About Us - Administration Team

Rita Parmar, Manager, Academic & Administrative Services
Office: RCB 9200
Phone: 778-782-5739
Email: parmar@sfu.ca

Michelle Beninteso
Chair's Assistant
Office: RCB 9103
Phone: 778-782-4798
Email: lingasst@sfu.ca
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Julia Halabourda
Undergraduate/Departmental Secretary
Office: RCB 9201
Phone: 778-782-4585
Email: lingdept@sfu.ca
Hours: Monday - Friday 10:30 am - 1:30 pm

Nina Tomlinson
Graduate Secretary
Office: RCB 9202
Phone: 
Email: linggsec@sfu.ca
Hours: Monday 9:30am - 1:00 pm, Tuesday/Thursday 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

CJ Ng
Technical Support Specialist
Office: RCB 9216
Phone: 778-782-9220
Email: lingtech@sfu.ca
Hours: Monday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 10:00 am - 2:30 pm

Academic Integrity and Honesty

All students and teaching staff are responsible for understanding policy related to academic integrity and academic honesty. If you require assistance interpreting policy or procedures, or believe that a student in your course has engaged in academic dishonesty, consult the Linguistics Chair.

Adding/Dropping Courses

• During week 1 students may add or drop courses without prior approval using the online Student Information System.
  
• During weeks 2 and 3, students must fill out an Undergraduate Course Change Application form and submit it to the Linguistics front office for processing. Instructors may notify the department's Manager, Academic and Administrative Services in advance whether they will accept new students in weeks 2 and 3 and whether their permission is required.
  
• Withdrawal Under Extenuating Circumstances is determined by the Registrar's office with appropriate documentation.
  
• For deadline dates and more information click here.
  

Book Orders

Book information is collected from the course outlines or via e-mail at least six weeks before the start of the semester. Ensure books are listed in priority order (required, recommended, study aid).  

The bookstore will order the number of required texts equal to the maximum enrollment in your course. A limited number of "recommended texts" are ordered.

Contact the Departmental Secretary if you would like to order desk copies.

The following information is required for book orders:

• author
• title
• publisher
• year
  
• edition
• ISBN (the 13 digit International Standard Book Number)

Cancelling a Class

If you must cancel a scheduled class, please notify the Chair and contact the General office at 778.782.4585 or lingdept@sfu.ca. We will post signs on the classroom doors to advise students of the cancellation.

Classrooms

If you would like to move your class to a different room contact the Manager, Academic and Administrative Services at 778.782.5739 or lingmgr@sfu.ca.

If you need a different arrangement of furniture in your classroom, the easiest way to accomplish this is to arrange it with the help of your students before you begin the class. You may wish to consult with the instructors of classes before and after your class to coordinate your needs. Tables and chairs on the Surrey and Vancouver campuses must be returned to their original placement at the end of class.

Class Roster

Step by step instructions for accessing your class and grade rosters can be found here. 

You will need your SFU ID and password to access your rosters. Your access will not be available until your contract begins. To activate your SFU ID go to SFU Computing Account Activation and enter your employee number and birth date. (If you were an SFU student, then your SFU number is your employee number.)

Access to the grade roster will not be available until the end of the semester.

Class Wait List Procedures

Prior to the start of each semester wait lists for courses are maintained automatically via the SIMS registration system during the regular registration period. 

Once the semester starts, at Week 1, Day 5, the Department Manager will circulate an e-mail to remind all teaching staff of course add procedures going forward. On Week 2, Day 1, all automated wait lists are purged from SIMS.

If an instructor wishes to restrict class enrollment past Week 5, Day 1, they should contact the Department Manager to discuss this. Otherwise, available seats will be filled via the front office on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Computer Support

In-department computer support is provided by CJ Ng. Information is also available on the Technical Support Portal. 

SFU's IT Services can help you with a range of services; see the IT Service Contact Us page for additional help points.

Computing ID

You need to obtain and activate your SFU Computing ID to access SFU Connect (email, calendar), go.sfu.ca (class rosters, grade rosters), myinfo (payroll), Canvas, online library services, and a variety of other systems.

Course Outlines

Instructors will be provided with a draft of their course outline(s) for review/revisions. A sample of current and previous course outlines can be viewed here. The outline should include the following:

• course description
• objectives
• required and recommended texts (refer to section on Book Orders)
  
• breakdown of course grading (assignments, papers, presentations, midterms, final exam)

Evaluations

All instructors must submit teaching and course evaluations. The Chair’s Secretary will provide instructors with blank evaluation forms to distribute in a class during the last two weeks of the semester. A box of golf pencils can be obtained from the front office.

