Course Management Policies
Instructors for undergraduate courses are highly encouraged to review the Undergraduate Calendar (an inventory of all programs currently offered by McMaster), undergraduate sessional dates, and the Undergraduate Course Management Policies document prior to commencing teaching at McMaster.
Likewise, instructors for graduate courses are highly encouraged to review the Graduate Calendar, graduate sessional dates, and the Graduate Course Management Policy document before they start teaching.
The course management policies are of particular importance as they summarize instructor responsibilities. While both policies have some things in common (e.g., an overview of minimum requirements for course outlines, due date restrictions, academic assessments, McMaster University grading scales, retention of examination papers and other graded material, authenticity/plagiarism detection, conflict of interest guidelines, and protection of privacy), there are important differences. In the Undergraduate Course Management Policies document, for example, there are policies regarding the maximum value of academic assessments, the provision of early feedback, and accommodations and missed work. There are even approved advisory statements that must be included in each undergraduate course outline regarding:
- Academic Integrity
- Authenticity/Plagiarism Detection
- Courses with an On-Line Element
- Online Proctoring
- Conduct Expectations
- Academic Accommodations of Students with Disabilities
- Requests for Relief for Missed Academic Term Work
- Academic Accommodation for Religious, Indigenous or Spiritual Observances (RISO)
- Copyright and Recording
- Extreme Circumstances
