Post and update your contact information, bio, and office hours within 48 hours after gaining access to course shell(s) for each semester. This timeline is necessary to allow mentors time to review updates.
Log in to the course a minimum of every 24-48 hours. Regular instructor presence is key to student success. Contact the Help Desk or your mentor if you have trouble logging into the course. Logins are monitored to ensure the fulfillment of this obligation.
Respond to student emails within 48 hours including weekends.
Post grades on any assignment, test, or other graded material within 2 weeks of its due date. This is critical feedback for students. Give feedback beyond grades to recognize achievement and constructively encourage them in areas they struggle with. Be prepared to offer resources and opportunities for remediation wherever possible.
Instructors must assign grades (A, B, C, D, F, or I) in the final grade column. Learning Support courses cannot use D as a grade. NFG cannot be used for final grade entry.
Be diligent adhering to all course deadlines. This is very important for the flow and pace of the course. For example, if an instructor misses a deadline for posting final grades, then they must manually complete a Grade Change Form (new window) for each student in their section. Meeting deadlines will lessen your workload and stress too.
Get to know D2L which is our learning management system (LMS). There are many resources available (new window) to you to help you learn about D2L. Please use these resources to increase your knowledge and skill to navigate and use the tools effectively.
Know where to get help. Ask your mentor if the problem or question is regarding teaching or learning. Contact the Help Desk if you have technical difficulty or need help with D2L. Please file a Help Desk ticket (new window) for prompt assistance.
Instructors must also...
Be very mindful not to violate the privacy of a student by discussing their grades, performance, or disability status in an open course or public environment. This includes course discussion boards. FERPA (new window) regulations tightly restrict how and when we communicate with students. One of the advantages of online teaching and learning is that nearly everything communicated between faculty and students is automatically documented, whether in course communication or email. This documentation is valuable for both student and instructor should any problems arise later.
Instructors may not significantly alter the design, delivery, or content of any module or course that they instruct. All major changes and deletions must be handled by the Course Developer. Course Developer information can be found on the “Instructors Only Files” page. This section is in draft status just for instructors. You should have a good working relationship with both your mentor and your course developer. It is wise to touch base with both your course developer and mentor on a regular basis to keep lines of communication open in all directions.
All TN eCampus courses are asynchronous. Instructors may not require synchronous interactions or assignments.
Only Course Developers can designate exams to be proctored. Only midterm and final exams may be proctored if designated. We do offer online proctoring on a case-by-case basis. Exams should remain open during the entire exam testing time as listed on the term calendar Web page.
Proctoring is strongly discouraged.