This faculty manual for the Vancouver campus supplements the Employee Handbook, Vancouver Based Employees, which governs the employment terms of all employees, including faculty. This manual is intended to provide additional information to faculty about the institution, and policies and procedures related to academics as well as faculty appointments and promotions.

About New York Institute of Technology

New York Institute of Technology is a private, independent, non-sectarian, coeducational university with 8,000 students at campuses in the United States and British Columbia, Canada. The institution offers more than 90 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs in arts, sciences, architecture, technology, business, education and medicine. Since its founding in 1955, New York Tech has graduated more than 112,000 students.

Vision and Mission

View the Vision and Mission of New York Institute of Technology.

Charter and Licensure

New York Institute of Technology, founded in 1955, is chartered by the Board of Regents of The University of the State of New York. It is registered as an extra-provincial society in British Columbia.

Accrediting Agencies

US Accreditations

New York Institute of Technology is accredited by The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business for its business programs (AACSB International); the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. (ABET.org) for the Electrical and Computer Engineering program in the Old Westbury and Manhattan campuses, and the Mechanical Engineering program in the Old Westbury campus; Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. for Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology; National Architectural Accrediting Board for Bachelor of Architecture; Council for Interior Design Accreditation programs, Old Westbury Campus; Commission on Accreditation. American Osteopathic Association for New York College of Osteopathic Medicine; Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) of the American Physical Therapy Association; Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA); Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation and advanced educator preparation programs. NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel.

Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
3624 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-2680; Phone:267.284.5000; Fax: 215.662.5501

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
4720 Montgomery Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814-3449 301.652.2682

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA)
12000 Findley Rd., Suite 150, Johns Creek, GA, 30097; 770.476.1224

American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
142 E. Ontario St., Chicago, IL 60611; 312.202.8000

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
1111 North Fairfax St. Alexandria, VA 22314; 703.684.2782

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
One DuPont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036; 202.463.6930

Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
206 Grandville Ave., Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2920; 616.458.0400

Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET)
111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012; 410.347.7700

Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET)
111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012; 410.347.7700

National Architectural Board, Inc. (NAAB)
1735 New York Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006; 202.783.2007

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
2010 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036; 202.466.7496

British Columbia, Canada Accreditations

Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training of British Columbia
P.O. Box 9059 STN PROV GOVT; Victoria BC V8W 9E2, Canada; 250.356.2771 / 250.356.3000 (fax)

The overall governing body of New York Institute of Technology is the Board of Trustees. The President, who is the chief executive officer of the university, reports to the Board of Trustees. Reporting to and advising the President are: The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, as well as other Vice Presidents. The Vancouver campus is led by an Executive Director/Campus Dean who reports to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and is supported by other administrators, Associate Deans, Program Coordinators, and faculty. Together, they assure the academic programs and services offered are of the highest quality and meet the academic needs of students and faculty.

Each of New York Tech's academic schools is headed by an Academic Dean based in New-York. Deans are the academic and administrative leaders of the schools and report directly to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The role of the Academic Senate is to provide counsel to the university's president in implementing the following: innovation in curriculum, academic progress, and retention of students; academic standards for admission and graduation; budget, finances, and resource allocations; institutional development; organizational communication; professional rights and standards; and other related areas that affect the institution.

There are currently 40 elected faculty senators apportioned from among the academic schools including NYITCOM and its Arkansas site by formula, two at-large faculty senators (one representing each campus), and 20 voting administrative senators. The Vancouver campus is represented by two elected Senators and the Executive Director and Campus Dean. Additional senators include representatives from the library, counseling staff, NYITCOM, Student Government Associations, and AAUP. Senate officers are elected to two-year terms.

Copies of the Academic Senate constitution are available from the Office of the President of the Academic Senate or the Office of the President, as well as on the Academic Senate webpage.

Absence and Attendance

Except for religious reasons, illness or other exceptional reasons, faculty members may not shorten, lengthen, cancel, add, or reschedule classes. A faculty member may not ask a Teaching Assistant to teach their class for any reason without the Associate Dean's approval. A faculty member who finds it unavoidable to be absent for any reason must make alternative arrangements for the class and must immediately notify the relevant associate dean. It is also essential that the faculty member's classes be informed of any changes in the class arrangements.

Full-time faculty members are required to be available for academic assignments for four (4) days per week over a time period running from one week before the first day of the Fall term through commencement in the following calendar year, unless permitted otherwise by the Executive Director/Campus Dean. Faculty are expected to participate in school wide events whenever they are scheduled. In addition, faculty must be available for the last four consecutive weekdays before the first day of the spring term.

Faculty who teach on weekend days as part of their base loads may include those days as a part of their commitment. Except during periods of scheduled recess in the academic calendar, a full-time faculty member shall not accept any position that would make him/her unavailable for on-campus service. A full-time faculty member has a primary and uncompromising obligation to New York Tech. Outside professional activities, whether gainful or not, cannot be allowed to interfere with one's teaching, scholarly research and other duties in his/her department at the Institute. Administrative Appointments

Faculty members may be appointed to administrative positions to provide program coordination, student advisement and guidance to faculty in their program. Each program should have either a coordinator or Associate Dean, with the position description set forth in Appendix 1. This decision will be based upon the annual number of students enrolled in the program. These positions are equivalent to the Program Chair function in New York. Faculty with administrative responsibilities will be awarded additional compensation through a stipend and receive release time from their regular teaching responsibilities.

Commencement, Convocation, and other Special Ceremonies

All full-time faculty members are expected to participate in institutional activities such as commencements, convocations, preparation for accreditation reviews, special ceremonies, etc. unless specifically excused by the Associate Dean. All adjunct or other faculty members are welcome and are encouraged to participate.

Faculty Compensation

Full-Time Faculty

Full-time faculty's salary compensates them for their teaching load. Tutorial courses are not counted against teaching load (with the exception of an incomplete yearly workload) and are compensated independently. Note: tutorial courses must be approved by the Assistant/Associate Dean of the relevant program in advance of their start date. Tutorial approval is made only by the Executive Director/Campus Dean in the best interests of the university and the student(s). A faculty member may not teach more than two tutorial courses per term.

Payment of salary is made semi-monthly by direct deposit. Payment of overloads is made at the end of the summer term of the academic year.

Adjunct Faculty

Compensation for adjunct contracted faculty is based on a flat rate for the Vancouver campus irrespective of faculty members' academic credentials. Vacation pay will be paid at a rate of 4% of the contracted salary on each payday. Upon the sixth year of employment, the vacation pay rate shall increase to 6%. All expenses incurred by the adjunct faculty member is paid by him/her. No other payments or compensation from New York Tech will be made unless agreed to and approved in writing by the institution.

Faculty Evaluation Criteria

It is the academic responsibility of the faculty:

• to encourage and monitor active and responsible learning,
• to respect students with attention and consideration,
• to infuse a climate of trust in the classroom,
• to clarify expectations for students,
• to create and maintain fair and relevant forms of assessment, and
• to affirm the importance of academic integrity and honesty, reduce opportunities to engage in academic dishonesty and challenge academic dishonesty when it occurs.

