Handbook of Operating Procedures 2-9970

Teaching of Courses by Faculty, Assistant Instructors, and Teaching Assistants



Effective April 30, 2025
Executive Sponsor: Executive Vice President and Provost
Policy Owner: Office of Academic Affairs

 

  1. Policy Statement

The University of Texas at Austin ("University") is committed to achieving excellence in undergraduate and graduate education and administering all courses in compliance with state and federal regulations.
 

  1. Reason for Policy

To combine all administrative guidelines that instructors must follow for administering courses at The University within the Handbook of Operating Procedures.
 

  1. Scope & Audience

All faculty, assistant instructors, teaching assistants, and instructors of record at The University.
 

  1. Definitions (specific to this policy)

Accommodation Letter:

A letter from Disability and Access to an instructor explaining that a student has provided the required documentation of a disability and listing the officially approved academic accommodations for that student.

Course Schedule:

The Course Schedule is published by the Office of the Registrar for each semester and summer session. It lists each class being offered, its time, location, instruction mode, instructor (if available), and unique number. The schedules are published about two weeks before the registration period begins for a semester.

Course-Related Field Trips:

Organized, course-specific experiences held at a site other than the normal class location for the purposes of instruction. Course-Related Field Trips that occur more than 25 miles from main campus are subject to the provisions in HOP 9-1420, Student Travel Policy for University Organized or Sponsored Events.

FERPA:

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act is a federal law that pertains to the protection, release of, and access to Student Records to ensure student privacy.

Final Examinations:

Final exams for each semester and summer term are scheduled by the Office of the Registrar and are published on the first day of class. Final exams must be administered according to the Academic Policies and Procedures for Examinations published in the University Catalog and scheduled using the Final Exam Request System. 

General Information Catalog:

The General Information Catalog is the official University publication describing all general academic programs and policies, degree requirements, student services, student conduct policies, general regulations, requirements, and procedures.

Individual Instruction Courses:

Courses scheduled in the course scheduling system with the following instructional types: Practicum, Independent Study, Private Lesson, Thesis, Dissertation, Individualized Instruction, and Clinical Individualized Instruction.

Instruction Modes:

The mode of instruction by which the course is taught and published in the Course Schedule.

Learning Management System:

The official University-approved software application used to administer courses at the University. 

Main Campus:

The University's primary campus location in central Austin. 

Office Hours:

The time periods instructors are accessible to students outside of the scheduled class periods. 

Organized Courses:

Courses scheduled in the course scheduling system with the instructional types: Lecture, Lab, Seminar, and Clinical Organized.

Other University Location:

A University location other than Main Campus such as the McDonald Observatory, Marine Sciences Institute, UT in Los Angeles, UT in New York, study abroad locations, or officially approved field sites.

Passing Period Intervals:

A passing period interval is the duration of time allocated to students at the end of class to enable their transition to their next class.

Student Records:

Student Records refer to the educational records maintained by the University except for directory information. Student Records include official University academic and personal records relating to scholastic, disciplinary, and fiscal matters, as well as records maintained by University offices and agencies that provide services sought voluntarily by individual students, including Disability and Access Records. 

University Catalogs:

University Catalogs are official University publications published by the Office of the Registrar describing academic programs and policies, degree requirements, student services, student conduct policies, general regulations, requirements, and procedures. 
 

  1. Website (for policy)

https://secure4.compliancebridge.com/utexas/public/getdoc.php?file=2-9970
 

  1. Contacts

CONTACT

DETAILS

WEB

Office of Academic Affairs

Phone: 

Website:

https://provost.utexas.edu/the-office/academic-affairs/
 
  1. Responsibilities & Procedures

Absent exigent circumstances as determined by the president, provost, or their delegate, or an approved exception as set forth below, each instructor of record is required to adhere to the following. 

 
  1. Instruction Mode
Instructors are required to teach according to the Instruction Mode listed in the Course Schedule. Non-intermittent changes to the Instruction Mode listed must be approved by the Dean, Department Chair, or Director and processed officially through the Course Schedule Update process. 
 
