Faculty Administrative Resources

BAE Faculty Administrative Resources Overview

Along with teaching, research and department involvement, the BAE Administrative team understands that keeping track of important deadlines, documents and policies is challenging. This website will serve as a central location that will outline the most common questions BAE faculty may have regarding quarterly administrative processes when teaching graduate/undergraduate courses.

Faculty Onboarding

  • Campus Onboarding
  • All new faculty are encouraged to review/attend/participate in the onboarding activities hosted by Office of Academic Affairs. Click here for more information and resources.

    Faculty may also reference the resources posted by the office of Undergraduate Education, by clicking here.
  • BAE Specific Onboarding
  • The BAE Department suggests that faculty meet:

    - Faculty mentors (assigned during hiring): to learn more about navigating teaching/research.
    - Chief Administrative Officer (CAO): for questions about budget/start-up.
    - BAE Chair: for questions about teaching load/assignments.
    - Staff Major Advisor: for questions on navigating teaching/student administrative tasks.

Course Scheduling Questions 

  • Undergraduate/Graduate Courses (General Assignment Classrooms)
  • Courses are scheduled according to the teaching plan (by chair of department) for general assignment spaces (all across campus) during the open maintenance period. During these times of access, the department scheduler (Student Services Manager) will update courses according the following:

    - Student Throughput (current number of FR/SO/JR/SR in the department)
    - To ensure students have proper access to courses for degree progress.
    - To ensure core major requirements do not have time conflicts.
    - To ensure enrollment equity in placement (at lease 20% of courses will be taught after 4pm).

    With the above in mind, faculty may reach out to the department scheduler if they have extenuating circumstances that warrant a change in course time/room placement. These requests must be approved by the department chair prior to the student enrollment period for the quarter. 

    Requests made are not guaranteed to be approved.
  • Bainer Classroom Scheduling (Internal Lab Placements)
  • While the majority of our courses are placed in general assignment classrooms, there are some courses that request to have separate lab spaces. 

    Example: EME 050 - Manufacturing Processes holds its labs in the Engineering Student Design Center, and EME 109 - Experimental Methods for Thermal Fluids holds its labs in the Bainer Wind Tunnel. 

    As these areas are not controlled by the Office of the Registrar, it is the Instructor of Record's (IOR) responsibility to secure the time/date for these spaces and communicate them with the department scheduler. The department scheduler does not maintain any external calendars for campus classrooms.
  • Room Requests for Presentations/Office Hours

  • Faculty may elect to request rooms in Bainer Hall for special presentations/office hours using the BFTV Event Management System.

    If you need assistance with this, please email [email protected].

  • Testing Accommodations Room Requests
  • During the quarter, faculty may receive requests for accommodations from the Student Disability Center (SDC). You may refer to their page for additional information: Click Here

    If you are interested in securing a room for testing accommodations, you may use the BFTV Event Management System. If you need assistance with this system, please email [email protected].

    If you have additional accommodation questions, please reach out to the SDC directly.
  • Waitlists/Course Updates During Enrollment Periods
  • Waitlists

    The BAE Advising Team may reach out to faculty if their course is full, and there is a waitlist for student enrollment. 

    Typically, this will happen during second pass enrollment, and the department scheduler will check to make sure the general assignment classroom can accommodate the number of students enrolled and on the waitlist. Depending on the number of students, faculty may request additional Teaching Assistant (TA) support. This is subject to the approval of the Teaching Plan committee. 

    Course Changes (Time/Day/Max Cap/Room)

    The department scheduler will send an email to all teaching faculty at least 40 days prior to the start of the enrollment period. Please review and respond within 2 business days if you have questions about your course. 

    Once enrollment begins, any requested changes, require the approval of the BAE Chair AND the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies. Changes are also only implemented if sufficient general assignment classroom space is available.
  • Course Creation
  • Faculty interested in creating an undergraduate/graduate course must follow the proper protocol. 

    Undergraduate Course Creation:
    Undergraduate course additions are subject to approval of the Undergraduate Study Committee (UGSC), majority approval of BAE Faculty (by faculty vote), approval from the Undergraduate Educational Policy Committee (UGEP) with final approval from the Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI).

    Please contact the Vice Chair of the Undergraduate Study Committee for further assistance.

    New graduate courses can be offered as EBS 189 (A-D) courses for their first offering. Please contact the BAE Department Scheduler with a scheduling request and note that course scheduling starts 2 quarters prior to the quarter offered. Following the initial offering, a course proposal must be reviewed by the BAE Undergraduate Studies Committee and then a course approval form will be submitted for campus approval (COE, COCI, etc?).

    Graduate Course Creation:
    Graduate course additions begin by making a proposal to GBSE Faculty. This includes outlining the course content and relationship to our programs, presenting during a faculty retreat, having a favored vote to trail run this course and teaching the course as EBS/ABT/TA 298. 

    Please contact the GBSE Chair for further assistance.

    New graduate courses can be offered as EBS 289 (A-D) for their first offering. Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator with a scheduling request and note that course scheduling starts 2 quarters prior to the quarter offered. Following the initial offering, a course proposal must be reviewed by the GBSE Graduate Studies Committee and then a course approval form will be submitted for Graduate Council Approval.
  • Course Scheduling Resources
  • - Office of the University Registrar (OUR): classroom management and course policies.
    - Center for Educational Effectiveness: consultations, mid-quarter inquiries, classroom observation, and workshops.
  • Promoting Course(s)/Content/Lab Opportunities to BAE Student Body
  • If faculty are interested in sharing specific opportunities with BAE students, such as UG research opportunities, new course offerings, please draft an announcement or course flyer and forward to [email protected] for disbursement.