Teaching

1. The Primary Objective of Instruction: To ensure that appropriate learning goals are integrated into the instruction resulting in overall high-quality student achievement. Discipline-specific, and course-level learning goals, and measurements that validate the achievement of learning goals, need to be provided by the faculty, within the context of departmental and institutional learning goals.
2. Documentation of Student Learning: Demonstrating high overall levels of achievement in student learning outcomes or continuous improvement form a basis to support instructional achievement. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways: one common method involves the "teaching portfolio." This portfolio would include course syllabi, student samples of course embedded assessment instruments such as examination, course evaluation, standardized examination scores, and other materials that are designed to measure the extent to which learning has been achieved. Faculty members are encouraged to maintain a word document that contains a self- examination of specific areas of instruction where student learning might be strengthened, based on the outcomes across assessment instruments.
3. Indirect Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness: This may be accomplished through student evaluations and peer evaluations. Placement or Survey data gathered from employers or alumni may also be relevant in supporting quality instruction.
4. Other Activities Related to Achieving Excellence in Teaching:
   • Application of new and innovative delivery systems/approaches to instruction;
   • Creation of innovative teaching resources (e.g. cases, projects, software);
   • Integration of contemporary technology into instruction;
   • Development of innovative teaching strategies;
   • Increased emphasis on communication skill development;
   • Utilization of academic service learning, community service, or experiential learning components;
   • Effective integration of ongoing and published scholarship into instruction;
   • Implementation of unique student learning assessment vehicles;
   • Curricular and programmatic development;
   • Involvement with continuing or professional development;
   • Participation in teaching/pedagogical conferences and demonstration of the impact of this activity into the pedagogy;
   • Engagement in professional activities that impact on instructional breadth and/or depth; and
   • New course preparation.

Faculty members are encouraged to maintain a record of achievement in these areas in support of pedagogical initiatives and outcomes that support excellence and continuous improvement in teaching and instructional development.

Scholarship

Effective teaching necessitates active involvement in the intellectual and scholarly developments in a discipline. In addition, faculty members have an obligation to maintain a high level of professional competence and to keep abreast of developments in their field.

• Expectations: All faculty members must demonstrate activities that make original contributions to their professional disciplines. Intellectual contributions pursued in support of this may be categorized into:
  • Won research grants from external sources
  • Contributions to learning and pedagogy
  • Contributions to practice (applied)
  • Discipline-based scholarship (basic/theoretical)
  • Creative expressions such as exhibitions (reviewed by peers) by faculty from architecture, communication arts, fine arts, and English (poetry, fiction, etc.)
• Special Emphasis should be placed on the following:
  • Publications in peer-reviewed journals
  • The application of existing knowledge to professional practice by way of applied research, including registration of patents
• Additional Intellectual Output may be evidenced through:
  • Research proposals and successful externally funded grants;
  • Research monographs
  • Scholarly books
  • Chapters in scholarly books
  • Textbooks
  • Proceedings from scholarly meetings
  • Papers presented at scholarly meetings
  • Published case studies.
• Faculty considering promotion to Professor should emphasize the above, as well as:
  • Demonstrate an ability to secure publications in recognized leading journals in the field of study (i.e. transition from "quantity" to "quality" emphasis); and
  • Increase the level of activity related to student research engagement, collaborative research, the coaching of junior faculty; and/or the application of scholarship in ways that advances the goals and mission of New York Tech and its strategic plan.

Service

1. Service Activities: include those, exclusive of direct instruction of students or scholarship, which advance the strategic plan of the university:
   • Student service
   • Service to the academic profession
   • Service to the faculty discipline
   • Service to the community
2. Service to Students:
   • Provide personalized academic assistance to students outside of the classroom.
   • Advise students and assist in academic planning.
   • Create a learning community that provides ample opportunity for interactive communication outside of the classroom between students, and between the faculty member and the students.
3. Service to the Academic Profession:
   • Participation and membership in academic organizations.
   • Service on editorial boards of journals or in the capacity of an ad-hoc referee.
   • Conference organizer, session discussant, or a session chair.
   • Reviewer of textbooks or other scholarly books.
4. Service to the Faculty Discipline:
   • Invited speeches to organizations.
   • Integration of theory into practice within the organization.
   • Sponsored research.
5. Community Service:
   • Outreach for the purpose of philanthropy.
   • Developing name recognition for New York Tech, brand recognition, and the faculty.
   • Increasing the reputation of New York Tech and its faculty.
6. Documentation supporting effective service is strongly encouraged; a letter stating such effectiveness from a committee chair, project leader, or client will serve in this capacity. If not available, the activities will principally be evaluated through a second-best self-reported documentation process, which should be as thorough and objective as possible.

Faculty Teaching Load

Full-time Vancouver based New York Tech faculty are obligated to teach 21 ELH (equivalent lecture hours) credits per year over all available semesters as determined by the Associate Dean in charge of the relevant program and overseen by the Executive Director/Campus Dean. As a teaching university, the teaching workload is intended to provide a balance between teaching, scholarly research, professional development and service to the school, the profession and the larger community. Additional release time is conferred where appropriate and the Executive Director/Campus Dean considers each request in conjunction with departmental leadership.

While it is recognized that annual student intakes do vary from year to year and can result in the need for faculty to teach more than 21 ELH credit hours per year, Associate Deans and Program Coordinators should nevertheless strive to keep faculty teaching load to 21 ELH credit hours as much as possible. The Associate Dean should consult with the Executive Director to hire more qualified adjunct faculty as soon as a need has been identified.

Overload classes i.e. those taught in excess of the contractually obligated courses, are paid at the same rate as for adjunct faculty. Tutorials, supervising research students and internships and practicums with less than seven students are not counted toward teaching load (with the exception of an uncompleted yearly workload) and are limited to two tutorial courses per term but will be paid at the tutorial rate.

Associate Deans are given a reduction in teaching loads from their Executive Director/Campus Dean in consultation with the respective Academic Deans in New York. Faculty who have these administrative responsibilities formally recognized with an appointment from the Provost and VPAA should not teach courses that would otherwise qualify for overload without first consulting the Executive Director/Campus Dean first.

The workload for Adjunct and Part Time faculty are negotiated with the Associate Dean or Program Coordinator every term. Visiting faculty members from New York Tech's New York campuses are governed by the policies applicable to New York faculty, and, their teaching at the Vancouver campus may count toward their contract load or as overload.

Faculty Reviews and Promotion

Annual Growth Plan Reviews

Ongoing assessments and evaluations of teaching faculty are a part of good professional practice. Faculty are encouraged to curate evidence of their teaching, scholarship, and service engagements and performance on a regular basis. All full and part-time faculty are to engage in the following practices annually:

• Request at least one peer instructional observation(s) with the consent of Assistant/Associate Dean.
• Ensure that Student Course Evaluations are administered during the final weeks of each course taught.
• Collect and maintain a copy of course evaluation reports.
• Consider participation in the Early Semester Feedback program. Collect and maintain copies of ESF reports.
• Submit the following documents to your Mahara Annual Growth Plan portfolio:
  1. Updated CV
  2. Completed "Personal Review and Professional Growth Plan" document. See Appendix 1.
  3. All Student Evaluation Reports
  4. Instructional Observation Report (required annually) and any additional peer Instructional Observation notes or report, if thusly engaged*

* The peer observations are undertaken by the supervisor of the relevant program, a peer from another program (for Associate Deans) or by faculty from the Centre for Teaching and Learning) in the classroom, with a standardized New York Tech form which includes an opportunity for the instructor to respond to the remarks of the Peer Reviewer. Completed forms are shared with the Executive Director/Campus Dean, the Associate Dean. Copies are stored in the faculty files for incorporation in the promotion/reappointment/annual evaluation process.

A personal annual review is critical in the achievement of goals, and in strengthening our collective efforts to advance our mission and increase our distinction as a quality provider of education. Your inputs also contribute towards our ability to secure release time and allocate financial and/or technological resources towards supporting your scholarly and instructional efforts.

