Skip to main content

Instructor Guidelines for Communication and Feedback

Last updated: March 6, 2015

  1. Communication: Generally, the instructor or delegate (e.g., teaching assistant) should respond to emails from students enrolled in his or her course in a timely manner and and announce periods of extended absence in advance. The instructor should provide weekly office hours and/or accept appointments for face-­to-­face, telephone, or teleconference meetings. Such timely communication is more important in online courses than in classroom courses where students have the opportunity to meet face-­to-­face with the instructor or delegate each week. For online courses the instructor or delegate should respond within two Indiana University working days, excluding weekends and holidays. For classroom courses, the instructor should respond by the end of the next class at the latest, either in email or verbally.
  2. Feedback: Final course grades are based on assessments, such as homework, quizzes, tests, examinations, projects, and reports. Assessments are to be graded. When points are deducted, timely feedback should be given.