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Hi Anthony,

We don't have any policy about students using the facility for regular teaching activity. However, as you mentioned, occasionally few instructors request a tour and/or use of the instrument ahead of time and we accommodate them. The key is advance notice so that you can plan your work around the teaching, especially if they are not paying a fee.

First option is to bring this issue up with your immediate faculty advisor or supervisor and see how to handle this recurring event and put a policy together. It looks like this particular instructor is allowed to use the facility for the last two years for free which implies that your faculty advisor is aware of it and hasn't addressed it.

The second, albeit slightly creative, option is to use this "free" session count toward your own teaching credit and a promotional opportunity for your core. After all, trained students will become your future customers!

Hope this helps.

Hi Anthony,

We support a lot of classes in my Core at CSU, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. Some are just tours, others involve instrument demonstrations or actual class projects where students run samples and have to collect data themselves, and sometimes we give guest lectures. We usually send out an online Form several weeks before the start of the academic semester to all faculty to inquire about their plans to use the Core for their classes, which instruments, how much time, the type of support they need from the staff, etc. We then have a discussion in person to plan and set boundaries. I find this approach more effective than a formal policy as every class is different, but I can see value in a general policy as a starting point (do share if you develop one!). We always charge for the instrument time per our cost-recovery rules, but instead of charging this through the class lab fees and putting that cost on the students, most departments here at CSU have a dedicated fund/budget to support these educational activities. I usually send an estimate of upcoming costs to the department heads so they have an idea what to budget for. These are usually small costs for them and no more than a few $k. 

Happy to talk more offline if you have more questions.

Karolien

Hi Anthony,

We support a lot of classes in my Core at CSU, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. Some are just tours, others involve instrument demonstrations or actual class projects where students run samples and have to collect data themselves, and sometimes we give guest lectures. We usually send out an online Form several weeks before the start of the academic semester to all faculty to inquire about their plans to use the Core for their classes, which instruments, how much time, the type of support they need from the staff, etc. We then have a discussion in person to plan and set boundaries. I find this approach more effective than a formal policy as every class is different, but I can see value in a general policy as a starting point (do share if you develop one!). We always charge for the instrument time per our cost-recovery rules, but instead of charging this through the class lab fees and putting that cost on the students, most departments here at CSU have a dedicated fund/budget to support these educational activities. I usually send an estimate of upcoming costs to the department heads so they have an idea what to budget for. These are usually small costs for them and no more than a few $k. 

Happy to talk more offline if you have more questions.

Karolien