Faculty Handbook: Vancouver Campus

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

About New York Tech

New York Institute of Technology is a private, independent, non-sectarian, coeducational institute 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 110,000 students.

Mission, Vision, and Promise

View the mission, vision, and promise 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

U.S. 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 Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills 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, New York Tech's chief executive officer, reports to the Board of Trustees. Reporting to and advising the President are: The Provost and Executive Vice President, as well as other Vice Presidents. The Vancouver campus is led by an Executive Director/Campus Dean who reports to the Provost and Executive Vice President, and is supported by the Associate Campus Dean, other administrators, Associate Deans, Program Coordinators and faculty. Together, they assure that the academic programs and services offered are of the highest quality and meet the educational 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 Executive Vice President.

The role of the Academic Senate is to provide counsel to the institute's president in implementing the following: innovation in curriculum, academic progress, and retention of students; academic standards for admission and graduation; budget, finance, and resource allocation; 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, counselling staff, NYITCOM, Student Government Association, 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, and from the Academic Senate.

Absence and Attendance

Faculty members may not shorten, lengthen, cancel, add, or reschedule classes except for religious reasons, illness, or other exceptional reasons. 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 must be absent must make alternative arrangements for the class session and immediately notify the relevant Associate Dean. It is also essential that the faculty member's students be informed of any changes in the class arrangements.

Full-time faculty members are expected to be physically present at the Broadway Tech Centre for three (3) days per week and available for four (4) days per week, starting from one week before the first day of the semester and throughout each semester. However, exceptions can be granted by the Executive Director/Campus Dean or official delegate. Faculty members are also required to participate in school-wide events during teaching semesters and be available during Orientation events.

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 their department at the institute.

Please also see the Attendance and Absence policy in the Employee Handbook, Vancouver-Based Employees.

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 outlined in Appendix 1 at the end of this handbook. This decision will be based on annual program enrollment. These positions are equivalent to the program chair function in New York. Faculty with administrative responsibilities will receive additional compensation through a stipend and 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 their program's 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 institute 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. Overloads are paid 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 four percent of the contracted salary on each payday. Upon the sixth year of employment, the vacation pay rate shall increase to six percent. All expenses incurred by the adjunct faculty member are to be paid by them. 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 it when it occurs.

Teaching

1. The Primary Objective of Instruction: To help students achieve the stated learning goals of the course by integrating student-centered practices resulting in competency and 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 various ways: one common method involves the "teaching portfolio." This portfolio would include course syllabi, student samples of course-embedded assessment instruments such as examinations, course evaluations, standardized examination scores, and other materials 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 a discipline's intellectual and scholarly developments. In addition, faculty members must maintain a high level of professional competence and 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.)
• Particular 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 conferences
  • Papers presented at scholarly conferences
  • 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 institute:
   • 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 as an ad-hoc referee.
   • Conference organizer, session discussant, or 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 institute, 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 adjunct faculty. Tutorials, supervising research students and internships and practicums with less than seven students are not counted toward the teaching load (with the exception of an uncompleted yearly workload). They are limited to two tutorial courses per term but will be paid at the tutorial rate.

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

Adjunct and part-time faculty workload is negotiated with the associate dean or program coordinator every term. Visiting faculty members from the New York campuses are governed by the policies applicable to New York faculty. 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 regularly curate evidence of their teaching, scholarship, service engagements, and performance. 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 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 3.
  3. All Student Evaluation Reports
  4. Instructional Observation Report (required annually) and any additional peer Instructional Observation notes or report, if thusly engaged*

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

* Teaching observations are made by the supervisor of the faculty member's program, a peer from another program (for Associate Dean), or by a Center for Teaching and Learning representative. Observations are completed in person in the classroom using a standardized form which facilitates dialogue and encourages the instructor to respond to the remarks of the peer reviewer. Completed forms are shared with the Executive Director/Campus Dean and the Associate Dean. Copies are stored in the faculty files for incorporation in the promotion/reappointment/annual evaluation process.

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 their own recommendation/evaluation into the faculty member's e-portfolio.

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

Faculty Application for Promotion
Dates Effective AY 2025

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 from a recognized university 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 in 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 their 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, this 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 their 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 promotion to the rank of associate professor, six (6) years of relevant teaching experience in the academic rank of assistant professor shall include at least three (3) years of 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 endeavours in the field. The scholarship record should clearly provide evidence of national and/or international acclaim and reputation.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching, and showing ongoing 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 (6) years as associate professor, and at least six (6) 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 practical 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 full and part-time faculty members.

