WSE Teaching Policies and Guidelines

Alternative Formats

• Recorded Live Lectures: Recordings made of lectures using Zoom or other technologies uploaded to Panopto and provided via the Canvas LMS to ensure FERPA compliance.
• Curated Recorded Class Lectures: Recorded lectures from a previous semester can be provided if the same content is covered and the audio and visual quality is clear so long as these videos do not contain identifiable information (names, images, voices) of students from prior enrollments.
• Pre-Recorded Lectures: Pre-recorded lectures using technology that creates high-quality audio and visual (usually a screen recording). These can be created at home, in your office, or using CMTS’s studios.
• Lecture Notes: Detailed lecture notes that explain the material covered in class should be accompanied by guidance as to which content is covered in each class session and its relative importance.
• Presentation Slides: Presentation slides may be sufficient so long as they provide enough detail for students to understand the content and context, otherwise they should be supplemented by lecture audio recordings or transcriptions. There is useful related information at these websites:
  • Recording a PowerPoint Presentation with Transcription
  • Adding Live Transcription to Lectures and Presentations
• Textbooks: Where a textbooks or other published sources are required and followed by the instructor, these should be supplemented by a guide that clearly communicates the content covered in each class session, where it can be found in the texts, and its relative importance.

To help address concerns about student attendance at in-person class sessions, at the Committee’s recommendation the Dean’s office requests that all faculty incorporate best practices for in-person engagement into their classes. The appendix to this document lists established best practices for creating an engaging classroom experience. If instructors need support creating any of the alternative formats or assistance implementing teaching strategies, please contact the Center for Media and Technology Solutions.

There will be a two-day fall break Thursday and Friday, October 16-17, 2025 and a week-long Thanksgiving break Nov 24-28, 2025. We ask that you consider not assigning your students work that must be completed during the break periods. The last day of classes for standard semester courses will be Friday, December 5, 2025.

The Canvas learning management system is the official learning management system maintained by the university. Canvas provides many features to help facilitate your course including posting and collecting assignments, sharing content, sharing your syllabus, and communicating announcements to students. If you have not used Canvas, training and help guides are available from the Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation. The Center for Media and Technology Solutions provides a Canvas Training for WSE faculty in Canvas.

Faculty are strongly encouraged to use the Gradebook. This allows you and/or your teaching assistant to post grades for assignments and exams. Use of the Canvas Gradebook eliminates the need to keep a separate record, however, the gradebook can be exported as an Excel file if you need to work in a spreadsheet. Using the Gradebook also allows you to efficiently communicate grades and feedback to students in a way that is FERPA compliant.

It is possible to calculate final course grades in Canvas and upload them to SIS. (Note that this functionality is not available for combined rosters.) However, faculty should not publish final course grades to students through Canvas before students complete their course evaluations. The Gradebook’s “Total” column is hidden from students by default for this reason.

There are several resources regarding Canvas and grading that you may find useful:

• Canvas FAQ for Faculty – Canvas at JHU
• How do I export grades in the Gradebook? – Instructure Community – 809 (canvaslms.com)
• How to download and upload the Excel roster and post grades (jhu.edu)
• Canvas Training for WSE faculty

All student work collected in electronic formats should be submitted through the Canvas LMS or tools integrated and accessed via Canvas such as Digication, Gradescope and GitHub Classroom. In cases where this is not the practice, faculty are responsible for providing a written plan to their department by the first day of classes explaining how and where they are storing such submissions and how these can be accessed by the department in case of an emergency.

Many things can happen to disrupt our work throughout a semester. This can include illness or incapacitation of faculty or teaching assistants in addition to weather and public health-related eventualities. To ensure that we maintain access to the work our students have completed and continue to offer the best academic experience possible even when difficult situations arise, it is essential that all student work is stored in a place that will be accessible to the university even if you or your teaching assistants are unavailable. Preferentially, work contributing to a student’s grade should be submitted via the university Canvas site, which is our centrally supported learning management system.

