/Institutions/MGH-Institute-of-Health-Professions/json/Current/Faculty-Handbook-local.json

/Institutions/MGH-Institute-of-Health-Professions/json/Current/Faculty-Handbook.json

Faculty Handbook 2026-2027 > I. Introduction > d. Faculty Responsibilities

d. Faculty Responsibilities

Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions faculty members’ primary responsibility in shared governance is to oversee curricular design, delivery method, student assessment, and educational policies. With that privilege, faculty members also accept responsibilities as representatives of the institution. Fulfilling these obligations helps create an optimal learning and work environment. Faculty at MGBU engage in teaching, research and scholarship, and service.  Teaching includes student-centered work. The below are not the only policies that govern employment at the Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions, but the expectations extend to all faculty members.

Teaching

Faculty hold various responsibilities related to teaching and instruction.  These include course development and delivery. The below responsibilities apply to all MGBU faculty.

1. Ordering textbooks: Faculty select and update course materials in keeping with healthcare standards, evolving evidence, and academic advancements. Several months before the start of the semester, program managers will contact faculty requesting information for textbook orders. Faculty members are expected to respond to program managers promptly with complete and accurate information about course readings.
2. Learning management system: Faculty will become familiar with Desire2Learn, the Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions' learning management system. The Office of Information Technology will create a shell for each course, and it is the faculty member’s responsibility to add content and activate the page before the start of the term of instruction. Faculty members are encouraged to attend faculty development workshops and consult the IT help desk/consult with the learning experience designers to learn how to leverage the features of D2L to maximize student learning.
3. Copyright: In reproducing, displaying, or distributing published materials for classroom use, faculty must comply with federal copyright law. The law allows for “fair use” of protected materials in certain circumstances, but the safest option is to link to articles in a Treadwell database rather than upload a PDF of the file.
4. Syllabus template: At least one week before the first class meeting, the course instructor will make available a course syllabus that follows the approved MGBU template. In addition to posting the syllabus in the course’s Desire2Learn page, faculty will upload a copy to the appropriate departmental folder in the Learning Object Repository.
5. Class rosters: Faculty should review class rosters available in iOnline and report discrepancies to the registrar. Changes to registration can happen only by key dates listed in the official academic calendar.
6. Office hours: In addition to attending every class period, faculty members will make themselves available on campus to students for one-on-one consultation every week during the semester. For a faculty member teaching six credits a semester, it is typical to hold office hours for three hours a week. If office hours are not consistent from week to week, the faculty member is responsible for responding to student requests and scheduling mutually convenient times to meet. Faculty’s office hours should be posted in their course syllabus.
7. Accessibility accommodations: It is the responsibility of students with a documented disability to contact the Office of Student Affairs and Services to request academic accommodations. A member of the Office of Student Affairs and Services will determine which accommodations a student qualifies for and communicate them with course faculty. Faculty members are expected to work with OSAS and the academic support counselors to comply with the students’ request for accommodations.
8. Academic integrity: Faculty will become familiar with the academic integrity policy and hold themselves and their students to its standards. All violations of academic integrity, no matter the sanction, must be reported to the appropriate department chair, assistant dean, or program director in the semester that the violation occurs.
9. Privacy of student records: All Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions employees abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which forbids releasing student records to anyone without the student’s prior consent. Student records include paper and electronic files as well as video and audio recordings that relate to students. Refer questions to the registrar.
10. Communication: All electronic communication with students must occur through @mgbu.edu e-mail accounts. Ideally, faculty members will respond within 48 business hours to student requests for information. If a faculty member anticipates a delay in response time, he or she should activate an out-of-office message with the expected date of return to normal communication.
11. Safety: Faculty who teach at the University act in an educational, not clinical capacity. If a medical emergency occurs in the classroom or virtual learning environment, faculty must call 617-726-5400 and follow the medical assistance protocol. Faculty should also maintain current contact information in iOnline so that notifications from the Emergency Preparedness Team reach them.
12. Final examinations: All didactic courses are expected to include a culminating final examination or project. If a course includes an in-class final examination, it will be scheduled through the Registrar for the final examination week. Final exams may not occur during the reading period or after the examination week unless scheduled with Accessibility Resources for a student accommodation.
13. Grading: Faculty will develop and disseminate grading criteria for each course consistent with the Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions' grading policy. Ideally, faculty members will assess and return assigned work with enough time to allow students to incorporate feedback into subsequent projects. Faculty are expected to maintain a record of student grades in the Desire2Learn grade book, providing feedback through the LMS. End of semester grades must be submitted through iOnline no later than 48 hours after the final exam or 48 hours after the last day of the exam period for classes without a final exam. If a change needs to be made to a grade entered via iOnline, the instructor should complete the grade change form.
14. Course evaluations: The Office of Information Technology manages student evaluations of teaching through the CourseEval system. Faculty who are registered as the instructor of record in the student information system will receive quantitative summaries and qualitative comments of their teaching. To encourage a high response rate, faculty should dedicate in-class time for students to complete course evaluations. Faculty can also give specific examples of how past student feedback has improved the course. See Faculty Compass for more information regarding end-of-semester course evaluations, mid-semester feedback, and interpreting results.