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 in this handbook) may be approved by the Executive Director/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 on campus premises and 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. Identification cards remain the property of the institute 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 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 will be utilized to engage in activities relevant to the applicant's discipline and will enhance their professional competence. Applicants must agree to serve New York Tech for at least one year after completing their sabbatical, and to submit a written report concerning the completed sabbatical to their program dean and 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 Tech's student-centered approach to providing the highest level of education, considering the international standards of the courses/degrees and the student's individual needs. The college catalogues and course schedules are essential guides for advising students about their programs. Refer to the New York Tech Academic Catalogs for more detailed information.

Program heads are responsible for academic advising in Vancouver. Advisors are expected to meet with their advisees during the advisement periods before registration each semester is scheduled. Additional advisement engagements will take place during the term as requested by students. Advisors 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 must be met. The advisee's grade report is available to the program head. These reports serve as a basis for advising and help identify students who may have academic difficulty or are succeeding and deserve recognition. Program heads must adhere to our privacy policies when handling confidential student information.

Good advising is characterized by, but not limited to, the following:

• Knowledge of relevant courses, curricula, and programs that can guide students in selecting appropriate options to their interests, abilities, and program requirements
• Knowledge about careers and future educational opportunities open to students after the completion of their program
• Ability to effectively and accurately use the various physical and electronic resources that pertain to individual student records
• 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 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 academic 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. They will be required to provide the last date of attendance for students in cases where a grade of F, I, UW, or W 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. Explicit 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 make deductions from a student's grade if absences exceed this amount.

Attendance Verification Rosters

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

Students who have been attending class but whose names 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

Associate deans and program coordinators make class schedules and teaching assignments in addition to the final exam schedule 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 to serve 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 Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.

Final examinations must be given on the scheduled day as indicated in the course syllabus. By accepting to teach the course before the registration period, the faculty member accepts the obligation to hold the final exam 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, curriculum committees, and the Academic Senate. 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 syllabus for each course section. These will be distributed to the students during the first-class meeting and posted on the Learning Management System (LMS). 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 catalogue
• 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 that the faculty member feels will help students understand the course's scope and activities, their responsibilities, and the expected learning outcomes. A syllabus represents an agreement between the instructor and the student specifying what each is expected to accomplish during the term. The information provided in the course outline must form the basis for calculating student grades. Discrepancies between information on the course syllabus and the actual method used to calculate grades often cause 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 they receive the education to which they are entitled and to ensure they can meet their obligations toward 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 Student 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 six 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 behaviour 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 their classroom hours. Full-time faculty must schedule a minimum of one office hour per week per three-credit course taught. Office hours must be posted in the Learning Management System and 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 course outlines. Adjunct faculty may schedule their office hours just before or after their classes.

Office hours allow students with opportunities to meet with faculty for tutoring, academic counselling, course-related discussions, friendly conversations, and advisement. These activities need not be limited to office hours. The college encourages faculty to interact with students as frequently as possible.

Final Examinations

Final examinations are given in courses at New York Tech 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 on the date published in the course syllabus. By registering for a course, students agree to take the exam on the specified date and time. As a result, the only acceptable reason for a student to miss 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 to book rooms and arrange proctors.

Grade Appeals

For information on grade appeals, please refer to Grades and Grade Appeals Process in the Student Handbook: Vancouver Campus.

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 grades in the Student Information system (PeopleSoft) through my.nyit.edu. Instructors should not post student grades publicly. Students may request final grades from their instructor or they can wait until the instructor submits and publishes them. Grades should never be given out over the phone. Sharing any personal information over the phone risks a violation of student privacy rights.

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 five (5) days of the last day of classes. The instructor should calculate final grades according to the grading policy outlined in the syllabus. These 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.

Particular grading structure choices are left to the professor's discretion.

Faculty need to submit their final grades and approve their submission in the grade roster. If not "Approved," please return to the grade roster and change the approval status to "Approved." The grades will only be posted and displayed on student transcripts if the roster is "Approved." If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Registrar on 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 spreadsheet of grades with all relevant scoring information for participation, assignments, quizzes, projects, and exams. The final score from 0 to 100 and the final letter grade for each student should be listed. Grading practices must be consistent with those published in the course syllabus.

Disciplinary actions will result upon the 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 marks for completion letters, 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

After 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, or F.

The CGPA, computed similarly, 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, or F.

Quality Points

Quality points are awarded following the grading schedule above. For example, students who earn an A in a three-credit course accumulates 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 AU, F, I, P, PR, W, or UW.

