Dear Graduate Coordinators and Program Directors,
This memo outlines important Fall 2026 requirements for graduate course instructor assignments, graduate research courses, Credit Expectations Agreements, and variable credit course management. It also includes a reminder regarding updated Provost Office guidance for instructor roles in myWSU. All required actions outlined in this memo must be completed by Census Day (September 4, 2026).
Credit Expectations Agreement
To comply with Academic Regulation 27, all graduate research (700-800) courses must use a Credit Expectations Agreement for each enrollment term. This agreement does not carry over between semesters; each new agreement establishes clear expectations between the faculty member assigning the grade and each graduate student regarding the work required. Key requirements include:
- A new Credit Expectations Agreement must be completed for each term a student enrolls and cover that term only.
- The provided template serves as a baseline and may be adapted to meet program-specific and individual student needs while maintaining term-specific applicability.
- Separate Agreements are required for each student enrolled in research credits.
- Faculty should provide timely feedback throughout the term. If a student is not meeting the academic expectations outlined in the agreement, feedback should be documented and accompanied by a clear plan for improvement. This may occur before, at, or after the mid-semester evaluation, as the mid-semester review alone may not be sufficient to support student progress.
Graduate Research Course Instructor Assignments
Graduate research courses serve both to document instructional responsibility and to identify the faculty member responsible for evaluating an individual student’s work. Programs should ensure that each student enrolled in a graduate research course has the appropriate instructor assigned in myWSU.
- Students without an advisor: The Graduate Program Director should be assigned as the instructor.
- Students with an unofficial advisor: The faculty member serving as the student’s advisor should be assigned as the instructor.
- Students with an approved Program of Study: The official committee chair should be assigned as the instructor.
- Instructor assignments should be updated if the student’s advising or committee-chair relationship changes.
Assigning Instructors in myWSU
- Assign Instructors in the Maintain Schedule of Classes. Instructors must be assigned to these courses using the Maintain Schedule of Classes feature in myWSU. The Office of the Registrar provides detailed instructions for department and campus schedulers to add instructors to Maintain Schedule of Classes. If instructors are assigned prior to students registering, and students select the correct instructor, no additional steps are necessary.
- Use a myWSU Enrollment Request. If instructors are not assigned before students register or if the student makes an error, submit a myWSU Enrollment Request to associate enrolled students with instructors. Instructions for this process can be found in the Enrollment Request Instructions.
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Complete Data Validation.
To ensure all assignments are accurate, use one of the following validation tools:
- myWSU Class Roster: Navigate to Main Menu > Curriculum Management > Class Roster > Class Roster.
- OBIEE Dashboards: Navigate to Dashboards > WSU Data Validation > Teacher Assignment and go to the tab called Individually Taught Classes. Alternatively, you may use this direct link (authentication required).
With either method, each enrolled student should appear on a separate row with an assigned instructor. If the Instructor field is blank, follow the instructions for submitting an Enrollment Request.
Reminder: Provost Office Guidance on Instructor Roles
The Provost’s Office has established guidance for assigning instructional roles and teaching effort in myWSU. Because these roles are used when scheduling graduate courses, programs and schedulers should ensure that the appropriate instructor role is selected. Please note that all courses must have faculty assigned as either primary or supervising instructor.
- Primary Instructor (PI): Used for an instructor with primary instructional responsibility. Graduate students teaching full sections independently are also assigned PI.
- Supervising Instructor (SI): Used for faculty who participate in instruction through activities such as coordinating multiple sections or supervising other instructors or teaching assistants. Faculty assigned the SI role do not receive course evaluations for that assignment.
- Teaching Assistant (TA): Used for undergraduate or graduate teaching assistants who assist with instruction but are not responsible for final course grades or overall course management.
These role descriptions are provided as a scheduling reminder. Programs should consult the Provost Office teaching effort policy for complete definitions, requirements, and guidance regarding instructor roles and Load Factor. Questions regarding teaching effort, Load Factor, or faculty workload should be directed to the appropriate Provost Office or Institutional Research resources.
Variable Credit Courses
Variable credit graduate courses (e.g., V 1-3) must have credit fixed for each section in a given term using the Notes field in myWSU. If there are compelling reasons to allow multiple credit options within the same course, programs should create an additional section of the course with a different credit value and corresponding meeting time. This ensures credit reporting is accurate and consistent across the WSU system.
Review and Assistance
Programs should review graduate course instructor assignments to ensure that students are associated with the appropriate instructor and that required Credit Expectations Agreements are completed as outlined above.
If you have questions or need assistance with instructor assignments or course scheduling, please contact the Office of the Registrar. If you need assistance with graduate research-course assignments or the Credit Expectations Agreement, please contact the Graduate School.
Adherence to these policies is critical to supporting graduate students’ academic success. Please ensure that all required actions outlined above are completed by Census Day (September 4, 2026).
Sincerely,
Tammy D. Barry, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education