Academics Policies

This retention policy is specifically aimed at Loyola University New Orleans’ LMS and media retention policies.

Loyola University New Orleans has developed guidelines for course mergers that are meant to address concerns about student privacy under FERPA and faculty workload.

All new courses should follow the course numbering policy as outlined .

The course number indicates the level of the course, with the exception of the first-year seminars, all of which are open only to first-year students and considered to be at the 100 level.

Courses numbered below 100 are taught at pre-college level and carry no credit. 

This definition of credit hours awarded for courses is in accordance with the mission and standards of Loyola University and in agreement with the Carnegie collegiate student hour, related federal definitions and requirements, and the standards, policies, and guidelines of SACSCOC. This policy is intended to direct and guide credit hour processes and calculations in order to ensure the mission and goals of Loyola University.

In general, Loyola University expects 50 minutes of classroom or engaged instruction and 100 minutes of outside-of-class student engagement per week, or the equivalent thereof, for a regular full-term semester hour of credit.  Therefore, one semester hour of credit is granted for 700 minutes of classroom/engaged instruction and 1400 minutes of outside-of-class instruction. Based on this calculation, students should expect to engage with a one-credit class for a minimum of 2100 minutes over the course of an academic session. A three-credit course requires a minimum of 6300 minutes per semester. 

Faculty and students should expect to engage with a course using the above credit hour calculation no matter the length of the term or delivery modality. Remote and online courses also require classroom instruction/engaged instruction. Shorter terms will require more intense engagement as the same number of minutes are acquired within a shorter timeframe. In all instances, a 3-credit course will require a minimum of 6300 total minutes of student engagement whether the course takes place in a 14-week term, an 8-week term, or a 2-week term.  Faculty and students should not expect courses taken within a shorter time frame to include less coursework. Faculty and students may be required to engage for more than the minimum depending on the minutes calculated in a particular session; 2100 is a minimum and instructional days cannot be cut from the syllabus without approval by the respective Dean. 

The Credit Hour Policy applies to all coursework at Loyola and not only to lecture/seminar courses.  The policy equally applies to internships, practica, labs, field research, independent studies, experiential courses, and studio courses. 

For the complete policy and a list of activities that can be counted toward credit hour calculations, please refer to the full policy linked here:

Credit Hour Calculator

Video Tutorial of Calculator

Updated: September 23, 2023

Each semester, we ask professors to provide feedback about students in their classes to identify students who might benefit from tutoring, study groups, or other support services. Faculty can flag students for academic difficulties or attendance concerns. 

We use Loynotes (Pharos), a communications tool housed in Student Success and accessible to all through SSO, to flag students for additional follow up. We are calling this process early alert. 

Here are the instructions: 

1. You will be sent a survey link when surveys open, prompting you to log into Loynotes to review your class lists. 

2. On the left you will see a list of your classes that contain one or more of the students we are requesting information about. 

3. Click on a course, select the student or students for whom you have feedback, and click the "Complete Survey" button to respond to the brief questions.

4. If you are satisfied with the performance of any student at this point in time, simply select the student and click on the "No Concerns" button (you can select multiple students if you wish).

The deadlines for completing surveys follow the course format. For 8-week classes, early alert will be open for one week. For full-semester classes, they will stay open for two weeks.

If you have questions about Early Warning, please call (504-865-3595) or email Liz Rainey at earainey@loyno.edu.

This policy pertains to LMS (Canvas) access outside of regular classroom activities (i.e., student and instructor access). Pertinent to this policy includes classroom “visits” by colleagues for the purpose of evaluation, student records access, embedded technical administrative support such as LMS management, and bias/complaint response access. 

All instructors are required to use the LMS, currently Canvas, for the course syllabus and grades. 

The Canvas online gradebook is utilized to ensure efficiency and to aid targeted student success initiatives. It is not the official record of student grades. Official student grades must be entered on LORA Self-Service.

This policy provides guidelines regarding the minimum enrollment per section for class offerings.

Loyola University New Orleans promotes respect for all religions. Any student who is unable to attend classes or to participate in any examination, presentation, or assignment on a given day because of the observance of a major religious holiday or related travel shall be excused and provided with the opportunity to make up, without unreasonable burden, any work that has been missed for this reason and shall not in any other way be penalized for the absence or rescheduled work. Students will remain responsible for all assigned work. Students should notify professors in writing at the beginning of the semester of religious observances that conflict with their classes. The Office of the Provost, in consultation with the Office of Mission and Ministry and Student Records, will publish, before classes begin for a given term, a list of major religious holidays likely to affect Loyola students. Faculty are encouraged to accommodate students whose bona fide religious observances in other ways impede normal participation in a course. Students who cannot be accommodated should discuss the matter with an advisor.

Loyola has taken a variety of effective steps towards inclusive excellence which ensures that all students feel welcomed, inspired, and supported. To further support this goal, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee recommends that all faculty be provided with examples  of diversity, equity, and inclusion statements for their syllabi and that a more generic statement be included in syllabus part II. In 2020, Loyola faculty were encouraged to take Cornell University’s Center for Teaching Innovation course on inclusive learning. During this course, the Cornell instructors emphasized the importance of including a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement in syllabi to accomplish the following goals: 

• To reiterate commitment to diverse perspectives and inclusive learning
• To honor diverse backgrounds and identities
• To signal awareness about and openness towards conversations surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion

Syllabus Part II will include a generic statement:

Loyola values each of your unique perspectives, experiences, and understandings of the world and will respect all students’ contributions. Our diversity as a class—in race, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, language, ability, socioeconomic or military status, national or ethnic origin—is an asset to our learning experience. Please remember that discriminatory language and conduct is never acceptable.

The administration will add examples of more in-depth diversity, equity, and inclusion statements on the Loyola template website. The syllabus template will provide only suggested examples which might include:

I value each of your unique perspectives, experiences, and understandings of the world and will respect all students’ contributions. Our diversity as a class—in race, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion, language, ability, socioeconomic or military status, national or ethnic origin—is an asset to our learning experience. As a result, I will strive to provide inclusive lessons and assignments that provide you with the opportunity to speak and be heard, explore your own understanding, and encounter each other. Through these conversations, it is acceptable to disagree with viewpoints, but we will do so in a respectful and affirming way. Please remember that discriminatory language and conduct is never acceptable