MAHARISHI UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT

Academic Course Checklist

Daily Schedule

  • Classes begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. (mornings only on Saturday), with one hour for lunch. Graduate programs may adjust the starting time depending on the needs of the students. Lunch times are staggered: SCI classes leave for lunch at 12:15; undergraduates should leave for lunch between 11:45 and 12:15, and graduates should leave at 12:45.
  • Hold a 10-minute group meditation before lunch. There is an optional group meditation at 2:00 p.m. except for first-year courses and Compro and AccPro classes, which do not have an afternoon meditation.
  • Use the Main Points Chart during the lesson. Frequently give students the opportunity to derive the SCI/MVS points themselves, either as a whole class or in small groups with presentation to the large group afterward. For this exercise, you may create a version of your Main Points Chart without SCI/MVS points.
  • Point out the topic of the day on the Unified Field Chart either at the beginning or end of the class (just before discussing the Unity Chart). Show students how transcending (on the right-hand side of the chart) fulfills the day’s topic (or ask a student to do this).
  • Conclude the lesson with the Unity Chart or invite students to do so.
  • At the end of the day or as closure before a meditation, have students write one sentence summarizing what they’ve learned and a sentence connecting their point to Maharishi Vedic Science, and then have a few students share these with the group.
  • One and one-half hours of homework should be given for each evening, Monday through Saturday.

Charts FOR EACH COURSE

  • Unified Field Chart for the discipline and/or course
  • Course Timeline
  • Main Points Chart and Unity Chart for each lesson
  • Richo Akshare Chart for the discipline

Syllabus

Every course syllabus must include the following:

  • Your contact information: email address, office phone, home phone
  • Course goals and overview
  • Grading policy — clear definitions of A (excellent), B (good), and C (fair) grades for your course
  • Standardized policies for attendance, punctuality, and Professional Etiquette (see below)
  • Course Timeline
  • Main Points Charts and Unity Charts for each lesson
  • Homework Assignments
  • Additional Materials
  • Activity Journal (This can be downloaded here:

Other TEACHING POINTS

BEFORE THE COURSE STARTS

  • Notify students of required textbooks and materials well before the course starts. Please include your contact information in this communication. Also post this information on the M.U.M. Textbook Wiki page:

ON THE FIRST DAY

  • Be sure to collect students’ contact information on the first day (email address, phone number, dorm and room number).
  • Teach the whole course in the first day or two.

LECTURES, TAPES, GROUP CHECK

  • Do not lecture more than 30 minutes at a time.
  • Include at least one Maharishi tape in every course.
  • Hold one group check per week, if possible. If you are not a Governor, ask someone who is to conduct a group check for your class.

ACTIVE LEARNING

  • Provide ample opportunities for students to say it, tell it, write it, teach it and as many realistic problem-solving projects as feasible. Be sure to give feedback and opportunities for improvement on any student presentations, including Powerpoint presentations.
  • Give students multiple opportunities for writing, including at least one writing assignment that students revise on the basis of feedback, either from you or from peers. Have students do some writing every day, however short, and give them at least one substantial writing project every course or two.

MEETINGS WITH STUDENTS

  • Meet with each student individually at the beginning and toward the end of the course to see how they’re doing personally.
  • At the midpoint of the course:

– Give students feedback on their progress in the course so far — noting their successes and areas for improvement and giving indication of the letter grade they’re likely to receive if the continue performing at that level, This could be in a brief personal conference or as a note.

–Have students fill out the Mid-Course Feedback Form (

–In a class discussion, see how students are doing — how does the pace of the course feel to them, are they getting enough rest, do they have any suggestions?

  • All-campus meetings are held in most month-long blocks. You will be notified before the course starts of the time and location.

DURING THE COURSE

  • Make sure students do not fall below the minimum standards for dress.
  • In undergraduate classes, allow time at the end of each week on Saturday for students to fill out their Activity Journal.

AT THE END OF THE COURSE

  • Have students complete the End-of-Course Feedback Forms in every course. Students notice when they are not given the opportunity for feedback. Printed forms are available at the press or departmental offices; an electronic version can be downloaded at

ENROLLMENT POINTS

  • Students must be on your class list or have an admit-to-class slip. If they are not, send them to the Enrollment Center.
  • Return the class list to the Enrollment Center during the first three days of the course.
  • If at any time you feel that a student is having personal difficulties or illness requiring professional attention, please let the Deans of Students know immediately.
  • If a student misses three days ofclass, Federal Law requires that you notify the Enrollment Center immediately.

FINAL GRADES

  • Give students their final grades and turn them in to the Enrollment Center on the last day of the course if at all possible. Here are some simple strategies to do this:

– Have students turn in papers on the Monday of the last week.

–Dispense with a final exam by moving assessments onto papers and projects that you can grade during the course.

–Organize the final assessment as an oral presentation that can be graded (using a rubric) as soon as it’s given.

–Give the final exam a day or two before the end of the course so you have time to grade it, then return and discuss it on the final day as an additional stroke of learning.

–Use a spreadsheet that automatically totals all the elements of the grade, so that you can put in any last numbers over lunch on the last day and turn in grades in the afternoon.

  • If for some reason you can’t manage this, please turn your grades in by the following Monday.

