Please see campus policies on Confidentiality of Student Records which are based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Please refer students to the VAC if they would like to file a FERPA waiver to allow you to communicate information about a student record to a third party.

The use of third-party educational tools is governed by the campus to ensure compliance with student privacy laws, regulations, and guidelines. Please click here and ensure you are in compliance with campus requirements ahead of starting to use a third-party educational tool.

Click here to see campus policies on relationships between undergraduates and UCSD employees. The Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD) is responsible for receiving complaints and investigating suspected violations of this policy and for providing appropriate training to the campus community. Academic Personnel Services (APS) is responsible for ensuring that the disciplinary process for violations of this policy is handled in accordance with the Academic Personnel Manual and campus delegations of authority.

Please make sure to conduct and grade your course in accordance with campus policy (complaints/concerns will be reported to and reviewed by the department (and potentially campus) leadership).

• Policy on Syllabi for Courses
• Policy on Exams
• Policy on Grades
• Faculty Code of Conduct
• Policy on Integrity of Scholarship
• All EPC Policies

Please click here for the Physics Department's policies and procedures related to Credit by Examination for physics courses. 

As a requirement set forth by the U.S. Department of Education, UC San Diego instructors must certify whether students have commenced academic activity at the beginning of each term (https://adminrecords.ucsd.edu/Notices/2022/2022-6-6-2.html). 

If a student wants to audit your course they are to send you an email to request permission to audit; approval of the request is at your discretion and should also be communicated via email. If you approve a student's request to audit your course and you want to allow the student to see your Canvas information, you must log onto Canvas and follow these instructions to add the student as an observer (the Physics Department cannot grant the student access to your course in Canvas). Auditing does not enable the student to enroll/waitlist the course. Auditors will not receive credit for the course, even if they choose to audit for the entire term and/or to complete work for the course. Without prior written consent from the instructor, auditors are NOT permitted to take exams in the course, nor be present in the classroom during any exams (this would be a violation of Academic Integrity). Audited courses do not apply as prereqs for future courses.

If you need assistance with setting up and auditor in your Canvas course, or are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact canvas@ucsd.edu. 

Please use the Student Queries in the BLINK Querylink tool to obtain enrollment data from past terms. The "Campus Class List Third Week" query provides data on past enrollments. The "Campus Grades" query provides data on grades for past courses.

Special Studies (PHYS 99, 99H, 198, 199, 199H, 297, 298, 299)
Students must use EASy to request enrollment in Special Studies courses. Ahead of submitting a Special Studies request in EASy, a student is expected to consult with you to discuss the terms of the course. Since the EASy request will be considered the syllabus for the Special Studies course, please carefully review the EASy request to make sure it accurately reflects what you've arranged with the student in terms of how the course will be conducted and graded. If the information in the EASy request needs correction, return the request to the student for revision (do not approve the request).

All Other Courses
UCSD Students: Please refer them to the campus' Enrollment Authorization System (EASy) to submit their request. Students cannot be cleared to enroll via email. Students with questions related to enrollment will need to contact the Department:

• Undergrads must use VAC
• Grads must email Sharmila

Non-UCSD Students: Please refer them to UCSD Extended Studies where they'll need to submit their request. Thereafter, the Department will contact them about their request.

Students seeking an incomplete will need to contact their instructor, directly, to pose their request. In accordance with campus policies and procedures, here are the questions to use when working with students requesting incompletes:

• Is the student's work of passing quality as of today? If not then, unfortunately, the student is not eligible for an incomplete.
• Does the student have good cause to request an Incomplete, such as hospitalization or some other emergency? Incomplete grades should be considered only if there is good cause; you are permitted to request documentation from the student to verify a student's circumstances, such as a medical note).
• Can the student successfully learn the rest of the course material, and complete the remaining course assignments independently? An incomplete isn't designed to help a student catch up on a significant amount of missed coursework throughout the term. If too much of the course has been missed, or if completing the remainder of the course independently is not appropriate, it's best for the student to repeat the course instead of receiving an incomplete. 
• Are you willing to create, administer, and grade all remaining exams and course assignments for the student before the end of the next regular term and enter the student's grade into eGrades by the end of the grading period in the next regular term (i.e. fall or winter or spring)? The student cannot be asked to repeat the course in a future term, or to participate in the course in a future term in any way/shape/form, even if you'll be the instructor.

