Faculty Teaching Responsibilities
An important part of the job for any department head is helping faculty members become successful teachers. The goal is to help prepare students for a changing world through instruction and advising in both undergraduate and graduate courses.
The most relevant resource for guiding teaching is the Faculty Handbook.
Two sections of the handbook, Sections 5 and 6, provide relevant information for guiding faculty to successful completion of the teaching role.
Teaching and Learning Center
Another important resource for guiding faculty toward successful teaching is the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). The center provides many opportunities for professional development and individualized assistance in the teaching role. The center also holds faculty orientation programs. The TLC's mission is to develop, support, and promote a culture of excellence in teaching and learning. A wealth of information about the center is located on InsideState: https://insidestate.sdstate.edu/academics/general/tlc/default.aspx
Instructional Design Services (IDS)
IDS assists faculty with designing, creating, implementing and training on a variety of new technology based resources for teaching and learning. https://insidestate.sdstate.edu/technology/infotech/Units/IDS/default.aspx
Curriculum Management
Managing the curriculum and scheduling courses are important tasks for department heads. The Curriculum Processing page on InsideState provides information on curriculum matters. Department heads will find the overall guidelines for designing, evaluating, and revising programs, majors, minors and courses. It also provides a description of the review processes and procedures followed to obtain approval for curriculum proposals. Lastly, it links you to the Board of Regents guidelines for curriculum management.
Scheduling Classes
The Office of Records and Registration coordinates scheduling of classes. For department heads, one potential resource is the department secretary or administrative assistant. He or she can assist the head in working with department faculty to select rooms and times and avoid conflicts. Often the process includes revisions to an updated schedule from the previous year. The Office of Records and Registrations distributes this update, in electronic form, several months in advance of the start date for each semester and summer session.
University Classroom - Room Search
The Room Search site was developed to assist faculty in allowing them to search and view all university classrooms at South Dakota State University. You can search for rooms by number or building, by capacity or specific available features. The rooms can also be viewed on the interactive map to the specific location.
Advising
Department heads work closely with their dean's office on advising. The dean's office staff assists with assigning advisers based on criteria set by the department. The dean's office will also provide training for new advisers and refresher training for seasoned advisers as needed.
Advising is addressed in two places in the Faculty Handbook. The first section, describes the mission of advisers: "Academic advisers assist learners academically and in the transition from high school to college education. For non-traditional students, advisers assist with the transition from work and/or home to the university environment."
Faculty Handbook - SDSU Mission Section
The second section addresses who may be assigned advising workload. Advisees may be assigned to any professorial, lecturer, and librarian (with professorial/instructor rank) faculty unit member. However, not every faculty member is expected to have advisees. The advising assignment is included in the Workload Description.