FAQ for CALS Educators

Academic Policies and Responsibilities - Instruction

Cornell Faculty Handbook guidelines and policies about teaching, grading, accommodations, academic integrity, and other course logistics  

CALS Curriculum Committee: Resources

information and criteria for proposing a new course or a revision to an existing course

CALS online course proposal form and instructions 

for your reference, only - please contact your department/unit's Course Coordinator and Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) to submit a proposal and for details about the course proposal process

Key Items for Your Syllabus

information and sample text regarding information to include in your syllabus

Faculty Center

view your teaching schedule, room assignments, class rosters with photos, and grade rosters

information about Faculty Center can be found via this link

Creating and Assessing Course Learning Outcomes

information, guidelines, and a helpful worksheet on the often overlooked but critical first step in designing a successful course

CALS OIT Classroom Technology Support Request Form

request support from the CALS Office of Information Technology (OIT) including classroom computers, podiums, projectors, wireless devices, and help resolving technology related issues within classrooms

Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) support:

     Learning Technologies

     information and guidance on using assessment tools, Canvas, collaboration tools, video and multimedia, and hybrid and online teaching modalities

     Online Drop-in Sessions

     for short questions about teaching, CTI consultants are available for live, online drop-in sessions via Zoom, Monday - Friday 1:00 - 3:00pm

     Request a consultation with CTI instructional designers at canvas [at] cornell.edu for more complex questions

Ally for Course Accessibility

guide and recorded workshop for using Ally to improve accessibility of online course materials

American Psychological Association: Inclusive Language Guidelines

guidelines and information on using culturally sensitive terms and phrases that center the voices and perspectives of those who are often marginalized or stereotyped

American Psychological Association: Bias-Free Language

general guidelines for writing about people without bias across a range of topics and specific guidelines that address the individual characteristics of age, disability, gender, participation in research, racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality

Student Disability Services (SDS): Faculty Portal

information about how to log in and use the SDS Faculty Portal, which provides lists of students and their SDS accommodations in your courses

ATP (Alternative Testing Program) Information for Faculty

arranges alternative testing locations for your courses

information, FAQs, guide for completing the exam instruction form in the SDS Faculty Portal, sample text for syllabi, Canvas, and lecture slides 

CALS Office of Student Services

hub of advising and support for undergraduates, including academic advising, career development, personal well-being, and more

CALS Office of Professional Programs 

hub of advising and support for professional master's students, including academic advising, career development, personal well-being, and more CALSProfPrograms [at] cornell.edu 

CALS Advising: Recognizing and Helping Students with Academic and Behavioral Needs

Incident Response & Resources

Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) slide deck containing strategies and resources for discussing events that may be impacting students and the learning environment (e.g., bias incidents on campus, national and global events)

Academic Concern Form

use this to alert academic advising offices to issues impacting students’ academic success so they can intervene to offer optimal support

please do this for every student who is earning low grades, struggling with course material, missing exams or assignment deadlines, frequently absent, not making academic progress towards their degree, or displaying unusual behavior in academic settings, even if you are directly communicating with the student about the concern - this helps to identify students who may be struggling across multiple courses

Student of Concern Form

use this to alert the University's Student Support and Advocacy Services team if you believe a student is experiencing issues that are serious or is displaying concerning behavior

Academic Concern Form vs. Student of Concern Form

side-by-side comparison of when to use these two different forms and what happens next when you submit one of these forms

Skorton Center for Health Initiatives | Student & Campus Life

Cornell Health: Resources for Faculty & Staff

information about what to do if you’re concerned about a student

Skorton Center for Health Initiatives: Programming for Faculty & Staff

materials and training for assisting students in distress and promoting student mental health and well-being

Cornell Academic Materials Program (CAMP)

University-wide program that provides undergraduate students taking undergraduate courses at Cornell with access to their required textbooks and coursepacks for a single flat-rate cost, $275 per semester. Course Materials are provided in digital-first format (ebooks and publisher courseware) in Canvas and the Vitalsource Bookshelf e-reader. Some courses may have print textbooks included in the program fee. 

Faculty adopt content through the Verba Collect Adoption tool. The Verba Collect tool is only available during active adoption periods. If you are unable to access Verba Collect, you may request a login or submit your adoption by contacting textbooks [at] cornell.edu (textbooks[at]cornell[dot]edu). [tip: in the Verba login window, click 'reset my password'. Then enter your email address and click 'Recover access'. You will receive an email with your personalized link to Verba]

     Student video tutorial: 'Accessing Your Course Materials' : 1.5 minute video that describes how students access the materials that you adopted via Verba Collect

Cornell University Library Reserves

step-by-step instructions about how to submit course reserve requests at any Cornell library via  reserves staff or via Canvas, plus information about submission deadlines, what materials can be reserved, and how to access reserves materials

Academic Integrity

information from the Office of the Dean of Faculty, including the Code of Academic Integrity, guidelines for working with the code, and resources for faculty

Promoting Academic Integrity in Your Course

three strategies from the Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI)

AI & Academic Integrity

CTI's recommendations for addressing AI and academic integrity in your course  

Generative Artificial Intelligence for Education and Pedagogy

Cornell committee report (Spring 2023) that evaluates the feasibility, benefits, and limitations of using generative AI technologies in an educational setting and its impact on learning outcomes 

CTI: Generative Artificial Intelligence

Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) website that provides information and resources about generative AI and academic integrity, accessibility, assignment design, and ethical use, plus video resources and recordings

Academic Policies

CALS Student Services site that contains information about academic policies, including:

• Incompletes
• Academic Integrity
• Academic Standing
• Academic Warning
• Academic Success Program (ASP)
• Course Enrollment
• Forbidden Overlaps

Report Bias

resources from the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity - information, contacts and forms for reporting bias, harassment, and discrimination, reporting sexual misconduct, reporting hazing, and supporting those receiving threatening communication or harassment

To receive academic credit for a teaching/learning assistant appointment, students must enroll in your section of 4980 (contact your course coordinator to confirm/create your 4980 section). Students complete the 4980 Enrollment Form, which is then sent to you for approval. Once approved, students receive a code that allows them to self-enroll in your 4980 section. 