If the answer to these questions is no, please inform the student that you are declining the request for an incomplete and that they will be assigned a grade in the course during the grading period. To explore other potential options, undergrads are advised to get in touch with their college through VAC. Graduates, on the other hand, are recommended to contact their graduate advisor for the same purpose.

If the answer to these questions is yes, please inform the student that you are endorsing the request for an incomplete, that you will assign an I during the grading period, and be sure to provide them with all the following information:

• Remaining coursework and associated new due date(s)
• Remaining exam(s) and associated new exam date(s). 
  Note: You are expected to schedule proctored exams through the Triton Testing Center (TTC). The TTC indicates that exams should be scheduled well in advance (at minimum, the exam must be scheduled at least 3 days in advane). Please keep this in mind when planning Incompletes with students (you will need to make sure you have created the exam well enough in advance to have the TTC administer it). 
• A reminder that, per campus policy, incomplete grades DO NOT count towards prereqs for courses in a subsequent term. If a student wants to use a course towards a prereq for a course in a subsequent term they would need to wrap up the incomplete AND have their grade posted before the campus runs the "Missing Prereq Check" (typically during the middle of week 1 for the next term). 

UNDERGRADS: Please refer undergraduates to the UG Physics Advising webpage so they can see the full scope of advising options available to them, days, hours, and locations. ​​​​​​

• To reach out electronically, current UCSD undegraduates contact PHYSICS through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).
• To reach out electronically, non-UCSD undergraduates email advising@physics.ucsd.edu.

GRADS: Please refer graduates to the Grad Physics Advising webpage so they can see the full scope of advising options available to them, days, hours, and locations. ​​​​​​

• To reach out electronically, current graduate students email spoddar@physics.ucsd.edu.
• To reach out electronically, non-UCSD graduate students email apply@physics.ucsd.edu.

Please see the campus resources for instructors advising students.

Please see the campus resources for faculty helping students in distress.

To ensure that documents are processed in accordance to all current campus policies and procedures, and to ensure timely processing of documents, please direct undergraduate students to our Petitions and Forms webpage to learn how to have their documents processed by Physics faculty and/or staff. Once a student submits their petition through the Physics portal, the UG Affairs Team will route the material to the appropriate parties for review via email and will ensure these parties are aware of the relevant campus policies when considering the document. UG students seeking advice/assistance re. petitions should be 

Please see the campus procedures for addressing disruptive behavior in the classroom.

Classroom Changes Made by the Campus
You and your TAs must check the Online Schedule just before classes begin (for various reasons, the campus may have changed your classroom(s)). 

Course components in campus space
You and your TAs must work with Facilities Management (858-534-2930) and Campus ITS for matters relating to room access and/or classroom technology. Per the campus, "If you have a class that arrives to a locked campus classroom or lecture hall at the scheduled class time, in order to get someone out to unlock that room as quickly as possible, please call Facilities Management directly at (858) 534-2930. Facilities Management is the unit that unlocks and locks all general campus classrooms and lecture halls each day, so they are the ones who can help the quickest. Please feel free to share this number with your TAs as well, just in case they need it."

• Podcasting: Please click here to see the steps to set up podcasting for your class in campus space.
• Clickers: Please click here to see the steps to set up iClickers for your class.

Course components in Department space
You and your TAs must work with Lester Brooks and the Office of Engineering Computing for matters relating to room access and/or classroom technology. Contact these parties well in advance of the start of the term to ensure that you know the process and timeline for getting keycard access to your classroom for you and any other parties who may need it (eg. TAs, students).