  1. Course Location and Time
Instructors are required to teach in the location and at the time listed in the Course Schedule. In-person course meetings must be taught on main campus, at Other University Locations, or at Course-Related Field Trip sites. Course-Related Field Trips are subject to HOP 9-1420, Student Travel Policy for University Organized or Sponsored Events.
 
  1. Recording Devices in Classrooms
Audio or visual recording devices may not be used in University classrooms or laboratories unless specifically approved by the instructor or Disability and Access. Instructors may create electronic recordings of their classes and have the discretion to allow or disallow students or visitors to make electronic recordings of their classes. Any recording(s) must be limited to legitimate educational purposes and may not be shared with or distributed to others in any form unless otherwise permitted by HOP 9-1610, Student Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If an instructor permits a student to electronically record their class, the recording(s) must be used solely for the educational use of the student or other students in that section and year of the class. Individuals who violate these limitations may be subject to disciplinary proceedings. An instructor must allow a student to electronically record their class if the student has received an accommodation through Disability and Access that permits the student to electronically record class.
 
  1. Passing Period Intervals
Instructors are required to end class meetings with sufficient time for students to transition to their next class period. Instructors must reserve the final ten minutes of a 60-minute course and the final fifteen minutes of longer course periods as a passing period interval for students. During the passing period, instructors for the class that just ended and the one just about to begin are both permitted access to the room to facilitate a smooth transition between classes.
 
  1. Office Hours
Instructors of Organized Courses are required to be accessible to their students outside the scheduled class periods, with availability for Office Hours posted on their syllabus.
 
  1. Final Examinations
Instructors who schedule final exams are required to follow the Office of the Registrar’s Final Examinations schedule times, dates, and policies or to obtain approval for an alternative final exam schedule through the Final Exam Request System.
 
  1. FERPA and Student Privacy
Each instructor of record and teaching assistant for a course must complete required FERPA training at least every two years. To remain in compliance with FERPA, instructors and teaching assistants must conduct all electronic communication with students about specific course grades through a tool approved by the Information Security Office. University e-mail is not an approved method for electronic communication with students about confidential Student Records, including specific grades. 
  1. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the University requires instructors to provide the classroom and testing accommodations listed in Accommodation Letters from Disability and Access. 
 
  1. Accommodation Letters for instructors do not list specific diagnoses, and students are not required to disclose disability information, including diagnosis or symptoms, to instructors. Instructors should focus conversations with students on how accommodations will be provided in each class, rather than on why the accommodations are necessary.
 
  1. Accommodation Letters and specific accommodations should be kept confidential. Information can be shared on a need-to-know basis only with those playing a role in providing accommodations (TAs, notetakers, etc.).
 
  1. Instructors who have questions or concerns about implementing accommodations should contact Disability and Access for consultation and support.
  1. Course Evaluations
Instructors of record for all organized undergraduate and graduate courses with five or more students are required to administer official, University-approved course evaluations according to HOP 2-2180, Course and Teaching Evaluations.
  1. Course Materials Disclosures
To ensure student access to low cost course materials and in accordance with State and University policies, all instructors must disclose required course materials in the Co-Op Submission System. Disclosures must be submitted by May 1 for Fall and Summer courses and by November 1 for Spring courses. Instructors must disclose all required course materials, including textbooks, software and tools, including materials that are free and those included in program costs (such as Option II and III programs). Instructors with no required course materials are required to submit a disclosure and flag “No Material Required.” Students are not required to purchase course materials from the Co-Op.
  1. Learning Management System (LMS) Requirements
Each instructor of record for an organized undergraduate or graduate course with five or more students must publish their course and syllabus in the University’s official LMS by the first day class meets each semester. To remain in compliance with this policy, instructors must post their syllabus in the LMS using the Simple Syllabus tool or attach their syllabus as a file in the Syllabus section of the LMS. For ease of reporting, instructors are asked to include the term “syllabus” in the filename. Instructors of organized undergraduate and graduate courses with fewer than five students must provide their syllabi to their students by the first day class meets using the LMS, Simple Syllabus, or in another electronic or paper form.
  1. Syllabus and CV Submission Requirements
Each instructor of record for an organized undergraduate course must submit a copy of their course syllabus and curriculum vitae to their departmental office or dean’s office on or before the first day class meets each semester so that they can be made publicly available at the university’s Access Syllabi and CVs website. Instructors for organized graduate courses must submit their course syllabi and curriculum vitae according to their departmental office or dean’s office (for non-departmentalized units) specifications.
  1. Academic Integrity
Instructors are required to follow the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Guidelines for Resolving Academic Misconduct to resolve potential academic misconduct, as described in Chapter 11 of the General Information Catalog, which includes recommended timelines for reporting suspected misconduct. This requirement includes following the Student Conduct t Referral Process.  
 