Formal Portfolio Review Schedule

Full and part-time Vancouver faculty (inclusive of transfers) must submit a formal portfolio by October 1 to the Mahara platform during year two of employment, again on October 1 during their fourth year, then again, every three years thereafter.

The Portfolio curation and review process is instrumental in ensuring continued scholarly and instructional improvement, setting personal professional development goals, aligning organizational priorities, and for evaluating employment continuation. Once faculty documentation and local administrative recommendations from the campus are uploaded in Mahara, the School Academic Dean also provides her/his own recommendation/evaluation into the faculty's e-portfolio.

Regular Adjunct faculty should send an updated CV to the Associate Dean annually.

Faculty Application for Promotion

The table below illustrates the annual process calendar for global faculty members who wish to be considered for promotion. It should be noted that the promotion calendar also applies to adjunct faculty seeking promotion to the next academic rank.

Faculty Ranks and Qualifications

In general, faculty should hold an earned doctoral or terminal degree obtained from a recognized university that is accredited regionally or nationally. Exceptions may be made in cases where candidates have outstanding or substantial industry experience in addition to a master's degree and professional certification, i.e., a CPA for an accounting faculty position. In some areas, a master's degree is considered a terminal degree, such as fine and applied arts (M.F.A. or studio-M.F.A. plus relevant experience).

A) INSTRUCTOR

The rank of instructor is provisional. An instructor shall be promoted to the rank of assistant professor at the beginning of the semester following the receipt of the doctorate or appropriate terminal degree in his/her field. Individuals shall be selected on the basis of their potential as scholars and teachers. They shall hold a master's degree or its equivalent, except in special cases, together with additional indications of scholarship and teaching ability sufficient to give high promise that the candidate may subsequently achieve the qualifications required for promotion to a professorial rank. In Vancouver, his rank is only available to adjunct faculty. Full time faculty must have an earned doctorate to be eligible for appointment to faculty.

B) ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

An appointee to this rank must:

• Have demonstrated the potential to achieve excellence in teaching and scholarly or creative activities.
• Have demonstrated professional growth in her/his field. In addition to the requirements for an instructor, the appointee needs to have earned a doctorate.

C) ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

The criteria for appointment to assistant professor plus:

• For a promotion to the rank of associate professor, six (6) years of relevant teaching experience in the academic rank of assistant professor, which shall include at least three (3) years full-time teaching at New York Tech.
• Superior teaching and scholarship performance, and demonstrated service and other academic and professional achievements.

D) PROFESSOR

The criteria for appointment to associate professor plus:

• A record of continuing distinction in research, scholarship or creative endeavors in the field. The scholarship record should clearly provide evidences of national and/or international distinction and reputation.
• Demonstrated excellent teaching ability and shown continuing active engagement with students in and outside of the classroom.
• A record of continuing evidence of relevant and effective professional service and demonstrated ability for continuing achievement in all areas.
• At least 12 years of full-time teaching experience in a college or university, including at least six of those years in the rank of associate professor, and at least six years of full-time teaching at New York Institute of Technology.

Faculty may apply for promotion to a higher academic rank according to the promotion process described in this document.

Faculty Development

New York Institute of Technology recognizes the importance of developing faculty and maintaining intellectual vitality on campus. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) supports faculty members in their work as teacher-scholars by cultivating reflective practice and promoting the scholarship of teaching and learning. CTL assists faculty members in providing New York Tech students with a career-oriented, forward-looking education that prepares them to succeed in a global economy and an increasingly technological world. As part of New York Tech's identity as a global institution, CTL pays particular attention to how social, linguistic, and cultural diversity both affects and enriches the student experience. As part of New York Tech's identity as a partially virtual institution, CTL serves as a resource for best practices in skillful, appropriate, and effective uses of technology in education. The Center for Teaching and Learning has also developed online and other training programs to update faculty knowledge and skills in instructional technology. All resources available online at New York Tech's Center for Teaching and Learning website are free and accessible by all faculty members, both full and part time.

Faculty may also travel to attend local, regional, or international conferences, provided they have a refereed paper to present. In such cases, faculty requests to receive support to cover some of the costs of travel, room, meals and registration fees (See Travel and Entertainment Policy) may be approved by the Executive Director and Campus Dean, to the limit of the faculty development dedicated budget pertaining to the current academic year.

Identification Cards

Each employee is required to obtain an identification card with a photograph. Cards are to be carried at all times while on campus premises and are to be displayed upon request. This card may also be required to enter certain buildings on campus. Faculty visiting other New York Tech campuses must ensure that they bring their faculty ID cards with them and carry them at all times when on all campuses. Identification cards remain the property of New York Institute of Technology and must be surrendered upon authorized request. Should a faculty member separate from New York Tech, their school-issued ID card must be returned to the Office of the Executive Director/Campus Dean or their delegate. New York Tech ID cards are available from the Business Administration Manager.

Sabbaticals

Sabbatical leave may be granted to full-time faculty for purposes of study, research, creative work in literature or the arts, projects or activities related to teaching excellence, and for professional enrichment after seven years of service.

An applicant must demonstrate that the sabbatical period will be utilized to engage in activities relevant to the applicant's discipline that will enhance his/her professional competence. Applicants must agree to serve New York Tech for at least one year after the completion of their sabbaticals, and to submit a written report concerning their completed sabbatical to their Program Dean as well as to the Executive Director.

Faculty members whose applications for sabbatical leave have been approved for a full year will receive stipends for their full-year contract base pay minus adjunct replacement costs (i.e., 21 ELH for three semesters) at the current rate. Faculty members who apply for and are approved for a sabbatical for one semester will receive stipends covering this award of one third of their full-year contract base pay minus adjunct replacement costs for one semester.

Academic Advising

Offering accurate and timely academic advice is the cornerstone of New York Institute of Technology's student-centered approach to providing the highest level of education, taking into account both the international standards of the courses/degrees and the individual needs of the student. The academic catalogs and course schedules are basic guides for advising students about their programs. Refer to your program in the New York Tech Academic Catalog.

All academic advising in Vancouver is carried out by program heads. Specific periods for advisement prior to registration each semester is scheduled, and advisors are expected to meet with their advisees at these times as well as when appropriate during the term. Advisor have access to student records in the form of degree audits, which track all courses and grades for that student (including transfer credits) in a framework that informs both student and the program head of the remaining requirements that need to be met. The advisee's grade report is available to the program head. These reports serve as a basis for advisement and help identify students who may be having academic difficulty or students who are succeeding and deserve recognition. Program heads should be mindful that these records must be treated as confidential student information.

Characteristics which contribute to good advising include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Knowledge of relevant courses, curriculum, and program that can guide students in selecting appropriate to their interests, abilities, and program requirements
• Knowledge about careers and future educational options open to the students after the completion of their programs
• Ability to effectively and accurately use the various physical and electronic resources that pertain to individual student records including my.nyit.edu-linked features
• Ability to communicate with students

Effectiveness in advising is assessed through the following procedures or activities:

• Student Satisfaction Survey
• Alumni/Graduating Student Survey
• Participation in workshops or seminars designed to improve advising skills

Academic Calendar

The academic calendar is published in the New York Tech Academic Catalogs and on the New York Tech website, and copies are available in department offices. Faculty should refer to the calendar when preparing course outlines, planning assignments, and scheduling examinations. Faculty may not disregard the university calendar.

Class Attendance

Faculty are required to record daily class attendance and all grades, including final exam grades on the New York Tech attendance spreadsheet and grade sheets. Additionally, faculty must complete the official attendance report following the third week of the semester and will be required to provide the last date of attendance for students in cases where a grade of F, WF, or I are recorded for a student through the online grading system.

