Information for Law School Adjunct Faculty

On behalf of the Law School community we welcome you to the University of Wisconsin Law School. Thank you for agreeing to contribute your time, talents, and energy to help educate the next generation of UW Law School students. This web-page has been designed to help you become familiar with the administrative rules and processes relevant to teaching. We hope that the information we have compiled will help make your experience with us productive and enjoyable. Any questions, concerns, or exigencies not covered in the information below should be addressed to Assistant Dean Kevin Kelly in Room 5109 (phone: 262-4041; e-mail: kevinkelly@wisc.edu ).

This web-page contains information divided into seven main sections. These seven sections are:

1. Administrative Matters (information on: Appointment Letters; Honorarium; University I.D. Card; Biography; Parking; Free Bus Pass; Mailboxes; Faculty Lounge; Student Mailboxes; Posting Initial Assignments; Course Descriptions; Course Syllabi; Student Course Evaluations; Rescheduling and Canceling Classes; Text Books & Related Materials; Duplicated Materials);

2. Instructional Technology (information on: Network User Names; Your NetID; E-Mail Class List; A/V & Computer Equipment; Course Material Posted to Web; “On-Line Course” Options; CALI Lessons);

3. Law Library (information on: Circulation Privileges; Copy Privileges; Course Reserve; Journal Routing; Runner Privileges; Lexis-Nexis & Westlaw;);

4. Academic Matters (information on: First Day of Class; Choosing a Grading System; Class Attendance: General Requirement; Penalty for Absence; Seating Assignments; Students with Disabilities).

5. Examinations (information on: Exam Form and Content; Scheduling and Exam Length; Exam Accommodations for Students with Disabilities; Penalty for Failure to Complete Course; Rescheduling Examinations; Rules for Conducting Examinations; Examinations to be Kept on File);

6. Grades & Grading Procedures. (Information on: Choosing a Grading System; Law School Grading Rules excerpts: General Rules; Pass-Fail Option; Grade Table; Grading Consistency in Multi-Sectioned Courses; Average Grades; Anonymous Grading System; Decoding Exam Numbers - Extra Credit; Grade Distributions; Reporting of Grades; Finality of Grades – Appeals; Grading Grievances; Temporary Grades for Graduating Students; Final Grade Reporting);

7. Student Affairs (information on: Nonacademic Misconduct; Illness during the Semester; Law School Rules; “Read This First!” Student Handbook).

1. Administrative Matters

Appointment Letter. Your official Appointment Letter from the Deans Office will be placed in your mailbox (located in the administrative corridor on the Fifth Floor of the Law Building). Please plan to pick up and review your letter on the day your class first meets. If you did not teach at the Law School in the semester immediately preceding the current semester, you may be required to fill out certain forms for payroll or other administrative purposes. Please be prompt in completing any requested paperwork.

Honorarium Information. As stated above, soon after receiving your appointment letter, you should contact Margie Speier, the Law School’s Payroll Officer, to submit any required forms. Margie’s office is Room 5103, at the end of the fifth floor Administrative Corridor. (Please note: if your honorarium is to be paid directly to your firm/employer, please notify Kevin Kelly at 262-4041; you need not contact Margie.) Any required forms should be completed out as soon as possible. If you will be co-teaching a course or seminar and dividing the honorarium, both instructors must fill out the relevant forms.

University I.D. Card. If you would like a University I.D. card, which would carry with it certain University library, athletic facilities, and other privileges, please contact Margie Speier, the Law School’s Payroll Officer. Margie's e-mail is mtspeier@wisc.edu; her phone is (608) 262-8556 and her office is Room 5103, on the Fifth Floor of the Law Building. If you have an old I.D. card, it may need to be re-activated.

Biography. The Law School is proud of its adjunct faculty and wishes to post a biography of all adjuncts on its web site. If you have not recently submitted a biography (and, if possible, a digital photo) please do so. Please e-mail your biography and photo to Assistant Dean Kevin Kelly at kevinkelly@wisc.edu. Adjunct biographies are posted at the following web-page:

http://law.wisc.edu/faculty/directory.php?iListing=Adjunct&iType=group.

Parking. The Law School reimburses each adjunct, upon request, a small sum generally sufficient to defray the costs of parking for the entire semester. The sum will be enough to cover the costs for parking at a public-accessible lot on the days that you teach at the Law School. Because the sum will be paid at a pre-set rate (approximately five dollars per class session), there is no need for you to save any parking receipts. (Please note that the Law School is able to provide parking reimbursement to adjuncts who are also entitled to receive honoraria, but is not able to do so for lecturers who are employees of the University.)

Adjuncts will be contacted by e-mail at the end of each semester with respect to the reimbursement.

The most convenient lots with public parking nearest the Law School are:

Lake Street/Frances Street Ramp (City of Madison)
(Note: the city now sometimes calls this the "State Street Campus Ramp"; entrances to this ramp are on both Lake Street and Frances Street, north of University Avenue). Parking attendant at booth: hundreds of spots available

Fluno Center (University Lot 83)
(located on the south side of University Avenue at Frances Street; enter from Frances Street)
Parking attendant at booth: 188 visitor spots available

Southeast Campus Ramp (University Lot 46)
(located just south of the Fluno Center on the north side of Johnson Street between Lake and Frances Streets; numerous entrances). Long-term meter parking: 184 ten-hour metered spots available.

Grainger Hall (University Lot 7)
(located at University Avenue & Brooks Street; enter from Brooks Street.)
Half-day temporary permits generally available after 3:00 p.m.; a limited number of half-day or full-day temporary permits are available in the morning, but these are generally sold out by 8:30 a.m.. There are also 42 two-hour meters.

Free BusPass. For information about how you can get a free Madison Metro bus pass, contact Margie Speier, the Law Schools Payroll & Benefits Specialist. Margie's e-mail is mtspeier@wisc.edu; her phone is (608) 262-8556 and her office is Room 5103, on the Fifth Floor of the Law Building.

Mailboxes. All lecturers are assigned the use of a mailbox outside the Main Office on the fifth floor of the faculty tower. Please note that because mailboxes are scarce, lecturers are typically required to share with other lecturers. You should therefore make sure to check the mailbox carefully to find all mail addressed to you.

Faculty Lounge. The faculty lounge (The “Lubar Commons”) is located on the 7^th floor and has a coffee machine for your enjoyment and convenience.

E-Mailing Your Students. Please see the Instructional Technology section below.

Student Mailboxes. All U.W. Law students have a hanging mail file assigned to them. Those files are located on the second floor of the Law School building, down the hall from the locker room. If you have hard-copy materials to be delivered to your class outside of normal class meeting times, you may leave them with Josh Cutler in Room 5110. Josh will arrange for the messages to be delivered to the student mailboxes.

Posting Initial Assignments. If you are interested in having your initial course assignments posted on the fifth floor bulletin board, please e-mail them to Assistant Dean Kelly at kevinkelly@wisc.edu, or drop them off with in the Main Office (262-2240/Room 5110). Assignments may also be faxed (262-5485) to the Main Office for posting.

Course Descriptions. To enable us to advise students effectively about your course, an up-to-date description should be submitted to Assistant Dean Kelly (262-4041/ Room 5109/ e-mail: kevinkelly@wisc.edu ). Course descriptions should be no more than one page in length, and can be as short as one or two paragraphs.

Course Syllabi. A syllabus for the course should be made available to students on the first day of class. It should contain a list of the readings assigned for the course, attendance requirements, a list of assignments, the method of evaluation (i.e. final exam or paper), and the grading system that will be used (i.e. letter grades; Mandatory Pass-Fail grades; Optional Pass-Fail grades).

Student Course Evaluations. Toward the end of the semester, students will receive an e-mail advising them that they may go on-line to provide comments with respect to their courses. (This replaces the former system wherein instructors passed out course evaluations for students to fill out.) Once you have submitted your final grades, the completed evaluation forms will be mailed to you for your consideration.

Rescheduling and Canceling Classes. If it becomes necessary to cancel and/or reschedule a class, please contact the Main Office (262-2240) or Jane Ford Bennett (262-8564). We will help arrange for a classroom and/or post a notice on the classroom door informing students that class has been canceled.

Text Books & Related Materials. You should advise the Law School Bookmart about any books and related materials that will be required for students to have for your course. Please contact Peggy Spears, Bookmart Manager, at 262-2189. Peggy initiates contact with all instructors well in advance of the semester’s start to ensure that desired texts and materials arrive in time for the start of the term. Please respond promptly to Peggy’s request for information. In addition, legal publishing houses will often provide instructors, on a complimentary basis, a copy of the available text for the subject you teach. If you wish to review available texts, please contact Kevin Kelly (e-mail: kevinkelly@wisc.edu; phone: 262-4041) for further information. Also, if you teach a subject that is also taught by some of the Law School’s regular faculty, please feel free to contact them to get their ideas on the relative merits of various texts.

Duplicated Materials. If you will be using duplicated materials, those materials should be taken to the Law School Duplication Center (Room 2246) as soon as possible, and well before the start of the semester. David Ward and Tom Veith run the duplication center and can be reached at 262-0668.

2. INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

PLEASE FULLY REVIEW THIS SECTION PRIOR TO THE START OF CLASSES. Some services should be set up or activated by you as far in advance of the first day of classes as possible. The following information (and much, much more) is also available at tech services (help@law)

Law Network User Names - are generally no longer needed. The AV computers can optionally log into a personalized account that includes file storage. Network IDs will be generated upon request to help@law.wisc.edu.

Your NetID: Free E-mail Account, Internet Access, and Access to Web Portal

If you have at least a 0% appointment with the Law School, you are eligible for a "NetID." Your NetID gets you a free "@wisc.edu" e-mail account, free dial-up Internet access, and access to the My UW-Madison web portal, where you can view your current course information and other campus resources in a personalized web environment. It also gives you access to the Law School Grade Entry program (http://law.wisc.edu/grades/)

To activate your NetID, go to https://my.wisc.edu and click "Activate your NetID." If you encounter problems, please check with Margie Speier, the Law School's Payroll Officer, to ensure that you have a valid, active appointment. Margie may be reached at 262-8556 or via e-mail at mtspeier@wisc.edu. All technical questions related to your NetID, your @wisc.edu e-mail account, dial-up Internet access, and the web portal should be directed to the DoIT Help Desk at 264-HELP.

If you wish to use your @wisc.edu account for Law Schoole-mail instead of the address we currently have on file for you, please notify Kevin Kelly (kevinkelly@wisc.edu).

E-mail Class List. To set up a class e-mail list, you may request a list on-line at http://www.doit.wisc.edu/lists/classlists/. Please note that this service is provided by the UW's Division of Information Technology (DoIT) and NOT the Law School. Contact 264-HELP (DoIT Help Desk) if you encounter technical issues using this service.

To sign up, you will need to enter a 9-digit code that is comprised of the Law School's Department Code (528) and the 3-digit course and 3-digit section numbers of your course. You can look up your course info from the semester link located at:

http://www.law.wisc.edu/academics/courses/

A/V and computer equipment for your class. All classrooms have an overhead (transparency) projector and TV/VCR. Rooms 2211, 2260, 3247, 3250, 3253, 5240 and 5246 also have built-in computers/projectors. To request any other audio-visual equipment or service, please fill out the form at /help/media/equipreq.htm. You may use that form to request equipment and services for individual classes or for the entire semester.

Course Materials Copied or Posted on the Web. You have two mutually-exclusive options for distributing course materials to your students.

(1) The Copy Shop can produce printed "course packs" for your students to purchase at the Law School's Bookmart. Drop off your materials at the Law School Copy Shop (ground floor, just past the student lockers) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

(2) The Law Library can scan your materials and place them electronic reserve so that your students can download them as PDF files. More information about this service at http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/faculty/courseresresveform.html

** NOTICE ** ALL duplicated and/or distributed course materials must abide by copyright law. Anything submitted for duplication or posting on reserve MUST be in the public domain or be covered by Fair Use guidelines, or you must obtain permission from the copyright holder to duplicate and distribute the material. There are no exceptions. The Copy Shop and Law Library staff will submit materials they feel violate copyright law to the Ad Hoc Copyright Compliance Committee for review. Materials may be returned to you so that you may obtain the necessary permissions. See /copyshop/copyright.htm for details.

“On-line Course” Options. If desired, you have three different ways to se up an on-line course:

(1) Campus provided option -- Learn@UW (replaces WebCT) is not recommended.

(2) A Moodle course page. Have many of the same features as Westlaw and Lexis, however, it is not tied to a specific brand. It uses a familiar to students campus username and password for access. Contact help@law.wisc.edu or the library reference desk, askuwlaw@law.wisc.edu, (608) 262-3394, for training!

(3) Lexis-Nexis Web Courses
http://www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool/webcourses/

You can host one or more threaded discussion groups with your students, post your syllabus and class materials, and include links to the LexisNexis research system. Contact the Law School's Lexis Representative, Carolyn Bach, at carolyn.bach@lexisnexis.com for more information and assistance.

(4) Westlaw's TWEN
http://lawschool.westlaw.com/twen/

The West Education Network (TWEN) is an electronic extension of the classroom, integrating academic tools, Westlaw research, and other resources in an online environment. Contact the Law School's Westlaw Representative, Matthew Singewald, at matthew.singewald@thomson.com for more information and assistance.

3. Law Library

Circulation Privileges. During teaching semesters, lecturers may have law faculty/staff check‑out privileges upon request. Law faculty/staff may check‑out general stack items for a semester (rather than 28 days) and journals, reference materials and other non-circulating items for 28 days. For your convenience, a copy of your Law Library Card is kept at the Circulation Desk. Please let the Circulation Desk Assistant know you have a card on file. To obtain a Law Library Card contact Circulation Staff at 265-6649. The Law Library Card is accepted only at the Law Library. Your campus ID must be used at other campus libraries and for requesting other campus library materials through MadCat, the online catalog.

Copy Privileges. A Debitcard for course‑related copying will be issued upon request to lecturers during the semester in which they are teaching. Debitcards can be used at any copy machine in any campus library using the Debitcard system. The Debitcard can be kept at the Circulation Desk or retained by the lecturer. An assistant may be authorized to use the card. The Copy Card and authorization can be obtained by contacting Circulation Staff at 265-6649 or by using the Faculty Services Web page at http://library.law.wisc.edu/faculty/ .

Course Reserve. The Course Reserve collection is located at the Circulation Desk. Required readings and audio-visual materials can be placed on Course Reserve each semester. Personal copies submitted by lecturers will be barcoded, tattletaped and labeled to indicate the course and lecturer. Overdue fines are charged on the Course Reserve titles to ensure availability. To help students avoid overdue fines and provide simultaneous access for multiple users to course materials, consider using Electronic Reserves. Items meeting copyright guidelines will be scanned and posted on the web. Students will be able to access them from the UW Portal or the Law Library home page. To submit materials for Course Reserves, contact Circulation Staff at 265-9546 or use the Faculty Services Web page at http://library.law.wisc.edu/faculty/ .

Journal Routing. New issues of a journal title can be routed to you for 14 days. To request journal routing, please contact Circulation Staff at 265-6649 or use the Faculty Services Web page at http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/currentawareness/ .

Runner Privileges. An assistant who is a enrolled student or current employee of the UW-Madison can be authorized to charge items for you on their campus ID. The assistant indicates when they check out the items that they want them charged on your library account. The assistant can charge items for you at most campus libraries but you will be responsible for any overdue fees or replacement costs. To find more, contact Circulation Staff at 265-6649 or see the Faculty Services Web page at http://library.law.wisc.edu/services/borrow/faculty.html .

LexisNexis/Westlaw. Access to LexisNexis and Westlaw is available for adjunct faculty of the U.W. Law School engaged in teaching courses, giving lectures, or conducting seminars for law students. Access is provided at the discretion of each vendor and must be used for educational purposes only. Access may be granted up to six weeks before the beginning of the semester in which an individual will teach and will cease upon the close of the semester or the end of the course. To obtain passwords for both LexisNexis and Westlaw, contact Faculty Services Librarian, Cheryl O'Connor, at 262-3386 or caoconno@wisc.edu.

4. Academic Matters

First Day of Class. We recommend that you collect students’ school addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses the first day of class. Generally, email is the most expeditious way to communicate with students throughout the semester. It is also possible to set up a course email list through Do-It Computer Services. See the section above on Instructional technology regarding setting up an e-mail class list.

Grading System. We advise that you settle all student questions with respect to grading (to include the existence of the Pass-Fail option) very early in the semester. Recently, the Law School discontinued using the 65-95 grading scale. All grading is now done on a new 4.3-scale letter-grading system unique to the Law School. The letter grades are as follows: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F. Chapter 2 of the Law School Rules governs the new grading system. This chapter is found on-line at: http://law.wisc.edu/current/rules/chap2.htm .

Instructors in upper-level courses may have the discretion to determine whether to grade courses and seminars on a Pass-Fail basis. (Pass-Fail can sometimes be “mandatory” --that is, each member of the class will receive either a Pass or Fail– more commonly, you can allow your students an individual option to elect to take the course on a Pass-Fail basis or receive a letter grade.) Pass-Fail grading is explained in Law School Rule 2.01 (3)-(4) and Rule 2.03. (Note: Trial Advocacy courses are exclusively graded by Pass-Fail; thus, Trial Advocacy is a “mandatory” Pass/Fail course.) If you need advice regarding the selection of a grading system, you may contact Assistant Dean Kevin Kelly at 262-4041.

Attendance Excerpts from the relevant Law School Rules:

5.01 General Requirement. All students must attend classes regularly to the satisfaction of the instructor.

5.02 Penalty. If a student fails to comply with the foregoing provision his or her final grade in the course may be lowered at the discretion of the instructor, or if attendance at a seminar for which no grade is given should be unsatisfactory, the student may be denied credit.

5.03 Seating Assignments. Students must take the seats assigned to them. An instructor is entitled to consider a student absent if the student does not occupy the seat assigned to him or her.

Students with Disabilities

Because of blind grading and the need to protect the confidentiality of students with disabilities, instructors have almost no role in providing accommodations for students with disabilities at this law school. Below is an explanation of how our system works. Basically, instructors should send students seeking any accommodations to Dean of Students Ruth Robarts. In very rare situations, such as a student with severe hearing or visual disabilities, Dean Robarts will come to professors for help in accommodating a student in the classroom. Please contact Dean Robarts any time that you have questions about students with disabilities. Asst Dean Ruth Robarts contact information: rrobarts@wisc.edu or 262-8557.

Identifying Students with Qualifying Disabilities

The McBurney Center for Disabilities handles assessments of students with disabilities for all departments on campus. The McBurney Center issues a set of accommodations for those students that it determines qualify for accommodations. Accommodations may include extended time for exams, note-taking services, or use of adaptive technology, among other things.

Implementing Accommodations Asst Dean Robarts is responsible for implementing accommodations. Students who ask instructors for accommodations should be referred to Asst Dean Robarts. Because of blind-grading practices at the Law School and the need to protect confidentiality for the students, instructors usually have no role in implementing accommodations.

Exam Accommodations Exam accommodations may include a longer time for the exam, use of voice-activated software, or a private room. Instructors will not get notice regarding students who take an exam at a different time or with an accommodation, in order to protect blind-grading. (The same is true for students without disabilities who have exams re-scheduled due to having two exams on the same day, medical emergencies or the like.)

Note-taking services Asst Dean Robarts is responsible for finding students to serve as note-takers. The McBurney Center pays students $35 per credit for note-taking.

Case Managers The McBurney Center provides case managers for students with disabilities. Case managers have expertise related to the disability and can counsel the student about a variety of instructional and non-instructional issues. Case managers also help me determine when a student has asked for accommodations that go beyond what their disability requires.

Policy Issues Our Student-Faculty Committee on Disabilities handles policy issues related to the provision of appropriate accommodations. The current chair of the committee is Professor Michele LaVigne. Two students serve on the committee.

Upper-Level Writing Requirement. Should your course involve a significant amount of writing, students may ask if they may meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement in your course. This is what is entailed:

For students who want to meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement in your or any other course, they need to submit draft written work to the instructor that is cumulatively at least 15 pages in length (can be one paper or several papers). The instructor then gives feedback to the student on the legal writing aspect (as opposed to substantive law content) of the draft and returns the draft, with comments/feedback to the student in time for the student to incorporate the instructor's legal writing suggestions/guidance via a re-write before submitting the final paper.

You do not need to follow the draft submission process for all students writing papers for your course --only those who may still need to meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement (some will have already done so in another course) and wish to do so in your course. For students not wishing to meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement in your course, they can simply submit final papers as usual, as opposed to also submitting a preliminary draft.

