Faculty Teaching Administration

Campus Policies on Courses

Please make sure to conduct and grade your course in accordance with campus policy (complaints/concerns will be reported to and reviewed by the department (and potentially campus) leadership).

TA Hiring and Assignments

Please contact Dawn Love about TA matters (eg. preferences, questions, concerns).

Problem Session (PB) Scheduling

Problem Sessions (PBs) are typically used for going over homework. PBs are not formal parts of classes and so students cannot be required to participate in these sessions and the ability to succeed in the class cannot be dependent upon participation in these sessions. PB sessions are scheduled upon request by the instructor/TA, only. Requests must be sent to Toni Moore and must include ALL of the following information:

  • The weeks you want your PB session to meet (eg. weeks 1-10)
  • The preferred day, start time and end time for your PB session (be specific).
  • The minimum number of seats for your PB session.

Please Note: Campus procedures indicate that PB session requests in campus space will begin being scheduled after week 2. If you want your PB sessions to start in week 1 of the term, the campus will be alerted so they can look into granting an exception to their standard procedures.

Campus Access and Technology

Course components in campus space
You and your TAs must work with Facilities Management (858-534-2930) and Campus ITS for matters relating to room access and/or classroom technology. Per the campus, "If you have a class that arrives to a locked campus classroom or lecture hall (any of the rooms listed in the attached document) at the scheduled class time, in order to get someone out to unlock that room as quickly as possible, please call Facilities Management directly at (858) 534-2930. Facilities Management is the unit that unlocks and locks all general campus classrooms and lecture halls each day, so they are the ones who can help the quickest. Please feel free to share this number with your TAs as well, just in case they need it."

Course components in Department space
You and your TAs must work with Lester Brooks and the Physics Computing Facility for matters relating to room access and/or classroom technology. Contact these parties well in advance of the start of the term to ensure that you know the process and timeline for getting keycard access to your classroom for you and any other parties who may need it (eg. TAs, students).

Helping Students Get Enrolled

Special Studies (PHYS 99, 99H, 198, 199, 199H, 297, 298, 299)
Students must use EASy to request enrollment in Special Studies courses. Ahead of submitting a Special Studies request in EASy, a student is expected to consult with you to discuss the terms of the course. Since the EASy request will be considered the syllabus for the Special Studies course, please carefully review the EASy request to make sure it accurately reflects what you've arranged with the student in terms of how the course will be conducted and graded. If the information in the EASy request needs correction, return the request to the student for revision (do not approve the request).

All Other Courses
UCSD Students: Please refer them to the campus' Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) to submit their request. Students cannot be cleared to enroll via email.
Non-UCSD Students: Please refer them to UCSD Extended Studies where they'll need to submit their request. Thereafter, the Department will contact them about their request.

Helping Students in Distress

Please see the campus resources for faculty helping students in distress.

Disruptive Students in the Classroom

Please see the campus procedures for addressing disruptive behavior in the classroom.

Class Lists, Course Days/Times/Locations, Student Email Addresses

Please use the "Instruction Tools" on BLINK to see the days/times/location of your course(s), to view course enrollment, and to download class lists (with email addresses). Access BLINK at: http://blink.ucsd.edu

Class Websites

The campus creates a Canvas page for each course in the Online Schedule with an instructor assigned. Please click here to see when your course's Canvas page will be created. Please use Canvas to post your course syllabus, homework, announcements, and other course materials. Click here for a quick guide on setting up your course in Canvas before the term begins. Click here for a quick guide on wrapping up your course in Canvas at the end of the term. It is a good idea to use Canvas even if you choose to display course information on your personal website. Access to a course in Canvas site is limited to enrolled students (and waitlisters during the enrollment period, only). Canvas is managed by a central campus IT office and not by the Physics Department and so any troubles with the system must be reported to the campus at canvas.ucsd.edu.

Requests to Audit Physics Courses

If a student wants to audit your course they are to send you an email to request permission to audit; approval of the request is at your discretion and should also be communicated via email. If you approve a student's request to audit your course and the you want to allow the student to see your Canvas information, you must log onto Canvas and follow these instructions to add the student as an observer (the Physics Department cannot grant the student access to your course in Canvas). Auditing does not enable the student to enroll/waitlist the course. Auditors will not receive credit for the course, even if they choose to audit for the entire term and/or to complete work for the course. Without prior written consent from the instructor, auditors are NOT permitted to take exams in the course, nor be present in the classroom during any exams (this would be a violation of Academic Integrity). Audited courses do not apply as pre-reqs for future courses.

Course Evaluations

You will receive an email at your UCSD email address when mid-term and end-of-term evaluations are available to be viewed. You can also look at the Academic Affairs Evals page to see available evaluations.

Entering Grades

Please use eGrades to enter student grades during the grading period. Sign in using your Single Sign-On user name and password. If you would like assistance with eGrades please review the eGrades information page, write to eGrades@ucsd.edu, or call 858-534-3144.
Access eGrades at: http://egrades.ucsd.edu

Course Reserves, Electronic Resources

Please use the web form at the link below to request that course material be placed on reserve for student use. Reserves check out of a limited load period (3 hours or 24 hours). Requests should be submitted early to ensure students’ timely access to materials. The website is: http://libraries.ucsd.edu/resources/course-reserves/submit-a-course-reserve.html

Seeking Enrollment Data

Please use the Student Queries in the BLINK Querylink tool to obtain enrollment data from past terms. The "Campus Class List Third Week" query provides data on past enrollments.