[Faculty Handbook Category #2]
In many courses, events that occur outside of class time are essential to the curriculum. When requiring students to attend such events, faculty should consider students’ full range of obligations.
While academics are central to the St. Olaf experience, co-curricular programming and activities vitally enhance students’ education. In addition, many students must hold jobs to financially support their St. Olaf education. Faculty must take care not to academically disadvantage students whose co-curricular obligations and work limit their flexibility to attend out-of-class events. Faculty should adhere to the following guidelines—emphasizing awareness of required co-curricular programming, advance notice, flexibility, and clarity—when incorporating such events into the curriculum.
Awareness of Required Co-curricular Programming:
1) In May 2020, faculty approved the Ole Core curriculum, which includes sustained orientation through the First-Year Experience and required co-curricular programming. Instructors planning out-of-class events that involve first-year students should consult the College calendar and the First-Year Experience website to choose dates that don’t conflict with First-Year Experience required co-curricular programming.
Advance notice:
2) When a course requires students to participate in events outside of class time, these requirements should be explicitly specified in the syllabus.
3) When possible, the course description available to students at the time of registration should indicate any requirement for participation in a significant number of events outside of scheduled class times, including the amount of time required.
4) When an unexpected opportunity arises, and an instructor wishes to require students to attend an event not originally specified in the syllabus, the instructor should give ample advance notice—at least a few weeks.
Flexibility:
5) When such advance notice is impossible, the instructor should make it possible for students with a serious conflict to miss the event without penalty. For example:
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- Arrange to have events such as lectures recorded for students to watch at a later time
- Devise and offer an alternative way to fulfill the requirement.
- Offer students choice of which events or activities to attend.
- Make the event optional rather than required.
Clarity:
(6) Instructors should clearly specify whether an out-of-class event is required or optional, so that students can make fully informed decisions about their schedules
updated 3/30/2026