Incomplete Grades

The temporary grade of Incomplete (I) shall change to a Failing (F) grade if the student does not complete all work by the end of the allotted time. An F 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 F 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).
• The Associate Campus Dean or the Executive Director shall grant a short extension only in exceptional circumstances.
• 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 F.
• I grades 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, W, 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, (e.g., 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 may not share personal items (pens, calculators, etc.) during an examination.
• The proctor or professor shall place the examination face down on the desk. Students may not touch it until 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 New York Tech's Records Retention Policy for a full description of which records must be retained, for how long, and when records must be destroyed.

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 offered to an individual or a small number of students (seven 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 to 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 Registrar's Office and the course will be established. This is important because if the course is not officially established, the student(s) cannot 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.

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 member may not teach more than two tutorial courses per term.

Accessibility Services

Students who require additional support and accessibility services must 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 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 students to determine what accommodations are required. Should it be determined that a student needs 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.

If there are any concerns regarding the recommended accommodation(s), the Director of Student Affairs should be contacted.

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

New York Tech's Academic Senate policy states 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 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.

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.

Faculty select and publish textbooks and related course materials through New York Tech's online Akademos system. Faculty are encouraged to use Open Educational Resources, which will also be published in the bookstore system. Students place their orders, or access materials online. Faculty should consult with librarians to order hard copy texts where required or request e-book formats for student use.

Faculty may order instructors' copies of textbooks as supplementary instructional materials from publishers. Many publishers send complimentary copies of their textbooks, even when these textbooks have not been ordered for courses. Faculty members may keep instructors' copies or turn them in 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.

Bursar

The Office of the Bursar keeps track of student accounts—including tuition and other fees—and processes refunds.

Business Cards

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

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. Career Services facilitates the Internship Certificate Program (ICP) and workshops on culture shock and respect for Indigenous peoples. In addition, they offer the unique Certificate in Career Development for Canadian Workplaces, which comprises five workshops in a 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

New York Tech in 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 several 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 is distressed, or if you feel that a student needs support, please encourage them to call the 24/7 helpline at 833.628.5589.

Emergency Closures

Please refer to the Employee Handbook, Vancouver-Based Employees, for information on emergency campus closings.

Information Technology Services

Information and resources for faculty, including connecting to my.nyit.edu, setting your New York Tech password, connecting to WiFi, the software library, Canvas, Zoom support, and learning Office 365 can be found at ITS.

Institutional Effectiveness

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness in RADS (Research, Assessment and Decision Support) is responsible for 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 collecting, analyzing, and disseminating 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(es). 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 Tech's libraries are open when the college 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 professional librarians who are available to assist.

New York Tech has a local physical library at the expanded Broadway Tech Center campus that provides a variety of resources. Faculty also have access to the state-of-the-art e-library, which is accessible via the Internet from campus, home, or anywhere in the world. To use the library and/or its computer stations, faculty must have a valid New York Tech ID card. Detailed information regarding local library access is available from the Centre for Teaching and Learning. New York Tech's library catalogs, subscription databases, and e-book collection (NetLibrary) may be accessed through the Library Services section of institute's website or the Vancouver digital library page.

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 supplies. They will coordinate special with the Purchasing Department and the local supplier.

Open Education Resources

New York Tech 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 on the Vancouver digital library page.

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

If you have any safety concerns while on campus or would like to access the Safe Walk Program, please call Building Security at 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.

Service Now

Service Now is an online support center within the Office of Information Technology Services that facilitates expedited assistance for information technology/computer-related problems, media services, and telecommunications issues. Service Now is available to all faculty, staff, and students at nyit.edu/itshelp. Local support is provided by Vancouver's IT Technicians at 778.783.5933 or vancouverIT@nyit.edu.

Telephones

Service Now 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; 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 endeavours. 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 institute records, forging or altering institute 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 institute 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 Acceptable Use Policy.

Code of Conduct for Students

New York Institute of Technology is committed to 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 institute community to show respect for the views of others and to accept responsibility for their own actions.

The Student Code of Conduct – Vancouver was developed to protect every student's right to learn, and 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 institute rules and regulations published in the New York Tech Academic Catalogs. 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) behaviour that is contrary to the institute's expectations.

For additional information, see New York Tech's Student Code of Conduct – U.S. Campuses.

Email Policy

Part-time and full-time faculty are provided with a New York Tech email account when employment status is confirmed. Faculty should use this account (@nyit.edu), rather than a personal one, for all 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 the 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 others 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 prevent, detect, and report plagiarism in student assignments. Student work is protected by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) in BC.

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 student's right to not submit personally identifiable information (PII) to Turnitin. PII data includes the student's name, social security number, and/or their New York Tech Student ID number.
• That not submitting PII to Turnitin will have no impact on the student's success in the class.
• That faculty will ensure students' privacy while verifying the student's 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.

