The Nazareth Department of Social Work is committed to ADEI principles, and embraces and adheres to Nazareth’s Statement of Diversity and Inclusion as well as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) ADEI policy statements.  The University promotes civility and denounces acts of hatred, violence, and/or intolerance. 

The Department embraces anti-racism and a society that is both diverse and inclusive, and values both respect for the person and freedom of speech. Respect for the dignity of all people is an essential part of the Nazareth tradition, mission, and vision for the future as we advance an anti-racist, socially just and equitable community. It is the goal of each instructor that students from a breadth of diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives be recognized and respected, that students’ learning needs be addressed, and that the diversity students bring to class in all its forms and intersections be viewed as a resource, strength, and value in the pursuit of academic excellence. Student suggestions toward co-creating a more inclusive and equitable learning environment are welcomed and encouraged in order to improve the effectiveness of the course.

According to the NYS Department of Education, a 3-credit course traditionally requires at least six hours per week of dedicated study time in and out of the classroom. A course offered during a 15-week semester therefore requires approximately 135 hours of dedicated course time. Expectations are consistent across in person, hybrid and online courses. Graduate coursework requires a higher level of time commitment per week and semester. 

Accelerated or shortened courses — such as summer or winter session courses — increase the weekly academic workload in order to meet the same expectations, including learning outcomes, in an abbreviated time period.

In all course formats (in-person, hybrid, and online), students are expected to uphold the following Department expectations:

• Professionalism: Actively engage in learning and conduct yourself in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics (2021). Be prepared and present during class sessions.

• Respect and Inclusion: Share your views respectfully, listen actively, and value diverse perspectives. Avoid assumptions, generalizations, and demeaning or disrespectful comments. Engage in dialogue that supports collaboration and understanding.

• Confidentiality: Treat all information shared in class as personal and private unless explicit permission is given to share it.

• Engagement: Avoid behavior that distracts from learning (e.g., using devices for unrelated activities). Faculty and students share responsibility for creating a safe, inclusive, and productive learning environment.

• Conduct: Disruptive, unprofessional, or hostile behavior—including toward faculty, staff, or peers—will not be tolerated and will be addressed per Department and Nazareth policies.

Classroom norms are discussed at the start of the semester and include the following shared values:

• Professional Presence: Arrive on time, stay for the full class, complete work in advance, and use devices only to support class activities.

• Cultural Awareness: Be mindful of diverse backgrounds. Foster safety, vulnerability, and openness in classroom dialogue. Speak up if discomfort arises and be willing to learn from mistakes.

• Thoughtful Participation: Engage respectfully, listen without interrupting, and build on others’ ideas. Constructively critique concepts—not people—and strive for shared understanding.

• Effective Communication: Speak from personal experience, credit sources, and avoid unsupported opinions. Reflect on both intent and impact. Take responsibility for growth, and balance participation to support an inclusive discussion space.

Adapted from Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence (n.d.); Doyle and University of Michigan School of Social Work (2018); University of Michigan Center for Research on Teaching and Learning (2021). 

Nazareth University is committed to supporting the diverse learning needs of our community. Students are encouraged to meet with instructors at the beginning of the course to express anticipated learning questions and barriers. Please set a

meeting with your instructor during office hours at the beginning of the semester. Students are encouraged to connect with the course instructor as soon as possible should any concerns arise during the semester to allow for timely problem solving.

If you are seeking disability accommodations, or you think you may have a disability, contact Student Accessibility Services to begin the process of seeking official accommodations. Learn more about Student Accessibility Services on their webpage. It is the student’s responsibility to share their approved Nazareth University accommodation letter with their instructor to apply their accommodations in each course.

Students seeking to record a class or interaction with Nazareth personnel for educational purposes as part of an accommodation for a documented learning disability should contact Student Accessibility Services to discuss this accommodation. 

Regular attendance is essential in all course formats (in-person, hybrid, and online). Students may miss up to the equivalent of one week of class (in a standard 15-week semester) without penalty. Missing the equivalent of three weeks or more will result in a non-passing grade, and students are advised to withdraw from the course. Exceptions are only granted through Accessibility Services accommodations.

In compressed-format courses (e.g., summer or winter sessions), missing even one class constitutes excessive absence and may result in a non-passing grade, based on the specific policies outlined in the course syllabus or Moodle site.

Tardiness, early departures, or extended breaks may lower your participation grade or count as absences at the instructor’s discretion, consistent with Nazareth policy. Students are responsible for making up missed content using the method provided by the instructor.

