Faculty and staff members are required to provide reasonable accommodations to all students with disabilities who have provided appropriate documentation of the disability to the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Therefore, all students requesting accommodations because of a disability should be referred to the OSD.

Once the request has been made, the OSD will determine eligibility for disability-related services. Students must have a documented disability as defined by the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

If correct documentation has been submitted and a student qualifies for accommodation, the OSD will notify each instructor by letter. The letter from the OSD explains the accommodations necessary for that student. Please keep in mind that this information is to remain confidential and discussing accommodations with a student should be done discretely. If a student talks to a class member or another faculty member, that is his or her right, but not the right of the faculty member. All students sign a Release of Information Form so that the OSD may share the information with the necessary parties. Please do not share this information with anyone without written consent from the student.

For each trimester, it is then the student’s responsibility to notify the OSD of his or her updated class schedule, and the OSD will in turn notify each instructor by letter. If a faculty member feels that he or she cannot implement all of the recommended accommodations, the faculty member should contact the OSD to negotiate an acceptable alternative. The alternative will then be discussed with the student by the OSD and faculty member. The OSD is always available to assist faculty with devising suitable classroom and testing accommodations.

The following statement should be included in all AHU syllabi:

Students seeking accommodations must first contact the Disabilities Coordinator at 407-303-1870 or counseling@my.ahu.edu prior to or at the beginning of the trimester. The processing time for these forms is approximately two weeks. For further information see Disabilities.

AHU faculty and staff will take reasonable and appropriate steps to maintain confidentiality of the student and the information gathered.

8.2 Academic Freedom

All learning and all teaching take place within the framework of a worldview of the nature of reality, humanity, knowledge, and values. The roots of academic freedom in the Christian university are found in a principle that the best education is attained when intellectual growth occurs within an environment in which Biblically-based concepts are central to the aims of education.

AdventHealth University subscribes to principles of academic freedom generally held to be important in higher education. These principles make possible the disciplined and creative pursuit of truth, recognizing that freedom is never absolute and implies commensurate responsibilities.

At AHU, the principle of academic freedom is central to establishing such aims. This principle reflects a belief in freedom as an essential right in a democratic society, but with a particular focus in an academic community. It is the guarantee that instructors and students will be able to carry on the functions of learning, research, and teaching with minimum restrictions. It applies to subjects within the instructor’s professional expertise, within which there is a special need for freedom to pursue truth. It also applies to the atmosphere of open inquiry necessary in an academic community if learning is to be honest and thorough.

For the faith-based institution, academic freedom has an additional significance. This places a responsibility on Christian faculty to be self-disciplined, responsible, mature scholars, and to investigate, teach, and publish within the area of their academic competence without external restraint. They will have due regard for the character and aims of the institution and a concern for the spiritual and intellectual needs of their students.

8.3 Academic Integrity Policy

Refer to the Academic Catalog

8.4 Campus Closing

Refer to the Emergency Campus Closure Policy and the Standard Operating Procedure.

8.5 Citation Style

Citation styles reflect the priorites of each discipline and allow authors to demonstrate their disciplinary expertise. The Modern Language Association (MLA) is typically used within the humanities, social and health sciences often follow the American Psychological Association (APA), and scholars from history tend to use Chicago/Turabian styles. Even within these broad categories citation practices may vary between journals and presses within a discipline.

AdventHealth University recommends following APA style for writing assignments in undergraduate courses and official University documents. When writing for journals or other publications, authors should prepare their writing according to style requirements specified by the publication. Citation styles other than APA are appropriate when submitted to the AHU Scientific Review Committee (SRC) or the Institutional Review Committee (IRB).

Citation guidelines for APA style can be found at http://www.apastyle.org.

8.6 Course Grading

The Academic Catalog outlines the policies regarding deferred grades and incompletes. Deferred and Incomplete grades should be given only under special circumstances. An Incomplete is given when the student is unable to complete the work after the final withdrawal date within the trimester. (Students are responsible for completing the Request for Grade of Incomplete Form.) The Deferred grade is given when the instructor is unable to give a grade in a timely manner. A Deferred grade issued by the course instructor is to be submitted only with the department chair’s approval. The Deferred grade and Incomplete grade must be submitted when all other class grades are due to the Registrar’s Office.

Faculty are required to submit all grades within the requested deadlines.

All grade books are the property of AHU and must be submitted to the Department Chair at the end of each trimester.

Faculty, including adjunct instructional and online education, must follow the grading system as indicated in the catalog. The University uses pluses and minuses for undergraduates. Grades must be consistent and students must be aware of the grading scale and how grades are calculated. This must be clearly outlined in the course syllabus. Faculty are responsible to submit final grades within the requested deadlines.

Adjunct Faculty for Clinical Practice: Contract clinical faculty follow the clinical grading criteria and procedures as indicated by the course syllabus and corresponding student handbook supplement.

8.7 Course Syllabus

Course syllabi should follow the Sample Syllabus (see Appendix C ) with regards to order and information required. An electronic copy of syllabi should be submitted to the Department Chair prior to the beginning of class for departmental approval.

Adjunct Faculty for Clinical Practice: Clinical faculty do not have the responsibility for the course syllabus, but should be familiar with the course content.

8.8 Exams

All exams should be given within the regular class schedule. A schedule of final exams is published at the beginning of the trimester. Efforts will be made to schedule final exams on the day and time that the class meets.

8.9 Graduation

The Commencement ceremony follows the end of the Spring trimester each year.

Administration and Faculty are required to participate in the Commencement Processional. Staff are welcome to march if they choose. Information on graduation is distributed early in the Spring trimester each year. All employees are required to attend the commencement ceremony. Adjunct Faculty are invited, but not required, to participate in the Commencement Processional.

8.10 Intellectual Property Policy

Refer to the published policy in Appendix B .

8.11 Office Hours

Office hours and contact information should be posted by offices and available online in courses. Office hours may also be a combination of in-person and virtual. Appropriate representation of each department on campus is expected during weekdays. Adjunct faculty should check with the department in which they are teaching for designated office space. Due to the nature of online education, each course will have set forth a schedule of online hours. A schedule of office hours should be provided to the students.

8.12 Response to Course Work Emails

Faculty members are to respond to course work emails within 24 hours whenever possible and no later than 48 hours. Click here for full policy.

8.13 Student Attendance

Faculty members are required to take student attendance for each didactic and laboratory class period. The faculty member will record all student tardiness and absenteeism. The last day of attendance will be reported to the Registrar’s Office for class(es) dropped. Faculty will complete and submit an administrative drop form to the Registrar’s Office if a student has not been in attendance for 14 calendar days. Access the Faculty Taking Student Attendance Policy.

Adjunct Faculty for Clinical Practice: Student tardiness and absenteeism should be documented according to program and departmental policies and reported to the appropriate course coordinator or program director in a timely manner.

Adjunct Faculty for Online Education: Student attendance and participation should follow the requirements outlined in the contract per the University’s policy. If a student drops a class, the last day of participation should be included on the Drop/Add Form.

Student Drop/Withdrawal Policy: Students desiring to withdraw from a class should complete the appropriate Drop/Withdrawal Form available from the Registrar’s Office.

If a student is absent for a period of two consecutive weeks, the faculty should contact the Registrar’s Office to initiate an administrative drop. This form must include the last date of attendance for the student.

8. Faculty and Adjunct Responsibilities

8.1 Academic Accommodation Procedure