The UNC Policy
Manual
700.6.1 [R]
Adopted 04/25/13
The
following set of required procedures will enhance the ability of each UNC campus
to monitor and protect the integrity of its curriculum, student evaluation, and
academic records. In addition, the appropriate review, evaluation, and
supervision of University staff, including academic department chairs and other
faculty administrators, will promote an enhanced culture of academic integrity. These procedures are to be implemented in
addition to and in concert with the recommendations included in the 2011 Report
of the Task Force on Athletics and Academics, the implementation of which President
Ross has already required. These
supplemental procedures stem from extensive discussions among campus
stakeholders and incorporate concepts discussed in the UNC-Chapel Hill Report
of the Independent Study Task Force, the Report of the Special Subcommittee of
the Faculty Council, and specific campus policies addressing monitoring of academics
and student-athletes, as well as the report of the Board of Governors Academic
Review Panel.
The procedures
below are grouped by functional area, and each has a corresponding
implementation date.
I. Registrar and Student Records Best Practices
A.
All
campuses will have clear rules designating individuals (by position occupied)
authorized to submit a course grade or grade change, and the circumstances under
which such changes may be made. (September
2013)
B.
All
campuses will have audit procedures for verifying that only an authorized
person submitted grades or grade changes to the student information
system. (September 2013)
C.
All
campuses will maintain an electronic record of grade-related approvals and
changes to the student information system.
(December 2014)
D.
All campuses
will have course numbering and reporting conventions that utilize separate
section numbers to identify independent study courses taught by individual
faculty members. (May 2014)
II. Evaluating the Academic Performance of Student-Athletes
and Other Student Subgroups
A.
Using
results from the 2013 Board of Governors’ Intercollegiate Athletics Report,
General Administration will work with campuses to develop a common threshold or
definition of clustering by student-athletes or other student subgroups that will
trigger an automatic review of flagged courses to determine whether there were any
irregularities in the reasons clustering occurred. (December 2013)
B.
On an
annual basis, all campuses will review the course grade-point averages calculated
for student-athletes and other student subgroups versus nonstudent-athletes and
other identified subgroups. A summary of
student-athlete comparisons will be included in the required Board of Governors’
Intercollegiate Athletics Report, beginning in 2014.
C.
All
campuses will have procedures for notifying academic advisors and Academic
Support Program staff of any changes made to the course grades of student-athletes
and/or to their course schedules after the designated two-week drop/add
period. (December 2013)
III. Review
and Approval of Nonstandard Courses and Course Sections
All campuses will have processes and policies to ensure that all forms
of individualized instruction conform to the basic guidelines pertaining to
other undergraduate courses, including but not limited to a syllabus or
learning contract specifying expected student learning outcomes, number of
hours of expected work, grading information, and scheduled meeting times with the
faculty member. (September 2013)
IV. Supervision and Evaluation of Faculty and Faculty
Administrators
A.
All campuses
will have guidelines on the number of undergraduate independent studies a
faculty member may teach per term. If
campuses choose to enumerate a limited number of circumstances under which exceptions
to these limits may be approved, guidelines must enumerate the required individuals
(by position) who must grant approval. (September
2013)
B.
All campuses
will have criteria and processes to ensure the regular review and evaluation of
all aspects of performance of department chairs. (September 2013)