Bruin Brief 2021-09-24: The game.... faculty handbook scavenger hunt

Owned by Paul Macey
Nov 22, 2021
2 min read

Our new faculty, Drs. Robert Lucero, Kristi Westphaln, Denice Economou, and Theresa Brown pilot tested the Faculty Handbook Scavenger Hunt during New Faculty orientation this week.  Now it’s ready for you!

Rules:

·     Read each clue.

·     Find the answers in the Handbook, if you can!

·     Pull in a colleague to discuss the provocative questions.

·     Optional: Ask for clarification from someone in School of Nursing leadership. Send in a reverse clue or ask a question by emailing lclark@sonnet.ucla.edu.

Clues:

  1. Who is my ‘boss’ or direct supervisor?  In other words, who is the person who will issue my assignments, approve my vacation time, and provide me with performance evaluation?

  2. What is the chain of communication for expressing discontent or offering feedback or suggestions?

  3. How many faculty governance committees are there, and do I need to serve on committees?

  4. What is the typical teaching assignment (in units/year) for senate and adjunct faculty members and lecturers? * NOTE: the newly approved Lecturer workload policy is not in the handbook yet.

  5. With academic freedom, what parts of a course syllabus may I change? Can I move the final exam to the last week of class?

  6. Can I handle student plagiarism or cheating on my own using policies written into the syllabus? Or is there some someone else I should involve?

  7. If a student privately discloses to me that they have a disability and need an accommodation, can I change the classroom experience or testing time to meet their needs?

  8. At this research-intensive university, my funded research will make or break my career.

Thanks for playing!  Now treat yourself to a prize. I recommend Pirate Booty popcorn.

Answers and reverse questions will appear in next week’s Bruin Brief.Â