SIPS Teaching FAQ

Questions contact sips-studentsvcs [at] cornell.edu (sips-studentsvcs[at]cornell[dot]edu).

 

  • Visit the Courses of Study website.
  • All SIPS courses have transitioned to PLSCI course codes. (These course codes are no longer used: PLHRT, PLBIO, PLPBG, PLPPM, PLSCS. All of these courses are now PLSCI courses, with just a handful changing numbers. )

Newly proposed courses are reviewed by the SIPS Teaching Committee, then by the CALS Curriculum Committee. Faculty are strongly encouraged to connect with the DUS for the Plant Sciences major and the DUS for the Agricultural Sciences major to find out what courses are needed for our undergraduate curricula.

  • Which classes are assigned graduate TAs? This rubric breaks down how TA assignments are done
  • Ineligible for a graduate TA? Consider an undergraduate who has previously taken your class
  • A 1-credit TA training class for undergraduates will be introduced as part of the SIPS Active Learning Initiative
  • Cornell academic calendars
  • This site provides a detailed list of all the deadlines associated with courses, plus key dates for previous and future academic years.

Exams are scheduled by the University Registrar to spread exams out over the examination period for students and minimize overlap and the number of exams within a 24-hour period. Therefore, it is not possible for faculty to schedule exams on their own. Faculty are also not allowed to give cumulative final exams on the last day of classes.

Classes must be held during legal class times. See Attendance and Class Meeting Times at the Cornell University Registrar website.

 

  • CALS provides SIPS with funds to support teaching. These funds are distributed to sections based on course numbers. Beginning Fall 2024, funds will be distributed directly through SIPS.
  • Costs for field trip fees have increased significantly owing to changes in transportation providers. This may necessitate passing on some costs to students in the future.
  • Signed risk waivers are required for all off-campus experiences
  • Electronics, visitors, animals – in the absence of letters of accommodation from Student Disability Services, policy is at the discretion of the instructor
  • Classroom auditing:
    • The option to audit is only available to graduate students
    • Auditors are accepted at the discretion of the instructor. If accepted, numbers cannot be limited unless room capacity is exceeded
    • Auditors cannot be failed but they can receive an incomplete which must be resolved prior to graduation. Requesting that auditing students sign a contract committing to a specified level of attendance and/or participation can be an effective strategy
  • Class roster - link updates regularly
  • Users can search by course code, see whether spaces are still available, use the scheduler to avoid conflicts, and view syllabi
  • Upload your syllabus
  • Accommodation is required for varsity athletics, religious observance, and issues of physical and mental health
  • Accommodation is not required for club sports or deaths in the family
  • Ask at the beginning of the semester for known dates of absence related to athletics and religious observance. not that travel time to be with family is not encompassed
  • A letter from Student Health Services is required for physical and mental health accommodations
  • Instructors are not required to reschedule or duplicate field trips missed owing to accommodation