Please see information about this topic on the Office of Registration and Scheduling Services Website. https://usm.maine.edu/registration-services/addingdroppingwithdrawal

Course enrollment caps are typically set by individual academic departments in consultation with the respective dean and vary according to the level and type of course.

Nursing courses (both CON and NUR prefixes) have set strict enrollment limits and sometimes waitlists. Students have to meet prerequisites for most courses.

Lab and Clinical Enrollments: We will never approve going over the course capacity in a lab or clinical course. Clinical placement swaps are not allowed. Lab swaps requests from students should be referred to Netty Provost.

Lecture Enrollments: We support maintain the course capacities on lectures but occasionally a student may be given permission to join a full lecture course. Part time faculty - Please consult with Netty Provost before giving a student permission to join your full course. Full time faculty - you may make your own determination about enrolling lecture courses that you teach but please see the waitlist policy below and honor it for any relevant courses.

Waitlists: Danielle Letourneau, dletourneau@maine.edu, manages the waitlists for all undergraduate nursing courses that have waitlists enabled (NUR 100, CON 252, CON 356, NUR 321, NUR 302, and in summers only NUR 424 genetics). Please consult her if you have questions from students about waitlists.

The University reserves the right to cancel classes in the event of low enrollment.

The course syllabus MUST be posted to Brightspace.

Each course has an existing template that includes the official learning outcomes and general USM nursing syllabus template formatting and recourse. Full time faculty and part time faculty who are teaching lectures can get the templets from Tammy Berry. Part time faculty teaching lab and clinical do not need to update a syllabus. It will be provided to you by your course lead faculty.

The syllabus will identify course objectives and/or learning outcomes, major topics to be covered, a schedule of assignments, and an explanation of grading procedures including, but not necessarily limited to, the weight to be given quizzes, reports, class participation, examinations scheduled throughout the semester, and any final examination.

The syllabus should specify the textbook(s) and other materials needed for the course and should indicate whether such materials are required or optional. Instructor-generated materials that do not require copyright permission (such as quizzes, exercises or informational handouts) may be distributed in class but may not be sold directly to students. The USM Campus Store should be contacted regarding the sale of materials.

Lab and clinical faculty do not need to place textbook orders. The course lead faculty will place the appropriate order, or indicate there isn't a book order, for all sections of each lab and clinical type.

Lecture faculty do need to place individual course textbook orders. If you are teaching a course with more than one section all faculty teaching that course should consult to determine a common textbook and materials that will be used by all sections of the course.

How to place a textbook requisition order:

1. Go to http://www.mycampus.maine.edu

2. On the left, below the launchpad icons is a drop-down menu for USM Quick Links.

3. Click on "eCapus Textbook Requisitions" to access the order form and follow the prompts on that website to place your order.

   • Please note that if your name is not on the course in Mainestreet as instructor you will not be able to place a textbook order. If that happens, please contact Netty with the relevant book information and she can get the order posted on your behalf while we wait for Mainestreet to catch up.

The syllabus should include the instructor’s name, office location, office phone number, and email address. ALL faculty, both full and part time, must use their USM email address for all official university related communication. Please contact your department coordinator/program director for information.

Part time faculty members - you are not required to list your personal phone number on a syllabus but may do so if you choose.

Faculty members are expected to hold office hours for consultation with students. These should be listed in the course syllabus. Office hours should be regarded as an integral part of the teaching workload. At a minimum, the part-time faculty member should offer the opportunity for student consultation before or after each class.

The syllabus should clearly explain all required assignments, e.g., presentations, papers or reports, tests etc.. It should include information on grading criteria, due dates, and penalties (if any) for late submissions. Except in unusual circumstances, faculty members should NOT add assignments beyond those outlined in the course syllabus or substantially modify either the content, the grading criteria or the due dates of any assignments listed in the syllabus once the course has begun.

Grades at the University are given in terms of letters, with the option of a plus or minus designation, representing levels of achievement. The basis for determining a grade is the relative extent to which the student has achieved the objectives of the course.