• Podcasting: At this time, podcasting is not available in department spaces.
• Clickers: Please click here to see the steps to set up iClickers for your class.

Dawn Love is the point of contact for all questions/concerns about course textbook matters and, ahead of each term, contacts instructors to collect their textbook information.  If you are seeking a desk copy of a textbook for you and/or your TAs, please inform Dawn.

Please use the web form at the link below to request that course material be placed on reserve for student use. Reserves check out of a limited load period (3 hours or 24 hours). Requests should be submitted early to ensure students’ timely access to materials. The website is: http://libraries.ucsd.edu/resources/course-reserves/submit-a-course-reserve.html

The campus provides very basic supplies (eg. chalk, erasers for chalkboards, whiteboard cleaner, etc.) for teaching in campus spaces. The Department provides the following supplies for teaching in campus and dept. spaces:

• Whiteboard markers and cleaner
• Chalk and erasers
• Pads of paper (lined, graph, and blank)
• Pens (black and red)
• Batteries (AA & AAA)

Department supplies can be picked up from Mayer Hall Addition room 2623 front desk Mon-Fri 8am- 2:30pm. If there are other supplies needed for instruction, please contact Catherine McConney for guidance on how to obtain supplies you need. You may be referred to another staff member to make arrangements to retrieve the supplies you need, or your supplies may need to be ordered, so please reach out well in advance of when you will need the supplies. 

Learn more about available lecture and lab demos here. 

Instructors and IAs can request printing of copies of quizzes for physics courses from Triton Print & Digital Media. 

To Prepare to Place An Order: 

• Look over the steps to place an order and contact Dawn Love with any questions/concerns about the steps below well in advance of placing your order. 
• Check your UCSD email for the AUTHORIZED COA # sent to you by Dawn Love (you will need to enter this on your form). 
• Plan when you will send your quiz order. You need to send your quizzes to Triton Print & Digital Media well in advance so that quizzes can be reprinted if necessary ex. due to printing errors. 
• Instructors should decide who will pick up quizzes from Triton Print & Digital Media well in advance. Please note that the pick-up locations, CSC-A and Gilman Service Center, are located across campus from Mayer Hall. Instructors or IAs should make appropriate arrangements for transportation or schedule extra time for travel.

To Place an Order:

1. Click on and customize this blank order form. Enter all required information, noting the following:
   • Bill Copy to: Jasmyn Wuerthwein, Mail Code: 0354
   • Shipping: Enter your name, your phone number, The Physics Department, and your office building/room number. For pickup location, check either CSC-A (Campus Services Complex-A at 1 Greenhouse Lane) or Gilman Service Center (curbside service in Gilman Parking Structure).
   • Project Name: Files sent to tritontritonprint@ucsd.edu
   • Fill in the details needed for your exam ex. 2 sided, staple, collate etc.
2. On Upper top right, you will need to include the AUTHORIZED COA # sent to instructors by Dawn Love
3. On the lower right side, please include the date submitted and date due. Under "other information” please include your email address and any additional details.
4. Email your customized order form along with the quiz files to tritonprint@ucsd.edu. Please allow at least 2 business days to process your order. You should receive an email confirmation.
5. Pick up your Exam: You will receive an email from Triton Print & Digital Media when your order is ready for pick-up at CSC-A or Gilman Service Center.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding orders placed through Triton Print & Digital Media, please contact them at tritonprint@ucsd.edu or 858-534-3020 (Hours are 7:30am-5:00pm).

Please use the "Instruction Tools" on BLINK to see the days/times/locations of your course(s), to view course enrollment, and to download class lists (with email addresses). Please Note: Eligibility to access the Instruction Tools on BLINK is based on completion of FERPA training. After completing FERPA training, please send your certificate of FERPA completion to physics staff member Michael Phan and request access to BLINK Instruction Tools.

