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Index: Need to Know Resources for School of Dentistry Faculty

Office of Academic Affairs

   Karri Grob, Administrative Assistant
   Room 1208 Dent, 734-763-3313
   Email kgrob@umich.edu
   Online Office of Academic Affairs

   Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch, DDS, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
   Marilyn Woolfolk, DDS, MS, Assistant Dean for Student Services

Academic Review Boards - Monitoring of Student Academic Progress

Student Academic Progress is monitored by regular meetings, at the end of each semester, of Academic Review Board I (D1 and D2 years) and Academic Review Board II (D3 and D4 years).  These boards are comprised of faculty representatives from each department. The Assistant Dean for Student Services, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Registrar are ad hoc members (non-voting) of these two Boards.  Decisions regarding academic progress and promotion are made according to the faculty Guidelines for Scholarship and Promotion, which includes the procedures for student appeals.

Important Websites for Faculty

Curriculum Committee

The School of Dentistry Curriculum Committee is responsible for managing the curriculum, evaluating educational outcomes and reviewing the curriculum on a regular basis.  New courses must be reviewed and approved by the Curriculum Committee.  It is chaired by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and has departmental/discipline representation. 

Curriculum Administration & Course Support

   Sherry McCune and Misty Gravelin
   Rooms B307 and B309 Dent
   Email dent-dds.curric@umich.edu

Curriculum Administration and Course Support is a unit of Academic Affairs created to provide administrative support to courses in the DDS, Dental Hygiene, and Graduate Programs at the School of Dentistry.  Looking for help with your courses, or wondering if there may be a better way to do something?  Please talk to us! We may just have the solution or assistance that you have been looking for!  We can:
  • Schedule faculty and speakers for lectures
  • Set-up and maintain a course CTools site
  • Request, gather and post lecture materials,
  • Track attendance
  • Request questions, format and copy exams
  • Take exams to E and E for grading
  • House exams for student review
  • Set-up and maintain a grade book
  • Post grades to CTools and Wolverine Access
  • Share our expertise on syllabus creation, course design, exams, CTools, and Wolverine Access

We encourage course directors to come to us as soon as the semester schedule is available.  Curriculum Administration and Course Support can help every step of the way from course set-up to final grades, or with more limited assistance, provided we have a clear understanding of what you are requesting and of what we can expect from you as we complete your request.

Pathways Support

   Research and Leadership Pathways Support
   Charlene Erickson
   Room B309 Dent, 734-763-1785
   Email csericks@umich.edu

   Health Care Delivery Pathway Support
   Becky Flynn
   Room G226 Dent, 734-647-6248
   Email rpasma@umich.edu

Tips for a Better Semester

  • Read the policies and procedures. The School policies are available on MiTools as well as the Course Directors CTools site. Know how these work before problems occur.
  • Set the rules.Your syllabus is your contract with your class. Make sure you include what you expect of the students and what the students can expect of you.
  • Stick to the rules.If you make an exception for one student, you need to make an exception for the entire class. Policies are only fair when they are applied to everyone equally.
  • If you have a co-director for your course, make sure you are on the same page.No one wins when students try to play Mom against Dad and Dad against Mom.
  • Post your notes on CTools. Students no longer pay for coursepacks or printed materials. They expect the information to be available electronically.
  • Timelines pays dividends. Students need to have the lecture materials at least the night before so they have time to download, read, and decide how to prepare for class.
  • Be there, even if you are not giving all the lectures.Your presence at the lecture is noticed by the students.
  • If you cannot be there, find a replacement. No one knows what was going to be in your lecture better than you. In addition, only faculty can proctor exams, and it is the responsibility of the course director to ensure someone appropriate can be there.
  • Answer your email regularly. Students learn better and feel more engaged when the course directors or lecturers respond to questions in a timely manner, especially with regard to course content. Staff and faculty lecturers appreciate this quality too!
  • Talk to others.Many of your fellow faculty members have been in your shoes. They may have many thoughts on best practices and how to tackle certain situations. This is how great ideas get passed along!
  • Ask before you stress.A lot of worry is wasted on things that Curriculum Administration or other faculty members could quickly fill you in on, such as “How does this whole grade posting thing work?”
  • Get help early.Regardless of whose help you need or what you need it for, ask while there is still plenty of time for a solution. Emergencies are too stressful to be created unnecessarily.