Background

All private postsecondary institutions in BC are required to have an institutionally approved policy and related procedures for the periodic review of programs. The policies and procedures should achieve the following:

1. Reflect the institute's overall mandate, mission and values;
2. Align with the specific goals of the Vancouver campus;
3. Assess the effectiveness of its programs and services as well as their responsiveness to the student, the labour market, and the social needs;
4. Contribute to the continuous improvement of the programs, students' learning and the overall student experience.

Policy Statement

All degree programs undergo an external review every five to seven years or sooner if requested by the Academic Administrative Unit or if deemed necessary by the Provost and Executive Vice President in consultation with the Campus Dean.

The accreditation of a professional Degree Program may be substituted or serve as partial completion of a required Degree Program Self-Study Review at the discretion of the Provost and Executive Vice President. Accommodations will be made where possible to align the accreditation process timeline with the external review schedule to reduce the duplication of work.

Although cyclical program review is integral to the quality assurance process, New York Tech implemented Continuous Program Improvement in 2020 across all academic departments and student support units to improve educational effectiveness. Regular data collection and review empower academic leaders to make informed strategic changes to respond to current needs on an ongoing basis.

Purpose

The purpose of academic program review is to guide the development of academic programs on a continuous basis. Program review is a process that evaluates the status, effectiveness, and progress of educational programs and helps identify the future direction, needs, and priorities of those programs. It is closely connected to strategic planning, resource allocation, and other decision-making at the program, department, and institute levels. The goal of a program review should be the articulation of agreed-upon action plans for further development of the academic program. The program review process should focus on improvements that can be made using available resources. Consideration should also be given to proposed program improvements and expansions requiring additional resources.

Definitions

1. An Academic Administrative Unit is an academic program, department or school comprised of one or more degree programs.
2. An Academic Service Unit is a unit that supports student and faculty learning and teaching.
3. A Program or Industrial Advisory Board is an external body of professional or industry members dedicated to the external guidance of a degree program.
4. A Degree Program is a baccalaureate, masters or doctoral degree granted or conferred by the institute.

Required Elements of a Review

Every review undertaken at the Vancouver campus must include the following required elements characteristic of a review:

1. A self-study of the Degree Program by the Academic Administrative Unit;
2. Engagement of external reviewers with notable expertise in the discipline or service area, a site visit by at least one of the external reviewers, and a written report by the external reviewers which includes both an assessment of program quality and recommendations for growth and improvement;
3. A written institutional response which includes the following:
   • A response by the Academic Administrative Unit to the External Review of Degree Program Report;
   • The steps the Academic Administrative Unit intends or proposes to take in response to the recommendations from the report (Action Plan)
   • A response by the Campus Dean to both the Degree Program Self Study and the external review report; and
   • A response by the Provost and Executive Vice President to the response of the Dean.

All best efforts should be made to ensure that the institutional responses and Action Plan outlined above are completed within sixteen (16) weeks of receipt of the external review report.

PROCEDURES

The Academic Administrative Unit engages in a degree program self-study for one to two semesters. Its members consider all aspects of the degree program, including its vision, values, goals and strategic direction. The Academic Administrative Unit prepares a report that reflects the following areas:

1. A description of the degree program's structure, admissions requirements, degree requirements, courses, degree programs, method of delivery and curriculum for the program's educational goals and standards.
2. An explanation of how the physical, technological, financial and human resources are distributed.
3. Information about the degree program's collective faculty performance, including the quality of teaching and supervision.
4. A description of the learning outcomes, assessment, evaluation, and measured achievement by students and graduates.
5. A description of the degree program's stated goals, the credential level standard and the standards of any regulatory, accrediting or professional association, if applicable.
6. A description of the methods used for evaluating student progress and how these methods and the progress of the students align with the degree program's stated goals.
7. Aggregate information about the satisfaction level of students, graduates and the graduation rate.
8. Information about the employment rates for graduates, employer satisfaction level, industry representative satisfaction level and advisory board or external/stakeholder satisfaction level.

The Academic Administrative Unit prepares the self-study report and makes it available to all members of the faculty and staff prior to being sent to the External Review Committee.

Students are encouraged to participate in preparing material for the self-study, and student input is sought throughout the process. Student contributions are included in the self-study report only if the students have provided informed consent.