Please note the following regarding non-UCSD students who enroll in UCSD classes through the Extended Studies Concurrent Enrollment program:

Concurrent Enrollment students are not matriculated, degree-seeking students, so they do not have access to TritonLink.  Because they do not enroll through TritonLink, they are not enrolled in the UCSD course, but are enrolled in a mirrored version of the course created by Extended Studies. As such, their names do not appear on your regular class rosters through BLINK. However, if a course is utilizing Canvas, Concurrent Enrollment students should have added themselves to the course on Canvas, and should show on the class lists there. Extended Studies prepares class lists ~week 4 of the term, after Concurrent Enrollment closes, and emails links to these (Dept. staff will forward the email with the link when we receive it). Questions regarding the class lists should be directed to concurrent@ucsd.edu. Questions regarding International/UPS students should be directed to ups-program@ucsd.edu. Questions regarding Canvas should be directed to canvas@ucsd.edu.

The campus creates a Canvas page for each course in the Online Schedule with an instructor assigned. Please click here to see when your course's Canvas page will be created. Please use Canvas to post your course syllabus, homework, announcements, and other course materials. Click here for a quick guide on setting up your course in Canvas before the term begins. Click here for a quick guide on wrapping up your course in Canvas at the end of the term. It is a good idea to use Canvas even if you choose to display course information on your personal website. Access to a course in Canvas site is limited to enrolled students (and waitlisters during the enrollment period, only). Canvas is managed by a central campus IT office and not by the Physics Department. If you need assistance with your Canvas course, or are experiencing technical difficulties, please contact canvas@ucsd.edu. 

To learn about course evaluations and to see past evaluations please click here.

Please use eGrades to enter student grades during the grading period. Sign in using your Single Sign-On username and password. If you would like assistance with eGrades please review the eGrades information page, write to eGrades@ucsd.edu, or call 858-534-3144.
Access eGrades at: http://egrades.ucsd.edu

Please note the following regarding non-UCSD students who enroll in UCSD classes through the Extended Studies Concurrent Enrollment program:

Grades for Concurrent Enrollment students can be entered in eGrades, but only at the first log in. After that point, Concurrent Enrollment students won’t appear in eGrades and they will have to be submitted through this secure upload link. Please distribute the link as needed.

The normal teaching load is three courses per year for associate and full professors and two courses per year for assistant professors in their first two years. Please click here to see the department's teaching assignment policy. 

1. The department alerts professors that the annual call for teaching preferences and leaves will be coming out soon.
   • NEW FOR AY24-25 Planning: An update for this year is that this will serve as the singular call for faculty to provide this specific information. The Chair will personally review faculty submissions and coordinate with the Physics Business office staff to facilitate the necessary campus and system-wide procedures to formalize faculty plans.
     
     Moreover, the Chair will instruct the Vice Chairs to construct the teaching schedule while considering faculty plans. It's important to note that any late reporting of plans may not be accommodated. Therefore, the Chair urges faculty to carefully consider their plans for AY24-25 in advance to ensure that they're ready to report all essential information upon receiving the call and to review the information on this webpage to ensure preparedness to respond to the call.
2. The department sends out the annual call.
3. Professors respond to the call by the deadline.
4. The department looks at all preferences and builds the teaching plan.
5. The department notifies professors of their teaching assignments via the Instructional Scheduling Assistant.
6. Professors accept their teaching assignments in the Instructional Scheduling Assistant.
7. The department publishes the teaching plan on the department website.

In addition to the points below, please read the section titled, "SCHEDULING OF COURSES YOU'VE BEEN ASSIGNED":

