Teaching Resources:  General Information

Disclaimer: The UF Faculty Handbook is provided as a general reference rather than the official source of university policies and guidelines. For your convenience, links to official UF documents are provided.

Registrar's Office

The Office of the University Registrar is a comprehensive source for information related to courses, scheduling, and procedures.

The Office of the University Registrar publishes the Undergraduate Catalog and the Graduate Catalog each year. The Undergraduate Catalog provides information on admissions procedures, academic regulations, undergraduate curricula, and undergraduate courses. The Graduate Catalog gives general regulations for graduate admissions and degree requirements, and lists graduate degree programs and courses.

The Office of the University Registrar also maintains the Schedule of Courses and online Integrated Student Information System (ONE.UF) that students use for course registration, drop/add, and degree audits, among other functions.

Undergraduate/Graduate Coordinators

Each undergraduate degree program identifies an Undergraduate Coordinator, who has primary responsibility for program coordination and curriculum development.

Each graduate degree program identifies a Graduate Coordinator. The major functions of the graduate coordinators are as follows:

• To assume primary responsibility within their major departments for ensuring that graduate programs conform to existing policy.
• To approve programs after students have been counseled by their supervisory committees, or other such advisers as the department shall designate.
• To assume the major responsibility for communicating Graduate School regulations and policies to both the students and the faculty within the department.
• To advise the Graduate School about matters of concern to the department and the students, and to suggest modifications in Graduate School procedures.
• To inform the Graduate School when a new graduate coordinator is appointed

Semester System

UF operates on a semester system. The academic year begins and ends in August, and semesters begin in August, January, and May. Fall and spring semesters average 15 weeks of instruction plus a week of final exams. Summer term is divided into three parts: one 12-week Summer C term that begins in May, or two 6-week terms beginning in May (Summer A) or June (Summer B).

Dates and Course Meeting Times

Critical Dates

Dates for the beginning and end of classes, drop/add period, S-U option deadline, final examinations, holidays, and commencement are published for each term.

Class Meeting Times

Class meeting times are expressed in period numbers. There is a 15-minute break between class periods. The fall and spring terms have fourteen 50-minute periods, and the summer terms have nine 75-minute periods (Summer Term C courses will meet for 65 minutes within the 75 minute time period). The charts below identify the times for each class period.

Confidentiality of Student Records (See UF Rule 6C1-4.007 - pdf)

The Buckley Amendment is the common name for the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974. The state counterpart is found in Section 1002.22 of the Florida statutes. The purpose of these laws is to protect the privacy of student's records and allow students access to their education records. Only the following UF public directory information can be released without written permission from the student:

• Name
• Student's local, permanent, and email address and listed telephone number
• Class, college and major field of study
• Participation in officially recognized activities/sports
• Weight/height of athletes
• Dates of attendance at UF
• Degrees and awards received at UF
• Most recent previous educational institution attended

Student educational records may be released without a student's consent to school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in accessing the records. For more information, see the Undergraduate Catalog or contact the Office of the University Registrar or the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel.  Note that the prohibition includes parents of students over the age of 18.

Retention of Student Course Materials

Course examinations, if not returned directly to the student, must be retained for one semester from the date of the exam unless there is a grade appeal pending. In the event of an appeal, the exam(s) must be retained until the outcome of the appeal is determined.

Other student papers, if not returned to the student, should be retained “until obsolete, superseded, or administrative value is lost.” A reasonable rule of thumb is one semester.

For more information on retention of student materials, see:
http://cms.uflib.ufl.edu/Portals/records/GenRecSch_Curriculum_Instructional_Administrative_Records_Students_9-26-2012.pdf

Honors Program

The UF Honors Program is an invitation-only program for lower-division students who have shown potential for superior academic performance. Honors program students are eligible for special honors classes and housing in the Honors Residential College at Hume Hall.

Combined Degree Programs

UF has developed a policy for qualified undergraduates to obtain both a bachelor's and master's degree in a reduced time period. Combined degree programs allow students to get a head start on their graduate education by taking graduate courses throughout the junior and senior undergraduate years.

Distance Education

UF's Office of the Associate Provost - Distance Learning coordinates resources and opportunities for distance education. The University of Florida offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees via distance learning, as well as certificate programs and individual courses. Degree programs require formal admission to the University of Florida.

Teaching Tools

Teach.ufl.edu is a one-stop website for faculty teaching resources. The “Teach” site is maintained by the Office of Faculty Development & Teaching Excellence (FDTE), and provides support and resources for both online and in-classroom teaching including:

• Online and face-to-face workshops and conferences.
• Resource library of teaching strategies and “how-to” information.
• Details regarding UF's online course quality badges, awards and review process.
• Request a teaching strategy or learning analytics consultation.
• Hear teaching tips from other UF faculty through the Beyond the Podium Podcast series.

Support for teaching technology and online or hybrid course production is available at no direct cost to the department for state-funded courses and programs through the Center for Instructional Technology and Training (CITT).

Evaluation Requirements

The University of Florida requires that all courses taught by a faculty member during the academic year, including those taught by adjuncts and graduate assistants, be evaluated by students using the SUS Student Assessment of Instruction (SUSSAI). Policies, information on administering the course evaluations, and results of evaluations are available online at: https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/.