Level 2: Faculty Resources

The Academic Affairs Sharepoint site is a one-stop shop for policies, forms, and links. You can find resources such as org charts, explanation of processes, academic forms, and more.

As with all universities and colleges, there are policies, handbooks, and other documents that should be reviewed by new faculty members. They include:

• The faculty handbook (2024-25 version coming soon!)
• The VTSU academic calendar
• University-wide policies
• Academic policies

Watch this short welcome video from Janet Bennion, Chair of the Faculty Assembly (2023-24) for a brief introduction to VTSU’s faculty governance. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to her directly via email (Janet.Bennion@VermontState.edu). Faculty Assembly offers opportunities to get involved in important committee work and be involved in all-faculty decisions.

Below is a short presentation created by Federation President, Chris Reilly. It includes the leadership structure, availability of forms and contracts, and associated benefits.

Download Link: Faculty Federation Presentation

The CTLI has a section of their website that is dedicated to commonly used guides and templates. Several of the available resources, which will be helpful in preparing for your class, are below:

• VTSU Syllabus Template
• Canvas Course Template Guide
• Transparent Assignment Template
• Advice Guide for Designing a Course in a New Modality
• A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning
• How to Submit Course Materials

In addition to on campus facilities, the online VSCS Libraries site is available to serve the needs of students and faculty at Vermont State University as well as the Community College of Vermont. This vital resource can be accessed using a tile within the VSC portal or via a direct link. Also, there is a section of the site that focuses on the needs of faculty and staff members.

Canvas is the university’s learning management system and it can be accessed by selecting the Canvas tile in the portal or using the direct link to the site. The Canvas Support team makes your course available a couple of months in advance of the semester. If you experience issues logging into Canvas or accessing your course(s), submit a service desk ticket and a member of the staff will assist you in rectifying the issue.

Once access is available, the course(s) will need to be developed. In addition to support from your departmental peers, the Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation is available for consultations and has several resources posted on this site, such as:

• Guides for developing courses.
• Recommendations for designing an accessible course in Canvas.
• Recommendations for using Canvas for effective teaching.
• A guide for importing the VTSU Canvas template into your course(s). Adopting the template is highly recommended as it provides students with a consistent layout from class-to-class.

As a new faculty member, you are encouraged to leverage technology in your classroom as a means for increasing active learning and collaboration. At VTSU, however, there are several essential apps and platforms that are supported by our technical teams. They include:

• Microsoft 365 is the university’s platform for email and commonly used Microsoft applications. Please be sure to check your email regularly for student inquiries and administrative correspondence. In addition to email, faculty and staff members are encouraged to use Microsoft Bookings, which is a convenient tool for scheduling office hour consultations with students.
  
  TIP: When logging in to Microsoft products in a web browser, you’re often asked for the email address affiliated with your Microsoft account. In order to pass through to the authentication page, use the Vermont State Colleges format of your email address: username@vsc.edu. If you try to use your first.last@vermontstate.edu, you will likely encounter troubles.
  
• Zoom is the most commonly used video conferencing platform used at the university. It can be accessed within Canvas or using the direct link to the site.
• YuJa is a software package that can be used to record and edit videos including recorded lectures. It is worth noting that recorded Zoom sessions are saved in your YuJa account for future use.
• Aviso is the system used by faculty to enter attendance as well as alerts regarding struggling students. It can be accessed within your Canvas course or using a direct link.

In addition to the apps and platforms above, classrooms include hardware that can vary by room, so it is recommended that you visit your classroom prior to the start of the semester to familiarize yourself with the technology that is available. Classroom technologies are supported by our Learning Technologies team and their role is discussed in their guide for using classroom audio-video equipment.

For additional information about available IT resources, new faculty members are encouraged to review the VSC IT Knowledge Base.