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  1. Home
  2. Faculty and Staff
  3. Penn State Harrisburg Part-Time Faculty Handbook

Teaching Policies

Cancellation of Classes and Changing Class Times or Locations

Except in unusual circumstances, instructors are expected to meet all classes on the days and times assigned.  Illness is usually the only reason for a last-minute cancellation. 

  • Faculty members who must miss a class for any reason must seek prior approval from the School Director. Cancellations incorporated into syllabi must also be approved by the School Director prior to the cancellation date.
  • Arrangements for coverage cannot be informally arranged by faculty. All arrangements must be communicated to the staff assistants in sufficient time to make plans to cope with any potential problems.
  • In case of emergency, notification should be made to the School Director, Administrative Assistant or other staff member, and all students.
  • Responsibility for notifying students of class cancellation rests with the faculty.

It is recommended that the faculty member email his or her class via LionPATH or Canvas to inform them of the cancellation. If bad weather requires the University to cancel classes, local television stations will be informed.

As a faculty member, you should register for PSUAlert. You should also encourage your students to register for PSUAlert. 

PSUAlert is a system that lets you know via cell phone, email, and/or land line when classes are canceled due to weather conditions or if the campus has an emergency closure for other schedule alteration.

Faculty members may not terminate a class before the scheduled end of the semester, cancel classes before or after holidays or semester breaks (even though students may request it), or move the regular time and place of the course as listed in the class schedule, without the consent of the department head and the Academic Affairs Office.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity – the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception – is an educational objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating or falsifying information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.

At the beginning of each course, it is the responsibility of the instructor to provide a statement in the syllabus clarifying the application of academic integrity criteria to that course.

The full procedure for dealing with academic dishonesty is detailed in C-7. Academic Integrity Policy - Penn State Harrisburg, the Capital College Implementation.

Students with Disabilities

Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. 

Students with a disability must be provided with reasonable academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and services in their academic activities. 

For detailed information regarding University policies and processes, please contact Student Disability Resources.

Final Exams

The final examination schedule is developed and published by the Office of the Registrar. 

You will receive a request for final exam intentions from the Registrar. Faculty final examination schedules are available on LionPath approximately the sixth week of the semester (Senate Policy 44-20, Final Examinations).

Evaluation of Teaching

The University requires all faculty members to have students evaluate their teaching. The offering period for the Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTEs) is the last two weeks of regular instruction in a traditional semester-long course. 

The SRTE offering period cannot overlap with final exams. You will be notified by the Academic Affairs office when the SRTE forms are set and available in Canvas for your students’ evaluation. 

Confidentiality of Student Records – FERPA   

The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 identifies the rights of students and their families with respect to student educational records kept by institutions. 

As part of the requirements of FERPA, the University has a policy on Confidentiality of Student Records (University Policy of Confidentiality of Student Records AD-11).  

All faculty and advisers will be required to successfully complete the FERPA quiz in order to log into LionPATH. To access the quiz, log into the Learning Resource Network and type FERPA in the search box.

Information from records, files, and data directly related to a student may not be disclosed by any means (including telephone) to individuals or agencies outside the University without the prior written consent of the student.

When the student reaches the age of 18 or begins attending a post-secondary institution, regardless of age, FERPA rights transfer from the parent to the student.

Parents may obtain access to their student’s education record (grades, GPA, etc.) by obtaining consent from their student. Students may provide consent for their parents to view grades and other portions of their education record through LionPATH.

Once access has been granted by the student, the parent may log into LionPATH and select any of the approved functions.

Information contained in such records may be shared within the University with “University officials” having “legitimate educational interest” in such information. 

It is important for instructors to protect student confidentiality when listing class exam grades, return class papers or projects, and writing letters of recommendation. 

For more information, please refer to the University Registrar's Confidentiality webpage.

Penn State Harrisburg Part-Time Faculty Handbook

  • Fixed Term II Appointments
  • Penn State ID+ Cards
  • Getting Access
  • Teaching Resources
  • Teaching Policies
  • Grading and Grading Policies
  • Campus Resources for Part-Time Faculty
  • Reporting Child Abuse

See Also

  • Copy Services
  • Information Technology Services
  • Weather Cancellation Policy
Pennsylvania map showing Penn State campuses with Penn State Harrisburg highlighted

Penn State Harrisburg

A comprehensive college in southcentral Pennsylvania offering more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs.
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