LONG WEEKENDS FOR REST, NOT CLASS WORK

  • Please do not give students an extension through the long weekend to complete a block’s course work. You are not doing them a favor. They need to learn to complete work within a deadline, and they need rest between blocks to be fresh for the next block.
  • If students have a valid reason for not completing the work (sickness or family emergency), and if it seems reasonable they can complete the work over some time, our incomplete policy gives them to the end of the following semester to complete the work and change the inc to a letter grade (if they do not complete the work, the inc reverts to an nc, “no credit”).
  • If a student consistently requests an extension over the long weekend, it may indicate ill health, lack of ability or qualifications to take the course, or bad study and work habits. If you can distinguish the cause, direct the student to appropriate remediation (Deans of Students, doctors, or departmental advisor).

ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY

  • We track attendance and punctuality in a standardized manner in each course. This allows students to know what to expect in each course and makes this area of classroom management easier on the faculty. Below is the text to be included in every course syllabus.
  • Please be sure that you are in the classroom early enough each session to welcome students when they come, as Maharishi has asked us. If the faculty themselves are late, it undermines our effort to promote professionalism. Also please be sure to start each class punctually.
  • Missing the first day — The first lesson of each course is the most important, because it lays out the wholeness of the course. Therefore students are expected to be present from the first lesson onward, and any student not present when attendance is taken on the first day may be asked to withdraw from the course. If a student does miss part or all of the first lesson, please do not let it go unaddressed — let the student know it’s unacceptable and should not happen again.
  • We need to communicate better to the students that there is no such thing as a “free day,” that they are not “entitled” to three days off from each block-long course. See the boilerplate below to be included in each syllabus.
  • Emphasize that if students miss a class for whatever reason, they need to communicate with you ahead of time (email, phone, note with friend). If a student misses a class and fails to let you know, please contact him or her to find the reason for absence.

Useful Information

  • Tape library phone — ext. 4045
  • Faculty resources —
  • Textbook Wiki —

TEXT TO INCLUDE IN EACH SYLLABUS

Adjust daily schedule and other details as appropriate for your course.

Daily Schedule

The daily schedule of all courses is designed to give students mastery of specific fields of knowledge and to cultivate higher states of consciousness for success and fulfillment in life. Do your best to get to bed by 9:30 p.m. so you are rested and fresh in the morning. Don’t stay up late to do homework.

MORNING

Group practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs

10:00 – 12:00Class lecture, discussion, activities, labs

12:00 – 12:15Group meditation

12:15 – 1:15Lunch

AFTERNOON

1:15 – 3:00Continuation of morning class, projects, exercises, in-class reading, labs

3:00 –4:15Exercise/fitness program

Group practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs

EVENING

Dinner

7:30 – 9:00Homework or evening class

9:30Rest

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Attendance at all classes is required, because all elements of class — lectures, questions and answers, discussions, group work, student presentations — contribute to our learning. Absences are usually excused only if you are sick in bed or have a family emergency.

If you must miss a class, please let me know ahead of time. Call me, email me, or send me a note with a friend. Simply not showing up where one is expected is unprofessional and discourteous and will be considered an unexcused absence.

There is no such thing as a “personal day.” If you have personal business to take care of, please schedule it for after class or during the days between blocks. It may occasionally be necessary for you to miss a class (or part of a class) for some reason other than illness or family emergency. Please check with me beforehand — I’m open to considering your needs.

The first lesson of each course is the most important. You’re expected to be present from the first lesson onward. Any student not present on the first morning (except for such compelling reasons as illness or family emergency) may be asked to withdraw from the course.

GRADING— If you skip a class without your instructor’s approval, your instructor will reduce your grade. If you must miss more than three days for a standard 4-unit course even for illness or family emergency, you won’t have completed enough coursework to receive course credit. Your instructor will decide whether to:

  • give you a grade of “Incomplete,” meaning you’ll make up the missed work by the end of the semester
  • give you a grade based on the lesser amount of work you have completed (i.e., a lower grade)
  • ask you to withdraw from the course.

PUNCTUALITY

Punctuality is expected and required in the professional world. People commonly lose their jobs for being late — especially new college graduates unfamiliar with professional expectations. Colleges and universities have come under criticism for not properly preparing students in these values.

Therefore we place a high value on arriving on time for every class. If you are late, you disrupt the learning environment and may miss the wholeness of the lesson. Coming late is unprofessional and shows lack of courtesy to the instructor and to fellow students.

Thus the faculty request that students arrive a couple minutes early, so everyone is seated and settled when the class begins. Well begun is half done.

If you do arrive late, please mark the number of minutes late on the sheet that will be at the back of the classroom each class session.

Punctuality also extends to returning from the class break in a timely fashion (after 5 minutes). Instructors should not need to go out and round up students.

If you need to be late to class for some reason beyond your control (a dentist appointment, for example), please arrange that with me ahead of time.

GRADING— Your grade will be reduced one level for every 60 accumulated late minutes (e.g., from B+ to B).

STANDARDS OF APPEARANCE

Our personal appearance influences us and everyone who sees us. The faculty expect that when students come to class they will maintain an appearance that is neat, dignified, and appropriate to the occasion. This means:

  • No torn, stained, or sloppy clothing.
  • No T-shirts, shorts, or inappropriately revealing clothing.
  • Natural hair colors only; highlights with other colors permissible.
  • Only earlobes may be pierced; ladies may wear small nose gems.
  • For students from other cultures and traditions, traditional dress is welcome provided the appearance is neat.
  • The faculty may reduce students’ grades whose attire is below this standard. The faculty may also specify other standards for individual programs or courses.
  • Dress in the dining hall, meditation halls, and Golden Domes is the same as for class, except T-shirts are acceptable in the meditation halls and Golden Domes.
  • For details on the above, please see the Student Handbook.

GRADING — If you need to be spoken with more than once about appearance, whether by the instructor or the Deans of Students, your grade will be reduced one level.

11/3/18