If students undertake work on a paper, project, and/or research that is not easily submittable electronically to Canvas, you must make sure that this work stays in your possession or is securely stored. These materials must remain on university property (including university technology and physical spaces) so that they can be retrieved in case of an unforeseen personal disruption. You are responsible for providing information to your department by the first day of classes regarding how any such materials not stored in Canvas can be accessed.

All courses produced by WSE departments and centers must maintain syllabi in HelioCampus (formerly AEFIS), the university’s system of record for program assessment. This is easily accomplished through the Canvas LMS.

The requirement for syllabus submissions via HelioCampus/Canvas ensures that syllabi are entered uniformly with all appropriate language about ABET student outcomes as well as a link to our posted teaching policies and the text of our academic policies regarding disability and mental health services, academic integrity, and inclusivity. This will provide a database of syllabi that are searchable as well as links to course syllabi from SIS at the time of course registration. The “Course Syllabus” link in the Canvas LMS now links to the syllabus template in HelioCampus. For syllabi that do not easily conform to the HelioCampus format, essential information can be entered in the HelioCampus form accompanied by a PDF version of the complete syllabus. The Dean’s office will no longer post a syllabus template since the HelioCampus submission form now serves this function.

The last day a student can drop a Term I class is September 15, 2025. The last day a student can drop a semester-long class is at the end of the sixth full week of classes, October 6, 2025. The last day a student can drop a Term II class is November 10, 2025. It is helpful for students to have a chance to review some graded work before that date so that they can make an informed judgment as to whether or not to drop a course. Specific information about drop dates is available on the registrar’s website.

When a graduate student enrolls in a course with Audit status, they must reach an understanding with the instructor in writing as to what is required to earn the AU grade notation. If the student does not meet those expectations (e.g., fails to attend class), the instructor will notify the Office of the Homewood Registrar in order for the student to be retroactively dropped from the course. Dropped coursework does not appear on the student’s transcript.

Changing a course registration from Audit (student receives no letter grade) to Credit (student receives letter grade), or from Credit to Audit is permissible during the official deadlines for each semester. Registration changes beyond this deadline are not permissible.

Changing a final grade (A through F, Pass, I, IP, MR, or X) to AU is not permissible at any time.

The following ASEN Graduate Courses cannot be taken for Audit:

• Graduate Research
• Dissertation Research
• Master’s Thesis
• Master’s Essay
• Independent Study
• Internship Courses

These courses can only be taken as P/F or for a letter grade, at the instructor’s purview.

Class attendance is a student responsibility and is expected of all JHU undergraduate students. Occasionally, health, family or personal matters may interfere with a student’s ability to attend class. In this situation, the student is expected to notify their professors as soon as they are able about missing class and discuss how to make up missed class time or assignments. It is the professor’s responsibility to create a policy on how to handle these situations; this should be outlined in the syllabus.

• Students who have flu-like symptoms should not attend class and should isolate themselves to the extent possible until they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. In the interest of minimizing contagion, faculty are urged to cooperate in accommodating students who miss class due to illness.
• Neither Student Outreach and Support nor Student Health and Well-Being Primary Care (SHWB-PC) issue notes for students who miss individual class meetings, exams or labs. Students should abide by the honor system when telling faculty they need to miss class due to a medical issue. If there are emergency or longer-term concerns related to a student’s needs,  Student Outreach & Support (undergraduates) or the Office of Graduate Education and Lifelong Learning/Office of Student Support and Advocacy (graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) may be in contact with the faculty to communicate needed support.
• Faculty should not ask students to reach out to Student Outreach & Support or the Office of Graduate Education and Lifelong Learning/Office of Student Support and Advocacy for illness verification. However, faculty can certainly refer students to these offices when they have elevated or ongoing concerns and think a student could benefit from connection to additional campus resources. In addition, students should be discouraged from providing Protected Health Information (PHI) for verification of an absence.
• Please review policies regarding missed classes and work to ensure that students who are unable to attend class due to illness or injury are not penalized academically.