The faculty member's policy on attendance must be clearly described in the course syllabus and noted verbally in class at the first-class meeting. Clear criteria for excused absences must be provided. Attendance policies must be applied consistently to all students in the class.

International students are expected to attend all classes in person to meet post-graduate work permit requirements. While instructors are not required to make attendance a variable in determining final grades, faculty may set the number of allowable absences at a specific number or percentage of class sessions, and may deduct from a student's grade if absences exceed this amount.

Attendance Verification Rosters

Class rosters allow the university to verify which students are attending which classes, to make ready the administrative tools for recording grades and credit, and to reconcile financial records. Attendance verification rosters are accessible online to each faculty member via my.nyit.edu. Instructors must verify attendance for enrolled as well as dropped students indicating whether a student has attended or never attended. Faculty are required to complete the attendance verification roster for each class they are teaching each semester. View a guide.

Students who have been attending class but whose name do not appear on the attendance verification roster should be directed to the Registrar's Office. Instructors may not allow unregistered students to attend classes.

Class Schedules

Class schedules and teaching assignments in addition to the final exam timings are made by Associate Deans and Program Coordinators in cooperation with the registrar and with the approval of the Executive Director/Campus Dean. Once finalized, schedules cannot be altered without the approval of the Executive Director/Campus Dean. Class schedules are developed for the purpose of serving student needs. Although Associate Deans make reasonable efforts to accommodate the scheduling requests of faculty members, service to students and the need to ensure minimum number of contact hours between faculty and students are met as required by the BC Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training.

Final examinations must be given on the scheduled day scheduled day that was indicated in the course syllabus. By accepting to teach the course prior to the registration period, the faculty member accepts the obligation to hold the final exam in as per their published course syllabus.

Classroom Assignments/Room Changes

All courses are scheduled to meet on specific days in assigned classrooms at assigned hours. Room assignments cannot be changed without the prior approval of the Registrar's Office. The Vancouver campus has limited classrooms and faculty should assume that all classrooms are assigned. There may be exceptions that the Office of the Registrar may be aware of. The examination period is scheduled for the last week of the semester.

Course Syllabi

Each course must have a syllabus that conforms to the course content approved by the academic department and the New York Institute of Technology curriculum committees and Senate. New York Tech faculty are expected to use the model syllabus and published course description as a basis for developing course syllabi for the course sections they will teach. All faculty are required to prepare their own syllabus for each course section. These are to be distributed to the students during the first-class meeting and posted on the Learning Management System. A copy must be given to the relevant Assistant/Associate Dean prior to the start of the term for review. The syllabus for each course must include the following information:

• The full official course name and number [e.g., ECON 101 Basic Economics]
• Term and year, day and hours of meeting, room location
• The faculty member's name, office hours, and email address
• The course description from the catalog
• The intended learning outcomes of the course
• Teaching and learning methodology, including any use of online instruction (where appropriate);
• The course topics and contents on a week-by-week basis
• A list of methods and dates of examinations and other student assessments, including the relative weight of various assessment elements in determining the course grade (Grading criteria, and Grading scale)
• Attendance expectations and consequences for absences
• A restatement of New York Tech's policy on academic integrity and computer use
• Course texts, recommended readings, instructional material and learning resources
• A course syllabus blank template is available from the Curriculum Committee

The syllabus should also include any other information the faculty member feels will help students understand the scope and activities of the course and their responsibilities as well as the expected learning outcomes. See policy statements in this handbook as background for reviewing them with students. A syllabus represents an agreement between the instructor and the student specifying what each is expected to accomplish during the term. The information provided on the course outline must form the basis for the calculation of student grades. Discrepancies between information on the course syllabus and the actual method used to calculate grades are often the cause for student grade appeals.

Faculty who vary their program of instruction from the approved syllabi including changes in classroom hours or mode of instruction can put the institution at risk of losing accreditation. The institution has an obligation to students to meet all course requirements to ensure students receive the instruction to which they are entitled and to ensure students can then meet their obligations towards their post graduate work permit. Faculty who vary their syllabus from the published syllabus without prior approval will be subject to disciplinary action.

Early Warning

After each term, students who are placed on probation or suspension are notified by email of their need to make an appointment with the Director of Students Affairs regarding their academic standing. The Director of Student Affairs documents the outcome of the meeting with the students in Peoplesoft notes and notifies the Associate Dean. It is strongly suggested that faculty should be prepared to submit concerns about at-risk students by week 6 of the semester to their respective Associate Dean. The earlier in the semester an at-risk student is identified, the more options there are for resolving the issue and succeeding in the course.

The Save Our Students (SOS) Early Alert Initiative lets faculty and staff provide feedback identifying graduate students at risk for attrition. The faculty's concerned, proactive feedback allows the Student Affairs staff to take action in helping students address concerning behavior and, hopefully, succeed in the current semester.

Faculty members are encouraged to Issue an Alert as soon as they identify a student who would benefit from additional outreach.

Faculty Availability/Office Hours

Each full-time faculty member is required to schedule office hours in addition to his/her classroom hours. Full-time faculty must schedule a minimum of one office hour per week per 3-credit course taught. Office hours must be posted in the Learning Management System, and listed on course outlines. Office hours should be scheduled after consultation with the Associate Dean and at times convenient for students. Adjunct faculty must schedule a minimum of one hour per week per three-credit course taught. Office hours must be posted in the Learning Management System and listed on course outlines. Adjunct faculty may schedule their office hours just before or after their classes.

Office hours provide students with opportunities to meet with faculty for tutoring, academic counseling, course-related discussions, friendly conversations, and advisement. These activities need not be limited to office hours, but may also usefully occur before or after class, online, over the phone, or even on the way to the parking lot or cafeteria. The university encourages faculty to interact with students as frequently as possible.

Final Examinations

Final examinations are given in courses at New York Institute of Technology as a matter of both pedagogical value and in fulfillment of requirements for the minimum number of contact hours between an instructor and the students in a course. If an instructor believes that a final exam is not an appropriate pedagogical tool for a particular class, a request to omit the final exam must be approved by the Associate Dean. All final exams must be held as per the course syllabus. Exams will be scheduled consistent with the class registration information. by registering for course, students are agreeing to take the exam at the specified date and time. As a result, the only acceptable reason for a student missing a final exam is an unanticipated emergency such as a documented medical excuse. Likewise, a faculty member also agrees to the specified final examination schedule when accepting to teach a course.

The schedule of exams including the date, time, and place of the tests is developed by the faculty. Faculty should consult with the Registrar's Office for additional room booking and arranging for proctors.

Grade Appeals »

Grade Posting

Grades are due five (5) days after the last day of classes as scheduled in the academic calendar and all faculty members must post all grades on the rosters through my.nyit.edu. Instructors should not post student grades publicly. Students who want to know their grades immediately may request them from their instructor. Students have the ability to check their grades online as soon as the instructor has submitted the grades online. Grades should never be given out over the phone. One can never be sure who is calling and therefore, in giving out information over the phone, faculty risk violating a student's rights concerning the privacy of his or her grades.

Grade Submissions

The final grades for each student must be electronically entered directly into the New York Tech database through my.nyit.edu by the instructor within 5 days of the last day of classes. The instructor should calculate final grades according to the grading policy outlined in the syllabus. These can include attendance, participation, assignments, projects, presentations, quizzes, tests, and examinations. Each element used in the grading must be weighed according to the formula presented to the students in the course syllabus during the first-class period. The percentage total for each student is then converted to a letter grade.

