The Friday before the start of each term is Open House. Students are added to courses and can begin reviewing course materials and posting in the Introduction Discussion. Courses not fully set-up for Open House will be reassigned to another instructor. Course set-up includes the following areas:
Once you gain access to Canvas, create a faculty profile. To set up your profile and upload a professional photo, click on Profile in the Global Navigation (dark blue). You can upload your photo by hovering over the photo icon and clicking on the prompt to change the photo. You will be guided to choose, upload, and save your photo.
Settings are administered by CSU-Global and you will not have access to change your email. Click on the Edit Profile icon in the upper right hand corner of the page to add other items in the Profile section. Keep in mind that once you set up your profile, this photo and profile will automatically populate in the People section of every course you teach. However, you can always come back to the Profile setting to change your photo or other information.
Your contact information is the first item in your profile and should include;
Please ensure that the information here is accurate and updated as needed.
Your biography should be brief but highlight your academic and professional background and research interests in addition to any personal information that you would like to include. You are also able to add links in this area to any website or articles that you believe are pertinent to your teaching or research.
When you are finished, click ‘Save Profile.’
Post a welcome announcement to your course(s) by clicking on Announcements in the Course Navigation and clicking on the + icon in the right hand corner of the Announcements page.
In a friendly and professional tone, welcome students to the course, and provide the following;
Though CSU-Global works to have all courses fully prepared, faculty members are asked to preview their course(s) during the course set-up period (2 weeks prior to open house) to ensure that everything is in order. The course check and quality review should include the following;
Submit course support ticket(s) for any issues as promptly as possible.
The Introduction Discussion Forum in every course is your first opportunity to introduce yourself to your students. Remember that first impressions are important! Your response to each student should be personalized, include the student’s name, be welcoming, and include a connection to or something that resonates with you in the student’s post. Responding with the same comment to every student is not appropriate. Find something unique about each student’s post and respond to that.
In general, you should post with clarity and express yourself clearly, use appropriate grammar and spelling, avoid jokes, be positive and polite, and model the communication and engagement expected of students in the course.
In addition to sharing your professional introduction, you can include something personal about yourself (family, hobby, hometown), ask a question for everyone to answer in their post (favorite movie, vacation spot, or food) or include a favorite photo, phrase, or image that others can include as well.
In addition to including the student’s name, some common responses include the following:
The first announcement in every course is a welcome announcement. This is posted before Open House with instructor contact, office hours, and course information. Weekly course announcements are posted (at a minimum) on Monday at the beginning of each week and should be positive and supportive. A typical announcement format at the start of each week should include the following:
Announcements should not be a copy and paste of the course content, policies, or syllabus information. Be certain to check spelling and grammar!
There are numerous ways to enhance your announcements and add interest including;
Additional announcements are not typically necessary during the week. However, faculty are encouraged to post tips and helpful updates regarding tools and resources throughout the term.
Announcements are an important component of the online classroom and communication with students each week. Faculty ensure that announcements are timely, informative, and support student success!
Faculty are required to be active in the course at least five (5) days per week, with at least one of those days on Saturday or Sunday.
Active course participation by being responsive to students’ questions and communications. The expectation is to respond to questions and issues within 24 hours. Communication includes email, Canvas Mail, or within the assignment comment section of the course.
The discussion board is an amazing place in the online classroom where faculty share their knowledge, experiences, and expertise on a weekly topic. Instructors guide students to understanding and interpretation, expand upon course topics, and showcase the application of theories into practice and concepts into relevancy. It is an important opportunity to tie module content in the classroom with workplace lessons. Experienced faculty are critical to learning and development, and the discussion forum quite possibly offers faculty their greatest opportunity to make an impact in the classroom.
Discussion Board presence is a major component of faculty engagement and the most prominent teaching area in each course. The expectation for Discussion board participation is as follows;
Faculty can - and should - vary their announcements and discussion posts with video and audio messages. In addition, faculty are encouraged to utilize Zoom to hold synchronous live sessions and individual and group meetings and provide additional opportunities for the students to interact with the instructor.
As a reminder, please submit a course support ticket for any content issues in the course and use Dropout Detective found in your Canvas Course to alert the Student Success Team of student challenges, including attendance, participation, and student concerns.
Each week, all course components (assignments, discussion forums, and portfolio milestones), which are submitted by midnight (MST) on Sunday, are graded by 11:59 p.m. (MST) the following Thursday.
The late policy should be fairly and appropriately applied to all students:
Final course grades are submitted by midnight (MST) on the Thursday following the end of the term. Any missing submissions should have a zero value entered in the gradebook. Scores for students with an approved Incomplete should reflect the earned points to date. Once the Incomplete work has been submitted and graded, the revised score will be updated and faculty will submit a Grade Change to the Registrar.
Students are responsible for initiating the process with the form and submitting the completed and signed form to the instructor by Sunday midnight; the last day of the course. You can find the form and more information on the CSU-Global website under Incomplete Grade Guidelines (https://csuglobal.edu/student-policies/credit-and-grading-system-policies). As a reminder, student and faculty signatures must be on the form before submitting it to the Registrar.
