Teaching & Learning Expectations
Neil Griffin College of Business (NGCoB): Teaching and Service Expectations
Mission Statement
The mission of the A-State Neil Griffin College of Business is to provide high-quality management education to traditional and non-traditional students in the Mid-South and to provide support for businesses and communities through research, economic development activities, and consultative services. The College strives to build challenging programs of excellence with emphasis on leadership values, international business, technology, entrepreneurship, and economic development through an educational process that fosters analytical thinking, problem-solving, communication skills, and experiential learning. Emphasis is placed on undergraduate education, while meeting the needs of the business community through select graduate degrees and professional workforce development programs.
The College is committed to enhancing the professional development of faculty and staff by supporting applied research, instructional development, and professional growth activities in a collegial environment. Professional development is also provided to students through student organizations, honor societies, and action-based learning. The Mission is strengthened through ongoing review and continuous improvement of all programs and activities.
Preamble and Mission Alignment
This policy document establishes clear expectations for all faculty within the Neil Griffin College of Business (NGCoB) to ensure a consistent, high-quality, and engaging educational experience for our students, in alignment with our mission to foster effective teaching and learning.
As an AACSB-accredited institution, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic excellence, which requires a shared commitment to professionalism, timely communication, and continuous improvement in all facets of our work.
I. Teaching and Learning Excellence
The NGCoB prioritizes an instructional environment that promotes deep student engagement, clear expectations, and timely feedback.
A. Course Syllabi and Simple Syllabus Mandate
Clear and comprehensive syllabi are foundational to student success. The use of a standardized, accessible platform is required to ensure consistency and compliance.
Simple Syllabus Mandate: Effective Spring 2026, all course syllabi must be created, maintained, and delivered to students using the Simple Syllabus tool integrated within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
- Syllabus Availability Timeline:
- 15-week courses (and equivalent sessions): The syllabus must be published and made available to students no later than Friday of the first week of class.
- Compressed courses (5-week, 7-week, Spring/Summer Interims, and other non-standard sessions): The syllabus must be published and made available to students no later than the first day of the course.
- Syllabus Coverage:
- The syllabus provided to students must be for the entire duration of the respective course modality (full 15 weeks, 5 weeks, 7 weeks, spring and summer interims, etc.).
- Comprehensive Due Dates and LMS Integration:
- Syllabi must include due dates for expected assignments, exams, projects, and activities throughout the course.
- If assignments, quizzes, or other graded activities are completed in external web portals or third-party platforms (e.g., McGraw Hill Connect, Pearson MyLab, Cengage MindTap, Lumen Learning Waymaker, etc.), these items must be integrated into the Canvas LMS (via a sync or manual entry) so that students are sent required notifications, reminders and alerts regarding due dates via the Canvas system and so that grades are integrated into the Canvas gradebook.
- LMS (Canvas) Central Repository for all Grades:
All student grades for both traditional and online courses must be entered into Canvas to ensure students have timely access to their progress. Faculty are required to use Canvas as the primary platform for storing grades rather than external spreadsheets. Grades must be shared within 3 business days after each assessment due date, not just at the end of the semester. Faculty must download an offline copy of their Canvas LMS gradebook to their university-issued computer once a week. These weekly backups ensure student data remains secure and accessible during potential LMS downtime, data breaches, or system outages.
A-State Queretaro Faculty are required to record all their class sessions, regardless of modality, in compliance with the Mexican Secretariat of Public Education (SEP). Recording all lectures ensures that even if a student is unable to attend classes, they have access to the recording of the class session as part of their tuition, per the Mexican SEP.
B. Class Attendance and Participation Policy
Regular attendance and participation are critical for achieving course learning objectives
(A-State Undergraduate Bulletin 2025 - 2026) Link: https://catalog.astate.edu/index.php?catoid=12
- Faculty-Defined Policy: Each faculty member shall define a clear and detailed class attendance and participation policy in their course syllabus, consistent with any broader NGCoB or A-State Class Attendance policies.