The calibration of grades to percentages is left to the discretion of the professor.

Faculty need to submit their final grades approve their submission in the grade roster. If not "Approved", please go back to the grade roster and change the approval status to "Approved." The grades will be posted and displayed on student transcripts only if the roster is "Approved." If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Registrar on your campus. Faculty are required to keep the following documentation on-file for one semester in the event of a grade-change request:

• A clean copy of the final exam and all other tests plus assignment descriptions
• A copy of the syllabus
• All of the graded final exams/projects by the students
• An attendance sheet that contains information about each student for each class period
• A Grade Sheet in the form of a spreadsheet with a clear number score for participation (if relevant) and each assignment, quiz, project, and exam; a total score from 0 to 100; and, the final letter grade for each student. Grades must be computed in compliance with the formula presented in the course syllabus and the manner in which the grades were calculated must be presented in a manner that can be readily determined.

Disciplinary actions will result upon discovery of intentionally inaccurate or misleading end of course materials received by the instructor. Any delay in submitting final grades can represent a hardship for students who may need their grades for employment purposes, tuition reimbursement from employers, scholarships, and entrance to graduate or professional programs, or for changes in their course registrations.

Graduate students receive one of the following grades for each course completed and/or registered for during each semester:

GPA

At the conclusion of the fall, spring, and summer terms, two averages are computed for each student to indicate the general level of academic standing.

The first is called the grade point average (GPA), which indicates the scholarship level for the term. The second is called the cumulative grade point average (CGPA), which indicates the scholarship level for all work taken at New York Tech.

The GPA is computed by adding all the quality points earned for the semester and then dividing by the number of credits for those courses graded with an A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, F, or IF.

The CGPA, computed in a similar manner, represents all the quality points earned during all the semesters the student has attended New York Institute of Technology, divided by the number of credits for those courses where the grade given is an A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, F, or IF.

Quality Points

Quality points are awarded in accordance with the grade schedule above. For example, students who earn an A in a three-credit course accumulate four quality points per credit for a total of 12 quality points; a grade of B+ in a three-credit course would accumulate 3.3 quality points per credit for a total of 9.9 quality points; a grade of A in a two-credit course would accumulate four quality points per credit for a total of eight quality points. No quality points are awarded for grades of AU, F, I, IF, P, PR, W, or UW.

Incomplete Grades

The temporary grade of Incomplete (I) shall change to a Failing (IF) grade if the student does not complete all work by the end of the allotted time. An IF grade may not be challenged, and the course must be repeated by the student to receive credit.

The following policies shall guide the awarding and calculation of the I grade, and the change of the I grade to an IF grade:

• The student must request additional time to complete a single project, report, or final examination.
• The grade of incomplete is to be assigned only to students who are otherwise passing the course at the end of the semester.
• The instructor has the right to refuse the request and may assign a final grade based solely on the work already completed.
• The grade of incomplete will change to a failing grade if the outstanding coursework is not completed in accordance with the schedule in effect at the time it was assigned, regardless of the average the student otherwise maintained in the class (see academic calendar for dates).
• A single short extension of the time period shall be granted only in exceptional circumstances by the vice president for academic affairs.
• The grade of incomplete will not be assigned to students with excessive absences, especially when those absences include the final sessions of the course, unless extenuating circumstances have been established.
• The incomplete grade is recorded by the registrar as "attempted credits," until the course is complete.
• The incomplete grade that changes to a failing grade will carry zero quality points.
• Students can advance if an incomplete grade is assigned to a prerequisite course for the term immediately following the assignment of an I grade but cannot advance after an I grade changes to an IF.
• When the grade of incomplete is changed to an IF, the I grade shall remain on the record and the transcript so that it will read IF, thereby distinguishing it from the F grade.
• I grade may have an effect on the student's financial aid and/or student visa status. Students are encouraged to meet with the financial aid and/or international student advisor when requesting the I option.

Repeat Courses (Graduate Students)

Graduate students who have earned a grade of C or F in a course may retake the course to earn a higher grade. Only the higher grade will be used in computing the GPA; however, the original C or F grade will remain on the record as a matter of information. The only courses that may be repeated for credit are those that result in grades of C, IC, W, IF, F, or UW.

Proctoring of Exams

Proctoring examinations is the responsibility of the instructor assigned to the course section. Additional proctors may be requested. Non-faculty may not be the sole proctors during an exam but must be accompanied by a faculty member.

• All examinations will start promptly at the scheduled time of the examination.
• Students arriving late to the exam will not be permitted to write the test/exam after any student has left the exam room.
• Only materials designated by the professor in the examination instructions are to remain on the desk.
• All personal belongings, (i.e. book bags, pocketbooks, cell phones, tablets) must be placed at the front of the classroom.
• No outerwear items are permitted to be worn during the exam (e.g., hats, gloves, overcoats, jackets, vests). Religious head coverings are exempted.
• There is to be no food or drink in the classrooms, either before or during the exams. Only clear water in clear containers will be allowed in the classrooms. A snack (energy bar, chocolate bar) may be allowed for exams longer than two hours with the permission of the instructor.
• Students will not speak with each other once they have entered the test/exam room.
• Students are not permitted to share personal items (pens, calculators, etc.) during an examination.
• The proctor or professor shall place the examination face down on the desk and it will remain face down until students are instructed to start the exam.
• Students may speak only to the professor or proctor during the test/exam
• No more than one student shall leave the examination room at any time.
• All students must stop typing or writing and submit their exam when the allotted time has expired.

Records Retention

Please see the Records Retention Policy.

Teaching at Other Institutions

Full-time faculty cannot teach at any other educational institution without the explicit, prior permission of the Executive Director and Campus Dean or designate. Permission must be renewed annually.

Tutorials

Tutorials are courses that are offered to an individual or a small number of students (7 students or less) and take the form of a seminar. Tutorials are provided only under one or more of these circumstances:

• The course is needed for graduation at the end of the current term
• The course is required for progress in the degree and students would not be able to continue study without it during the current term
• The course content is appropriate for a tutorial format

Tutorials must be approved in advance by the Executive Director/Campus Dean. Upon approval of the tutorial, the request will be forwarded to the registration office and the course will be established. This is important because if the course is not officially established by the registration office, the student (s) will not be able to register for it and no class list or grade sheet will be generated. To protect academic integrity and course densities in other classes, reasons for requesting a tutorial should be clearly stated, demonstrate real need, and should include appropriate documentation. Any request tied to a graduation date, for example, should be accompanied by a printout of the student's unofficial transcript.

Tutorials are required to meet on a regular fixed schedule. The number of contact hours is determined by the number of credit hours associated with the course. A statement of how and when the tutorial was conducted must be submitted in writing at the close of the course for administrative records. This statement must also be attached to the request for payment for the tutorial. Faculty are compensated separately for tutorials which do not count toward fulfillment of contract obligations unless the faculty member's net workload (contractual workload minus release for academic administrative appointment, if any) is not fulfilled at the end of the academic year, or unless authorized by the academic dean. A faculty may not teach more than two tutorial courses per term.

Accessibility Services

Students who require additional support and accessibility services are to contact the Director of Student Affairs. New York Institute of Technology provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Admission, course, and graduation requirements are the same as for all students regardless of their abilities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided on a case-by-case basis and will be made upon proof of disability, need and availability of the accommodation. Accommodations for disabilities are meant to facilitate educational opportunities.