After the student fulfills the Incomplete and the work has been graded, instructors must complete a Grade Change Form and send it to the Registrar to change the final grade. Registrar@csuglobal.edu.
Grading is completed by Thursday by 11:59 pm (MST) each week for discussion forums.
Faculty are required to complete the discussion forum grading rubric and provide feedback for any point deduction(s). Feedback should be substantive and personalized – offer guidance, highlight omissions or errors, focus on appropriate areas of analysis or applications, and provide suggestions for improvement.
While faculty are required to leave comments for any point deductions in the rubric, you are also encouraged to include positive comments in areas where full points are awarded. Click on the comment bubble in each line of the rubric to add feedback. In general, comments should;
Comments should be personalized for each student, positive, and offer support or resources as appropriate.
Areas for comments may include:
A vital component of online learning is faculty engaging with students enthusiastically and providing extensive and substantive feedback when assessing student work. The faculty expectation and requirement at CSU Global is that faculty provide personalized and substantive feedback in three areas
The primary means by which students know that faculty read their work is comments and feedback are placed directly in the submission. Without comments, the assumption may be made that the submission was not read; a common complaint from students. Comments inform, guide, and direct students to improve. Every submission should receive personalized instructor feedback.
Best practice is to provide at least one (1) comment on each page and ensure that comments relate to content and not simply mechanics such as APA and writing style (about 80% of comments should be related to content). Tools at the top of the page offer many ways to do this.
Introduction
Thesis
Requirements
Content
Synthesize Your Argument
Balance
Critical Analysis
APA/Style
Example
Great Point
Meeting Assignment Requirements
Outcomes
Tell a Story
Conclusion
While faculty are required to leave comments for any point deductions in the rubric, you are also encouraged to include positive comments in areas where full points are awarded. Please note: “See my comments in your submission” is not an adequate comment for point deductions. Click on the comment bubble in each line of the rubric to add feedback. In general, comments should;
Comments should be personalized for each student, positive, and offer support or resources as appropriate.
Areas for comments may include;
For example;
(Student’s Name), you shared ideas that demonstrate your understanding of the course concepts and you supported those ideas with examples to demonstrate that understanding. Keep up the great work!
I encourage you to restructure your sentences so that the ideas flow forward. For example, beginning with the base of the idea and extending to the results will clarify the ideas being expressed. For example: Ideas are the basis of our understanding and the building blocks for theories. This is clearer than a sentence that mixes the process: We make theories by using ideas that are the foundation for our understanding. The logic of this statement is unclear, so the idea is unclear. Let me know if you have questions or if you want to discuss this. I encourage you to review my in-text comments and contact me if you have questions. You can reach me through the Canvas inbox or by email at xxx.xxx@csuglobal.edu
Faculty are expected to grade assignments using the assignment rubric and assign points as earned with an appropriate grade distribution. Assignments not submitted receive a zero, and all grade fields have a value entered. The late work and Incomplete policies should be followed without discrimination.
Turnitin reports should be reviewed and filtered as needed to appropriately assess originality scores for all assignments. CSU Global does not penalize students solely based on the results of a high Turnitin score. For example, if the course contains annotated bibliographies, forms, research surveys, drafting assignments, or assignments with template language expected to be used in submissions, then the Turnitin score will be much higher than the 30% threshold. It should also be noted that the score of 30% is not stated in our Academic Integrity policy but is the threshold established by CSU Global to evaluate a student’s use of sources. Instances of blatant cheating or violations of academic integrity need to be reported promptly.
Appropriately grading critical thinking submissions and providing personalized and substantive feedback are critical components of student success!
Faculty are expected to respond to both student and CSU Global administration outreach within 24 hours.
CSU Global faculty are expected to act with integrity, respect, and professionalism at all times in their engagement with students, staff, and colleagues. This includes managing the course as it is designed in the learning management system, adherence to the CSU Global Faculty Handbook, the CSU Global Employee Handbook, and all general employment policies and processes.
Course content issues should be communicated directly to the appropriate Program Director, while faculty scheduling or substitute concerns should go to Juanita Gervell, the Faculty Operations Specialist.
Faculty are required to request assistance any time they will be out of the course for more than 36 hours. Please note that absence from the course for more than 48 hours without notification to your Program Director or faculty operations is considered abandonment of duties and may be cause for disciplinary action or termination.
Turnitin reports should be reviewed and filtered as needed to appropriately assess originality scores for all assignments. CSU Global does not penalize students solely based on the results of a high Turnitin score. For example, if the course contains annotated bibliographies, forms, research surveys, drafting assignments, or assignments with template language expected to be used in submissions, then the Turnitin score will be much higher than the 30% threshold. It should also be noted that the score of 30% is not stated in our Academic Integrity policy but is the threshold established by CSU Global to evaluate a student’s use of sources. Instances of blatant cheating or violations of academic integrity need to be reported promptly through a Student Plagiarism Alert.
Dropout Detective is used to alert the Student Success Team of:
