from the department chairperson, who will judge the appropriateness of:

  1. an alternative to a formal final examination, such as a take-home examination, which is distributed and returned during the fifteenth week;
  2. an alternate summative evaluation, such as a final term paper submitted and graded during the fifteenth week, or a juried trial in art studio performed during the fifteenth week of the semester; or
  3. activities in special courses before the fifteenth week of the semester, such as extra field trips and reports or extra assignments and conferences with students.

At the end of the thirteenth week, the chairperson should submit a list of exempted courses and the reasons for such exemption to the appropriate Divisional Dean.

6. Final exams should be scheduled on the time and day designated by the Registrar.  The final exam schedule is published in the CUNYfirst schedule of classes, typically early in the semester. Students should be encouraged to check the final exam schedule as early in the semester as possible, so they can report any conflicts (e.g., two exams scheduled for the same time) to their instructor, who will determine the best way of resolving the conflict in consultation with the chair.

7. It is a violation of the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity for a student to allow another person to take an examination in his or her place. Instructors must develop processes for verifying the identity of students taking final examinations, be these examinations in person or online, and must make these processes known to students (by describing them on the course syllabus and discussing them in class). Verifying student identity is obviously much more complex for online courses, so these may require multiple approaches, including the following:

  1. Use a CUNY or a QC system requiring a secure login to collect all assignments, including the final examination. Blackboard, for example, uses IDs and passwords to invoke an authentication triangulated against name, date of birth, and social security number. (These are inaccessible but generate a unique access number which is what users invoke to gain access to the system.) This secure login is a student’s only means of access to Blackboard.
  2. Use the features of online learning management systems to track students’ interactions with online exams or other materials.  These systems sometimes allow instructors to track students’ interactions by time and duration, by part of the site, even if there is no posting by the student.
  3. Use software such as SafeAssign to check for evidence of plagiarism.
  4. Include in-person (proctored) in addition to online (unproctored) examinations, and check for evidence of lack of correspondence between student performance in in-person versus online examinations.
  5. Supplement all mechanical means of verifying student identity with activities that involve spontaneous interactions between students and the instructor, including discussion boards, blogs, wikis, asynchronous and synchronous conferencing (including voice and video), etc.

8. The preceding guidelines apply to all courses, regardless of mode of instruction.  Some specifics for web-enhanced, partially online, hybrid, online, and fully-online courses:

  1. Finals administered online should be scheduled during the fifteenth week of classes.
  2. If there will be no final (online or in person) during the fifteenth week of a web-enhanced, partially online, hybrid, online, or fully online course, the instructor should seek a waiver from the requirement for a formal final examination during the fifteenth week.
  3. Web-enhanced, partially online, hybrid, online, and fully online courses should specify in the syllabus the mode of administration of all assignments, including the final examination.
    1. Fully online courses are by definition 100% online, and therefore must not have an in-person final.
    CUNY Policies
    Academic Integrity
    Bylaws and Manual of General Policy
    Computing and Information Security Policies and Procedures
    Contract (PSC) 2017-2023
    ​Copyright and Fair Use
    • (C)OPYRIGHT @ CUNY: This website has comprehensive resources regarding copyright, fair use, the TEACH Act, etc.

    ​Copyright Infringement and File Sharing

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    Fraud and Theft
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    Relocation/Moving Costs Reimbursement, effective March 15, 2019
    Travel Guidelines (Domestic and International)
    Curricular Processes
    General education:​ 

    New academic programs or courses:

     

    Faculty

    Workload

    Instructional Start-End Dates

    Adjunct Faculty
    Teaching Adjuncts

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    To open the forms in Chrome or Firefox please follow these steps:

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     At-A-Glance Guides for Adjunct positions (instructional and NTA)
    Faculty Appointments and Waivers

    Appointm​ents

    Distinguished Professor

     

    Professor Emeritus/Emerita

    Substitute Appointments

      Hiring

      Distinguished Lecturer or Clinical Professor

      If the request is to hire without a search, the following required documents should be forwarded to QC OCDP prior to extending the offer to the candidate:

      • letter of justification for the waiver request (include effective appointment date and salary)
      • position description
      • current CV
      If the hire is the result of a search, the following required documents should be forwarded to QC Human Resources prior to extending the offer to the successful candidate:
      • copy of the job posting
      • current CV
      • letter from the President addressed to CUNY Central OHRM requesting approval (include effective appointment date and salary)

      Hiring, Waivers, Equivalencies, Immediate Tenure, Salary Differential

      For template offer, start up and other letters, please refer to “Guides and Templates” in the Resources dropdown menu above.

      For policy on reimbursing employee relocation and moving costs, see “CUNY Policies”

      Resignation Process

      Faculty and Leadership Development Sessions

      Fall 2019

      Click here for all teaching related professional development opportunities.

      RSVP here for these events. Light refreshments will be served.

      —

      An image of a calendar for September 2019. The following dates are circled “16, 25”.

      SEPTEMBER
      16 Event Cancelled.

