Doc::Instructor Resources
This document is intended to provide information for Computer Science department instructors. Source: http://people.cs.vt.edu/~barnette/instructors/
System Access
VT PID
Every employee/student must have a VT PID (Personal IDentification) account to access VT systems. Click this link and follow the instructions and obtain and activate your VT PID. After activation you will need to setup two-factor authentication.
- Activate PID: https://vt4help.service-now.com/sp?id=kb_article&sys_id=96a96baadb127200e3a0f839af96193b
- Set up two-factor: http://www.tech.it.vt.edu/2factor/
CS Dept Intranet
- To access the CS Dept intranet you will need a CS SLO (Single LogOn) account. Use this link to create your CS SLO account.
- CS Department room reservations and equipment can be requested at the CS Dept intranet web site.
- UPC (Undergrad Program Comm.) full course proposals/descriptions are available through the Course Descriptions link.
- Departmental email account can be manged through the My Account link.
- Course web page (http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csXXXX) access can be obtained through the My Account>Course Pages link. Click on a course link and use the Add User field to get FTP access: ap1.cs.vt.edu.
- Techstaff: the CS techstaff can be emailed for help:
- The Techstaff maintains a wiki site with useful system documentation & HowTo gudies.
Courses: rosters, web sites & software
Course Rosters and Listservs
- Course rosters can be downloaded through HokieSPA. After logging on, follow the Faculty Access link and then the Summary Class List link to select the term and course/crn to download a csv file.
- The Va Tech course timetable is available through HokieSPA. Term calendars, Final exam information, course enrollment sizes, buliding codes, etc. are all available from the timetable site.
- VT uses Google Groups (GG) for course listservs. The course GG/listserv email address can be found by following the View Class Section Google Groups link from the HokieSPA faculty Access page. The GG/listserv email page has help links: Using VT Google Groups - Creating a VT Google Groups. By default a GG is setup for announcement only. Students may not post to the listserv, only instructors.
- The SSD office can help you with support for students with disabilities.
- Students with final exam conflicts (or 3 exams within 24 hours) can request a reschedule. The request deadline is ubout 5 weeks before the end of exams. The College of Engineering forms are available online. Instructors are NOT allowed to change the time/day of a scheduled final exam unless it is approved by the College of Engineering Dean's office.
Course Management Systems (CMS)
- Canvas (the primary CMS @ VT) https://canvas.vt.edu/
- Moodle (Currently being retired. Do NOT use unless absolutely necessary.) https://moodle.cs.vt.edu/
Software
- VT has site liscences for many software products and reduced pricing:
- VT ITAEngineering Faculty Software download
- VT ITA Software download
- VT Faculty & Staff Software
- CS VT Common Software site (requires CS SLO logon)
- VT Computing resources
Excel
Many instructors use Microsoft Excel for grade management. If you need to learn Excel, online training is available for free to VT students through Lynda.com whose tutorials are licensed by Va Tech. To obtain access log on using your VT email PID (without the "@vt.edu") and your VT email password and access the Lynda Excel tutorial.
- http://www.olcs.lt.vt.edu/lynda/index.html
- https://shib.lynda.com/Shibboleth.sso/InCommon?providerId=urn:mace:incommon:vt.edu&target=https://shib.lynda.com/InCommon
- http://www.lynda.com/in/Excel
VT Library
- http://www.lib.vt.edu/
- Reserve information http://www.lib.vt.edu/circ-reserve/reserve-instructors/
Training
FERPA
A summary of the federal guidelines governing disclosure of the academic record is provided at this link: http://www.registrar.vt.edu/faculty/privacy/guidelines.html. Details of privacy guidelines are provided. Please remember that FERPA allows the disclosure of information to appropriate school, health, or law enforcement representatives in cases of health and safety emergencies. If you have any questions or concerns when considering disclosure, contact the University Registrar. EMAILS: please remember that grade information should never be disclosed in an email. Refer students to SCHOLAR for access to graded information or distribute individually to the student. Do not include full name and full ID in an email.
All VT employees are required to complete and submit the FERPA form. The form can NOT be submitted electronically. You must print the form, complete it, sign it and physically turn it in to the CS department office.
Title IX Training
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_IX
All Va Tech employees are required to complete Title IX and Retaliation training. The sexual harassment of students and sexual violence involving students are forms of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX and university policy. The training explains Title IX’s focus on sexual harassment, sexual violence and the prohibition against retaliation for participating in a discrimination investigation or complaint. Learn how to support students, satisfy your compliance responsibilities under Virginia Tech’s policy and ensure that actions are not taken to retaliate against someone for bringing or participating in an investigation. (If you have previously been a UTA and have already completed the Title IX Training you do NOT need to do so again.)