Course Grading

  • Issuing Grades
  • Generally, grades are due the Wednesday after the term ends and can be submitted via Canvas.

    Please reference the Faculty Guide for additional information.
  • Modifying Grades
  • Grade modifications, whether due to error, or due to a grade update, may be subject to further review by the Grade Change Committee.

    Please reference the academic senate information here.
  • Incomplete "I" Grade Guidelines
  • An "I" grade may only be submitted if the following conditions are met:

    "The grade Incomplete shall be assigned only when the student’s completed work (judged by itself and not in relation to the work required to pass the course as a whole) is of passing quality and represents a significant portion of the requirements for a final grade, but is incomplete for good cause as determined by the instructor. "Good cause" may include illness, serious personal problems, an accident, a death in the immediate family, a large and necessary increase in working hours, or other situations deemed to be of equal gravity."

    Prior to grade submission, BAE Advising requests that all BAE Faculty submit an "I" Grade Contract to [email protected] so there is record for both the student, faculty and department. 

    Please note, "I" Grades will expire after the 3rd academic quarter and convert to an F.

    For additional information, please reference the Faculty Guide.

General Teaching Administration 

  • Petition to Add (PTA) Requests - From Students
  • Petition to Add (PTA) numbers are issued during the scheduling adjustment period (prior to enrollment) if certain conditions are met. As a PTA overwrites all pre-requisites, course time conflicts, finals schedule and enrollment caps, additional screening is required. The BAE department follows strict enrollment policies to ensure enrollment equity for our students. Issuing PTA numbers should only be considered due to administrative error.

    A student request for a PTA MUST be forwarded to the BAE advising team first. Please refrain from approving any PTA requests until provided additional information by the BAE advising team.

    Please review our Department Enrollment Policies here.
  • Course Equivalency Requests - From Students
  • Students are allowed to petition for courses outside of UC Davis to count as course coverage. Traditionally, students will contact the BAE Advising Team first, however, some students may ask faculty directly. Please feel free to reach out to the BAE Advising Team if you have specific questions.

    Students may also contact faculty requesting a syllabus to submit a petition to another institution. In this instance, we encourage providing as much of this information as possible. A class schedule, highlighting topics covered, an assignment list and the primary text book used, is crucial information for an equivalency to be reviewed.
  • Petition to Drop (PTD)
  • Petition to Drop (PTD) are under the purview of the Engineering Dean's Office (EUO). Faculty MAY NOT approve these requests as they require a review of the student's record. 

    Please forward any students requesting a PTD to EUO.
  • Office of Judicial and Student Affairs (OSSJA)
  • If faculty suspect students of misconduct, such as cheating, disrupting the course, they may reference: https://ossja.ucdavis.edu/academic-misconduct

    If faculty are concerned with a student's wellbeing/performance, they may reference: https://ossja.ucdavis.edu/case-management-student-support
  • Resources
  • - Academic Misconduct: Consult OSSJA regarding academic misconduct or make a report.

    - Students of Concern Case Management: Anyone can contact a case manager when they are concerned about a student. The student may be in distress due to emotional issues, health, family or personal relationships, grades, academic standing, or other problems. Please submit a Student Support Referral when you first notice that a student appears to be in distress as it is often difficult to determine when a student's problem is serious -- and it's better to err on the side of caution. Referring to the OSSJA Case Managers when you are concerned about a student does not get the student in trouble, but ensures a coordinated response.

Relevant BAE Department Committees

  • General Information
  • Some faculty are nominated/assigned to serve on various committees to develop their scope of practice, and to further the goal of providing informed, equitable and data driven solutions to increase transparency and promote success for the department at large.

    The charges of these committees, along with their term length are listed below.
  • BAE Undergraduate Study Committee (UGSC)

  • BAE Undergraduate Study Committee (BSE-USC)

    The BAE Undergraduate Study Committee (UGSC) oversees and continuously improves the undergraduate curriculum, ensuring alignment with majors and programs goals, accreditation expectations, student needs, and departmental resources.

    The committee is chaired by the Chair for Undergraduate Studies. Voting members include faculty members, and non-voting members include the Undergraduate Staff Major Advisors.

    The committee typically meets once per month or more often as needed.

    Tasks:

    Student Petitions
    Review change of major, course substitution, and requirement substitution petitions.

    Course and Curriculum Review
    Review and approve new course proposals and course modifications.
    Ensure courses align with curriculum structure (e.g., 4-unit electives), enrollment viability, and available teaching resources.
    Recommend curriculum changes, including major requirements and prerequisites.

    Catalog, Assessment, and Accreditation
    Approve annual catalog text for the UC Davis Registrar’s General Catalog (due in February).
    Contribute to program assessment and ABET accreditation documentation.

    Awards and Honors
    Select the Outstanding Senior for each major.
    Select Department Citation recipients.

    Planning and Coordination
    Recommend yearly course offerings (annual Teaching Plan) for the department based on teaching load, buyouts, sabbaticals and graduation requirements.
    Coordinate with UGEP, UMAC and other departmental committees.

    Reporting and Documentation
    Provide monthly report-outs at faculty meetings.
    Maintain minutes and communicate decisions to faculty and advisors.
    The UGSC reviews and updates its charter annually.

    And most other matters around undergraduate students.