Orientation
Syllabus/Printing/Finals
Attendance
Office Hours
Faculty Absences
Peer and Student Evaluations
Computer Protocol
Reappointment, Tenure, Certificate of Continuous Employment (CCE)
UCE (United College Employees)
College Resources
Useful Phone Numbers

ORIENTATION

*It is very important that you go to FIT Personnel at 236 West 27th Street, 11th Floor, to be processed and get an ID number.

* New faculty members are invited to a college-wide orientation session before the beginning of the fall semester; you are urged to attend it.

* It is your responsibility to provide official transcripts, three academic recommendations and all necessary documentation to the department chairperson before the start of the semester to ensure that you are on the payroll.

* You have a mail folder. You should consult and empty it regularly when you are on campus; it is an important means of contact and information.

* Keys for your classrooms and office will be provided to you at the beginning of the semester.

* Textbooks should be ordered at soon as the faculty is informed of their class schedule. The Barnes and Noble FIT Bookstore forms are available in the departments; the store is in the A Building – Basement, ext. 77717. The Fashion Design Bookstore on 234 West 27th Street, (212) 633-9646, also accepts textbook orders.

* The first class of the semester is not an abbreviated class. Please provide a full class lecture and activities.
 

SYLLABUS/PRINTING/FINALS

* Distribute a syllabus for your course to the students at your first meeting; it should include textbooks, reading assignments, examination policy, term paper requirements, and other components that are used to determine the semester grade. It should also include your attendance policy. Remember to erase the blackboard before you leave your class.

* Consider including the following statement on your syllabus about accommodating students with special needs: "FIT strongly upholds a student's equal opportunity to learn and has support services for students in the Office of Disability Services, room A511a, 212.217.4090, and the Counseling Center, A212b, 212.217-4260."

* Give a copy of your syllabus immediately to the department secretary to be kept on file in the department.

* Please plan ahead for the reproduction of material. The FIT print shop provides speedy copying of your syllabus, handouts and tests. The department’s secretaries will send the material to the print shop located in Bc20 (basement), ext. 77851/77621. The copy machines in the offices are not to be used for more than 25 copies.

*Final examinations must be prepared sufficiently ahead of time to enable copies to be made in the print shop. The department secretary can provide you with a request form to have copies run off in the print shop. Give a copy of your final to the secretary.
 

ATTENDANCE

*Attendance  should be taken for certification rosters. The hour of instruction is composed of fifty minutes and usually starts ten minutes after the hour unless otherwise noted, such as evening classes which start at 6:20 pm. Be punctual and urge students to be punctual; students are generally encouraged not to have more than three hours of absence unless a medical excuse is provided.

OFFICE HOURS

* Full-timers are required to provide one office hour per week to each three hours of class time. These office hours are to be distributed over a three-day period. Faculty should also be available for students who find it difficult to meet during these office hours.

* Adjunct faculty are urged to post a schedule of their office hours; as a rule it is advisable to be available to students before or after classes, after a test or quiz, or by appointment. Compensation for adjunct office hours has been determined by contractual agreement and is announced each semester.

FACULTY ABSENCES

* Notification of absences must be given to the chairperson and secretary before any personal leave is taken. Check with your department regarding Anticipated Absence Forms and procedures.

* The assignment of substitutes for your classes will be done by the chairperson, based on contractual rules. AOP (i.e. seniority) must be followed. Adjunct faculty members are always given preference for paid coverage of classes. Full-time faculty cover classes only when adjunct faculty are not available. Substitution will be arranged whenever possible or the classes will be cancelled. Please note that an instructor an get a substitute only after a certain amount of absences.

* Substitutes should be provided with topic and/or material to be covered in your classes. Substitutes will provide you with an attendance list.

* Unexpected absences, such as those due to illness, should be called into the department. If the absences are for early morning classes, call the dean’s office, (212) 217-7891 and the department office.
 

PEER AND STUDENT EVALUATIONS

* Peer observations are scheduled early in the semester with advance notice. Discussion with the observer after the observation is useful. These observations provide you with an opportunity to get valuable feedback on your teaching. It is important that you sign a release form for the Tenure and Promotion Committee (T&P) to enable the T&P Committee to verify that your documents are on file at the college.

* It is generally recommended that instructors (regardless of their tenure or CCE status) take student evaluations. These provide an important feedback for better teaching.

* All non-tenured faculty members must have student evaluations done in all their classes every term. That includes summer and winterim sessions.

* It is the responsibility of faculty to note the announcement from Faculty Services about the time and method for the taking of these evaluations. They are generally taken during the last five weeks of the semester.

* Student evaluations are discussed at reappointment meetings; they serve as an important factor in the reappointment of non-tenured faculty and in the recommendation for promotion for tenured faculty.

* You can see the student evaluations done in your classes at the end of the term in the Faculty Services Offices, Room D220, ext. 77793.
 

COMPUTER PROTOCOL

* Office computers are available to faculty. Check with your department regarding access to computers.

* To access e-mail you must have an account with a college e-mail address. Speak to your departmental secretary for procedures to follow to open an account.

* Computer help is available from the college’s computer operations help line ext. 77720, room C101.

* "Blackboard training," a course management software package, is available to faculty. Further information is available through the FIT Teaching Institute, ext. 77087.
 

REAPPOINTMENT, TENURE, CERTIFICATE OF CONTINUOUS EMPLOYMENT (CCE)

*Reappointment of non-tenured full-time and non-CCE adjunct faculty is done in the fall and spring semesters at department meetings. Reappoint is based on four criteria:

1. Academic achievements, i.e. degrees and additional credits.

2. Excellence in teaching as indicated by peer observations and student evaluations.

3. Service to the FIT community – to the department, the school, the students and the college as a whole.

4. Professional growth as evidenced by publications, participation in conferences, seminars, etc.
 

UCE (UNITED COLLEGE EMPLOYEES UNION)

Helpful materials about benefits available through the Welfare Fund and college activities are available at the UCE union office, B902, ext. 77690.

COLLEGE RESOURCES

Library – The Gladys Marcus Library is located on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the Shirley Goodman Resource Center in the D and E Buildings. Books and articles may be put on reserve for your students. The reference desk is at ext. 75580, and the circulation desk is at ext. 75780.

Media Services – Audiovisual materials including VCR’s laptops and projectors can be borrowed for classes from the media substation in room C305B, ext. 77895.

Academic Skills Center – Students can get tutoring and attend workshops in improving their skills. These are available in the Academic Skills Center in room A608B, ext. 77865.

Disability Services (FIT-ABLE) - FIT strongly upholds a student's equal opportunity to learn regardless of disability by providing reasonable accommodations, such as a separate area for taking tests. The Office of Disability Services (FIT-ABLE) is located in A511, ext. 74090.

Counseling for Students – Free counseling is available to students on a walk-in emergency basis and a non-emergency basis at the Counseling Center in B403, ext. 74260. If you have concerns about one of the students in your classes, you may call the Counseling Center for advice as to how best to make a referral.

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS