Welcome to University of Wisconsin Law School! This online manual covers administrative and academic  topics relevant to teaching at UW Law. If you have questions or concerns not covered in the manual, please contact Associate Dean Kevin Kelly.

We are grateful for the meaningful contributions of our adjunct faculty and appreciate the considerable effort and commitment they make to enrich our students’ academic experience. Thank you for the important work you do on behalf of our students.

Table of Contents

1. Administrative Matters

2. Instructional Technology

3. Law School Copy Shop

4. Law Library

5. Course Logistics

6. Examinations

7. Grades & Grading Procedures

8. Student Affairs

9. Contact Information and Resources

Administrative Matters

Appointment Letter and Honorarium

Before the start of the semester in which you are scheduled to teach, the Dean’s Office will email you an official appointment letter. Details about your honorarium will be included in the letter.

Shortly after you receive the appointment letter the Law School’s Payroll and Benefits Specialist, Kelly Hallmark, with contact you about completing any outstanding HR and/or payroll paperwork. If you are a new adjunct or it has been several years since you last taught, you will be required to complete an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and authorize the University to conduct a Criminal Background Check.

All university employees (new and returning employees) must complete a Sexual Harassment/Sexual Violence Reference Check. You will need to identify at least one individual who can serve as your mandatory reference for this requirement. Mandatory references include: 1) your current or most recent employer and 2) all former UW-Madison, UW System institution and/or Wisconsin state agency employer(s) that you’ve worked for in the past seven years. Typically, one reference is sufficient, unless you have worked at multiple UW System Institutions or Wisconsin State agencies within the last seven years. The contact information (name and email address) for your mandatory reference(s) should be sent to Kelly Hallmark, at kelly.hallmark@wisc.edu. Your selected mandatory reference(s) will be emailed a brief survey regarding sexual harassment/sexual harassment.

If you will be co-teaching a course, both instructors must complete the relevant forms and reference checks. Please be prompt in completing any requested paperwork, and return it to Kelly Hallmark.

Mandatory Online Trainings

As a UW-Madison employee with an active appointment, you must complete the Cybersecurity Awareness Training. This training is required annually. Information and training options can be found at the Cybersecurity Awareness Training website.

UW-Madison is committed to creating and maintaining a campus community that is free from sexual harassment and sexual violence. All employees are required to complete an online prevention education program called Preventing Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence at UW-Madison. Employees must complete this training within 30 days of a UW-Madison appointment and every four years thereafter. Additional information and a registration link for this training can be found here.

University I.D. Card (Wiscard)

Once your adjunct appointment has been entered into the UW system, you may receive a University I.D. card, which carries with it certain University library, athletic facilities, and other privileges. ID cards are available at the Wiscard office in Union South, Room 149, 1308 W. Dayton Street. Please call the Wiscard Office at 608-262-3258 prior to heading to the office to ensure your information appears in the system. Wiscards must be renewed every five years. Learn more about how to get your WiscCard.

For information about the location of the Wiscard office at the Union South, and their hours of operation, see the Wiscard Contact Information.

NetID (steps required)

All university students, staff and faculty are assigned a unique NetID username. Your NetID and associated password are required to complete mandatory trainings, access campus provided online services, including your wisc.edu email, class rosters, textbook information, grading website, Canvas, and more. 

To activate your NetID:

  1. Go to https://www.mynetid.wisc.edu/activate 
  2. Enter your 11-digit photo ID number and your birthdate.
  3. Note: You must reactivate your NetID at the start of each new term in which you teach.

To use the services associated with your NetID (including Office 365 email, MyUW, Google Suite, etc.) you must first activate those services. You can do that by logging into https://mynetid.wisc.edu/modify and clicking the red "activate services" button. You can find detailed instructions for activating services here.

If you have not already obtained a University I.D. Card (Wiscard), please contact Angela Nash to ensure that you have a valid, active appointment, and to obtain your ten-digit Campus ID number, which you will need to activate your NetID.

All technical questions related to your NetID should be directed to the DoIT Help Desk.

University Email Account (@wisc.edu email)

For the protection of student information and to ensure students receive all course communications, adjunct faculty must use their @wisc.edu email account for all course-related communications with students.

Your @wisc.edu email account is created when your NetID is activated. You will be assigned the default email address of NetID@wisc.edu. Your @wisc.edu email can be accessed by visiting email.wisc.edu and logging in with your NetID and password. Should you encounter any issues with your email setup or NetID, please reach out to the UW-Madison Tech Support Team (DoIT).

Biography

The Law School is proud of its adjunct faculty and likes to profile its adjuncts in the Faculty & Staff Directory (apply “adjunct” filter to view). Please email your biography and photo to news@law.wisc.edu.

Parking

University Transportation Services provides detailed information about campus-wide parking lot locations and hours of control here. Below is a list of parking lots located near the Law School. To view the current availability of each of these lots please visit the UW Visitor Parking Availability webpage.

Please note that the Law School is not able to provide reimbursement for parking expenses. 

Bus Pass

If you have a valid UW ID card (Wiscard) you may get a Madison Metro bus pass, which is valid from September 1 through August 31 of the following year. Bus passes are available for sale starting August 1. New employees cannot purchase a bus pass until the first day of their appointment. For more information, see the UW Employee Bus Pass Program.

Mailboxes

All adjunct instructors are assigned a mailbox outside the Main Office on the 5th floor. Please note that due to the limited number of mailboxes, adjuncts are typically required to share a mailbox. You should therefore make sure to check the mailbox carefully to find all mail addressed to you.

Faculty Breakroom

A faculty/staff breakroom is located on the 5th floor – down the hall from the Main Office reception desk. The breakroom has a sink, refrigerator/freezer, and coffeemaker.

Course Descriptions

So that we can effectively advise students about your course, we ask that you submit an up-to-date course description to Angela Nash before the start of classes. Course descriptions should be no more than one page in length and can be as short as one or two paragraphs.

Faculty Resources Webpage

The Law School’s Faculty & Staff Resources webpage includes links to several helpful tools to support your teaching efforts. Some of the key resources available on the page include: the grade entry portal; syllabus template; student bios and seating chart information; and a link to the Copy Shop services.

Textbooks and Course Materials

As soon as you have decided which book(s) and related materials your students must acquire for your course, please post that information in MyUW via the Faculty Center. Please do this as soon as possible so that the required texts and materials can arrive in time for the start of the term. You can also post textbook information on your course Canvas page. If you have any questions or need assistance posting your textbook information, please contact Angela Nash. 

Legal publishing houses will often provide instructors with a complimentary review copy of the available textbooks for the subject you teach. If you wish to acquire a review copy of a textbook, please contact Associate Dean Kevin Kelly for additional 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.

Questions sometime arise regarding copyright issues and materials you may want to reproduce for your course. The UW-Madison Administrative Legal Services website has information on Copyright Laws and how to use them.

Hardcopy Materials

If you need to share hardcopy materials with a student outside of normal class meeting times, you may leave them for at the Main Office, with Adam Bushcott (Room 5110), and tell the student to pick up the materials from the Main Office. 

Instructional Technology

Please fully review this section prior to the start of classes.

The online instructional services described below (class group email and Canvas) should be set up/activated well in advance of the first day of classes. To access any of these services you must first activate your NetID. Complete information about IT resources and instructional tools is available at Help@Law or by contacting help@law.wisc.edu.

Class Group Email

An email list for your course will be automatically generated from course enrollment data from the Registrar’s Office. The list is refreshed throughout the day to reflect the most accurate class roster. You can access your Class Group email using your NetID. You can find complete instructions on using your Class Group email here.

Instructors should use their Class Group email to communicate with students in their course. If you send an email without using the class group listserv, then you should put student email addresses in the bcc line of the message; otherwise, you run the risk of violating FERPA rules (see more information about FERPA in the Student Services section below).

Class Roster

You can find an official class roster for your course in the MyUW Faculty Center. Class rosters are updated 6 times a day. Full instructions for accessing your class roster can be found here.

Canvas

Canvas is a campus supported learning management system used for creating online course pages. This is the primary tool you will use to create an online course site for students. You can get started creating your Canvas course here. If you have questions or need support creating your Canvas page, please contact help@law.wisc.edu. UW Madison also provides several live and recorded Canvas training opportunities through its KnowledgeBase site. 

A/V Services and Classroom Technology

All classrooms are wired with built-in computers/projectors. It is highly recommended that you set-up a 15-minute overview with the Law School Help Desk prior to your first class to make sure you are comfortable with the technology in the classroom. You can find the technical specifications for each Law School classroom here.

To request any other audio-visual equipment or service, email help@law.wisc.edu. You may request equipment and services for individual classes or for the entire semester. Please provide at least 72 hours notice for equipment and services.

Law School Copy Shop

Printed Course Materials

The Law School Copy Shop is responsible for printing course materials.

If you will be using copied materials, those materials should be hand-delivered or emailed to the Law School Copy Shop as soon as possible, and well before the start of the semester. The Copy Shop can be reached at 608-262-0668 or at copyshop@law.wisc.edu. They are located in room 2115 of the Law Building.

Posting Printed Materials to Canvas

To give students the greatest flexibility, the Copy Shop can upload all course packs to a class Canvas page upon your request, which will make the electronic version freely available to students enrolled in your class. If a student wants a hard copy, the Copy Shop can print it for them, and the student can stop by the Copy Shop or go to the Copyshop Coursepack Online Ordering form to purchase the paper copy.

Copyright

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 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 the Copy Shop's Copyright Policy page for details.

Law Library

With a collection of over 640,000 volume equivalents and hundreds of databases, the UW Law Library ranks among the top academic law libraries nationally. The library provides print and electronic access to a full range of state and federal law, international law, and the law of certain foreign jurisdictions.

As a member of the campus library system, Law Library users may also draw upon the over six million resources of the UW-Madison campus libraries. 

Search the UW Madison library catalog.

Circulation Privileges

During teaching semesters, adjuncts may have law faculty/staff check out privileges. Present your Wiscard at the Circulation Desk to check out items from any UW Madison Library. You may also request items to be delivered to the Law Library Circulation Desk from other UW Madison and UW system libraries using the UW Madison library catalog.

Proxy Privileges

An assistant who is an enrolled student or current employee of the UW-Madison can be authorized to check out campus items for you, however, you will be responsible for any overdue fees or replacement costs.

To designate a faculty proxy, contact Circulation Staff at 265-6649 or circ@law.wisc.edu.

Printers, Copiers, and Scanners

The Law Library may be able to print or copy materials for you. If you need a small number (less than 100 pages) printed or copied, please contact docdel@law.wisc.edu. If you have a larger print or copy order, the Copy Shop can be contacted at help@law.wisc.edu The Library is also home to three scanners. Scanning is free. For help scanning, please ask a Reference Librarian at the Reference Desk or contact docdel@law.wisc.edu if you need 50 pages or less scanned in from a book. If you have a larger scan request, please contact Kris Turner at Kris.Turner@wisc.edu.

Course Reserves

The Course Reserve collection is located at the Circulation Desk. Required readings and audio-visual materials can be placed on Course Reserve each semester. Adjuncts may supply the item to place on Course Reserve or ask that the Law Library provide it, if possible. Personal copies submitted by adjuncts will be barcoded and labeled to indicate the course, and the items will be returned at the end of the semester.

To place materials on Course Reserve, stop at the Circulation Desk or contact Circulation Staff at 265-9546 or email circ@law.wisc.edu.

Electronic Course Reserves

Electronic Course Reserves can be created in Canvas. If you would like assistance in setting up your Canvas course, please contact the Help Department at 608-262-5242 or help@law.wisc.edu.

LexisNexis / Westlaw/ Bloomberg Law

Access to LexisNexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law is available for adjunct faculty of the UW Law School engaged in teaching courses, giving lectures, or conducting seminars for law students. These IDs are provided at the discretion of each vendor and must be used for educational purposes only. Access may be granted up to four weeks before the beginning of the semester in which an individual will teach and ceases upon the close of the semester.

To obtain passwords for LexisNexis, Westlaw or Bloomberg Law, contact Kristopher Turner, Associate Director for Public Services.

Research & Instructional Support

The Law Library offers a full range of services to support faculty and student research. Reference librarians are available in person, or by phone, email or online chat to provide guidance on resources best suited to your research needs. For more information, see the Law Library Faculty Services.

Librarians also offer instruction on the use of many legal databases and applications. If you would like to meet with a librarian or schedule an instructional session for your class, please contact Jenny Zook, Reference & Instructional Services Librarian.

In addition, the reference staff has compiled Research Guides on a variety of legal topics which might be included on your course syllabus. We will be glad to tailor a Research Guide for your class. For more information contact Kris Turner, Assistant Director of Public Services.

Course Logistics

Course Syllabus (required)

A syllabus for the course must be made available to students no later than the first day of class. We highly recommend that you post your syllabus on Canvas at least one week prior to the start of classes.

Every Law course must have a syllabus and each syllabus must have particular content to meet certain federal and/or accreditation requirements.

View the Law School's Faculty & Staff Resources: Course Templates & Forms for helpful resources, including:

*Please note that specifying how credit hours are met by your course is one of the required items for your syllabus.  (This even includes the suggested language on the minimum time students are expected to put in outside of class.)

If you have any questions or if you need assistance as you prepare your syllabus, please let Associate Dean Kelly know.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Law School Rule 3.20)

1.      Faculty members are required to establish a policy for student use of generative AI in all courses taught at the Law School. The policy must be clearly communicated to students, and be included on the course syllabus and, if appropriate, Canvas page.    

2.      If a faculty member fails to establish a generative AI policy for their course, the default Law School policy will be that student use of generative AI in academic work including, but not limited to, exams is prohibited.

3.      For any course that permits student use of generative AI, faculty members are strongly encouraged to use clear guidelines on what constitutes acceptable generative AI use in academic work, distinguishing between tasks where generative AI is permitted or encouraged (e.g., legal research) and tasks where it is limited or prohibited (e.g., original legal writing).

4.      To ensure transparency and honesty in academic work, faculty members permitting student use of generative AI must require that, for any assignment submitted, students must keep a record of their use of generative AI tools, detailing the extent of generative AI assistance used, specifying the tasks generative AI tools performed, and noting what if any content was AI generated. 

5.      Faculty members permitting student use of generative AI in academic work are strongly encouraged to address the ethical, professional, and educational implications of generative AI use in their course and in legal practice, including data privacy, bias in generative AI algorithms, and the potential for misuse of generative AI tools (e.g., plagiarism or uncritical reliance on AI-generated legal advice). 

Posting Initial Assignments

Any readings or other assignments required for the first day of class must be emailed to students or posted on Canvas prior to the first day of class. We recommend that initial assignments be posted at least one week prior to the start of classes.

Attendance

Regular class attendance is required by both the ABA Standards and the Law School Rules. As always, the Law School stresses the importance of regular class attendance and is committed to assisting instructors in this regard. An attendance tracking quiz is available for students to complete through Canvas. If you would like to use this tool in your course, please contact the Law School’s Tech team (help@law.wisc.edu) for set up before the start of classes.

View the Law School Rules - Chapter 5: Attendance Rules for information about attendance, including:

Class Recordings

All regularly scheduled class sessions originating from a Law School classroom will be automatically recorded, but not necessarily made available to your students.  While instructors may opt to have all recordings put on the course Canvas page, the default is that an instructor will only be able to access (and share) recordings upon the instructor’s own request. In either case, email the Law School’s Tech team at help@law.wisc.edu as necessary.  If you are teaching your course remotely, please contact help@law.wisc.edu to discuss setting up automatic recordings for your course. 

Rescheduling & Cancelling Classes

If it becomes necessary to cancel and/or reschedule a class, please email students and/or post the announcement to your course Canvas page. Please contact Associate Dean Kevin Kelly if you need help reserving a classroom for a rescheduled class and/or would like us to post a notice on the classroom door informing students that class has been cancelled.

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:

To meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement in your or any other course, a student needs to submit draft written work to the instructor that is cumulatively at least 20 pages, double-spaced, 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, or in addition 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 early enough in the semester to enable you to evaluate them and return them, with comments, in sufficient time so that students can incorporate your suggestions in a rewrite for the final paper. Precise deadlines with regard to draft submission and 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 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 must 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.

Student Course Evaluations

Near the end of the semester, the Law School will email students information about completing an optional, online course evaluation. Instructors are strongly encouraged to set aside time during their class for students to complete the course evaluation.  Instructors who set aside time to conduct in-class evaluations tend to secure higher percentage participation, which provides a more accurate view of student opinion.  

Once you have submitted your final grades, the completed evaluation forms will be mailed to you for your consideration.  

Examinations

Exam Form & Content

While instructors 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 adjunct 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 & 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). The maximum time allowed for a proctored exam is 3 hours. Proctors for exams will be arranged by the Law School, although you are certainly welcome to proctor your own exam. Proctored exams should be prepared and ready for duplication four working days prior to the exam date. 

You also have the option of having “Take-home” examinations in lieu of a proctored exam. Take-home exams can be date specific or anytime exams. Administration of take-home exams is handled by the Academic Affairs office. Anytime take-home exams should be prepared and ready for duplication four working days prior to the first day of the exam period and date specific take-home exams should be prepared and ready for duplication four working days prior to the exam date. 

Each semester the Law School updates its Exam Schedule Webpage with details about exam dates and times, as well as general information about proctored versus take-home exams.  

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 of Student Affairs, Lauren Devine. The Assistant Dean 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, the Office of Student Affairs will administer the examination. The Office of Student Affairs will endeavor to protect the identity of students receiving accommodations.

Rescheduling Examinations

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 is designed to handle most typical circumstances, and is usually administered by the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Lauren Devine.

In the interest of consistency and fair treatment, and to protect blind grading, students who request to reschedule an examination should be directed to Student Affairs. Professors should not approve any exam reschedule prior to consulting the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.

Read through the full policy in Law School Rule 6.03: Rescheduling Examinations. 

Exam Administration

See, Law School Rule 6.06 for guidance regarding the administration of final exams.

Pursuant to Law School Rule 6.08, all examination bluebooks, final papers, etc., must be retained on file for one year.

Please contact Academic Affairs Coordinator, Jenner McLeod (jenner.mcleod@wisc.edu) for any exam-related questions. 

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 F for the course.

Grades & Grading Procedures

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 address all student questions with respect to grading (including the existence of the Pass-Fail option) very early in the semester. All grading is done on a 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. The GPA equivalents of those grades are: A+ = 4.3; A = 4.0; A minus = 3.7; B+ = 3.3; B = 3.0; B minus = 2.7; C+ = 2.3; C = 2.0; C minus = 1.7; D = 1.0; D minus = 0.7. Chapter 2 of the Law School Rules governs the new grading system.

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 –- or, 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 Associate Dean Kevin Kelly.

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.

Adjusting Grades for Non-anonymous Graded Content

For those adjunct faculty who would like to make adjustments to their final grades for any non-anonymous factors (e.g., attendance; class participation; non-anonymous papers/ assignments/ projects, etc.) please email Academic Affairs Coordinator, Jenner McLeod (jenner.mcleod@wisc.edu), the following: An Excel spreadsheet with only two columns on it. Column A – Exam Number, Column B – Grade data. Jenner will convert the exam numbers to names, so you are able to adjust the final grades for non-anonymous content before you enter the grades into the grade entry database.  

Excerpts From The Law School Grading Rules (Curve, Grade Distribution, Reporting)

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 reflect differences in student performance and not just differences in faculty grading patterns.

2.07 Average Grades

  1. Unless an exception is approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the mean grade for each course shall fall between 3.2 and 3.4 on the 4.3 (A+ to F) scale. Instructors should design their courses so that final grades will comport with this average grade expectation. The size of course enrollment, subject matter, and nature of assignments are not sufficient, without more, to alter the average grade expectation.
  2. Exceptions may only be granted on a showing of extraordinary circumstances, such as cases when the incoming cumulative GPA of the students enrolled in a course already exceeds 3.4, or when students in a course in a particular semester perform unexpectedly better or worse than students in the same course in prior semesters, most especially in a lower-enrollment course. An instructor should not expect to receive additional exception(s) under this paragraph for consecutive, or nearly consecutive, offerings of the same course.
  3. An instructor submitting grades with a mean falling outside the limits prescribed in paragraph 1 above must provide the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs with a written explanation for the deviation from the prescribed means. The Associate Dean may prescribe a form for the submission of such explanations.

2.08 Grade Distributions

  1. The following table establishes target ranges for the distribution of grades. 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.

Grade Range

Distribution

0-1.7 (F to C-)

0-15%

2.0-2.3 (C & C+)

5-20%

2.7-3.0 (B- & B)

30-50%

3.3-3.7 (B+ & A-)

25-40%

4.0-4.3 (A & A+)

0-20%
  1. 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:
    1. a method for calculating the average and median grades for the course;
    2. 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
    3. a method for generating a table depicting the number of times each individual grade was given.

Final Grades, Grading Grievances, and Appeals

Temporary Grades for Graduating Students

Instructors teaching upper-level courses will often have students who will be graduating at the conclusion of the semester. The Law School Registrar, Toni Landis, will provide you with a list of randomized graduating students' exam numbers and names in your class.  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 Associate Dean Kevin Kelly.

Grading Grievances (see, Law School Rule 2.11)

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 protected class, including race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, parental status, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, or military status can submit a complaint of discrimination to the UW-Madison Office of Compliance (OC). If the OC determines discrimination did occur, students may seek redress from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, with a right of appeal to the Petitions Committee.

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.

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 the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Lauren Devine.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs the privacy and protection of student education records. Pursuant to FERPA the disclosure of most student educational information is prohibited without a student’s prior written consent.

Helpful tips for how faculty can ensure they are FERPA compliant can be found here (scroll to the “Tips” section at the bottom of the page). If you have questions about the whether it’s appropriate to release student information, please contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@em.wisc.edu.

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 the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Lauren Devine. In very rare situations, such as a student with severe hearing or visual disabilities, the Assistant Dean will come to professors for help in accommodating a student in the classroom. Please contact Lauren Devine any time that you have questions about students with disabilities.

*Connect with the McBurney Center for Disabilities

Illness During the Semester

Students whose illnesses render them incapable of performing should be encouraged to report their condition to Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Lauren Devine. 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.

Student Health & Safety

Please contact the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Lauren Devine, if you have concerns about any of your students. This would include if you notice that one of your students appears to be in distress, stops coming to class or demonstrates significant attendance issues, exhibits troubling behavior, or if you grow concerned for any other reason. Dean Devine is available to meet with the student and to discuss available campus and community resources. As always, of course, please call 911 if you observe a student behaving in a dangerous or suicidal manner. We appreciate your continued assistance in fostering a safe and supportive Law School environment.

Sexual Harassment

Please be aware of the Sexual Misconduct Resource and Response Program as well as Policies & Procedures and Faculty Legislation. These rules are applicable to adjunct faculty. Additionally, the university publishes a required online training concerning sexual harassment, including pertinent information and references.

Resources

Key Contact Information

Question Law School Contact Email and Phone
Academic, Exam, and Grading Policy Kevin Kelly, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs kevinkelly@wisc.edu
608-262-4041
Room 5105, Law School
Course Administration and Enrollment Angela Nash, Academic Advisor/Curricular Coordinator angela.nash@wisc.edu
608-263-6340
Room 5106, Law School
Exam and Grading Administration Jenner McLeod, Academic Affairs Coordinator jenner.mcleod@wisc.edu
608-263-0601
Room 5106A, Law School
Student Affairs  Lauren Devine, Assitant Dean for Student Affairs lauren.devine@wisc.edu
608-262-8564
Room 5103, Law School
Human Resources Justin Boehm, Human Resources Manager justin.boehm@wisc.edu
608-890-4466
Room 5109, Law School
Payroll and Hiring Kelly Hallmark, Payroll & Benefits Specialist kelly.hallmark@wisc.edu
608-262-3138
975 Bascom Mall
Technical Support Law School IT Department help@law.wisc.edu
608-262-5242
Room 2115, Law School

Law School Rules

A complete version of the Law School Rules is available online.

Student Handbook

A complete version of the Law School’s Student Handbook is also available online.

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 Associate Dean Kevin Kelly at 608-262-4041 or kevinkelly@wisc.edu. Thank you, again, for your invaluable contribution to our Law School community!

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