There is an online Title IX and Retaliation training course that all CS GTAs MUST complete before the end of the month in which they begin their employment. The online training takes approximately 90 minutes. Y
- Logon to http://www.training.vt.edu/ using your VT email PID and password.
- Select the "View by Category" option at the top of the page.
- Select "Department of Human Resources (HR)" and click "Go!"
- Select "Compliance Workshop: On-Demand Module"
- Read the instructions provided on the left-hand side carefully. After you do that, select "Click Here to Register" on the right-hand side then click "Next Step".
- Fill out the information (include "@vt.edu" in your e-mail address on this page) and click "Submit Registration"
You will receive an e-mail with further registration options, (VT HR is using an outside company to host this training). You will need to use your VT e-mail address and 9-0# when registering for at this training website so VT HR will get accurate information on when you completed the training.
Once you complete the training, VT HR will be informed and update your information to indication your completion. Be aware though, is that VT HR will also be informed of how many slides you completed and how fast you completed the training. If VT HR doesn't deem that you "put enough effort" into the training module, they will not mark it as complete and you won't get credit!
Tenure Track/PostDoc Grant Work
For faculty involved in grant research requiring the collection of data on human subjects you will be required to complete the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Human Subjects Protection Traning Tutorial.
Conflict of Interest
In addition all VT research investigators are required to complete conflict of interest training.
Privacy
Be aware that in your duties as an instructor you will have access to students' grades and academic work. Note that you will have a legal obligation to maintain the strict confidentiality of any students' grades and work.
- NEVER download student data to external data mediums, (USB flash drives, etc.)!
- NEVER identify students by their full name and VT ID number via email or in documents.
- Destroy all hardcopies of student data after one full year past the end of the semester.
When deleting temporarily downloaded students' data from your computer you should use file shredding software to ensure permanent deletion of the data:
- MS Windows: File Shredder
- Mac OSX: Shredder
Instruction Support
TA Management
GTAS
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) will be assigned to your course shortly before the start of a term. You will be copied on email notification of the assignment. GTAs are assigned to work no more than 20 hours per week. Their duties consist of assisting faculty with assignments including laboratory teaching, grading of examinations, problem sets and/or lab assignments, setting up lectures/laboratory sections, holding office hours to assist students, and preparing/maintaining laboratory equipment. GTAs are advised to read the GTA survival guide. GTAs are assigned based on student enrollment in a course.
UTAs
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) may be assigned to your course at the beginning of a term. You will be copied on email notification of the assignment. UTAs are assigned to work no more than 10 hours per week. Their primary duties consist of helping GTAs offer a lab and holding office hours to assist students. It is not recommended that UTAs be used for course work evaluation. Due to the possibility of conflict with their friends great care must be taken in assigning UTAs any grading work. UTAs are wage employees and must enter the hours they work online using the Time Clock Plus system. At the end of each two-week pay period, (at the beginning & middle of a month), you will need to logon to Time Clock Plus system to approve their logged hours. Follow the manager link, from the web app select the Employee m,enu and the Edit hours ... option. Click the Last label to sort & double-click a UTA name view their hours. Click the first hour entry in the period and then shift-click the last hour to select a group. Then right-click and scroll down the popup menu to the Approve option and select > Management to approve the hours. A red check mark will appear at the left of each entry to indicate your approval. (The TimeClock Plus interface has been described by one CS faculty member as a "chittering horror" of bad design ;-)
Presentation Kiosk Access
If you need grant a TA access for lab teaching or otherwise: setup access for you through VT Classroom A/V Services.
Resources for Instructional Faculty
- Reporting a Student Concern: The Student Advocacy Team, within the Dean of Students Office, serves as support for faculty and staff in working with students that may require intervention. Contact the Student Advocacy staff at 540-231-3787, mailto://dean.students@vt.edu or visit 109 East Eggleston Hall.
- Identifying the Distressed Student: Faculty guidelines as prepared by Cook Counseling Center is available on their website, http://www.ucc.vt.edu/faculty_information/index.html
- Emergency Preparedness: The Office of Emergency Preparedness has provided a flyer. The information has been updated from last year. Please review and maintain with your classroom resources. The flyer provides information so you may make informed decisions in your classroom in case of emergencies: http://www.registrar.vt.edu/documents/Preparedness_Document.pdf
Classroom
Classroom Locks
If you are teaching in a general assignment classroom you will notice corridor locks/handles on the classroom doors. A general assignment classroom is a centrally scheduled classroom (170 of the approximately 225 instructional spaces). These locks (known as "corridor locks") are designed so occupants can lock the door from the inside the room in times of emergency. Please be aware that this lock requires that the door be closed prior to locking. If you engage the lock while the door is open, the lock will disengage when you close the door. Simply moving the handle from the inside of the door will release the lock and allow exit. Also, please keep in mind that emergency and security personnel have key access to all the doors. There are some instructors who wish to lock their doors as standard procedure. We urge you to use caution for a very practical reason: you should consider the implication for students arriving late to class. It is important that you discuss your intent with your class so all students are aware of the implications of arriving late.