• To ensure consistency in education to students in core courses tied to curriculum, instructors teaching courses in the 1, 2, and 4 series, as well as core UD and 1st-year grad courses, must agree to follow the curriculum outlined here. 
• Courses will primarily need to be scheduled during the standard teaching times (MWF 50-min sessions on the hour OR TuTh 80-min sessions, both starting at 8am). 
• Since Special Topics courses (i.e. 39, 39L, 139, 239) are not required to meet dept. needs, requests to teach these courses will be considered after all dept. needs have been met. 
• If requesting double or triple teaching, be prepared to create multiple versions of quizzes/exams according to the number of sections you agree to teach if we are unsuccessful in securing campus space.
• We cannot guarantee scheduling requests for same-day and/or back-to-back/time/location/etc. for lectures, 4th hours, discussions, problem sessions, quizzes/exams (the exception is ADA-related requests).
• Section Enrollment Limits: Will be set by divisional TA workload formula. (Instructors do not set section/course enrollment limits.) ​​​​​​
• # of sections: Will be based on the # of students we anticipate need the course in that term as well as available campus space. (Instructors do not set the number of lab sections offered.)
• Days & Times of Course Components (i.e. lectures and labs): Will be based on the days, times, and locations of the lecture courses students are required to take in the same term. (Instructors do not set the days and times of lecture and/or lab sections).  
• ​​If requesting PHYS 2BL, 2CL, 2DL the lecture portion of the course likely be placed in the late afternoon or evening by the campus.
• Below is the teaching schedule we plan to submit annually for core UD physics courses:
  • Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee the campus will have rooms available at the listed days and times, but this is what we’ll be requesting. In addition, the final exam schedule is set by the campus, so if they make any changes the final info. below will also change.
  • The scheduling of non-core UD courses will be based on whatever the campus ends up assigning for the core UD courses.
    • The scheduling of PHYS 4 series courses will be based on whatever the campus ends up assigning for non-core UD courses, since physics majors are often eligible to take the two concurrently.

*The extra (duplicate) offerings of PHYS 130A (winter), PHYS 130B (spring), and PHYS 140A (spring) will be placed whenever the campus/dept has space after the rest of the schedule has been put together. Due to the high volume of required once-per-year offerings, the extra (duplicate) offerings cannot be given the same priority in scheduling.  

Faculty report ALL potential plans for buyout, sabbatical, teaching relief, and/or term(s) off on the google form used to report teaching preferences and plans for the upcoming academic year. This information will go to the Department Chair and will then be distributed to the Vice Chairs, Business Office, and Student Affairs team so that all required steps can be taken to have the information fully considered and processed in accordance with campus UC and departmental policy. 

In addition to the info. below, please read the section titled, "WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN REQUESTING TO TEACH CERTAIN COURSES":

How will courses be scheduled quarterly? Courses will be scheduled throughout the week with lectures held Monday through Friday with 8am-630pm start times. Instructors cannot opt in/out of the schedule set for their assigned course(s). Courses may conflict with group meetings and the dept. Colloquium. There may be two undergraduate core (or 1st year grad) course finals on the same day. Instructors must accept whatever schedule is set for them in order for the department to arrive at a workable schedule that maximizes educational opportunities for our students. Special needs (eg. ADA requests) will be considered, provided they are included in the instructor’s scheduling preferences information.

Where will courses be scheduled quarterly? Courses will be scheduled in campus space. As such, courses must conform to standard teaching days and times as determined by the campus. Rooms designated as dept. Classrooms (TBD by Space Committee) may be used for some courses.

How will course enrollment limits be determined? Enrollment limits will be determined based on anticipated need (or interest) and the room capacity of the assigned classroom. Courses being taught for the first time will typically carry low enrollment limits (eg. 30 students).

How do teaching assignments impact course scheduling? Two of the three courses you are assigned per academic year will be scheduled MWF.

How will pedagogy factor into course scheduling? Courses will be scheduled in accordance with the course approval, including the number of hours of lecture, discussion, lab, etc. Faculty will need to be prepared to teach their assigned course on both a MWF and TR schedule.

How will labs be scheduled? The following will apply:

• # of sections: Will be based on the # of students we anticipate need the course in that term. (Instructors do not set the number of lab sections offered.)
• Section Enrollment Limits: Will be set by divisional TA workload formula. (Instructors do not set the enrollment limits.)
• Days & Times of Course Components (i.e. lectures and labs): Will be based on the days, times, and locations of the lecture courses students are required to take in the same term. (Instructors do not set the days and times of lecture and/or lab sections). The lecture portion of the course likely be placed in the late afternoon or evening by the campus.