One IMPORTANT note: students attempting to meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement in your course should not have their final grade in the course enhanced or lessened by the draft-submission/writing feedback process. The Upper-Level Writing Requirement is meant to be a separate skills-building exercise and students fulfilling it in one course or another should not be advantaged or disadvantaged, grade-wise, from other students in the course who are not meeting the requirement in that same course.

As far as timing, the drafts just need to be submitted to you in time so that you can evaluate them & return them, with comments, in sufficient time so that students can incorporate your suggestions in a re-write for the final paper. Precise deadlines with regard to draft submission & final paper submission are up to the instructor, who will communicate same to the students (hopefully early-on in the course).

As far as the legal writing guidance you give, we allow all of our instructors (Faculty, Academic Staff, Adjuncts) to use their own best judgment re what constitutes effective legal writing. This is typically a subjective business, to be sure, but many of our adjunct faculty doubtless have to write quite often (and also see examples of bad writing from other attorneys) —so you will be in an excellent position to evaluate the students' legal writing and offer suggestions for improvement when necessary.

5. Examinations

Exam Form and Content. While lecturers do their best to guard exam content, the reality is that students can acquire copies of old exams -- especially because their circulation is highly valued. For this reason, no exam, whether on file in the library or not, should be considered protected. Both lecturers and regular faculty should compose new examinations each semester in the interest of fairness and accuracy in evaluating a student’s mastery of the course material.

Scheduling and Exam Length . The schedule of proctored final examinations to be given in the Law Building is set prior to the start of the semester. The length of the final examination usually coincides with the number of credits for the course (e.g., a two-credit course will generally conclude with a two-hour final exam, three-credit courses will have three-hour exams and so on). Proctors for exams will be arranged by Jane Ford-Bennett (Room 5106; phone: 262-8564), although you are certainly welcome to proctor your own exam. Exams should be prepared and ready for duplication two weeks before the end of the semester. Finally, you have the option of having “Take-home” examinations in lieu of a proctored exam. Take-home exams can generally be taken by students at a time of their choosing at any point throughout the entire examination period. Administration of take-home exams is typically handled by the Law School’s front office personnel.

Exam Accommodations for Students with Disabilities. Consistent with Federal and State laws, the Law School provides academic and physical accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who request accommodations for examinations should be directed to Assistant Dean Ruth Robarts (Room 5105). Assistant Dean Robarts will work with the McBurney Disability Resources Center to determine the proper accommodation upon receiving documentation of the disability. If the accommodation involves extended time or physical changes in the exam environment, Assistant Dean Robarts’ office will administer the examination. Dean Robarts’ office will endeavor to protect the identity of students receiving accommodations.

Penalty for Failure to Complete Course. In any cases where withdrawal is not authorized under Law School Rule 6.01(1) or (2), the student who fails to complete a course or to hand in an examination paper shall receive a grade of 65 for such course.

Rescheduling Examinations. Pursuant to Law School Rule 6.03, the policy of the Law School is that all students must take examinations at the scheduled time unless there exist extraordinary and compelling circumstances. The policy outlined below is designed to handle most typical circumstances, and is usually administered by Assistant Dean Ruth Robarts. In the interest of consistency and fair treatment, students who request to reschedule an examination should be directed to Assistant Dean Robarts.

1. A student who is scheduled to take two examinations on the same day may postpone the second examination to the first day on which the student does not have a scheduled examination. A student who has four consecutive examinations may postpone one of the exams for one week.

2. Except in extraordinary circumstances, an examination will not be rescheduled later than the end of the examination period in which the examination is scheduled.

3. An examination may be rescheduled subject to approval of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, in the following circumstances.

. a. Where illness or pregnancy of the student actually prevents the student from taking an exam, upon a physician’s written certification to the Assistant Dean’s office. A student who becomes ill during an examination and is unable to complete it must take a new examination.

b. Where a member of a student’s family or his or her “significant other” has died, and the student is attending the funeral or grieving.

c. Where a Sabbath or other religious observance precludes a student from taking an examination.

d. Where a student is attending the birth of his/her child.

e. Other circumstances sufficiently similar in gravity to those above that equity requires comparable treatment.

4. The following are examples of circumstances where examinations will not be rescheduled:

a. Where a student is taking a bar review course in or within commuting distance of Madison. (Bar Review courses outside of Madison will be individually reviewed)

b. Where a student has a professional opportunity that conflicts with a scheduled examination.

c. Where a student is late, oversleeps, is caught in traffic, etc.

d. Where a student wishes to leave early for the winter or summer break.

e. Where a student has exams on 3 consecutive days.

