What do QU students expect from Qatar University faculty members?

7. What do QU students expect from Qatar University faculty members? • A faculty member is expected to be: • Aware of relevant policies and procedures • Clear • Fair • Prepared for classes • Caring • Understanding

8. Education System • QU adopts the semester credit hours system. Each academic year is divided into two (Fall and Spring) comprising sixteen-week regular semesters; and a summer session that is decided and offered on annual basis. Each course is offered with a number (usually 1 – 4) of credit hours depending on the scope of the course.

9. Duration of Study The normal duration of the course of study at QU may vary according to each program’s requirements. However, a student must not exceed eight years from date of enrollment in the University excluding the period spent in the Foundation Program.

10. Academic Study Plan The academic study plans for undergraduate students in each college are based on the student's completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours before being able to graduate. The courses for each study plan should be chosen from the QU Core curriculum, College requirements, Program requirements (Major/Minor), and Electives.

11. Language of Instruction The official language at the University is Arabic; however the language of instruction can be Arabic or English, depending on the nature of each program. If a program requires a language of instruction other than Arabic or English, the approval of the Vice President and Chief Academic Officer is required.

12. Graduation A program degree is awarded to each student who completes all the academic requirements of his/her program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00. The graduation ceremony is held each academic year at the end of the Spring Semester.

13. Students' Classifications • Regular Full-Time Students • Regular Part-Time Students • Special Students • Audit Students

14. Academic Advising Each student will be assigned to an academic faculty member or academic advisor from the program in which he/she is enrolled. If the student is unsure of his/her intended major, an advisor, who has extensive knowledge of all programs offered by the University, will be assigned to him/her. This is to ensure that the student will receive academic advice appropriate to his/her academic interests and aptitudes.

15. Academic Load • A regular full-time student is permitted to carry a semester course load of 12 to 18 credit hours. • A regular full-time student who is on academic probation is permitted to carry a semester course load of 8 to12 credit hours. • A regular part-time student is permitted to carry a semester course load of 1 to11 credit hours. • A regular part-time student who is on academic probation is permitted to carry a semester course load of 1 to 9 credit hours.

16. Academic Load • The course load for all students during the summer session is 2 to 9 credit hours. • A new student at the University will be allowed to register for the maximum number of credit hours allowed by his/her program. • A student who achieves a cumulative 3.50 GPA based on 15 credit hours or more will be allowed to increase his/her load by 1- 3 credit hours. • A student expected to graduate by the end of a given semester may register, in that semester, for fewer than the minimum number of credit hours stipulated in the course loads shown above.

17. Final Examination Schedule The University designates and schedules final examinations towards the end of each semester; however this is announced at the beginning of each semester and the final exams schedule is posted by the Office of Student Affairs on the University’s web site. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of these dates.

18. Attendance Class participation and attendance are important elements of every student’s learning experience at QU, and the student is expected to attend all classes. Keeping track of the student’s attendance and observation of the student’s performance in class are the responsibilities of the instructor. A student should not miss more than 25% of the classes during a semester. Those exceeding this limit will receive a failing grade regardless of their performance

19. Attendance • If a student attends only a part of a class, the instructor determines whether he/she is considered present or absent for that day. • Attendance record begins on the first day of class irrespective of the period allotted to drop/add and late registration. • If an instructor reschedules a class, the new timing must be suitable and agreed upon in writing by all students; otherwise, instructors cannot hold a student responsible for not meeting the attendance requirement.

20. Student Coursework Assessment and Grading The student’s final grade should not be based on less than three different assessment tools. These may include, but are not limited to, exams, projects, presentations, reports, quizzes, reading assignments, research papers, writing essays, classroom feedback and discussions etc. In all cases, every student has the right to see, review and discuss with the instructor all marked materials used in grading him/her.

21. Grading policy

22. Grade Point Average (GPA) Every letter grade has grade points corresponding to it. This constitute the basis for calculating the Grade Point Average (GPA). The total number of grade points earned for each course is calculated by multiplying the number of credit hours assigned to the course by the number of grade points corresponding to the letter grade received as shown above. The overall GPA is determined by dividing the total number of grade points accumulated for all courses by the number of credit hours attempted. The GPA is an indicator of the student’s overall academic performance at QU

23. Academic Dismissal • Failing a course three (3) times. • Failing to achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 for three (3) consecutive or four (4) separate semesters. • Failing to meet graduation requirements within eight years from enrollments in the University (excluding Foundation Program).

24. Incomplete Grades • A student may receive a grade of incomplete (I) in a course if he/she attends but fails to complete all the course requirements. The Incomplete grade is not an alternative for an F due to poor performance. To be considered for an Incomplete grade the student must provide an acceptable justification for failing to complete the required work to the course instructor, and which the Department Head must also approve. • The deadline for changing an (I) grade is the last day of the second week of classes in the ensuing semester. Upon successful completion of the required work, the course instructor will replace the (I) grade with a letter grade (A through F) and submit it to the Office of the Registrar.   • If a grade of (I) is not changed by the end of the specified period, it will be changed automatically to an ‘F’. Only the Vice President for Student Affairs may grants an extension beyond the specified time limit. At the end of the first week of classes in the following semester, the Office of the Registrar will remind instructors who have given incomplete grades to change them before the deadline.

