Feedback
The instructor of record is expected to provide timely feedback to students. Exams or required papers should be returned, with grading and/or written comments, within a reasonable amount of time. Design critics should engage in regular desk crits and/or reviews throughout the term and should be readily available after midterm and final reviews for individual interviews. In the case of core studios, critics are also required to conduct midterm assessment meetings with each student. The intent is to give students personal feedback on their performance throughout the course.
Midterm Warning Letters
Each instructor is expected to send mid-term warning letters to those students who are experiencing academic difficulty. The purpose of these letters is to inform those students that, if their academic performance does not improve, they may receive a grade of Low Pass or Fail. If, later, a student appeals for a review of a low grade, a mid-term warning letter is evidence of communication between the instructor and the student. A mid-term warning letter should not substitute for on-going communication between an instructor and student.
Mid-term warning letters should be sent after approximately eight weeks into the term. Students who begin experiencing academic difficulty after the middle of the term should also receive written warning. Failure on the part of the instructor to submit a warning letter to a student, however, does not preclude the instructor from assigning a final grade of Low Pass or Fail.
Copies of the letter should be given to the program coordinator who will send copies to the registrar in Student Services and the student�s advisor. In modular courses, faculty members are not expected to send warning letters midway through the module although students who are clearly in academic difficulty early in the course should be notified. The letter will remain permanently in the student�s file regardless of the student�s final grade.
Samples of warning letters are available from the program coordinator.
Returning Graded Work
Graded work should be returned confidentially. Blue books with students� names and grades should not be left out in the open or in student mailboxes. Graded work should be returned in class, or a time to pick it up should be arranged. Academic staff can assist faculty with distribution.