External Review Committee

1. The external review committee should include two people external to New York Tech who are senior members of the discipline, are currently employed at a institute that offers graduate-level degree programs and has had administrative experience. A third external member of the external review committee should be employed in the industry in which the program trains students for employment.
2. The external committee meets with faculty, staff, alumni and students from the program. The site visit should be one day in length.
3. After the visit, and generally within six weeks, the external committee will submit a report with the following elements:
   • An executive summary
   • Faculty review
   • Research review
   • Internal and external relationship assessment
   • Organizational and financial structure assessment
   • Resources and infrastructure assessment
   • Long-range planning challenges
   A summary of the evaluation's conclusions will be made publicly available on the institute website.
4. The Academic Administrative Unit prepares a response and action plan with timelines in collaboration with the responsible Associate Dean within eight weeks of receipt of the External Committee Review report. The report is submitted to the Campus Dean and the New York-based program Academic Dean.
5. The Academic Administrative Unit is responsible for implementing the Action Plan according to the timeline outlined in the Action Plan.

Continuous Program Review Process and Policy

1. Continuous Program Review (CPI) involves Academic Administrative Units cascading institutional goals to their appropriate level goals according to their program's mission and functions.
2. Key performance indicators (KPIs) should be selected for each goal that can accurately measure performance, motivate and direct actions, and identify opportunities for improvement.
3. Apply W. Edwards Deming's improvement model to develop, test and implement changes for improvement.
4. Hold an annual departmental review and planning meeting, and focus departmental energy and effort on Key Performance areas identified by the Action Plan each year to make the CPI a sustained and manageable process. The major KPI areas include:
   • Student learning outcomes (curriculum, course and program level learning outcomes update)
   • Student success (admission criteria review, retention, DFW, graduation rate)
   • Student engagement and satisfaction (Noel Levitz or departmental survey)
   • Faculty performance (teaching evaluation, scholarship, service)
   • Cost efficiency (classroom utilization, equipment and technology sufficiency)
   • Departmental policies and procedures (review and update)
   • Other (self-defined)
5. The institution rewards improvement with recognition and resources for quality initiatives (QI).

As a faculty member, you must not participate in a consensual romantic and/or sexual relationship with any student enrolled in 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, honours, 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 non-consensual, creating a potential for a claim of sexual harassment.

For additional detail on family and other relationships at New York Tech, it is your responsibility to read and understand the Relationships with Other Employees and Family and Consensual Romantic Relationships policies in the Employee Handbook, Vancouver Based Employees.

To conduct any research with human or nonhuman subjects, including survey and interview research, you must first have your research plan approved by the New York Tech Institutional Review Board (IRB) for human subjects, or the NYITCOM 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 basic human subject protection training. For further information, please contact OSPAR at 516.686.7737 or grants@nyit.edu.

All employees, including faculty, 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 institute'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.

Please refer to New York Tech's Travel and Entertainment policy for Vancouver-based employees for a full explanation of the travel policy.

Institute 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 uses "New York Tech" as its shortened name on all official communications, and all faculty should do the same. The Vancouver-specific 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 Strategic Communications.

Faculty and staff should use institute 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. Faculty must submit bio changes and requests for official business cards and promotional materials via Strategic Communications web forms.

Vancouver Research Grant (annual): up to $5,000

The Vancouver Research Grant is focused on encouraging more faculty to engage in research, from beginners to well-established researchers. Each year in February, the Vancouver campus issues a call for research proposals. The proposals will be reviewed in June, with awards granted in early July. A Vancouver research grant committee will evaluate proposals. 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 must submit a final report (or interim report if the project is multi-year) by June 1 of the following calendar year.

Vancouver Global Impact Research Grant (GIRC) grants for 2025: up to $30,000

The GIRC is new for the 2024 – 2025 academic year and is designed to support faculty wishing to engage in stimulating and meritorious proposals which contribute to the field. Proposals must be submitted in January, are evaluated by a joint Vancouver-New York grant committee of scholars, and will be awarded in June. Direct any questions to grants@nyit.edu.

Emerging Technologies Group Grants (all campuses):

$500 Exploratory Grant: Collaborate with another faculty member (or by yourself) to develop an idea for future development. Expected outcome: A working plan for developing technology with classroom implementation.

$1500 Implementation Grant: Work on an instructional experience for future classroom implementation. Expected outcome: A module or another classroom experience for classroom implementation.

Equipment-Only Grant: The ETG has developed an equipment-only grant program focused on enhancing instruction and/or research. The typical equipment-only grant will be in the range of $1000 to $7500, but all proposals are welcome. Expected outcome: Demonstration of the equipment for instruction or research.

Appendix 1: Associate Dean Job Description

The Associate Dean's primary responsibility is to promote the institute'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 Dean, 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 New York Tech 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 and complete the application for a Vancouver Research Grant (docx).

Appendix 3: Annual Personal Review and Professional Growth Plan

Download and complete for Annual Personal Review and Professional Growth Plan (docx).