Teaching and course evaluations are confidential. Students are not identified on the evaluations and the results of the evaluations are not returned to the instructor until the first week of the following semester.

Evaluations of the instructors are private and therefore treated as confidential. The results of the evaluations are placed in the instructor’s file and are used in hiring decisions. They are not otherwise made available to anyone.

Procedures for Distributing Evaluations

Instructors must leave the room while the teaching evaluations are being completed. Many instructors distribute evaluation forms to their students at the end of class and ask for a volunteer to collect them and deliver them to the Department.

Some instructors are uncomfortable leaving the class unmonitored and leaving confidential evaluations with the students. It is possible to ask the TA/Marker or a colleague to come to class during this period to monitor the room and collect the evaluations.

Please refer students to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy statement on the back of evaluation forms.

Distribution of Completed Evaluation Reports to Instructors

Once all course evaluation forms are collected back from students, the Chair’s Secretary handles the transcription of student comments into a consolidated report for each section of a course. The original scantron forms are sent for scanning and tabulating, to produce individual reports for each section of a course. Final copies of these reports are distributed back to the instructors, usually by the end of the first week of classes in the following semester.

Exam and Assignment Procedures

To read about various final exam procedures, click here.

Exam Materials and Grading Scale

After an exam has been held during the formal examination period, Sessional Instructors must submit a copy of their exam materials to the Chair.  The instructor’s explanation of their grading scale should also be included with the examination materials.

These will be retained on file for one year in the event of any student appeals.

Instructor Attendance at Exams

It is the instructor’s responsibility to be present at all exams. The responsibility for invigilating exams must not be left to Markers or Teaching Assistants (TAs). Markers and TAs do not have the authority or experience to invigilate exams and, more importantly, final grades are the instructor’s responsibility and he/she must be prepared to answer any questions about incidents that occur during the exams.

Make-up Exams

With the exception of final exams, it is not Department policy to provide make-up exams. Instead, the weights of other assignments and exams are adjusted to compensate.

Instructors may book space for make-up exams for one or two students through the front office. For larger groups, instructors must arrange for a classroom booking on the Burnaby campus through the Linguistics front office. For Harbour Centre please contact the Centre for Integrated and Credit Studies (CICS) at 778.782.5100 or lladmin@sfu.ca. For the Surrey campus please click here.

Distribution and Retention of Exams and Assignments

For policy information, click here. 

Instructors have different practices with respect to returning exams and assignments. Some wish to retain them, and some return them to the students. The policy makes it clear that this is at the discretion of the instructor, except in the case of final exams:

• 1.2 Graded examination papers or course assignments are returned to student or retained by the course instructor at his/her discretion. The exception is final examinations which are retained by the University.
  
  
• Final exams must be retained by the University for 1 year
  
  
• 1.3 When exams or assignments are not returned to the student, the University must retain that information for at least one year after using it so that the student has a reasonable opportunity to obtain access to it. This means faculty would retain these records for one year from the semester in which they were written and graded before disposing of the information.

To comply with policy, all final exams must be retained in the Linguistics Department. Sessional Instructors and TA/Markers must turn in their final exams (answer key not required), along with the scale indicating how their numeric scores translate to letter grades, to the Undergraduate/Graduate Secretary (front office) after final grades have been submitted.

Faculty should likewise keep these items in their files for one year.

Returning Exams and Assignments, and Confidentiality

Students’ exams and assignments are considered to be private material and, as such, are considered under the FOIPOP Program to be confidential. When returning exams and assignments, care must be taken to ensure that the content and grades are not disclosed to others. In particular, a student cannot have access to other students’ exams or assignments. This means that a student can only receive their exams directly from the instructor. The practice of leaving material in an envelope or box outside the office door is inappropriate.

Students can pick up exams or assignments from the Linguistics General office. Materials may not be kept on the front counter, therefore, students must request their materials directly from the Undergraduate/Graduate Secretary, or another staff member.

Expenses

Find detailed instructions on completing an expense claim report here.

Grades and Grade Changes

Grading Spreadsheet

Instructors are expected to maintain some form of grading spreadsheet or table during the semester, and it is their responsibility to have the most current version of this document in their possession at all times during the semester.