      25 Course Scheduling – Tools & Tips. Open to all Department Chairs/Leaders [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.]
      Q-Side Lounge (Dining Hall)


      —

      An image of a calendar for October 2019. The following dates are circled “11, 22, 23”.OCTOBER
      11 Pathways to Professorship. Open to all Associate Professors [10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.] Q-Side Lounge (Dining Hall)

      22 NSF Ten Big Idea. Open to all faculty [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.] The Summit (Flex Space)

      23 Budget 101 – College Budget. Open to all Department Chairs/Leaders [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.] Q-Side Lounge (Dining Hall)

      —

      An image of a calendar for November 2019. The following dates are circled “08, 14, 20”.NOVEMBER
      8 Preparing for CCE. Open to all Lecturers [10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.] Q-Side Lounge (Dining Hall)

      14 Applying for PSC-CUNY Grants. Open to all faculty
      [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.] The Summit (Flex Space)

      20 Budget 102 – How to Prepare your Departmental Budget. Open to all Department Chairs/Leaders
      [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.] Q-Side Lounge (Dining Hall)


      —

      An image of a calendar for December 2019. The following dates are circled “03, 04, 16”. DECEMBER
      3 Pivot and GrantForward: Best Practices for Funding. [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.] Rosenthal Library Room 227

      4 Difficult Conversations: Managing Conflict
      Open to all Department Chairs/Deans/Leaders [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.] Q-Side Lounge (Dining Hall)

      16 Tenure & Promotion. Open to all Assistant Professors
      [3:00 to 5:00 p.m.] Q-Side Lounge (Dining Hall)

      Helpful Guides and Templates

      Useful Contacts and Webpages

      Personnel File Maintenance

      At-A-Glance Guide for Searches

      Template Letters

      At-A-Glance Guide for Submitting ePAFs

      Evaluation and Review

      Hiring

      The Hiring Budget Justification form has been replaced with the Vacancy Review Board template. For actions funded by tax levy budgets, the completed template should be submitted to your respective dean or division head for approval. Once approved, the template will be submitted to M. Watch, Office of the Provost, for inclusion on the QC Budget Review Committee meeting agenda. For requests supported by RF funds, submit the completed template to Poline Papoulis, ORSP, to confirm budget availability. ORSP will forward the template to M. Watch for inclusion on the QC Budget Review Committee meeting agenda. Approved requests will be submitted to the Central Office Vacancy Review Board for review and final approval. Deans and division heads will be notified when disposition is received.

      Please review the Chancellor’s memo and relevant documents below. ​

      At-A-Glance Guide for Searches

      Interdisciplinary Programs, Centers, and Institutes

      New Centers

      Multiple Positions

      Full-Time Instructional Staff Multiple Positions Policy and ​Reporting

      Both New York State law and long-standing University policy mandate disclosure by faculty, as public employees, of certain information related to the performance of their duties and responsibilities as full-time members of the faculty. The Policy and requirements are described more fully in documents provided at the bottom of this page.

      While full disclosure is required of all compensated and uncompensated activities beyond a faculty member’s regular full-time assignment, faculty need not report incidental uncompensated activities related to your membership in academic, political, religious, social, cultural, or charitable organizations, provided such activities do not require a significant commitment of time or otherwise constitute a conflict of interest with responsibilities at CUNY, or interfere with professional standing.

      Faculty who plan to take on activities covered by this policy must first report the plan to their department Chair and have the plan approved by the College. Should the College learn that an individual is engaging in activities that fall under the Statement of Policy on Multiple Position without having obtained the College’s approval, appropriate action will be taken.

      Departmental P&Bs and Chairs are required to conduct a thorough review of any outside activities, compensated or uncompensated, and the Chair must determine the amount of time the faculty member may expend on the activity, subject to review by the President. In no event may the amount of time spent on such outside employment, consultative work or other work exceed an average of one day per week (seven hours) or its equivalent during the academic year. Reference to this cap does not mean that authorization of this amount of time is required.

      A Multiple Position Report form must be completed each fall and spring semester. The form requests information on outside employment, consultative work, overload for teaching and non-teaching assignments, or other work whether compensated or uncompensated. This required information includes grants not administered by the CUNY Research Foundation (RF) or the Queens College Foundation. Faculty must file an updated form if commitments change during the semester.

      • ​Outside work cannot exceed 1 day (7 hours per week) or its equivalent during the academic year.
      • Buyouts on grants administered by RF CUNY do not need to be reported, since RF has its own effort reporting processes.
      • All full-time faculty must submit the fall and spring forms, even while on leave.

      If you have any questions regarding the policy or need further clarification on any of its components, please call the Office of the General Counsel at (718) 997-5725.

      Documents
      Full-​Time Fa​culty​

      Summ​er Tax Levy Research​

      ​HEO​​s, CLTs,​​ Research Associates, and Research Assistants

      Adjun​​ct Faculty

      Notices & Calendars

      INSTRUCTIONAL START END DATES

      TENURE AND PROMOTION SCHEDULE

      ACADEMIC DEANS’ AND DEAN’S COUNCIL MEETINGS

      ACADEMIC SENATE MEETINGS 2020-2021

      • September 10
      • October 8
      • November 12
      • December 10

       

      Research Foundation and Grant Information

      CUNY and the RF have established guidelines consistent with Federal and State regulations regarding allowable compensation, including stipends, paid to faculty and staff from sponsored projects.

      The White House Office of Management and Budget has revised the purchasing requirements. These changes are effective July 1, 2016:

      Faculty Scholarship and Grant Information

      Research and Compliance