The Letter Grade system can be viewed in detail on the Office of Registration and Scheduling Services Website. https://usm.maine.edu/registration-services/academic-policies-undergraduate#Grading System

The instructor has the authority to decide whether to give a student an Incomplete if all course work is not turned in by the time grades are due. As a general rule, an incomplete is assigned only in extenuating circumstances and only if the amount of work to be completed is limited.

The Registrar notifies instructors and their Department Chair or Program Director of students who have carried unresolved incompletes on their transcripts for one semester. If the instructor does not resolve the incomplete by the end of the semester after the student took the course, the course grade is counted as an F in calculating the student’s grade point average and is indicated with an I* on the student’s permanent record. The instructor may designate a shorter period of time for the resolution of incomplete grades.

Final course grades are due in the Registrar’s Office seven calendar days after the last day of final examinations. Because semester grades are used in determining the academic progress of students, eligibility for tuition reimbursement from employers and criteria for eligibility for certain Financial Aid, it is imperative that grades be submitted in a timely fashion. Grades are submitted through MaineStreet.

MaineStreet can be accessed at http://mainestreet.maine.edu or My Campus Portal: http://my.usm.maine.edu

Directions will be e-mailed to you prior to the end of your course each semester. You can also contact the USM HelpDesk at 207 780-4029 or one of the Coordinators if you need help submitting grades.

USM has a policy that no tests, exam, or quizzes may be given the week before the final examination week.

Academic appeals generally involve such matters as appeal of grades granted by individual members of the faculty, or instances of perceived unfair treatment that a student believes may have negatively impacted his or her grade. To be considered, an appeal of a grade must be initiated within 30 days after a final grade is posted.

Please review detailed information about the appeals process here: https://usm.maine.edu/registration-services/academic-policies-undergraduate#StudentAcademicAppealsPolicy

And nursing specific appeals resources and processes here: Nursing Student Appeals

Instructors are also encouraged to include a statement in course syllabi advising students of the penalties that can be imposed for violating academic integrity. For example:

Plagiarism, cheating, and falsification of information are violations of academic integrity that will not be tolerated in this class. Please check the USM Office of Community Standards website for official definitions of these practices.

Lecture Attendance: Course attendance policies are left to the instructor’s discretion for lecture courses. The instructor should state his/her policy in the syllabus and inform students of the attendance requirements for the class. University Health Services requests that faculty members not require students to provide written excuses from health providers when they miss a class, a class assignment, or an examination.

Lab and Clinical Attendance: Attendance is mandatory, and students should only be given an excused absence at the instructor's discursion for illness or other significant emergencies. Students who are absent from a clinical should be given an alternative assignment. Work, travel, or routine appointments (such as a non-emergency medical appointment) are not valid absences.

As part of the continuing effort to make the campus accessible, USM has designated the Disability Services Center (DSC) to coordinate services for qualified students with disabilities. Under University policy and Federal, State, and Local laws, a qualified student is one who, with or without reasonable accommodations, can meet the essential program or course requirements and has been approved by DSC to receive accommodations. DSC approves students through the careful review of appropriate documentation of the student’s disabling condition and need for accommodations. Therefore, students with disabilities who want to be approved to receive accommodations must contact DSC to initiate the approval and accommodation process. Faculty members should include on all course syllabi a statement providing information about DSC. Sample statements can be found on the DSC website.

Final responsibility for selection of the most appropriate accommodation rests with the University and is determined on an individual basis, depending on the nature of the course or program and the student's disability-related need. Faculty members are encouraged to contact DSC when they have questions about approved accommodations as the essential requirements of an academic course or program need to be modified to accommodate an individual with a disability. For further information, please visit DSC Website http://www.usm.maine.edu/dsc/.

Instructors are encouraged to include statements in their course syllabi regarding student use of cell phones, laptop computers, and other similar devices in the classroom.