This page contains a non-exhaustive list of things that anyone who teaches at Lehigh should be aware of when planning and teaching their courses. Some items include a suggested statement to be included in your syllabus.

Students with Disabilities

Disability Support Services (DSS) in the Dean of Students Office is responsible for determining eligibility for accommodations for undergraduate and graduate students. For more information, visit the DSS website. Additionally, the DSS team is also available to address questions about services with you or your department and can be reached at 84152 or indss@lehigh.edu.

DSS will send student accommodation letters directly to instructors at the start of each semester. Prior to Fall 2025, students were responsible for providing accommodation letters to instructors; however, DSS will continue to require students to communicate with their instructors about the implementation of their accommodations in classes.

Suggested syllabus statement:

  • Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Lehigh University is committed to maintaining an equitable and inclusive community and welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University’s educational programs. In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, a student with a disability must contact Disability Support Services (DSS), provide documentation, and participate in an interactive review process. If the documentation supports a request for reasonable accommodations, DSS will provide students with a Letter of Accommodations. Students who are approved for accommodations at Lehigh should share this letter and discuss their accommodations and learning needs with instructors as early in the semester as possible. For more information or to request services, please contact Disability Support Services in person in Williams Hall, Suite 301, via phone at 610-758-4152, via email at indss@lehigh.edu, or online.

Optional additional language, if appropriate:

My office is located on the ___ floor, which is only accessible by going up/down stairs. This building does not have an elevator. If this is a problem for you, please let me know, and I will gladly arrange to meet you in an alternate location.

Principles of Our Equitable Community

Lehigh University is committed to inclusive excellence and belonging. That commitment is captured in The Principles of Our Equitable Community. The Principles have been endorsed across Lehigh and by the Board of Trustees.

Suggested syllabus statement:

  • The Principles of Our Equitable Community

Lehigh University endorses The Principles of Our Equitable Community. We expect each member of this class to acknowledge and practice these Principles. Respect for each other and for differing viewpoints is a vital component of the learning environment inside and outside the classroom.

Harassment and Non-Discrimination

The classroom is an important place to remind students of Lehigh’s commitment to fostering a community that is free of harassment and discrimination.

Suggested syllabus statement:

  • Lehigh University Policy on Harassment and Non-Discrimination

Lehigh University upholds the Principles of Our Equitable Community and is committed to an educational, working, co-curricular, social, and living environment for faculty, staff, and students. The University does not discriminate in its admissions practices, employment practices, or educational programs or activities on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin (including shared ancestry), pregnancy or related conditions, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and veteran or military status. Harassment or discrimination is unacceptable behavior and will not be tolerated. The University strongly encourages (and, depending upon the circumstances, may require) students, faculty, or staff who experience or witness harassment or discrimination, or have information about harassment or discrimination in University programs or activities, to immediately report such conduct.

If you have questions about Lehigh’s Policy on Harassment and Non-Discrimination or need to report harassment or discrimination, contact the Equal Opportunity Compliance Coordinator (Alumni Memorial Building / 610 758 3535 / eocc@lehigh.edu). 

Academic Integrity

The university has put together a set of eight vignettes that focus on issues of academic integrity and that are based on actual cases that have come before the University’s Committee on Discipline. We encourage you to consider discussing one or more of these vignettes during your initial class meeting of the semester when you discuss your course expectations, and possibly revisiting them in class around the time of the first exam or substantial out-of-class assignment.

An issue of particular importance involves collaborative work among students on out-of-class assignments. Norms about what is acceptable in terms of students working with each other on assignments vary a good bit across the university. An important action that you can take to promote academic integrity is to be clear and transparent about your policies for collaboration for each assignment in your course.

Additional resources on academic integrity for students and faculty, including suggestions for promoting academic integrity in written assignments and exams, guidance on the effective and appropriate use of Turnitin, and suggestions for designing assignments that promote good research practices are available here.

All students will receive an email message from Deputy Provost for Undergraduate Education Terry-Ann Jones and Associate Dean of Students Chris Mulvihill around the beginning of the semester, explaining the Code of Student Conduct policy on academic integrity and suggesting that they read through these vignettes.