The following italicized verbiage has already been included on the syllabus template:

Starfish is a tool through which you can raise concerns about students experiencing academic or personal challenges. This is an early intervention system that connects the appropriate assigned staff members to a student of concern in order to provide support and resources. Once a connection is made to the student a faculty member can view comments in Starfish to learn if the challenge has been addressed and/or resolved. It is also now the method by which we collect mid-semester reports for undergraduate students. You can access Starfish through Canvas or SIS (when in “advisor” mode) or the direct Starfish link.  UIS provides general Starfish help and resources for faculty. Please contact Sloane Hanley at [email protected] if you have additional questions.

Late grades have implications for students’ financial aid, academic standing, visa status, and graduation. Therefore, it is vital that faculty post their grades promptly. The expectation is that grades will be submitted within 48 hours of the administration of the scheduled final exam time/final project due date (if in lieu of a final exam, etc.). Online grade submission for Term I classes will be available beginning October 20, 2025 (due October 22, 2025). Online grade submission for semester-long classes will be available beginning the last day of classes, Friday, December 5, 2025 (due January 5, 2026). Online grade submission for Term II classes will be available beginning December 22, 2025 (due January 5, 2026).

We understand that this can be challenging for large courses when their final exam slot falls toward the end of the examination period. If some grades need to be prioritized (for example, for graduating seniors) it is possible to submit some grades through SIS and later, again through SIS, submit grades for other students.

The registrar’s website contains additional information about the grading dates and deadlines for Fall 2025.

For questions, please Request Support from the Registrar’s Office.

For more information on final exams, please consult the final exam policy in the e-catalog:

• WSE Undergraduate Final Exam Policy (note that WSE Graduate courses should adhere to this policy as well)
• KSAS Undergraduate Final Exam Policy

The Fall 2025 final exam schedule will be posted on the registrar’s website in mid-August. You can access it through the navigation menu under Course Schedule, or through this direct link to the Fall 2025 final exam schedule (PDF).

The posted final examination schedule allows the 14-week semester to be used, as intended, for instructional purposes alone, and also gives students adequate time to prepare for examinations. Instructors are not permitted to make ad hoc arrangements for the administration of final examinations. Consistent with the recommendation made by the Commission on Undergraduate Education that the policies related to final examinations be reiterated each year, and with the concurrence of the Academic Council, we wish to call your attention to the following guidelines and urge your cooperation:

1. The times and places of final examinations are officially scheduled by the Director of Student Records. All final examinations are to be administered during the official final examination period at the time prescribed for the course in question. Instructors may administer final examinations only at the officially scheduled time, not during class time or during the reading period. Students should not be polled as to their willingness to change the time of the scheduled examination. Exams scheduled outside the formal schedule inevitably conflict with other examinations or other obligations.
2. The reading period was established so that students could have several days free of other obligations in order to prepare for their examinations. Please keep those days clear for that purpose. No final examinations are to be administered during the reading period.
3. While faculty have the discretion to schedule quizzes, mid-term examinations, and hourly examinations (including tests that they may regard as comprehensive) during any class period of the regular semester, the practice of scheduling a formal final examination for the last class period violates both the letter and the spirit of the final examination policy. It compromises the length of the semester for instructional purposes and limits the ability of students to prepare adequately.
4. Any take-home final examination can be due no earlier than the time of the regularly scheduled final examination. Faculty members sometimes substitute other academic exercises, such as a final presentation, paper, or report, for a final examination. When assigned as a final culminating exercise, the student should be permitted to prepare for the assignment and complete the assignment after classes have concluded. These deadlines and presentations should be treated as final examinations and be due on the course’s scheduled examination date. Faculty members may assign appropriate due dates for papers and projects that are not culminating exercises. All such assignments must be due prior to the reading period. The only exception is for classes scheduled for the second half-term of the semester where instruction continues into the reading week.
5. If weather necessitates the cancellation of final examinations, make-up examinations must be administered only within the formal examination schedule. The makeup time slot for this semester is Monday, December 15, 2025, 2pm-5pm.
6. Faculty members who have other imperative professional obligations that require some adjustment to the final examination schedule should confer no later than Friday, September 5, 2025, with their respective Vice Dean for Education/designee.
7. Students find it extremely helpful when a course syllabus describes all the requirements for a course, including the date of the final examination and weight to be accorded it, in addition to the course description and goals, reading assignments, grading policies, contact information, and office hours, and the ethics insert that we have provided for inclusion. Please include this information in your syllabus.