The Director of Student Affairs works with the students to determine what accommodations are required. Should it be determined that a student requires accommodations, a written statement is prepared listing the recommended accommodations for that student. The student will present this written statement to faculty and then both the faculty and the student sign the form, which is then returned to the Director of Student Affairs.

Should there be any concerns regarding the recommended accommodation(s) s/he should contact the Director of Student Affairs.

Some examples of possible accommodations are:

• use of a note taker or scribe
• extended time on tests
• quiet location to take a test
• tests to be administered verbally to a student
• a student may need to be seated in the front row of a class

It is a policy of New York Tech's Academic Senate that faculty must allow a student to record the faculty member's class if recording has been identified as a reasonable accommodation for that student. New York Tech welcomes students who are motivated to learn despite physical, emotional, or cognitive disabilities. If there are indications that a student has a learning disability, needs assistance, and has not sought appropriate accommodations, that student should be encouraged to contact the Director of Student Affairs., or complete the form on the Save Our Students (SOS) platform.

Administrative Resources

Business Cards

New York Tech business cards may be ordered in quantities of 250 or 500. Please make your request via the New York Tech Business Card portal. The basic card design is predetermined but if you have special requirements (e.g., two languages or offices on two campuses), alternate versions are available. After you fill out the online form, your request will be sent to a designated administrator in your school/college for your review, approval, and payment by your department.

Bookstore and Book/Supply Orders (Online)

Books and other supplies are generally selected for each course by the faculty member teaching the course, in conjunction with the department's Associate Dean.

New York Institute of Technology uses a bookstore model in which faculty select and adopt textbooks and related course materials through an online system run by Akademos, and students go to that site to place their orders. Faculty should consult with Librarians to order hard copy texts where required and can also request e-book formats for student use. Vancouver Faculty are encouraged to utilize digital format texts and Open Education Resources.

Faculty may order instructors' copies of textbooks as supplementary instructional materials from publishers. Many publishers send complimentary copies of their textbooks to departments, even when these textbooks have not been ordered for courses. Faculty members may keep instructors' copies or return them to the department for return to one of New York Tech's Libraries.

Faculty are reminded that many students are on limited budgets. Every effort should be made to keep the cost of required materials within reason and use digital and OER resources where possible. Faculty can find OER resources at the New York Tech Vancouver Library and BCcampus' OER Repository.

Career Services and Experiential Learning

The Department of Career Services (CS) is committed to assisting New York Tech students with making connections between their academic and professional experience and career goals. We provide personalized advising, resources and programs to help individuals explore careers, develop skills through experiential opportunities, and discover their interests, values and abilities. We build relationships with alumni, corporate and community partners to optimize students' internship, job, volunteer and career opportunities. Additionally, through creating strategic partnerships with campus departments, we assist students in developing and articulating co-curricular activities that will help ensure they are competitive in their future pursuits.

The vast majority of students at the Vancouver campus are from other countries, so Career Services provides supplementary training and resources to help them adapt to Canadian society. We enlist expert immigration consultants to give seminars about the knowledge that our students need when planning their life in Canada. CS services facilitates the Internship Certificate Program (ICP) and workshops on culture shock and respect for indigenous peoples. In addition, Career Services offers the unique Certificate in Career Development for Canadian Workplaces, which includes five workshops in the series. They include Social Skills and Cultural Rules in the Canadian Workplace, How to Find a Suitable Career in Canada, Grow Your Canadian Network with LinkedIn & Informational Interviews, How to Write Resumes & Cover Letters That Get Results in Canada, and How to Succeed in Canadian Job Interviews and Overcome Anxiety. Our goal is to provide students with the economic, social and cultural knowledge that is needed to have successful careers in Canada and become inclusive citizens in our multicultural society.

Counselling Services

NYIT-Vancouver receives student-counselling support from Empower Me. Empower Me is a mental health and wellness service for eligible students that seeks to contribute to a resilient student community by supporting existing on-campus mental health resources. It can connect you with a number of professionals with various domains of expertise, in person or via telephone or videoconference.

• Available 24/7, 365 days a year
• Confidential
• Multilingual
• Culturally sensitive
• Gender inclusive
• Faith inclusive

If a student comes to you in distress or if you feel that a student needs support please encourage them to call the 24/7 helpline at 1-833-628-5589 from anywhere in Canada or the US.

Emergency School Closures »

Information Technology Services »

Institutional Effectiveness

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness in RADS (Research, Assessment and Decision Support) is responsible for matters related to the institution's accreditation with Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and discipline-specific accreditation requirements in educational effectiveness.

Institutional Research

The Office of Institutional Research is charged with the collection, analysis, and dissemination of institutional data and information to support institutional planning, monitoring, and decision-making, as well as the assessment activities of other units. New York Tech's institutional research practices are designed to meet the relevant standard set by its institutional accrediting agency, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Instructional Materials and Textbooks

Faculty decide what books or instructional materials are used in their class. Faculty should ensure books can be ordered in sufficient time before classes start and should consult with a New York Tech Librarian to facilitate access to the books online or in print. Faculty are encouraged to use open source materials and books to minimize out of pocket student costs as students are required to pay for any instructional materials. The campus will order the instructor's copy of any textbook or teaching material.

Library Services

New York Institute of Technology will soon have a local physical library at the expanded Broadway Tech Center campus that will provide a variety of resources. The state-of-the-art New York Tech E-Library, which is accessible via the Internet from campus, home, or, anywhere in the world. To use the library, and its computer stations, faculty must have a valid New York Tech ID card. Detailed information regarding local library access is available from the Executive Director/Campus Dean's office. New York Tech's library catalogs, subscription databases, and e-book collection (NetLibrary) may be accessed through the Library Services section of New York Tech's website.

New York Tech's libraries are open when the university is in session. The daily hours of operation are posted in the libraries and other places throughout the campus and vary with the class and exam schedule. They are staffed by a professional librarian who is available to assist. The New York library catalogs, subscription databases, and e-book collection (NetLibrary) may be accessed through the Library Services section of New York Tech's website.

Office Supplies

Faculty should not purchase supplies. All Vancouver office supplies are purchased centrally on a monthly basis. Please ask the Faculty Support Coordinator or the Manager of Business Services for office and supplies. They will coordinate special with the Purchasing Department and the local supplier.

Open Education Resources

NYIT-Vancouver recognizes the power of Open Educational Resources and works to continue incorporating more OER content. Our students actively engage in creating educational resources for the public domain under Creative Commons. Policies and procedures on the use and development of Open Education resources can be found at the New York Tech Library.

Registrar

The Office of the Vancouver Registrar is responsible for directing and coordinating all registration activities, enforcing New York Tech policies, collecting final grades, reviewing students for graduation, maintaining student records, producing transcripts, publishing the schedule of classes, verifying students' enrollment, reporting student enrolment status to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and issuing letters of completion to students.

Safety Precautions

On campus alone?

If you have any safety concerns while on campus or would like to access the Safe Walk Program, please call Building Security at 604.669.3241 for Downtown campus and 604.834.0246 for BTC campus. A security officer will be available to support you. Just tell them:

• your name, location, and phone number
• an estimated time of departure (please let Security know if this changes)
• your mode of travel and, if applicable, a description of your vehicle and the place where you've parked
• whether you desire a walking escort to your vehicle, a bus or train station, or other location

Before you leave, you must call Security again to confirm that you are well and that you are departing. Security may check in on you at your location, particularly if they have not received your confirmation that you have departed.

Information Technology Services

The ITS Help Desk is a call center within the Office of Information Technology Services that facilitates expedited assistance for information technology/computer related problems, media services, and telecommunications issues. ITS Help Desk is available to all faculty, staff, and students at nyit.edu/itshelp. Local support is provided by Vancouver's IT Technicians who can be reached at 778.783.5933 or susman06@nyit.edu.

