English 100 instructors are responsible to the English 100 Program as members of the instructional staff and to their students as instructors of the course. Your work is shaped by the university—Comm-A, academic policies, and the large, varied culture of writing on this campus; the English department with its disciplinary commitments to language, writing, literature, and rhetoric; and the more specific program policies, responsibilities, and requirements explained in this Guide. These have been shaped by scholarship in composition and rhetoric as well as by the experiences of teachers and students here at the UW. Following are instructor’s specific responsibilities to students as English 100 teachers of record.

Teaching Responsibilities

Instructors are responsible for providing course materials (syllabus, assignments, etc.) and learning experiences that fit the curricular goals and general design of the program whether in-person or online. Among other things, you plan and carry out each day’s work, manage student interactions, give assignments, provide feedback in writing and through conferences, grade portfolios, and provide midterm and final course grades. Under normal circumstances, you’ll meet your class at its scheduled time and place, perhaps with occasional variations for specific learning activities (e.g., field trips). If you have questions about your teaching responsibilities, do not hesitate to talk with a member of the admin team.

Office Hours

You should hold at least one office hour per week, whether in your office or over a video conferencing software with which students are familiar. Students should be aware of when and how you hold office hours. You should also be available outside of these hours within reason to accommodate students who are unable to attend your office hours at the scheduled time. Overall, just be available and accessible to students, particularly when portfolios are due.

Cancelling Class

As a general rule and under normal circumstances, you should plan to hold meetings during every class session. In order to accommodate student conferencing, some instructors cancel class meetings. While this is a reasonable practice, you should typically cancel only one class session per set of conferences. Student meetings are accounted for in your workload.

If you need to cancel class for reasons other than conferencing (travel, academic conference, illness, etc.), you should arrange for a substitute instructor or make up the time in some other meaningful way (e.g., field trip, extra conferences, asynchronous work through Canvas, etc.). Additionally, if you are going to cancel a class meeting for any reason other than conferencing, you’ll need to let a member of the admin team know in advance whenever possible.

Inclusivity and Adaptability

English 100 is committed to fostering classroom experiences and curricular practices that make it possible for all students to learn and succeed in the course. We also want instructors to feel supported and valued. We offer training and resources with all of this in mind. In addition, we ask that you be aware that you are probably teaching the only small course your students are currently taking. This means you may be in a position to notice when a student is struggling more than might be expected. All first-year students face challenges in adapting to college level work and college life. For some, it can be harder than for others. Difficulties might be expressed through habitual tardiness or absences, inappropriate classroom behavior, late work or missed assignments, and in other ways. As soon as you notice patterns of behavior that suggest a student is facing unusual difficulties, please talk with a member of the admin staff.

Disability Accommodations

Students who require formal, disability-related accommodations should register with the McBurney Center (http://www.mcburney.wisc.edu/) and also notify you of those accommodations. You can then work with the student to figure out accommodations for your course. Most frequently, accommodations come in the form of flexible schedules and/or absences, but they also might involve the use of assistive technology or aides (like note-takers or interpreters). If you encounter any challenges with accommodating disability, especially related to space given that some classrooms can make accommodation challenging, please reach out to the E100 admin team.

Overall, be open and flexible as you navigate disability accommodations with students, and be careful to avoid tokenizing or making assumptions based on disability. Accommodations through McBurney should be kept confidential, as is any diagnosis disclosed to you by students.

Mental Health or Illness Accommodations 

Health-related accommodations may come through McBurney, but additional challenges may arise as part of the stress and pace of college life, particularly for first-year students. In addition, events on campus throughout the semester may prompt or exacerbate mental health issues, such as loss of life, instances of discrimination, or other events. Still other students may simply get ill throughout the semester, whether with COVID or mono or something else.

We ask that you be flexible when you can while also being consistent, particularly for accommodations that do not have documentation through university entities like McBurney. We recognize that the process of diagnosis, particularly for mental health challenges, can require resources to which students may not have access, and sometimes these challenges can impede the formal accommodation process. Additionally, students should not feel they must disclose their trauma in order to receive support or flexibility. As such, your policies and practice should provide the same levels of flexibility to all students to avoid charges of impropriety or favoritism.

Work to accommodate all students, and build flexibility into the pace and pedagogy of your course. Stay in tune with what is happening on campus and in your students’ lives; try to anticipate when issues might arise and respond with care when they do. See more in the Supporting Student Wellness chapter and the Instructor Resources section.

Religious Accommodations 

The following statement appears in the model syllabus: State law mandates that any student with a conflict between an academic requirement and any religious observance must be given an alternative for meeting the academic requirement. The law also stipulates that students be given a mechanism by which they can conveniently and confidentially notify an instructor of the conflict. A student’s claim of a religious conflict, which may include travel time, will be accepted at face value. NOTE: Students must notify me within the first two weeks of class of the specific days or dates on which they request relief. 

Beyond policy, however, be aware of and accommodating for students with diverse religious experiences and observances. Beyond accommodation, try to anticipate conflicts. Check due dates (especially for major portfolios) and make sure they do not conflict with major religious holidays. Invite your students to disclose their faith commitments and if they expect to be missing class or require flexibility due to their religious observances. Particularly be aware of religious observances that may require travel or lifestyle modification (i.e., fasting, abstaining from sleep or particular foods, participation in festivals, etc.), and accommodate your students. See resources like the UW religious observances calendar (https://secfac.wisc.edu/academic-calendar/#religious-observances) and other interfaith calendars (https://www.diversityresources.com/interfaith-calendar-2023/).