25. Grade Appeal and Changing a Grade A student who believes that he/she has received an unfair or erroneous grade may contest the grade to the instructor of the course within two (2) weeks of the issuance of grade reports

26. Class Meetings Instructors are responsible for meeting their classes at the time and location scheduled by the Registration Department. To allow academic departments to take appropriate action, instructors shall notify their supervising authority if they are to be absent and have not made suitable arrangements regarding their classes. Instructors are responsible for informing their department head if a change of assigned classroom or meeting time is required.

27. Conduct Within the Classroom Instructors are expected to maintain a classroom environment that promotes a positive learning environment and the free exchange of ideas. Instructors should foster and encourage students' pursuit of learning while demonstrating civility, understanding and respect for the student as an individual. Instructors are responsible for making every reasonable effort to ensure that evaluations of students reflect their true merit and are based on their academic performance as professionally judged and not on matters irrelevant to that performance, such as personality, degree of political activism, personal beliefs, race, religion, color, disability, gender, ethnicity, or age.

28. Confidentiality of Student Records All student and associated financial records are considered confidential. Confidential student information may however be released under the following two exceptions: • Information may be released to a parent or guardian. • Information may be released to authorized Qatar University personnel with legitimate educational interest.

29. Conflict of Interest All Qatar University faculty should avoid any conflict of interest or appearance thereof. In general, a conflict of interest exists if a faculty member participates in any decision that affects a family member, or impacts the University negatively, or benefits an external organization with personal gains. The following are examples of conflicts of interest: • Teaching family members (i.e. spouse, parents, siblings, children). • Accepting gifts from students, parents or relatives of students. • Supervision or participation in a decision that affects a family member. • Working outside the University with competing entities or organizations with potential conflict of interest with the University. • Employee or supervisor nepotism. • Participation in a decision benefiting an external organization with personal interest.

30. Conflict of Interest Whenever conflict of interest (or appearance of conflict) exists, the faculty member must disclose such conflict to his/her supervising authority as appropriate. The supervising authority is responsible for determining an appropriate solution.

31. Course Syllabus Instructors are responsible for distributing a course syllabus to all registered students during the first week of classes. The course syllabus should, at a minimum, contain the following information: • Description of the course • Expected learning outcomes • Assessment measures • Evaluation methodology • Office hours • Contact details

32. Course Syllabus The course syllabus should be considered as a contract for the course and as such, changes to the syllabus should only be undertaken in extenuating cases. Where changes to the course syllabus are necessary, all registered students should be informed of the changes and these modifications should not prejudice the students. Colleges are encouraged to develop their own course syllabus templates.

33. E-Mail Qatar University provides Qatar University e-mail accounts to enable faculty, staff and administrators to communicate more effectively and efficiently with students. Email is an official mechanism of communication within QU and all e-mail should comply with the University’s e-mail policy. All correspondence between the instructor and students should use Qatar University e-mail, and both students and instructors are expected to check their e-mail on a frequent and consistent basis.

34. Final Exam Dates and Times All final examinations are to be given in accordance with the schedule published by the Registration Department and unapproved changes are contrary to QU policy. In extenuating circumstances, changes may be considered if they follow the general guidelines available through the Registration Department.

35. Final Grades Instructors are responsible for submitting all final grades by the appropriate deadline. At the conclusion of the course, instructors should provide their Department Head with a comprehensive file for each course including: • Course syllabus. • Course material used to evaluate the student. • Detailed breakdown of assessment measures and grades utilized to evaluate students. • Any additional materials mandated by the department.

36. Final Grades All course material used to evaluate the student, and not returned to the student during the course or the Department at the end of the semester, must be maintained by the instructor for 1 academic year from the completion of the course.

37. Grade Assessment, Evaluation and Review Instructors are expected to utilize a minimum of three different assessment measures in evaluating student academic performance. Instructors are responsible for providing graded assignments and examinations within a reasonable time period and students are entitled to review and discuss evaluated coursework with the instructor. Students are entitled to receive a comprehensive review of their performance for the class and their grade evaluation prior to the final examination.

38. Student Attendance Instructors are responsible for tracking student attendance and ensuring that all students attending the class are officially registered. Class attendance is not an assessment measure and failure to attend class should not result in the instructor lowering a student’s grade. Per the QU Student Handbook, students may not miss more than 25% of class meetings during the semester.

39. Blackboard Faculty members are required to used Blackboard in the teaching of all classes at Qatar University.

40. Student/Faculty Handbook Instructors are expected to be aware of University policies identified in the Student and Faculty Handbooks as well as the Academic Integrity Code.