Telephones

New York Tech's ITS Help Desk also provides support for telecommunications devices, including phones, cell phones, mobile devices, and more, as well as assistance with WiFi and network components. Please contact nyit.edu/itshelp.

Academic Freedom

All faculty at New York Tech work within the context of the institution's commitment to the principles of academic freedom. Instructors are entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing their subject, but should be careful not to introduce into the teaching controversial matters that have no relation to the subject being taught.

New York Tech instructors are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When they speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As persons of learning and educational officers, they should be mindful that the public may judge the profession and the institution by these utterances. Hence, they should at all times be accurate, exercise appropriate restraint, show respect for the opinions of others, and make every effort to indicate that they are not institutional spokespersons.

The instructor is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of results, subject to the adequate performance of other academic duties; however, research for pecuniary return must be approved annually by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Academic Honesty – Vancouver Faculty

Faculty members are expected to manifest academic honesty in all of their endeavors. Faculty academic honesty includes, but is not limited to:

• Accurate reporting of data.
• Taking responsibility and credit, including authorship credit, only for work that a faculty member has actually performed or to which a faculty member has contributed purposefully.
• Citing appropriately portions or elements of another's work or data. Faculty academic dishonesty is cause for dismissal. (Please also see the Policy for Responding to Allegations of Misconduct in Research and Related Matters.) Academic Integrity – Vancouver Students Faculty should encourage their students to manifest academic honesty in their curricular endeavors. Students may be disciplined for the following forms of academic dishonesty:
• Offering false information for university records, forging or altering university records, or submitting fraudulent documents for admission, enrollment or graduation.
• Offering for credit any dissertation, thesis, term paper, essay, report or other written assignment prepared by or purchased from someone else.
• Committing plagiarism by appropriating all or part of someone else's work (such as but not limited to writing, coding programs, images, etc.) and offering it as one's own.
• Cheating by using false pretenses, tricks, devices, artifices or deceptions to obtain credit on any examination or in any university course.

A faculty member who believes that a student has committed one of these forms of academic dishonesty must inform his or her Associate Dean and make a written report to the Vancouver Office of Student Affairs to initiate disciplinary proceedings. In the case of an alleged violation of academic integrity, the faculty member or designate must complete the online Academic Dishonesty Incident Report (on Maxient) documenting all evidence to support the alleged violation. The submitted form will automatically be sent to the Student Affairs Office, and the Director of Student Affairs will begin the review process.

The faculty member will be invited to participate in the proceedings, which will afford the opportunity to provide details. For further information please see New York Tech's Academic Integrity Policy and New York Tech's Academic Computing Code of Responsible Technology Usage.

Code of Conduct for Students

New York Institute of Technology is committed to the philosophy of educating its students through rational inquiry, discourse, and cooperative resolution of controversial issues. To achieve its educational objectives, New York Tech expects all members of the University community to show respect for the views of others and to accept responsibility for their own actions.

The New York Tech's Student Code of Conduct was developed to protect the right of every student to learn, to preserve academic integrity and public order. Every student who accepts enrollment at New York Institute of Technology thereby agrees to abide by this code and all university rules and regulations published in the New York Tech catalog. Violators of the code's provisions are subject to disciplinary action by the Director of Student Affairs. The Student Code of Conduct is contained within the Student Handbook.

Faculty should contact the Office of Student Affairs if they witness or are privy to conversations with students about any hindrance to any student's learning as a result of another person's (student or non-student) behavior that is contrary to the University's expectations.

Email Policy

Whether you are part-time or full-time faculty, you will be given a New York Tech email account when your employment status is confirmed. Faculty should use their university email account (@nyit.edu), rather than a personal email account, for New York Tech related communications.

Faculty Use of Canvas

Faculty will use Canvas for all course sections. For each course, faculty will, at a minimum:

• Post a full course syllabus, including faculty contact information and office hours
• Use announcements and/or discussions to communicate with their students
• Post all assignment details, including requirements, deadlines, and due dates

Faculty are also encouraged to include additional ways for students in each class to connect with other students in a virtual environment.

Faculty Use of Turnitin

New York Institute of Technology has a license agreement with Turnitin, a cloud based online service that can be used to detect and prevent plagiarism in student assignments. Student work is protected by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) in BC as they are educational records.

All faculty choosing to use Turnitin or any other plagiarism detection services must notify students on the official course syllabus:

• Of the use and purpose of Turnitin
• Of the rights of the student to not submit personally identifiable information (PII) to Turnitin. PII includes the student's name, social security number, and/or their New York Tech Student ID number.
• Students must be informed that not submitting PII to Turnitin will have no impact on their success in the class.
• Faculty will ensure students' privacy while carrying out the verification process of student work for academic honesty by removing all personally identifiable information.

If a faculty member personally submits student work to Turnitin or other plagiarism detection sites, the faculty member must remove all PII from the work.

If a faculty member receives information from Turnitin that leads the faculty to judge that a student has plagiarized, the faculty member must follow the Academic Integrity Policy.

In general, intellectual property created as part of your work for New York Institute of Technology, including all course materials (such as syllabi, assignments, course documents and tests) is owned by New York Institute of Technology.

Special rules, however, apply in the case of faculty patentable inventions because of the institutional desire to encourage inventions for the public good and to advance the purposes of teaching and research at an institution of higher education. See the New York Tech Patent Policy.

As a faculty member, you must not participate in a consensual romantic and/or sexual relationship with any student who is enrolled in any of your classes or is under your authority. Situations of authority include, but are not limited to: teaching, formal mentoring or advising; supervision of research and employment of a student as a research or teaching assistant; exercising substantial responsibility for grades, honors, or degrees; and involvement in disciplinary action related to the student. You are also discouraged from participating in this type of relationship with any student not under your authority. You should also not participate in a consensual romantic and/or sexual relationship with anyone who is subject to your supervision or evaluation. There is a power differential in these relationships that could compromise your ability to perform your job duties in an unbiased manner. In addition, there is a danger that the consensual nature of the relationship could later be interpreted as nonconsensual and therefore create a potential for a claim of sexual harassment.

We recognize that two people may already be engaged in some type of consensual relationship before one of the above-listed situations occurs. In this case, whoever is in the "supervisory" position, whether as an employee or a professor, must make every effort to place the student or subordinate employee in another situation. If this is not possible, the conflict must be resolved in another manner—the student must drop the class, one employee or the other must resign, or the relationship must end. For the purposes of this policy, employees who are or were married are considered in a consensual relationship.

Also, please see section on "Relationships with Other Employees and Family" in the Employee Handbook.

In order to conduct any research with either human or nonhuman subjects, including survey and interview research, you must first have your research plan approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) for human subjects, or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for nonhuman subjects. In addition, all individuals involved in human subject research (investigators and support staff, faculty and students) must first receive training in basic human subject protection. For further information, please contact OSPAR at 516.686.7737 or dgrzan@nyit.edu.

All employees are expected to follow New York Tech's Social Media Guidelines for professional and personal use when creating or contributing to blogs wikis, social networks, virtual worlds, or any other kind of social media. It is your sole individual responsibility to ensure ongoing compliance.

Participation in social networking on behalf of New York Tech is not a right but an opportunity, and must be treated seriously and with respect. Failure to do so could limit your ability to participate in the university's official social media accounts. Guidelines continually evolve as new technologies and social networking tools emerge. It is the individual faculty member's responsibility to check them regularly to stay current.

