THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
Laramie, Wyoming
UNIREG 409, Rev. 1
July 23, 2007
UNIVERSITY REGULATION 409, Rev. 1
Initiating Authority: Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
Subject: Establishment of faculty office hours policy
Reference: Faculty Senate Bill 239 (adopted December 9, 1991)
1. GENERAL INFORMATION. Faculty Senate Bill 239 endorses the establishment of faculty office hours as follows:
Each college shall formulate a general policy regarding office hours during which faculty (faculty as defined herein includes any personnel involved in teaching) are expected to be available to students, and shall incorporate said policy into its college University regulation.
Department/units shall have a written policy regarding office hours for their faculty, and said policy shall include some regularized mechanism for interacting with students outside of regular class time.
2. DIRECTIVE. Effective immediately, the following are the policies on faculty office hours for the Colleges of Agriculture, Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, and University of Wyoming/Casper College Center.
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE
The College of Agriculture faculty members adhere to a modified open door policy with regard to their interaction with students. Whenever a faculty member is not in class or similarly occupied, as for example in academic meetings, she/he is available to meet with students. In addition, all faculty will be expected to note on class syllabi specific times during the week that she/he will be available for consultation and advice. The specific time will meet or exceed a minimum of six hours per week but in no case should the six hours be construed as the only time available for student/faculty interaction.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
It is the goal of the College of Arts and Sciences to provide students with maximum direct access to all faculty. To achieve this goal, faculty are available for consultation during office hours or by appointment. Students may arrange appointments directly with faculty or through the departmental clerical staff. In addition, faculty will include office hours on each syllabus and hours will be posted on or about faculty office doors. Although the great majority of faculty maintain far more, the minimum number of office hours shall be three hours a week, hours which must be spread across at least two days of the week. When a faculty member cannot meet regularly scheduled hours, the departmental secretary will be notified of when the announced schedule will be resumed.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Faculty members are available to their students outside of regularly scheduled classes for at least three scheduled hours over at least two separate weekdays and otherwise by appointment.
Office hours of each faculty member will be
i. posted on his/her respective office door
ii. stipulated in the course syllabus (or other written form) which will be handed out during the first week of the semester
If it is not possible for a faculty member to be available during a given Office Hour, he/she will announce this in class if possible and, if not, will, to the extent feasible, arrange to have a notice posted on his/her door.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Faculty are expected to be available to students outside of class, both by appointment and during regularly scheduled office hours. Before each semester, unit heads -- i.e., deans or chairs/heads/directors -- will ask each faculty member to post on his/her office door, as well as include on syllabi, a minimum of three specified hours each week on at least three different days that the faculty member will be in his/her on-campus office for the purpose of meeting with students. In addition, the faculty member will be available to meet with students, by appointment, at other times. Students should be informed of any necessary deviations from posted office hours.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND APPLIED SCIENCE
It is the policy of the College of Engineering that the faculty will maintain to the greatest extent possible an "open door" policy to their offices by cooperating with students to see them anytime by appointment. In addition each member of the faculty will post a minimum of five office hours per week which the students can consistently depend on for consultation.
The faculty of each department in the College of Engineering is free to develop a department-specific office hour policy so long as it incorporates the minimums required by the college policy.
COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES
Faculty are required to hold office hours at least three hours per week. Office hours for individual faculty are posted in the respective departments and are listed on syllabi and/or other literature regularly distributed to students. In addition, all faculty are available by appointment. (Office hour requirements for part-time faculty may be prorated.)
COLLEGE OF LAW
It is the policy of the Faculty of the College of Law to be available to our students for advice, counseling and academic instruction outside of the classroom. It is commonplace for faculty members to be available for such purposes fifteen, twenty, or even more hours per week, on an open-door basis. It is also the policy of this faculty to have a minimum of five posted office hours per week. While it is recognized that meetings and other faculty commitments may cause a change or cancellation of their posted office hours, it is expected and contemplated that faculty members will adhere to the spirit of this policy and normally be available to students for at least fifteen hours during each week.
UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING/CASPER COLLEGE CENTER
Faculty at the UW/CC Center will schedule at least three hours each week in which they will be available for students in their offices. They will also be available to students by appointment. Office hours will be posted on faculty office doors, and the hours will be noted on all course syllabi.
APPROVED: July 23, 2007
Thomas Buchanan
President