Resources for Instructors

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Instructor/Faculty Teaching Advice

If you are new teaching in the department or would like a more comprehensive document on the processes and resources for SAS instructors, please review our Faculty Teaching Information (PDF).


Course Setup Best Practices and Resources

There are many ways of delivering a course. With so many possibilities, it can be difficult to determine what are some best practices and where to go for resources.

  • Create your course outline using Outline Repository. Outline provides an easy way to create your course outline with the necessary University and Faculty requirements already inputted. Get help through the available documentation.
  • Review the University’s important deadlines such as the add, drop and WD deadlines, and relevant holidays. These dates can impact your course, which can be relevant for assessment planning.
  • Explore the Math Faculty’s Guidelines for Instructors and the Registrar’s Office Teaching Overview.
  • Create a plan for how students can receive help in the course. This can be done through a variety of ways, including instructor and/or TA office hours, discussion forums (e.g. Piazza) and/or tutorials. Providing multiple avenues of support for students can be incredibly helpful for our diverse student population.
  • Determine the role teaching assistants will play in your course and review Working with TAs.
  • Streamline the process of in-person assessments, by setting them up on Odyssey.    
  • Review the available University’s educational technology hub. The available technology and platforms can ease running certain course activities. The ISC team can also provide advice on which platforms may be best for you and your course.

Accommodations

There are many external factors that can impact your students’ ability to do coursework. In some cases, these factors and situations can have such an impact that an accommodation for the student may be necessary.

Accommodations for assessments should be made in the following situations:

Possible accommodations that can be provided:

  • Provide an extension.
  • Provide a make-up assessment.
  • Provide an alternate time and/or location to write the assessment.
  • Shift the weight of the missed assessment to other assessment(s) (e.g. shifting the weight of a missed midterm to the final exam)
  • For student athletes missing an assessment due to an away game/meet, ask their coach to proctor the assessment.
  • *For students registered with AccessAbility services, accommodations will be determined and organized ahead of time with the AccessAbility advisor.

If unsure of how to handle a request for accommodation from a student, the ISC team can provide guidance.


FAQ

Concern of student absence/performance

Q: What should I do if I am concerned about a student’s performance in the class (e.g. missed a significant amount of class, poor performance, significant number of VIFs)?

A: If you are concerned for one of your students, you can start by reaching out to them by email and letting them know about your concern. You can also reach out to their academic advisor as they can check in with the student and refer them to additional supports.

Concern of student well-being

Q: What do I do if a student comes to me with concerns of their well-being or in distress?

A: For urgent matters, if a student is in distress, please refer or walk the student to Counselling Services. If there are concerns for the safety of the student, yourself or others, please call Constable Services (519-888-4911 ext. 22222) or 911 right away.

Depending on the situation, it may also be worth referring a student to additional University supports.

*For students facing deeply troubling concerns, they may be reaching out asking for accommodation for an assessment. You can provide accommodation for these circumstances without needing documentation. It can also be incredibly beneficial to reassure the student that they do not need to worry about getting documentation to you right away as these services can help with those steps as well.

Academic integrity

Q: What should I do if I have a concern of academic integrity (i.e. a suspected case of cheating)?

A: Please refer to Policy 71 for the full procedure. In general, you can resolve it informally with the student(s). However, we highly recommend that you refer the concern to the Academic Integrity Office and the Assistant Dean of Students. They will investigate the situation and provide you with an update with any penalties for the student(s). When submitting a case, provide the student’s details, a description of the issue, supporting evidence, and any communication with the student. Penalties can range from grade reductions to probation, depending on the severity following the Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Student grievance

Q: What should I do if I have a concern of academic integrity (i.e. a suspected case of cheating)?

A: Please refer to Policy 71 for the full procedure. In general, you can resolve it informally with the student(s). However, we highly recommend that you refer the concern to the Academic Integrity Office and the Assistant Dean of Students. They will investigate the situation and provide you with an update with any penalties for the student(s). When submitting a case, provide the student’s details, a description of the issue, supporting evidence, and any communication with the student. Penalties can range from grade reductions to probation, depending on the severity following the Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.