These procedures are prescribed in the interest of fairness to students and an orderly and manageable final examination schedule.

• Undergraduate Incomplete Grading Policy
• Graduate Incomplete Grading Policy

The following text is an excerpt which highlights the key points of the process:

In cases where a faculty member loses contact with a student prior to the end of the term and/or the student fails to show up for their final exam without explanation two situations may apply:

1. If the instructor knows the student’s situation, i.e. the student or someone with reliable information has reached out to the instructor about this illness or accident, the instructor should contact the registrar directly at [email protected] to initiate an incomplete grade on behalf of a student experiencing extenuating circumstances. The registrar can process a post-deadline incomplete, entering the appropriate information on the student’s behalf. The advising office can assist the faculty member with this as needed.
2. If the instructor does not know the student’s situation, i.e. the student has just disappeared, the instructor has two choices; they can enter a grade based on the completed work or they can leave the grade blank. If the student surfaces later and there is a reasonable excuse involving a situation beyond their control, the registrar can process a grade change up until the end of the subsequent semester.

We also encourage the use of an ethics pledge on examinations:

I attest that I have completed this exam without unauthorized assistance from any person, materials, or device. [Signed and dated]

If possible and appropriate, it can be helpful to incorporate a brief class discussion about what academic misconduct looks like in your class, including your expectations on group work, if relevant.

If you find that a student has committed an ethical violation, please follow the proper procedures even if you and the student have come to an agreed-upon resolution.

The adjudication procedures differ based on student level and are available on their respective policy sites:

• Undergraduate Ethics Policies
• Graduate Academic Misconduct Policy

Occasionally, students may also report a disability to faculty or staff. Students should be informed about Student Disability Services to make sure they are aware of available services and use the official process to request accommodations. SDS is also available to consult with faculty and staff on course accessibility and implementation of accommodations. Many departments also have an SDS Faculty Liaison that can be a resource.

The following italicized verbiage has already been included on the syllabus template:

There are several elements of your syllabus that you might consider conveying to the students your expectations for the climate of your classroom, and open communications to hear any concerns.

Adding your pronouns to the syllabus (he/him, she/her, they/their) signals that you are welcoming to people who are non-gender-conforming. For more information, contact LGBTQ Life and/or attend a Safe Zone training.

The statement below has already been included on the syllabus template.

If you have TAs, be sure to give instructions to them on how to receive any concerns. For example:

1. Listen to the student’s concern.
2. Be non-judgmental.
3. Note critical details (time, place, witnesses).
4. Ask what kind of response the student is seeking.
5. Reports of sexual harassment must be conveyed to the Office of Institutional Equity.
6. Be mindful of privacy and discretion in handling the student’s concern.

The following section can lower barriers to inclusion arising from family obligations. It may not be appropriate for all classes, for example lab courses with safety regulations.

Family accommodation policy: You are welcome to bring a family member to class on occasional days when your responsibilities require it (for example, if emergency childcare is unavailable, or for the health needs of a relative). In fact, you may see my children in class on days when their school is closed. Please be sensitive to the classroom environment, and if your family member becomes uncomfortably disruptive, you may leave the classroom and return as needed.

Jewish holy days and religious festivals begin at sunset the evening of the first date. Muslim holy days are based on a lunar calendar, and the actual dates are determined by direct observation of the moon and announced by the local mosque. The dates listed may vary by a day or two.

More information may be found at the Religious and Spiritual Life website. If you have any questions regarding a particular case or would like any guidance, please do not hesitate to contact the Johns Hopkins University Chaplain at 410-516-1880 or [email protected]. Thank you for your sensitivity to this matter. Students may also request a religious accommodation through the Office of Institutional Equity.