- Impact on Grade: Faculty must clearly state how attendance and/or participation impacts the final course grade. As best practices suggest, faculty are encouraged to focus the grading impact on engagement and learning outcomes.
- Documentation: Syllabi should inform students of procedures for reporting absences and the expectation to complete all missed work, regardless of whether the absence is excused or unexcused.
C. Specific Guidelines for Online Courses
· Instructional Presence and Engagement Strategy: Faculty will maintain an active online teaching presence by providing weekly video or module-overview introductions and regular course updates. Courses must include active learning opportunities (e.g., case studies, software simulations, discussion boards, group work/interaction) that offer clear expectations for student-to-student and student-to-instructor interaction. Faculty will also host at least one virtual meeting each week. The virtual meeting must be at least 30 minutes long and recorded, with the video posted to Canvas. As our online courses are asynchronous, student attendance is optional. As a best practice, the virtual meeting should be scheduled at a consistent time and announced at the beginning of the term.
· Feedback Timeliness and Progress Support: Faculty must return all grades and feedback within 3 business days of submission to support student learning outcomes and keep students informed of their progress. This quick turnaround provides students with timely guidance on current assignments before they move on to more advanced course modules.
II. Faculty Communication and Professional Conduct
Faculty are expected to maintain professional and timely communication with students, colleagues, and administrators. Faculty must communicate with students exclusively through official A-State email accounts or designated learning management system channels. Faculty are strictly prohibited from using any texting platform to communicate with students. Texting platforms include SMS, WhatsApp, or other messaging applications.
A. Timeliness of Student Communication
- Response Expectation: All faculty members are expected to respond promptly and professionally to student emails and course-related inquiries. Faculty at Campus Queretaro who still advise may have a delayed response during peak registration times.
- One Business Day Response Mandate (All Modalities):
- Faculty teaching in all modalities (traditional face-to-face, hybrid, fully online synchronous, or fully online asynchronous) are expected to respond to student emails within one (1) business day of being received.
- Friday Afternoon Exception: If student emails are received on a Friday after 12:00 PM (noon) CST, the faculty member is expected to respond by Tuesday of the following week.
- Faculty are not expected to respond to emails over weekends or on Arkansas State University holidays. If a longer delay is anticipated (e.g., due to travel, advising, or significant research commitments), faculty are encouraged to use an automatic email reply to inform students of the expected response time.
- Proactive Communication: Faculty must communicate with students in a timely and appropriate manner about course-related issues. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Notifying junior- or senior-level students who are missing class or have excessive absences (A-State Undergraduate Bulletin https://catalog.astate.edu/index.php?catoid=12).
B. Faculty Presence and Modality-Specific Expectations
1. Jonesboro Campus Faculty
- Campus Presence Mandate: On-campus Jonesboro faculty members are under contract to be available on the Jonesboro campus Monday through Friday during the standard work week (8:00 AM – 5:00 PM), regardless of their specific teaching schedule. This ensures that faculty are available for in-person office hours, committee meetings, student mentoring, and engagement in the academic community.
- Accessible Office Hours: All faculty must maintain a minimum of 8 hours per week to respond to students’ questions and concerns and to provide mentorship that supports student success. Faculty must hold at least six (6) office hours in-person within their designated office space to facilitate student and on-campus committee meetings. Fully remote faculty may hold all their office hours (at least 8)virtually.
- Predictable Communication: Online course faculty are expected to maintain regular communication with students (e.g., Canvas announcements, messages, and email) to promote consistency, connections, and reduce student stress.
2. Queretaro Campus Faculty
Campus Presence Mandate: A-State CQ faculty are required to be on campus Monday through Friday and must post their office hours to facilitate student appointments for out-of-class meetings, advising, etc. Campus Queretaro faculty are required to hold 2 hours of office hours per class. Full-time instructors at Campus Querétaro without terminal degrees are required to hold at least 10 office hours (equivalent to 5 classes) per week.
3. 3. Adjunct Faculty
· Accessible Office Hours: All adjunct faculty, regardless of modality, must set aside at least one (1) hour per week for virtual/in-person office hours, ensuring students can meet out of class to have questions or concerns addressed.