In courses with asynchronous components, attendance is tracked through timely completion of assignments and engagement with course activities. In synchronous virtual classes, extended camera-off time may be interpreted as an absence (also see Zoom guidelines).

Students encountering challenges with assignment completion are encouraged to communicate with the individual course instructor and to utilize Nazareth University resources such as the Center for Student Success, Writing Center, Library, and Student Accessibility Services. 

It is the student’s responsibility to adhere to course due dates and deadlines, which are essential to honor the intentional design and pacing of each course, ensure meaningful collaboration on time-sensitive activities like forum posts, and support the flow of presentations and other assignments scheduled for specific class sessions. Extensions are typically not permitted unless accommodations are granted through Student Accessibility Services (SAS). If late work is accepted, an after the due date penalty will typically be applied equating to deduction of one point or 5% of the weight of the assignment (instructor discretion) per day.

Faculty will assign a zero to missing assignments. Failure to submit an assignment may result in a failing grade in the course.

Students must adhere to each instructor’s course policy regarding assignment submission (procedural) requirements. To support accountability and prevent issues with digital submission, students are expected to retain a personal backup of all submitted coursework.

All formal papers and similar assignments in social work classes must adhere to the American Psychological Association (APA) format.

If a student will be absent from class for 3 or more consecutive days, the student (or the student’s medical provider) must notify the Office of Academic Success and Accessibility (ASA). ASA will send a “notification of absence” alert through the Navigate 360 System to notify instructors. When the student has indicated absence is due to an illness or injury of any kind, the notice will only indicate “illness” or “injury” as the reason. It will not provide additional details surrounding the absence. As is the case with any extended absence, it is the student’s responsibility to work with the instructor to make up missed work. Refer to the course-specific attendance policy instructors have developed for each course for additional details. If a student will be out for fewer than 3 days, they are asked to simply communicate with the instructor directly and no official notification will be sent.

To protect the health and safety of the entire Nazareth community,  Nazareth encourages students, faculty and staff to stay up-to-date with vaccines and boosters. Further, in order to prevent infectious spread of respiratory illness and out of respect for your fellow classmates and instructors, Nazareth strongly encourages use of masks indoors when exhibiting symptoms of illness. This includes fever, nasal congestion, excessive sneezing, sore throat, and/or cough.

Nazareth University faculty and staff recognize that mental health concerns can impact academic performance and interfere with daily life activities. Because stress is a normal part of the college experience, learning to manage your mental health effectively is crucial to your well-being and overall success. If your mental health starts to impact your academic success, it is your responsibility to communicate with your professor so that we can help you. When you are part of the Nazareth community, you are not alone. If you are feeling overwhelmed and think you might benefit from additional support, please know that there are people who care and offices to support you at Nazareth. These services are provided by staff who welcome all students and embrace a philosophy respectful of all cultural and religious backgrounds, and are sensitive to differences in race, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation. Free, confidential appointments with a licensed therapist can be made at the Student Health Portal at http://patient-naz.medicatconnect.com, and a community therapist can be accessed 24-7 at 585-275-8686. For an extensive list of well-being resources on campus, please visit: https://www2.naz.edu/well-being-collective

Nazareth University is committed to fostering a climate free from sexual harassment, including sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, stalking, and to providing options, support, and assistance to members of our community affected by various forms of sexual misconduct. If you have been subjected to sexual misconduct, we encourage you to report the incident(s) to someone who can help. If you report an incident of sexual misconduct, including verbal, visual and/or physical harassment, sexual violence, dating or domestic violence, and/or stalking to a faculty or staff member, they must notify our Title IX Coordinator via this website or 585-389-2026. The Title IX, or a Deputy Title IX, Coordinator will contact you to learn about what happened, ask for your preference about what to do next, discuss available supportive measures and connect you to appropriate resources. For more information about your options, please go to: naz.edu/titleix. You may choose to speak confidentially with certain individuals on campus and in the community who can also connect you with support services, as well as discuss options for addressing sexual misconduct. A list of these resources can be found in the Sexual Misconduct Policy and the Nazareth University Policy on Title IX Sex Discrimination: Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, and Title IX Sexual Harassment, both of which are available online at: naz.edu/titleix. 

Academic Integrity is defined as “honest and responsible scholarship” (University of Oklahoma, 2018) and is further characterized by the five values designated by the International Center for Academic Integrity: “honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility” (International Center for Academic Integrity, 2014, p. 16). Nazareth University shares the Center’s preference for an academic, supportive, and promotive approach to academic integrity rather than one focused mainly on violation detection and disciplinary consequence.