5. If a student takes a rescheduled examination, the instructor, with the advice of the Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Affairs, has discretion to grade the student on a numerical scale, to give the student a letter grade, or to grade the student on a satisfactory-unsatisfactory basis.

6. Whenever possible requests for postponements should be made to the office of the Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Affairs no later than four weeks before examinations begin. Students should not request special arrangements for examinations from the instructor in a course. Questions about the meaning or application of these rules should be addressed to the Assistant Dean for Students and Academic Affairs.

Rules for Conducting Examinations. Law School Rule 6.06 gives the following guidance regarding the administration of final exams:

(1) No books, paper, outlines or bluebooks shall be brought into the examination room except as authorized in advance by the individual instructor.

(2) Students will be permitted to sign out and leave the room for necessary purposes, and should return promptly.

(3) Space for outlining or the making of notes will be provided on the examination paper itself. No separate scratch paper will be furnished.

Examinations to be Kept on File. Pursuant to Law School Rule 6.08, you should retain

all examination bluebooks, final papers, etc., on file for one year.

6. Grades & Grading Procedures

Grading. The overriding concern of the Law School regarding grading is that students be treated fairly and consistently, particularly with respect to students in other sections of the same course. For that reason, the Law School has adopted the grading rules and guidelines that are outlined below. When assigning grades to your students, you should follow the stated guidelines.

Grading System. We advise that you settle all student questions with respect to grading (to include the existence of the Pass-Fail option) very early in the semester. Recently, the Law School discontinued using the 65-95 grading scale. All grading is now done on a new 4.3-scale letter-grading system unique to the Law School. The letter grades are as follows: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F. Chapter 2 of the Law School Rules governs the new grading system. This chapter is found on-line at: http://law.wisc.edu/current/rules/chap2.htm .

Instructors in upper-level courses may have the discretion to determine whether to grade courses and seminars on a Pass-Fail basis. (Pass-Fail can sometimes be “mandatory” --that is, each member of the class will receive either a Pass or Fail– more commonly, you can allow your students an individual option to elect to take the course on a Pass-Fail basis or receive a letter grade.) Pass-Fail grading is explained in Law School Rule 2.01 (3)-(4) and Rule 2.03. (Note: Trial Advocacy courses are exclusively graded by Pass-Fail; thus, Trial Advocacy is a “mandatory” Pass/Fail course.) If you need advice regarding the selection of a grading system, you may contact Assistant Dean Kevin Kelly at 262-4041.

Excerpts From ThELaWSchool Grading Rules

2.06 Grading Consistency in Multi-Sectioned Courses

(1) Faculty teaching courses for which several sections are offered in the same semester are expected to consult in order to maintain a consistency in the grading patterns of the sections. Consistency can be maintained by agreement in advance to an approximate grading pattern, agreement to follow a pattern set by the first instructor to finish grading, or submission of all grades after all grading has been completed and post-grading consultation has occurred.

(2) Consistency does not require that there be no differences in the grading curves between sections. However, faculty should be convinced that any differences between sections reflects differences in student performance and not just difference in faculty grading patterns.

2.07 Average Grades

(1) For all first year courses, and for advanced classes with an enrollment exceeding 30, the mean grade shall normally fall between 82.5 and 84 on the 65-95 scale (or between 2.85 and 3.1 on the 4.3 (A+ to F) scale). For advanced classes with an enrollment of 30 or less, the mean grade shall normally fall between 81.5 and 85 (or between 2.7 and 3.3 on the 4.3 (A+ to F) scale).

(2) An instructor submitting grades with a mean falling outside the limits prescribed in the preceding section shall provide the Associate Dean with a brief written explanation for the deviation from the prescribed means. The Associate Dean may prescribe a form for the submission of such explanations.

Anonymous Grading System. Pursuant to Law School Rule 6.10, all students taking examinations are identified by an anonymous exam number rather than by name. Prior to the end of the semester, all instructors are given specially prepared grading sheets identifying students by their anonymous exam numbers. Besides the anonymous exam numbers, grading sheets contain the overall grade point average for the class. This number can be used as a reference in the grading process.