Resources:

• Guidelines on how to effectively use LAs (aka undergraduate TAs) in your class
• Recommendations specific to 4980 enrollment to ensure LAs receive a learning experience aligned with the academic credit earned
• Editable checklist to share with your Learning Assistants (LA) outlining activities they should complete before, during, and at the end of the semester
• Editable LA contract template delineating responsibilities, expectations, learning outcomes, and policies
• Canvas repository containing information, resources and examples for preparing your LAs: Self-enroll

Cornell Fleet Operations FAQ

includes User Registration and Driver Release forms (required to reserve and drive a vehicle), reservation form, and information on policies, vehicles, and rates

Emergency Management

Cornell's website that includes an Emergency Action Guide for a number of emergency scenarios, preparedness information, information about emergency notifications, Prevention-Mitigation programs, resources and FAQ

Rave Guardian

mobile app that turns your smartphone into a personal safety device - available for use by all currently registered Cornell students and current employees

Information about the Rave Guardian Safety App

Course evaluations are not automatically generated, they must be ordered through this website every semester

Per CALS Faculty Senate all CALS teaching Faculty are required to ask students in each course they teach to complete the standard course evaluation administered through the CALS Student Service’s Office at semester's end.  Faculty may use their own course evaluation as well, but those responses will not be reported. CALS faculty will be required to submit a PDF file of their course syllabus at the time end-of-semester course evaluations are requested.These will be made publicly available to members of the Cornell community through the same web page where course evaluations will be posted. (approved in 2008)

The CALS faculty senate approved legislation making the student’s numerical response to end-of-semester surveys publicly available to members of the Cornell community. Evaluations for newly developed courses or courses taught by an instructor for the first time will be made available beginning the second time the course is taught.  Mid-term evaluation results will not be made public. CALS faculty will be required to submit a PDF file of their course syllabus at the time end-of-semester course evaluations are requested.The goal for enacting these rules is to provide useful information to students as they design their program of study at Cornell. You can link to the public course evaluation site at http://courseeval.cals.cornell.edu/EvalPublic.aspx (Cornell login required). (approved in 2009)

Student feedback is collected using a web-based application (Cornell login required) for courses offered by Agriculture & Life Sciences, Arts & Sciences, Engineering, Human Ecology, Industrial & Labor Relations, and Physical Education. If you have any questions, please contact cals-studentservices [at] cornell.edu (CALS Student Services)

note: you will receive an email from CALS Students Services alerting you when course evaluations are available to be ordered

Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI): Getting Started with End-of-Semester Course Evaluations

guidance and information about creating, distributing and using evaluations in your class

All classroom assignments are coordinated by your Course Coordinators. They have been provided all system and room availability updates and are trained in using the 25LIVE room scheduling system (see below). If you have any questions, about room assignments for your course, please reach out to your Course Coordinator rather than directly contacting the CALS Registrar’s Office. 

The university-wide bulk scheduling process in the primary means of assigning classrooms.  Each semester, classrooms are assigned to course sections after the pre-enrollment period ends for that term. The university-wide bulk scheduling process uses an algorithm to place classes into classrooms based on the profiles of your department—it considers department home building (to keep faculty close to their department) and other 'Room Characteristics' when placing classes. 'Room Characteristics' should be communicated to your department’s Course Coordinator. Only absolutely necessary items should be listed as a Room Characteristic; these are considered 'hard stops' in the algorithm, so if no rooms are found with the exact match, the class will not be assigned a room during bulk scheduling. Note that the algorithm does not take into account previous room assignments—i.e. you may be assigned a different room that what you have had in prior semesters.

There are only two situations in which a class would be assigned outside of the bulk scheduling process: locally scheduled rooms (labs, computer labs, etc.) or pre-assignment: 

Locally scheduled rooms: You may have access to 'local' (non-general purpose) classrooms – classrooms that your department controls. This must be done through 25Live by your Course Coordinator.  Rooms can be reserved once the 25Live system is open. If you wish to request a local room controlled by another department, your Course Coordinator will need to contact that department’s scheduler directly for approval and placement. 

Pre-assignment: The CALS Registrar team can pre-assign a course to a classroom in the 25Live system that is ‘owned’ by CALS. Here is a list of those rooms: CALS 25Live Classrooms. Your department’s Course Coordinator should contact the CALS Registrar team for pre-assignment requests. Note that the pre-assignment period will continue to be used sparingly for CALS classes. 

Valid reasons for pre-assignment include:          

• ADA accessibility for a faculty member
• Access to specialized equipment available in the room
• Faculty medical concerns

Other reasons will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and discussed with the department's DUS.

Pre-assignment requests must meet specific University and CALS criteria:

• Room capacity must be less than 150 (any pre-assignments made in rooms with a capacity of 150 or greater will be removed)
• Course capacity must be within 75-100% of room capacity 
• Course must follow Standard Meeting Patterns