The following activities are NOT appropriate:

1. Recording grades using students' first names only. 
   • Grade sheets should include the student's full name and their SFU ID number.
2. Having Markers and Teaching assistants (TAs) maintain separate gradesheets and attempting to merge those together at the end of the semester.
   • It is the instructor’s responsibility to maintain the gradesheets, not the TAs or Markers. After the gradesheets have been updated with the current grades, the instructor must have the current copy and should ensure that it is accurate.

Assigning Grades

The basis on which grades are assigned must be established at the beginning of the semester. It is recommended that instructors include an explanation of their grading scale on their course outline. This is a contract between the instructor and the students and should not be changed during the semester unless there are clear and agreed extenuating circumstances. It is important to understand that students prepare their semesters according to this contract. It is difficult to achieve consensus among students after the semester has begun, and many will perceive any changes to be arbitrary.

Students also have the right to know in advance the criteria by which particular exams and assignments are evaluated.

Entering Grades

• Final exam grades must be uploaded for approval by the Chair within 96 hours of the final exam date (including weekends and holidays).
• For courses with no final exam, grades must be uploaded for approval by the Chair within 96 hours of the last day of classes.
  

All grades must be entered online through the SFU Student Information Management System (SIMS). You must have an active SFU Computing ID to access your class roster. 

Detailed instructions on entering/uploading grades can be found by logging in here.

Remember to ‘SAVE’ your grades after inputting. Review and then set to ‘Ready for Review’ and ‘SAVE’ again.

Grades are NOT final until the Chair has approved them. Please remember that students will be able to access their grades once they have been approved and sent to Student Services, where they will be posted to go.sfu.ca. The Undergraduate Programs office staff is not able to give out any grade information to students.

Grade Submission Errors

A common source of error when assigning final grades is miscommunication between the instructor and the TA/Markers. These errors can be reduced if when calculating final grades, the instructors consult with their TA/Markers to ensure the grading spreadsheets are accurate before final grades are submitted online for the Chair’s approval.

Grade Change eForm

Instructors can submit a grade change request online via the Faculty Centre (go.sfu.ca). A notification will be sent to the appropriate approver for online approval (Program Chair/Director/Associate Dean or Designate). Another notification will be sent to the Registrar’s Office for approval (if required) and automated processing. Once the grade change has been approved and processed, the student will be informed of the change by an automatically generated e-mail. 

Grade Change eForm video tutorial available here.

Deferred Grades

Effective Summer 2015, all unchanged DE notations will be converted automatically to N after the end of the first week in the following term. In exceptional cases, an extension may be granted by the instructor and must be approved by the department chair and submitted in writing to the Office of the Registrar with a final deferral date. Normally, the maximum extension allowed is the end of the term following the original deferral. DE is a temporary grade that will revert to a letter grade or notation

The definition of a deferred grade is that it is a temporary grade assigned at the end of the term for incomplete course work, and will revert to a letter grade or notation. According to the Calendar language, a DE will convert automatically to F; however, the definition of the F grade is failed, unsatisfactory performance, and the definition of the grade N (incomplete) is given when a student has enrolled in a course, but did not write the final examination or otherwise failed to complete the course work and did not withdraw before the deadline date. Based on the definitions of the F and N grade, it is more appropriate for unchanged DE to convert automatically to N, as any unchanged DE would mean the student did not complete further work for a final grade. In addition, some instructors who have not received further work from the student by the deferred deadline will change the DE notation to N, noting the course is incomplete. This creates inconsistency in how grades are assigned to students.

Mailboxes

Faculty members are each assigned a permanent mailbox in room RCB 9102, the Linguistics photocopy/mail room. Sessional instructors are assigned a mailbox for the semester and these are located in the reception area of the Linguistics department in the alcove between RCB 9103 and 9200. Please have students place assignments in your box, rather than leaving them at the front desk. You will be provided with a mailbox key. 

Intercampus or external mail can be placed in the appropriate trays in the mailroom (RCB 9102). Envelopes are available at the front office.

Oversized package deliveries will be kept at the front office. You will be contacted via e-mail or telephone letting you know the item has arrived and available for pick-up.

Office Space/Keys

Office space will be assigned prior to the start of the semester. A key requisition will be sent on your behalf to Access Control Services. When the key is ready for pick-up you will be notified via email and will need appear in person with photo ID and pay a $20 refundable deposit.  