Nazareth recognizes the interdependence among these five values. Trust of instructors follows fair treatment of students. Trust among scholars at all levels depends on honesty, and respect is earned when we hold ourselves as responsible as we expect others to hold themselves. In these ways, academic freedom is earned with academic integrity.

In addition to modeling academic integrity, it is often the responsibility of faculty to teach students the importance of academic honesty as well as the procedures for recognizing the work of others. So informed, students are then responsible for holding themselves to the same standards. Course instructors are familiar with their students, with their own disciplines’ conventions, and with their own coverage of those conventions at any given point in the semester. Therefore, instructors are best situated initially to assess the nature and extent of violations of academically honest practice. This begins with distinguishing errors due to insufficient education on the one hand, and deliberate violations on the other.

For information on the full policy and for information on the procedure to be followed in the event that an instructor believes a violation of academically honest practice may have occurred, visit the “Academic Integrity” section in the undergraduate catalog or graduate catalog.

Students must adhere to each instructor’s course policy regarding acceptable use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). If generative AI use is allowed by the instructor, you will be expected to demonstrate critical thinking, professionalism, and ethical behavior. 

You may not submit any work generated by an AI program as your own. Refer to  APA guidelines and your instructor’s policy for more information. 

Using AI in a manner inconsistent with the instructor’s policy may be considered plagiarism and a violation of Nazareth University's Academic Integrity policy. 

When AI is used by your instructor in the development or refinement of course content, it will be noted. For example, some of these course policies were refined with the assistance of ChatGPT to improve clarity, consistency, and conciseness. The tool was used in a temporary chat session where no identifying or private information was stored or retained.

Nazareth University respects the diversity of religious holy day/holidays by providing reasonable accommodations for students who may be unable to fully participate in class, clinics, exams, rehearsals, labs, student teaching, or other assignments due to observation of a significant/major religious holiday. 

Absences Due to Religious Observances: Students who are unable to participate in any class, examination, or assignment due to religious holy day/holiday requirements shall not be penalized, provided the instructor has been notified via email at least two weeks prior to the absence. Some accommodations may include travel time home for students who do not live locally.

Accommodations for obligatory religious fasting, e.g. Ramadan: Reasonable accommodations for religious fasting will be offered when possible. Such accommodations may include, but are not limited to:

•  Allowing the student to take an exam or final exam before the fasting period begins (if possible),

•  Allowing the student to take an exam or final exam at a different time during the day.

Regardless of the reason for absence, it is the responsibility of the student to make up all missed work to the satisfaction of the instructor. Students must meet deadlines for course requirements during a period of absence unless the student makes alternate arrangements with the instructor prior to the original due date. Please contact the Center for Spirituality with questions. 

When using social media and online communication, all students are expected to adhere to the ethical standards of the profession.  As stated in the NASW Code of Ethics (2021), “With growth in the use of communication technology in various aspects of social work practice, social workers need to be aware of the unique challenges that may arise in relation to the maintenance of confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries, professional competence, record keeping, and other ethical considerations.” (para 15). Consistent with this ethical guideline, students should refrain from establishing online or virtual relationships with clients and faculty through social media as it may be difficult to maintain professional boundaries. During all electronic and online interactions, students should communicate with classmates, field instructors, faculty and colleagues in a professional fashion.  All postings on social media sites must follow confidentiality guidelines and should reflect the highest professional standards.  Students should think carefully about how their communication, comments, images and postings represent themselves, Nazareth, and the profession. Violations of ethical and professional standards are subject to disciplinary actions by the programs, the Department and Nazareth. 

If a class is scheduled to be held in person, the Department requires students to attend and participate in person. When classes are held online synchronously, the platform Zoom is used.  In addition to the general participation guidelines (see Classroom Expectations), the shared values apply to the online setting specifically:

• Professional Presence: Participate from a computer or laptop to ensure access to all features and keep your video on for the duration of class. It’s also expected that you are seated upright in an appropriate place. 

• Social Awareness: Join from a space where classroom confidentiality can be upheld. Use headphones if you need to. This will continue to foster safety, vulnerability, and openness in classroom dialogue. 

• Thoughtful Participation: Keep your microphone muted when not speaking, and use the “raise hand” or chat features to contribute without interrupting. Chat should only be used to support class discussion. Stay focused and avoid multitasking—such as checking texts, social media, performing household tasks, driving—so you can contribute meaningfully to class dialogue.

• Effective Communication: Use your full name on Zoom, and consider including your preferred pronouns to support inclusive communication. Communicate with clarity, and take responsibility for maintaining professional, respectful, and productive dialogue in the chat, breakout rooms, and whole class discussions.