  1. Instructors may not adjust or otherwise impact the student’s grade on the academic assessment in question while the student is engaged in the conduct process.
 
  1. Instructors may not encourage the student to cease attending or prevent the student from continuing to attend class or discourage them from submitting coursework while engaged in either process.
 
  1. If the course concludes prior to the matter reaching full resolution, instructors must submit a grade of “X” until notification of final resolution is received from the Dean of Students.
 
  1. Responding to Disruptive Behavior
In the event of student disruptive behavior, instructors should follow the guidance outlined by the Office of the Dean of Students.
 
  1. Instructors should call the Behavioral Concerns Advice Line if a student’s behavior causes concerns about that student’s health or safety.
 
  1. If a student’s behavior significantly or repeatedly interrupts teaching or learning but does not pose an immediate danger to others, the instructor should approach the student calmly and ask the student to stop the behavior. 
 
  1. If the behavior continues, the instructor may ask the student to leave class. If the student leaves when asked, the instructor must follow Report a Misconduct Incident to the Office of the Dean of Students using the General Misconduct Incident Form on the Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Website.
 
  1. If the student does not leave, the instructor should call 911.
 
  1. The instructor should call 911 if a student’s behavior poses an immediate danger to students or others.
 
  1. Exceptions
 
  1. Instructional Mode and Course Time and Location Requirements: An instructor may be approved for an exception to Instructional Mode and Course Location Requirements by receiving an accommodation from the University’s ADA Coordinators. A faculty member who is approved for an accommodation that involves remote or hybrid work will be excused from compliance with the Instructional Mode and Course Location Requirements to the extent dictated by the accommodation.
 
  1. Course Evaluation Requirements: An instructor may be approved for an exception to the Course Evaluation Requirement through a process administered by the Office of Academic Technology and the instructor’s department chair or another supervisor and according to the Office of Academic Technology Course Evaluation Policy and Guidelines.
 
  1. Learning Management System Requirements: An instructor may be approved for an exception to the LMS requirements through a process administered by the Office of Academic Technology and the instructor’s department chair, Dean, or another supervisor.
 
  1. Forms & Tools

None 
 

  1. Frequently Asked Questions

None
 

  1. Related Information

Texas House Bill 33

Texas Senate Bill 810

Texas House Bill 1027

Texas Education Code, section 51.4521

Texas Education Code, section 54.0051

Texas Education Code, Section 51.942

Texas Administrative Code 202.70 (1)

Regents' Rules and Regulations, Rule 30501 - Employee Evaluations

Regents' Rules and Regulations, Rule 31008 - Termination of a Faculty Member

Regents' Rules and Regulations, Rule 31102 - Evaluation of Tenured Faculty

UT System Policy UTS 165 - Information Resources Use and Security Policy

HOP 2-2160 - Recommendations Regarding Faculty Compensation, Faculty Promotion, Tenure, Renewal of Appointment, or Nonrenewal of Appointment

HOP 2-2150 - Comprehensive Periodic Evaluation of Tenured Faculty

HOP 2-2151 - Annual Evaluation of Faculty

HOP 2-2180 - Course and Teaching Evaluations

HOP 9-1420 - Student Travel Policy for University Organized or Sponsored Events

HOP 9-1610 - Student Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Request for Authorization for Student Travel Form

UT Austin Information Resources Use and Security Policy

  1. History    

Origination date: April 30, 2025
        Next scheduled review: April 2028