Access Control is located at Discovery 1 on the south side of campus by Discovery Research Park. You will be required to cross South Campus Road and follow the path and signs that read "SRS" (Safety & Risk Services). It will take up to 15 minutes to walk to Discovery 1. There is also a bus stop at South Campus Road.

Access Control is open Monday to Friday from 8:45 am to 3:45 pm.

Parking

Burnaby Campus

https://www.sfu.ca/parking/purchase-parking/monthly-parking/staff---faculty-permit-parking.html

Surrey Campus

To arrange for parking in Surrey contact Facilities Services at 778.782.7496 or srypark@sfu.ca.  

Vancouver Campus

For information on parking lots near the Vancouver campus click here.

Photocopying and Printing

Large Orders

Photocopying requests can be arranged through the Linguistics front office.

Requests for duplicating exams, handouts, or other large printing jobs, should be made at least 7 days in advance to allow for adequate turnaround time by Document Solutions. Exams should be planned well in advance of the date on which they are held. Any urgent requests (less than 7 days) shall be hand-delivered by the instructor to Document Solutions, along with a properly authorized work order.

If Linguistics staff are not available to place an online work order, you may take a hardcopy of your job to Document Solutions and ask that they create a work order for you.  The account name is "Linguistics Department". You will be required to give the Document Solutions staff your instructions (due date, number of copies, double sided, paper type, corner staple etc.). The Document Solutions office is located on the bottom floor of the Maggie Benston Centre (across from the library).

In-house Photocopier and Printer

All Linguistics staff share the printer/photocopier/scanner in RCB 9102.  The room is opened at 9:00 am and closed at 4:30 pm.  After hours, please use the combination code #3-4-5-1-2.

Please only make a few copies at a time so as not to occupy the machine for a long period. In addition, mid-term and exam printing should be arranged through the front office.

**When printing sensitive or confidential material, retrieve your print-out as soon as possible.  RCB 9102 is not secure during office hours, and students can access this area easily.**

Final Exams

Please see the front office if you have a final exam that needs to be copied. A work order will be placed on your behalf on the Document Solutions site. Final exams need to be submitted in hardcopy format not electronically to Document Solutions. Final exams must also be picked up in person. The Document Solutions office is located on the bottom floor of the Maggie Benston Centre (across from the library).

Proctors/Exam Invigilators

If you require additional proctor(s) for your exam, please email lingdept@sfu.ca with the time and date of your exam and the number of proctors you require. Following the exam fill out the Proctor Pay Worksheet (form updated October 2016) and submit by email to lingdept@sfu.ca or by hard-copy to the main office to initiate proctor payment.

Research Assistant Hire Worksheet

Submit your completed New RA Hire Worksheet (updated October 2016) to parmar@sfu.ca for undergraduate RAs or linggsec@sfu.ca for graduate RAs. You may also submit paper copies to the Department Manager (undergraduate hires) or Graduate Secretary (graduate hires).

Religious Accommodation

In accordance with the SFU Human Rights Policy on Religious Accommodation the Department of Linguistics has developed a form for students to fill out if they are requesting an accommodation because an examination or assignment conflicts with a holy day or religious practice. You can print a copy of this form here (in general we do not send our various request forms in electronic form to students).

The Department of Linguistics Standards and all course outlines note the following statement:

"All student requests for accommodations for their religious practices must be made in writing by the end of the first week of classes or no later than one week after a student adds a course."

Students with Disabilities

Students who request accomodation due to disability should be referred to the Centre for Students with Disabilities (1250 Maggie Benston Centre). The Centre will evaluate the student and communicate to the instructor what, if any, accommodation is warranted. No student should receive accommodation unless they have first visited the Centre and can produce documentation provided by the Centre to the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the instructor with any forms that need instructor approval or signature.

Students with disabilities who wish accommodation must identify themselves at the beginning of the semester. They cannot claim a disability after an exam or assignment and ask for reconsideration.

If a student with a disability warrants accommodation, instructors can contact the Centre for Students with Disabilities for advice and support.

Supplies

There are a number of supplies available in the front office (pens, chalk, highlighters, post-it notes, notepads etc.). If you require supplies that we do not carry please contact the Manager, Academic and Administrative Services at 778.782.5739 or lingmgr@sfu.ca for approval. We will then order the items for you.