Consistent with the classroom attendance and participation guidelines, if you have your camera off for long periods during class, it may lower your participation grade or count as an absence at the instructor’s discretion.

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), student education records are confidential and protected. Under most circumstances, records will not be released without a student’s written and signed consent. Part of a student’s protected and confidential education records include video and/or audio recordings of students within the classroom. 

Nazareth University has equipped multiple instructional classrooms with lecture recording equipment which can digitally capture lectures and presentations. Lecture recording is primarily intended to extend virtual accessibility of the lecture experience to students who have registered for a specific course for a specific period of time.

Whether the course is fully in-person or fully online, class sessions may be recorded at the instructor’s discretion. Student access to digital records of classes is also determined by the instructor for each course. Student access to the recordings should be linked through the password-protected learning management system (Moodle).

Students must not independently record class sessions without instructor permission. Doing so may be considered a violation of academic integrity. Please visit our Echo360 and Zoom sites for additional information about student privacy and Nazareth’s recording policies.

Students seeking to record a class or interaction with Nazareth personnel for educational purposes must seek approval from Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to accommodate a documented learning disability. Contact Student Accessibility Services to discuss this accommodation. Faculty will support the approved learning accommodation. 

In accordance with the Nazareth Policy on Intellectual Property, faculty ordinarily own the copyright of course and scholarship materials. Therefore, it is only the faculty member who may reproduce, distribute or display (post/upload) course materials. Students may not reproduce, distribute or display (post/upload) course materials without the express, written permission of the faculty member. 

It is expected that a final examination or alternative activity/assignment will be conducted at the end of each semester in every class. Exam schedules are posted on the Registrar’s Office web page. Exams for evening classes (graduate and undergraduate) are held during the last regularly scheduled class time during final exam week. 

In the event Nazareth is closed unexpectedly because of weather or other unplanned reasons, class will continue through virtual delivery and/or other arrangements. 

Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to

submission for textual similarity review using Turnitin, a software application used for the detection of potential plagiarism. Submitted papers may be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of the originality checking of such papers at the instructor's discretion. Use of the service is subject to the Usage Policy and Privacy Pledge posted on the Turnitin.com site. Please see the Student Technology Support Site for more information. 

Course work documents which use Turnitin plagiarism detection may include, but are not limited to papers, blog postings, journal entries, presentations, or any other written work, in electronic or hardcopy, submitted in the format and on the schedule required by the course instructor.

All courses in the Department of Social Work, including both the BSW and MSW Programs, are evaluated. Although courses are generally evaluated using just one evaluative method, there may be an occasional course that requires additional evaluation. Ordinarily, course evaluation surveys are shared with students by Nazareth via Moodle near the end of the semester. To preserve student anonymity, aggregated evaluation data only are shared with the faculty member, with a copy to appropriate University administrators. 

Based upon the national, standardized criteria established by both the College Board and Princeton Review, letter grades for courses in the Social Work Department (SWK) and taught by social work faculty are assigned according to the following scale:

A, A- Superior and exceptional work which meets a level of professional competence and expertise worthy of publication and/or public presentation. All criteria have been met at a high standard. (Though Nazareth does not award an A+, you may find one as part of your feedback from this instructor).

         93-100            A

    90-92.9           A-

B+, B, B- Above average work demonstrating occasional examples of excellence. At least three of the five criteria have been met at a high level of competence.

     87-89.9            B+

     84-86.9            B

     80-83.9            B-

C+, C, Just adequate work which minimally meets professional standards of competence as defined by the criteria. Some criteria have not been met; others are included at an average or minimal level of competence.

     77-79.9            C+

     73-76.9            C

For undergraduate students

         70-72.9        C-

          67-69.9        D+

          63-66.9        D

  60-62.9       D-

         59.9 and below  F

For graduate students

         Below 74        F

Incomplete

Please see the Nazareth incomplete policy. A grade of incomplete (“I”) is reserved for specific circumstances and is not an automatic process. Please review the policy and consult with the course instructor to explore whether an incomplete request may be appropriate. 

Criteria for Grading and Evaluation

Instructor criteria can be found in the course-specific syllabus. In evaluating student work, instructors generally assess: 

• Presentation and Organization

• Conceptual Clarity

• Theory/Practice Integration

• Use of Academic Literature

• Critical Thinking, Depth of Analysis, and Creativity

Grade Appeals

Students who have grievances regarding grades should seek resolution within the program, Department, and University following University-wide policies. Undergraduate students must follow the undergraduate grade appeal policy and graduate students must follow the graduate student appeal policy.