Research and Scholarship

Research and scholarship are an integral part of academic life.  This includes grant acquisition and participation, conducting research studies, writing papers, and disseminating knowledge in peer-reviewed venues. The below responsibilities apply to all MGBU faculty:

1. External grant funding: After receiving approval at the departmental or school level for a research project, investigators should contact the grants administrator as soon as possible about applications for outside funding. Faculty members will work closely and respond promptly to requests from the grants administrator for elements of the submission.
2. Ethical conduct: Faculty members serving as principal investigators are responsible for securing Institutional Review Board approval for all research involving human subjects. They must also ensure that they and every member of the research team has completed training in human subjects research.
3. Authorship: At the outset of every scholarly collaboration leading to a manuscript, investigators should have an explicit conversation about authorship inclusion and placement. The Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions follows the four criteria for authorship established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Faculty and student collaborators should list Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions as their institutional affiliation on manuscript submissions and authored publications. The associate provost for research, in consultation with the Research Operations Committee, will adjudicate authorship disputes.
4. Mentorship: Faculty members at the associate professor and professor ranks are expected to help advance the scholarly progress of early career faculty through mentorship. The school deans will collaborate with AULS and the Office of the Provost to facilitate the assignment of mentors and mentees. Mentees have an obligation to coordinate scheduling with mentors, come prepared to meetings, and respect the mentors’ time.

Service

Service is a key component of professional work. This includes serving on university committees and task forces, departmental committees, interprofessional collaborations, faculty senate, community initiatives as subject matter expert, and in professional organizations nationally and internationally.  The below responsibilities apply to all MGBU faculty:

1. Participation in shared governance: Faculty members have a say in the way the Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions operates through participation in departmental meetings, town halls, and the Faculty Senate. Faculty members are expected to contribute to shared governance through attendance at faculty meetings and service on Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions committees. Where it fits a faculty member’s interests, expertise, and work plan, he or she should also consider themselves for nomination as a senator.
2. Professional service: Faculty members are also encouraged to serve their professions through participation in professional societies.
3. Commencement: As the capstone of the academic year, Commencement brings the entire Mass General Brigham University of Health Professions community together to celebrate our students’ accomplishments. All faculty members are expected to order regalia from the registrar and attend the main ceremony as well as program-specific scholarship and graduation events.
4. Advising: Faculty advisors play an important role in assuring the success and satisfaction of students as they engage in academic and clinical education activities throughout their program of study. Advisors are invited to share their experiences and their knowledge to foster a strong professional foundation for their advisees. The Faculty Advising Manual describes the philosophy, approaches, and resources for successful advising.