University travel is permitted at New York Tech. Faculty seeking to engage in reimbursable travel must obtain pre-approval from the Campus Dean. International travel may be limited by the Government of Canada and the destination country. No one should plan to travel to any country currently deemed a high COVID-19 or security risk. Whenever possible, anyone able to participate in a conference virtually should do so.

New York Institute of Technology, Vancouver uses "New York Tech" as its shortened name on all official communications, and all faculty should do the same. The Vancouver-specific university logo should also be used on all publications and letterheads. To understand proper use of the logo in print and digital communications and/or to download letterhead or logos, refer to the DIY Toolkit from the Office of Strategic Communications.

Faculty and staff should use university branded stationery in their academic duties and may use their titles and place of employment for identification purposes, such as in general references or publications. New York Tech does not permit the use of its name or the position of its employees in any announcement, advertisement, publication, or report that in any way implies endorsement of any product, person, or service not officially approved by New York Tech.

Faculty must maintain their official New York Tech bio, accomplishments, and profile picture up to date. Faculty must enter bio changes and requests for official business cards and promotional materials on the Strategic Communications Requests webpage.

Each year in August, Vancouver will issue a call for research proposals. The proposals will be reviewed in September with awards granted in early October. Proposals will be evaluated by a Vancouver research grant committee. The grant committee will be formed as a subcommittee of the administrative team. The application form is available for download in Appendix 2. Successful applicants are required to submit a final report (or interim report if the project is multi-year) by June 1 of the following calendar year.

Appendix 1: Associate Dean Job Description

The Associate Dean's primary responsibility is to promote the university's highest possible levels of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and professional development.

Deliverables

• Course schedules, faculty assignments, course syllabi, adjunct appointments for each semester should be shared with the Executive Director/Campus Dean and the Assistant Campus, two months prior to the beginning of the semester.
• Minutes of faculty meetings should be made available upon request and submitted to the New York based Academic Dean and Executive Director/Campus Dean.
• An annual report, including activities and performance recommendations for academic expansion and strategic planning, must be submitted to the Executive Director/Campus Dean by July 15 of each year.

Academic Duties

Course Assignments and Scheduling

• The Associate Dean, in consultation with the faculty, will assign appropriate courses to the faculty each term.
• The Associate Dean will coordinate departmental efforts with the Executive Director/Campus Dean to schedule courses in advance and determine the minimum number of courses to meet students' needs in day and evening.
• The Associate Dean will verify any course changes with the NY Academic Dean. The Associate Dean will obtain and review the updated copies of all course outlines/syllabi from the faculty. Specifically, the following policies must be enforced by the Associate Dean:
  • Course registration and degree map: advisement is based on a case-by-case basis. For students with pre-requisites (waivable courses), the degree map must be revised to include the assigned pre-requisites. These students should not be allowed to take subsequent graduate level courses.
  • Resumes for faculty currently teaching courses in the program must be updated and available/accessible to NY.
  • Course outlines must be reviewed before the beginning of each semester and approved. Any modifications or updates must be communicated with the faculty teaching the course. Associate Deans will handle pre-requisite waiver requests.
  • The Associate Dean, in consultation with the faculty, will assign appropriate courses to the faculty each term.

Faculty Needs

• The Associate Dean should inform the Executive Director/Campus Dean about faculty needs and determine the number of Adjunct and Full-time faculty needed each semester.
• Local advertisements for Adjunct faculty should be prepared and posted in consultation with the office of the Executive Director/Campus Dean.
• Hiring of adjunct faculty prior to appointment: The Associate Dean reviews resumes of potential adjunct faculty in conjunction with the Executive Director/Campus Dean.

Capital Needs and Laboratories Supervision

• In consultation with the faculty, the Executive Director/Campus Dean and the Associate Dean will determine the minimum necessary capital required to maintain and upgrade laboratory facilities including all hardware and software.

Administration and Campus Life

• The Associate Dean is responsible for ensuring that faculty are aware of school policies and will arrange departmental faculty meetings. The Associate Dean will also participate in all campus graduation ceremonies, and other ceremonies and functions, as necessary.

Assessment and Accreditation

• The Associate Dean, in consultation with the Executive Director/Campus Dean, will make certain that the realization of learning outcomes, as specified on the course outlines, are evaluated annually.
• In compliance with various accreditation requirements, the Associate Dean in consultation with the Executive Director/Campus Dean will coordinate departmental efforts to establish outcomes assessment process, coordinate with the Office of Sponsored Research, Assessment and Decision Support to conduct required surveys and collect and analyze data regarding continuous improvements to meet program educational objectives and program outcomes. In addition, the Associate Dean will liaise with the Campus Dean on all matters related to the logistical finalization of the on-site (initial and renewal) accreditation processes.
• The Associate Dean will ensure that all faculty have completed grade submission and attendance rosters as per the university policy.
• The Associate Dean will handle all grade change request submissions.

Faculty Evaluation

• The Associate Dean will assist the faculty in preparing their portfolios to apply for promotion and reappointment, if needed.
• The Associate Dean will consult with the Campus Dean on all matters regarding faculty evaluation. The Associate Dean will be provided student and peer evaluation forms. It is the responsibility of the Associate Dean to observe the faculty and administer the forms according to New York Tech's policies and procedures attached to the forms. In addition, the Associate Dean will liaise with the Campus Dean on all matters related to the logistical finalization of the faculty evaluation process.

Student Advising

• The Associate Dean is responsible to make sure that the students are properly advised, taking courses, including assigned prerequisites, in proper sequence. It is the Associate Dean's responsibility to deal with student pre-requisite concerns.
• All grade change requests must be generated by the faculty member of record with supporting documentation. For all "drop" requests for students, the Associate Dean will fulfill the role of the student advisor and approve/deny. For all additions to closed courses once the class is in session the addition must be agreed upon by the instructor of record. Transfer evaluations, change of majors, waivers and substitutions must be approved by the Associate Dean.
• The Associate Dean will consult with the Probation Committee on matters regarding probation, dismissal.
• When students apply for graduation, the Associate Dean will inform the students accordingly and process the STAR report and forward it to the Registrar's department.
• The Associate Dean will meet with students as required.

Student Recruitment and Retention

• The Associate Dean will assist with outreach to prospective students and recruitment of qualified students.
• The Associate Dean, in cooperation with the faculty and Student Affairs, will monitor student performance, address student deficiencies, and provide the students with any possible assistance to ensure their success.

Faculty Scholarship

• The Associate Dean will encourage the faculty to engage in research, professional development activities, and seek collaboration opportunities. In cooperation with the Campus Dean, the Associate Dean will arrange for faculty participation in professional conferences, invite speakers, and encourage faculty to publish and/or present papers in professional conferences. The Associate Dean, in consultation with the faculty and the Dean will seek opportunities to attract funding for research and development activities.

Industry Relations

• The Associate Dean will work closely with Career Services to promote the programs, seek opportunities for internships and design projects through local industry contacts to enhance the students' project-based learning and practical experience.
• ln consultation with the Campus Dean and the faculty, the Associate Dean will form an industrial advisory board (per program) for advice on academic, student employment, internships and career matters and arrange for faculty to meet with the board at least twice a year to address matters such as program assessment, employment and internship opportunities, and program recommendations. The Associate Dean will maintain Advisory Board minutes and forward any recommendations to the Campus Dean for consideration.
• The Associate Dean will look for opportunities to offer certificates and training to professionals in specific areas of specialties.

Appendix 2: Vancouver Research Grant

Download the application for a Vancouver Research Grant (fill-in).