Decoding Exam Numbers-Extra Credit. Once grades are turned in, instructors may award extra credit for class participation or other assignments by providing a list of the students who are to receive the credit to Jane Ford-Bennett (262-8564/Rm5106), or by asking her to decode the numbers and scores of particular students.

Excerpts From The LawSchool Grading Rules

2.08 Grade Distributions

(1) The following table establishes target ranges for the distribution of grades in large and small sections. Large sections are courses or sections with an enrollment exceeding 30. Instructors should endeavor to fit within these ranges in assigning grades, unless circumstances peculiar to that course or the students enrolled in it justify a different pattern.

(2) The Associate Dean shall study the grading patterns of all instructors. If they deviate significantly from these ranges over several courses, the Associate Dean shall consult with the instructor in an effort to come to some agreement whether the deviations are appropriate, given the subject matter of the course and the type of students enrolled.

2.09 Reporting of Grades

(1) Instructors are responsible for reporting their grades in conformity with the deadline policies adopted by the faculty.

(2) Grade entry is accomplished by utilizing the Law School's on-line grade reporting system. The on-line grade reporting system may be modified from time to time, but should contain:

(a) a method for calculating the average and median grades for the course;

(b) a method for calculating the current combined cumulative average for all the students included on the grade sheet, to the extent that it is available; and

(c) a method for generating a table depicting the number of times each individual grade was given.

(d) a method for permitting instructors to include, along with their individual grades, a brief description of the method of testing or other basis for grades and any explanation desired by the instructor concerning special or unusual circumstances pertaining to the course.

Finality of Grades - Appeals

2.11 Grading Grievances

(1) There shall be no appeal from a grade on the allegation either that the grader misapplied the criteria for grading the exam, or that the criteria were themselves ill-chosen; faculty members should be scrupulously careful in constructing the exam, choosing grading criteria and applying those criteria. Once a grade has been turned in, that grade may be changed only if it is the result of an error in computation, or an error in transcription.

(2) Students who believe they have been the victim of discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, or other similarly arbitrary grounds, may seek redress from the office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, with a right of appeal to the Petitions Committee. Disputes concerning the right to, or extent of, any disability-related accommodations shall be resolved using the appeal process set forth as part of the ADA Campus Policies, and shall not be regarded as grading grievances under this section.

(3) A student who wishes to challenge the nature, quality, or fairness of an examination or other graded exercise for a particular course, rather than his or her particular grade on that examination or exercise, may bring a grievance to the attention of the office of the Associate Dean.

Temporary Grades for Graduating Students. Instructors teaching upper-level courses will often have students who will be graduating at the conclusion of the semester. Such students are instructed to notify their instructors on their exams or final papers that they expect to graduate that semester. To enable the Law School to ensure it only certifies degree-eligible students for bar admission, you are asked to inform the Law School of any graduating student in your course whom you feel either likely failed the course or has otherwise not completed the coursework requirements in full.

Final Grade Deadline. The deadline for turning in final grades is four weeks from the last day of the examination period. If you will need an extension to finish grading exams, you may contact Assistant Dean Kevin Kelly (262-4041).

7. Student Affairs

Nonacademic Misconduct. University rules prohibit conduct in the classroom that severely affects the physical and learning environment of students. Any such conduct should be reported to Assistant Dean Ruth Robarts, Room 5105, at 262-8557. Assistant Dean Robarts is Assistant Dean for Student and Academic Affairs.

Illness During the Semester. Students whose illnesses render them incapable of performing should be encouraged to report their condition to Assistant Dean Robarts. The University is well prepared to offer a full range of treatment and counseling options, and its policies are designed to accommodate the needs of students who cannot perform their academic work because of illness.

Law School Rules. A complete version of the Law School Rules are available on-line at:

http://law.wisc.edu/current/rules/

Read This First! Student Handbook. A complete version of the Law School’s student manual, parts of which you may find enlightening, is located at: http://law.wisc.edu/current/rtf2006.pdf (PDF).

Conclusion

Again, we hope your experience teaching at the Law School is both enjoyable and rewarding. If there are any problems or concerns, please contact Assistant Dean Kevin Kelly at 262-4041(e-mail: kevinkelly@wisc.edu). Thank you, again, for your invaluable contribution to our Law School community!