Suggested syllabus statement:

  • Academic Integrity

All members of the Lehigh community have a responsibility to maintain academic integrity. Resources and details of expectations at Lehigh are available on the Provost’s website. It is expected that all students will abide by these standards throughout the course (e.g., homework, quizzes, papers, exams, projects, etc.). Academic integrity case studies will be discussed on the first day of class, and students are encouraged to ask questions for further clarity throughout the semester. Violations of academic integrity standards will not be tolerated and will be handled according to the guidelines in the University’s Student Conduct System.

Artificial Intelligence

Lehigh does not have a uniform policy about the allowable use of AI in courses. Instructors are encouraged to develop their own policies and, importantly, to be clear and transparent about these policies in their syllabi. More information and guidance about AI at Lehigh is available at ai.lehigh.edu. 

Compass

Compass, Lehigh’s new student success platform, was launched in summer 2025. Powered by EAB’s Navigate360, Compass is designed to strengthen advising, streamline communication, and enhance the overall student experience. You are encouraged to communicate with students and issue alerts through Compass. The Early Alerts function in Compass will replace academic performance concern letters. Please refer to the faculty and staff Training and Guides for a comprehensive description of the various features. We will continue to add more guides and training opportunities, so please visit advising.lehigh.edu/compass for additional information.

Midterm Grades

Submitting midterm grades is critical for student success and retention, especially in courses that have been identified as having higher than average DFW rates (i.e., courses in which rates of students earning grades of D or F or withdrawing are high). Many students are reluctant to seek the academic support that they need or are not aware of resources like tutoring that are available to them. This is especially true for first-generation students and students from families and high school environments that give them less information about higher education. By submitting midterm grades, you are giving your students clear information about where they stand in your class and increasing the likelihood that students who would benefit from available support will seek it. Midterm grades also provide information to advisors and others who can assist students in finding and accessing resources to enhance their learning and academic performance. Midterm grades also allow students the opportunity to withdraw from a course they are unlikely to pass; submitting these grades on time could enable a student to register for a half-semester course.

Midterm grades are entered here. Two-minute instructional videos for midterm grade entry are available on the Registrar’s website. 

Class Rosters

You are encouraged to review your class rosters in a timely fashion, and to confirm that the registration information matches the names of the students who are attending the course. Students who are not listed on the roster by the 10th day of classes should be asked to discontinue their attendance until their registration is complete. If a student is listed and is not attending the course, please file an Academic Performance Concern notice with the Dean of Students. Please note: Check your class roster in the faculty dashboard to ensure you have access to your course(s).

Course Withdrawal

Students may add/drop courses through the first week of classes, and require instructor permission to add during the second week. The last day to drop full semester courses without a “W” is at the tenth day of instruction; the exact date for each semester is indicated on the academic calendar. A student who withdraws from a full semester course with the approval of their advisor and section instructor after the tenth day of instruction and before the end of the eleventh week of instruction will have a grade of “W” assigned for the course. A student wishing to withdraw from a course during this period must complete a Course Withdrawal Form.

Variable Credit Courses

If your course is offered for variable credit, please remind students to verify that they have registered for the intended/correct number of credits. Late petitions to change registrations may not be approved.

No Exams at End of Semester

Per R&P 3.7.1: Other than make-ups for missed quizzes/examinations, no quizzes or examinations totaling more than 5% of the final grade shall be given during the last five full class days of each semester except in those laboratory courses ineligible for final examinations.

Instructor Availability During Final Exams

Per R&P 3.7.3.1: Faculty should be available during the final exam period until all semester grades for their courses have been submitted to the Registrar.

Course Evaluations and Educational Innovation

If a faculty member is planning to develop or adopt an innovative educational approach in a course and they have concerns about the potential for lower student course evaluations, they can propose to have the course evaluations from a particular course offering not be included in their RPT dossier. This request must be made in advance of the time when the innovation is being implemented; it cannot be made retroactively after a course has been taught. For more information about this policy, see the page on Guidelines for Student Course Evaluations to Encourage Educational Innovation.