Syllabus Policies, Guidelines, and Resources

1. Key course details: Course location and meeting time; names and contact information for instructors and teaching assistant (if applicable)
2. Office hours location and times (some professors call these “student hours”)
3. Topical focus of the course
4. Learning outcomes or objectives
5. Overview of course schedule, including information about drop/withdrawal dates and the date, time, and location of the final exam. For more information about final examinations, consult the UW’s Final examination guidelines.

• Brief description of graded activities that includes due dates, the types of assessments, and an indication of the relative value (in either points or percentages) of each type of assignment in the overall grade.
• Overall course grading system. For more information, review the UW’s Grading system.
• Expectations with regard to late or missing work.

Course policies and guidelines.

Many instructors include information about key campus resources, such as information related to safety, health and well-being resources, and disability services. The resources included in this section will vary widely from instructor to instructor and may be campus specific. If you include a list of resources, be sure to routinely update the information to avoid sharing broken links or outdated contact information.

State law requires faculty to provide students with the University’s language about religious accommodations or a link to the Religious Accommodations Policy webpage in syllabi or elsewhere.

Language that instructors are required to include in their syllabi (DO NOT AMEND)
“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

The University’s policy on academic misconduct is a part of the Student Conduct Code, which cites the definition of academic misconduct in WAC 478-121. According to Student Governance Policy, Chapter 209 Section 7.C, academic misconduct includes but is not limited to acts such as cheating, plagiarism, and unauthorized collaboration. Refer to the Community Standards & Student Conduct – Academic Misconduct for more information.

For more information, consult your campus’s student conduct office:

• UW Community Standards and Student Conduct faculty resources (Seattle)
• Student Conduct and Academic Integrity (Tacoma)
• Faculty Resources and Information – Student Affairs (Bothell)

Recommended language:
The University takes academic integrity very seriously. Behaving with integrity is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. If you’re uncertain about whether something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.

Acts of academic misconduct may include but are not limited to:

• Cheating (working collaboratively on quizzes/exams and discussion submissions, sharing answers, and previewing quizzes/exams)
• Plagiarism (representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s))
• Unauthorized collaboration (working with each other on assignments)

Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by [INSTRUCTOR: include information for your specific campus conduct office].

Students found to have engaged in academic misconduct may [INSTRUCTOR: insert consequences, e.g., receive a zero on the assignment or are reported to the campus conduct office].

There is no University-wide AI policy, but instructors are strongly encouraged to articulate their expectations regarding the student use of AI in their syllabus.

For recommended language, review Teaching@UW’s Developing AI-related course policies.

Instructors may grant an incomplete grade if the student has done satisfactory work up to within three weeks of the last day of the quarter and if circumstances prevent the student from completing the remaining work for the course by the end of the quarter. Instructors are never obligated to grant a student’s request for an Incomplete. Students and instructors need to follow the official process for requesting and approving an incomplete. Instructors will use the designated process for students to request and for instructors to approve the awarding of an Incomplete grade.

For further information on incompletes, refer to the Office of the University Registrar Incomplete Grades and the University grading policy on their use.

Recommended language
If circumstances arise that prevent you from completing the course by the end of the quarter, please reach out to me. The UW does not require me to grant a student’s request for an Incomplete, but requests submitted in the last 3 weeks of the quarter by students who have done satisfactory work up to that point may be considered.

The federal Americans with Disabilities Act requires that digital academic course content be accessible. Meeting this standard is not only a legal expectation but also an action consistent with UW’s mission and values. The Teaching@UW Making your syllabus accessible provides guidance on how to create an accessible syllabus that complies with federal standards.

Instructors are obligated to provide reasonable accommodations for students who have disabilities. The University’s Disability Resources for Students (DRS) is the campus partner that provides services for students “with either temporary or permanent physical, health, learning, sensory or psychological disabilities.” Disability Resources for Students (DRS) provides resources for students and faculty for making accommodations.

For recommended campus-specific language and information, please review the Civil Rights Compliance Office’s Syllabus statement.

The syllabus is not the place to recite all policies related to student conduct, but some instructors may prefer to remind students of UW policies regarding discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct.

For recommended campus-specific language and information, please review the Civil Rights Compliance Office’s Syllabus statement.

Instructors are prohibited from requiring or accepting medical documentation from a student for any absences.

In the case of extended absences or if an absence results in a student missing a course requirement (class activity, assignment submission, exam, etc.), accommodations are left to the discretion of the instructor. Accommodations might include makeup exams, alternate assignments, or alternate weighting of missed work, so long as the grades for other students in the class are not affected by the accommodation. For more information about medical notes, review the Office of the Registrar’s Medical excuse notes FAQs.

Federal law extends protections to employees and students who are pregnant or who are experiencing related conditions including childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, and lactation. Students with any of these conditions may be entitled to modifications, support, and accommodations to help them stay in or return to the University’s learning environments. Review the UW’s Pregnancy and related conditions for more information on how you can support students who are pregnant or experiencing a related condition.

Taking attendance is not required, but it is allowed. Expectations regarding attendance should be clearly articulated in the syllabus.

If attendance is graded, avoid zero tolerance policies for absences and overweighting attendance in the final course grade. Students’ final grade should primarily reflect whether the student has met course learning objectives.

Students may be graded on their participation. Disciplines will likely grade participation differently. Departmental, school, and college guidelines may provide specific guidelines about participation for certain types of courses. If participation is graded, it is important to let students know how they will be graded.

Instructors are not required to provide students with extra credit opportunities. If you offer extra credit, articulate your expectations in the syllabus and make sure it is:

• Available to all students equally
• Not dependent upon travel or attendance at an event outside the regularly scheduled class period
• Not dependent upon the expression of political or social interest (e.g. caucusing, voting, watching a debate, volunteering)

Peer grading (i.e., students assigning each other grades) should not replace grading by the instructor. On the other hand, peer review (i.e., having students give feedback on each other’s work) is a pedagogically-rich practice that can support student learning.

Students taking UW courses while living outside the US may encounter cultural norms and legal structures that may impede their ability to access learning materials. If you will be teaching a course that draws many such students, you might consider clarifying what students should expect and where to get assistance.

Recommended language
Faculty members at U.S. universities – including the University of Washington – have the right to academic freedom which includes presenting and exploring topics and content that other governments may consider to be illegal and, therefore, choose to censor. Examples may include topics and content involving religion, gender and sexuality, human rights, democracy and representative government, and historic events.

If, as a UW student, you are living outside of the United States while taking courses remotely, you are subject to the laws of your local jurisdiction. Local authorities may limit your access to course material and take punitive action towards you. The University of Washington has no authority over the laws in your jurisdictions or how local authorities enforce those laws.

If you are taking UW courses outside of the United States, you have reason to exercise caution when enrolling in courses that cover topics and issues censored in your jurisdiction. If you have concerns regarding a course or courses that you have registered for, please contact your academic advisor who will assist you in exploring options.

There is no general policy on student use of technology (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) at the University. However, instructors can set expectations about how these devices may be used in their courses, including banning them (except in cases where a disability or accommodation may require the use of a device). Any policy on the use of technology should be included in the syllabus.