Audio Visual Services
Classroom Support (AV) is a unit in Enrollment and Degree Management, http://www.classroomav.vt.edu. Card readers allow equipment access via your HOKIE PASSPORT. REGISTRATION is required. Visit this link to complete registration and receive access: https://register.classroomav.vt.edu/. Information on classrooms, including how to use the classroom equipment is available at this link: http://www.classroomav.vt.edu/equipment/index.html.
Grade Posting
As you know, we may not post grades in a listing format with any portion of the student identification number and name. Please visit this link for options in communication of grade information: http://www.registrar.vt.edu/faculty/privacy/posting-grades.html
Security of Data
Identity Theft is a prevalent danger. Just as you hope others take care with your personal information, it is as important that you take care with the data provided on your students. University policy requires that you assure your desktop or laptop has the most current security software. Please visit www.security.vt.edu for more information. Also, Randy Marchany, Director, Virginia Tech Information Technology Security Office (mailto://marchany@vt.edu) is a valuable resource in reviewing the security of your computer hardware.
Syllabus Requirements
Course syllabi must include the following:
- Instructor contact information: office location, phone, email, office hours
- Grading criteria with assignment/test weights and grade range
- Topics list
- Accommodation statement http://ssd.vt.edu/faculty_departments/syllabus_statements.html
- Honor Code statement http://www.honorsystem.vt.edu/Resources/syllabus_example.html
- Course/Learning Objectives
- Absence policy
- VT Principles of Community statement http://inclusive.vt.edu/vtpoc0.html
Force-Adds
Undergrauate Courses
CS is a highly popular major which has seen large course enrollment growth. Instructors are advised not to promise students seats in your class. Many CS courses are over-enrolled and are restricted to CS majors.The CS department employs an online force add process. After students have received the results of their web course request during the web drop/add period they can submit a force-add request online http://www.cs.vt.edu/undergraduate/survey Students are told to attend the first class meetings to request a force-add. At the beginning of a semester Ms. Bradford mailto://bradfolg@cs.vt.edu creates a page with links to force-add surveys for separate undergrad course sections. She will send an email shortly before the semester begins with the link. It is usually of the form: https://www.cs.vt.edu/F17Force-Adds. The dourse surveys will be available/open only during the first two course lecture periods. The force-add surveys are password protected. The password follow the following format:
- the 4 digit course number
- the instructors' three initials (from the VT timetable, If an instructor has no middle initial, an underscore is used in its place)
- a special character, the special characters go with the class level. 1000 - !, 2000 - @, 3000 - #, and 4000 - $
As force-adds are processed the force-add webpage course status is updated. Force-add requests are processed within 1-3 days. Instruct students to check their HokieSPA course schduled to determine if they have been force-added into the course.
For students who do NOT attend the first two class meetings, but still wish to request you may decide whether to allow them to attempt to do so. You may send these students to McBryde Hall room 1114, (the CS dept undergrad advising office), to pick up a paper copy of the force/add form, complete the form and obtain your signature on it. This is the only reason that a student should need a paper form or be sent to McB 114 for force-adding.
Graduate Courses
For graduate courses, if your course is full, it is recommended you tell the students to attend the first class meeting and request a seat. At that time you will have to decide who gets added.
Course Grades
http://registrar.vt.edu/dates-deadlines-accordion/index3.html
Midterm Grades
Estimated current grades for entering/transfer students during the Fall semester. Satisfactory" is given for work earning a grade of C or better and "unsatisfactory" is given for work earning a grade of C- or below.
Tentative Grades
Tentative Grade reports are only applicable to graduating students to make sure they are on track. Tentative Grade reports are usually due one-week before the start of final exams.
Final Grades
Student course grades can be submitted individually or uploaded for an entire course. The registrar's office has published online grade entry instructions. The process for submitting midterm and tentative grades is simular.
Course Textbooks
A course textbook request form must be submitted Ms. Fitzgerald mailto://lrfitz@cs.vt.edu in McBryde 1114 in the prior semester to the offering. An online form to generate the textbook request form is available from Dr. Back: http://people.cs.vt.edu/~gback/textbookorder/index.php
Applicable Information
- VT Faculty Handbook (VT employment policies & procedures)
- The Va Tech department & organization directory is available online.
- Campus maps are available at: http://www.maps.vt.edu
- University Policies
- Religious and Ethnic Holidays