Can faculty submit quarterly course scheduling preferences? With some limitations, faculty who complete their teaching acknowledgments in the ISA will be permitted to submit scheduling preferences by dept set deadlines. The less exclusions in preferences, the higher chances of getting something desired. Though preferences are collected, the Department cannot guarantee instructors their preferred schedule. 

Can the schedule be changed once published online? Though the schedule cannot be completely redesigned once published, the Department can make changes that are necessary to correct errors in the published information (eg. incorrect instructor listed, missing final exam, etc.), provided they are reported the day the schedule is published. The schedule of a course may differ from past offerings (eg. TR vs MWF, AM vs PM, campus vs dept space, etc.). Instructors must contact vice-chairs, directly, about how to effectively execute their course(s) as scheduled. 

Where will final exam locations be listed in the Online Schedule? How can I request a special location for my final exam (eg. the Rec Gym, an overflow room, etc.)? The campus posts final exam locations to the Online Schedule on Monday of week 10. Shortly before this, the campus will contact departments to invite them to request any special spaces they'll have available for the term (eg. overflow rooms, Rec. Gym, etc.). Please be sure to respond to that call with the required information and by the required deadline.

Additional Details About Scheduling:

Please also note:

• The schedule will not attempt to avoid conflicts between the weekly colloquium and/or group meetings because that overly restricts the schedule.
• The schedule will attempt to spread out courses of similar type (eg. astro courses must be spread throughout the school week and school day.
• Unless absolutely necessary, changes to the schedule after students have enrolled will not be permitted. Necessary changes to the schedule will be announced to enrolled students ahead of the change request being sent to the campus.

Problem Sessions (PBs) are typically used for going over homework. PBs are not formal parts of classes and so students cannot be required to participate in these sessions and the ability to succeed in the class cannot be dependent upon participation in these sessions. PB sessions are scheduled upon request by the instructor/TA, only. Requests must be sent to Toni Moore and must include ALL of the following information:

• The weeks you want your PB session to meet (eg. weeks 1-10)
• The preferred day, start time and end time for your PB session (be specific).
• The minimum number of seats for your PB session.

Please Note: Campus procedures indicate that PB session requests in campus space will begin being scheduled after week 2. If you want your PB sessions to start in week 1 of the term, the campus will be alerted so they can look into granting an exception to their standard procedures.

Review Sessions (RE) are typically used to help students prepare for the final exam). REs are not formal parts of classes and so students cannot be required to participate in these sessions and the ability to succeed in the class cannot be dependent upon participation in these sessions. RE sessions are scheduled upon request by the instructor/TA, only. Requests must be sent to Toni Moore and must include ALL of the following information:

• The preferred day, start time and end time for your RE session (eg. December 6 from 6p-750p). If listing several options, list them in order from most-to-least preferred (eg. December 6 from 6p-750p or December 5 from 2-350p or December 5 from 6-750p)
• The minimum number of seats for your RE session.
• The modality of your RE session (in-person or remote)

Please Note: Campus procedures indicate that processing of RE sessions offered in-person during final exam week will begin once we have ensured that all final exams that need a room have one assigned.  

My Assignments and/or Teaching Relief - Rick Averitt (Graduate), Andrew Meyertholen (Undergraduate)

Buyouts - Jasmyn Hornbuckle 

Sabbaticals - Camie King

Administrative/Tech issues w/ teaching call form, course scheduling - Toni Moore

Who is authorized to submit new course proposals to the Academic Senate Councils? The Vice Chairs and the Department Chair are the only parties within the Physics Department who are authorized to submit new course proposals to the Academic Senate Councils; all proposals must have the approval of the appropriate internal department CEP Committee and must have adhered to all departmental policies and procedures.

The Dept. CEPs have considered the boundary conditions carefully and this is what we need to do to comply with campus’ rules and to have a workable system for Student Affairs.