The faculty members that teach your classes desire that you learn. Using various teaching techniques, your instructors seek to promote your learning and success. Instructors seek to guide you, motivate you, and outline for you the body of knowledge to be learned. The instructor “teaches,” but only you can learn. Much of this learning occurs outside of the classroom and is self-directed. Knowing what faculty members expect of you may help you to maximize your learning opportunities. Your faculty member expects you to:

 

1.  Be informed about your instructor’s policies, which are presented in the course outline, as well as the policies of the College published in the College of Pharmacy Student Handbook;

 

2.  Attend all classes, except when emergencies arise. If health and weather allow, your instructor will be present and on time for every scheduled class meeting-so should you;

 

3.  Prepare for class by completing reading and other preparatory assignments prior to the class in which the covered material is discussed;

 

4.  Be an active participant in class, taking notes and asking appropriate questions. Your involvement will benefit you and your classmates;

 

5.  Treat the instructor and fellow students with courtesy. Refrain from any behaviors that may distract others. You expect to be treated with tolerance and respect. You expect a learning environment free of unnecessary distractions. So does everyone else;

 

6.  Cultivate effective study strategies. Being an effective student is not instinctive. Use your study time wisely. Seek help from the instructor when you need it. Avail yourself of resources provided by the College;

 

7.  Study course material routinely after each meeting or so. Study according to a regular schedule. Avoid “cramming.” Do not postpone working on assignments. Submit finished assignments on time;

 

8.  Accept the challenge of professional program studying, thinking, and learning. Anticipate that the level and quantity of work in some courses will exceed your prior experiences. If you have significant responsibilities besides your studies, such as work and family, set realistic academic goals and prioritize your time so that you can be successful;

 

9.  Take initiative and responsibility for learning;

 

10. Let no temptation cause you to surrender your integrity.

Your faculty members know what is needed to succeed in the courses they are teaching, and they want you to succeed. You may expect your instructor to:

 

1.    Provide you with a syllabus that outlines the content and objectives of the course and spells out the instructor’s grading and attendance policies. Your instructor will follow the policies of the College.

 

2.    Start class on time, be prepared, and use time-tested and/or innovative teaching strategies and learning activities intended to promote learning of the subject material.

 

3.    Make effective use of class time. Although some topics may not seem very important or interesting to you, the structure of the subject or the objectives of the course may dictate the topics. Your instructor will endeavor to be enthusiastic and to help you to perceive the central material of each topic and its relationship to the practice of pharmacy.

 

4.    Strive to create a positive environment in which you may pursue learning. Each student’s need to understand the subject will be respected. Each student will be treated with courtesy.

 

5.    Provide teaching and learning experiences that are free of favoritism, prejudice, discrimination, or harassment.

 

6.    Be accessible and approachable. Your instructor knows that he or she is the key resource provided by the College to help you to succeed as a student.

 

7.    Announce and adhere to a schedule of office hours, which permits and encourages students to meet with the instructor in his/her office and to be available for special conferences as needed.

 

8.    Organize and schedule the subject topics and assignments. The quantity and nature of assigned work and the evaluation standards will be based upon the instructor’s experiences with, and expectations for professional pharmacy courses at this level in this subject.

 

9.    Preserve the academic integrity of the course.

 

10. Be a professional who will treat you fairly and honestly. Grading will be impartially based upon the quality and quantity of student work. Assignments will be graded in a timely manner.

 

Students should NOT expect faculty to:

 

1.    Change exam or class schedules at any time except for a University or College closing. 

 

2.    Provide make-up work for absences that do not conform to the University’s excused absence policy, College of Pharmacy professional development, or that have not been previously excused by the instructor.

 

3.    Accept excuses for absences without verification of the validity of the excuse.

 

4.    Allow students to take examinations early or late to accommodate the student’s personal schedule.

 

5.    Provide handouts, notes or other lecture enhancements.

 

6.    Provide all material to be learned in the classroom environment or in a lecture format.

 

7.    Tolerate disruptive, uncivil or unprofessional behavior in the classroom, faculty offices, or elsewhere in the College of Pharmacy.

Office hours will be established by each faculty member. The number of hours, the frequency and the weekly scheduling should reflect the nature of the instructor’s involvement, the number of associated credit and/or contact hours, the enrollment in the course, and the difficulty of course content. A schedule of office hours, office telephone number(s) and faculty email address(es) should be included in the syllabus.

The College policy on faculty performance review requires student evaluation of teaching for every course every semester. Evaluations of instructors are important to the College of Pharmacy. The College strives to continually improve and uplift its curriculum and teaching. Honest feedback is valued. Course evaluations are used as part of the information for faculty evaluations, assignments for courses and curricular changes. Information is collected from students, compiled and shared with individual faculty members, department chairs and the dean. Students should take this opportunity to provide serious input. All student comments will be forwarded to faculty after final grades are reported.

 

Contact information for all course coordinators is located in the syllabus for all courses; however, students are encouraged to pre-program their course coordinators office phone numbers into their cell phones or keep a list of course coordinator phone numbers where they are easily accessible.  Student may contact the Office of the Dean (318-342-1600) or the Office of Student and Professional Affairs (318-342-3800) for assistance.

The goal of the College of Pharmacy mentoring program is to provide students with an opportunity to develop a closer professional relationship with a member of the COP faculty. It is hoped that these relationships will lead to student growth and development – academically, professionally, and otherwise. Though not required, all students and faculty are encouraged to take an active part in the program.

 

COP Mentoring Program

The College of Pharmacy is continuously assessing the professional program in order to make improvements, particularly in student learning and achieved outcomes. These assessments may occur through end of year exams, student focus groups, course and faculty evaluations, student, faculty, employer and alumni surveys as well as other mechanisms. It is an important component of the quality improvement activities of the College that students provide honest and constructive input into this process. Students are encouraged to participate fully in these activities when given the opportunity.