The Baruch College Faculty Handbook

Last
updated on 06/26/07

A notable tendency
among Baruch students is to vanish as soon as their classes
are over — to attend the college “as though they were
double parked.” Given that many students work long hours,
such tendencies are perhaps not surprising, but they are also
not educationally optimal.

Many educators believe
that students often learn as much or more through engagement
with faculty outside of the 75-minute class session as during
the prescribed lecture/classroom discussion. Such engagement
might consist of brief conversations immediately before or
after class or more extended advisement sessions in a faculty
member’s office. Advice can range from encouraging students
to get involved with extracurricular activities to helping
them design research projects in a discipline — especially
around topics of interest to the students.

Faculty can play
an enormously important role by getting involved with student
activities outside of class. Student clubs, for example, benefit
greatly by the involvement of a faculty member, as do activities
like the radio station.

Involvement in the
education of our students through meaningful advisement and
counsel is a vital goal. At a minimum, faculty availability
for students around the time of a class to review or elaborate
on topics discussed — even to discuss why a student received
a particular grade — is a necessary component to a good education.
Informing students of office hours and being sure to be available
during those hours also is necessary. Office hours should
always be posted outside the instructor’s office.