Colorado Christian
University
College of Adult
and Graduate
Studies
Faculty
Procedures
Manual
Academic Year
2017-2018
Effective May 1, 2017
Administrative Offices
Colorado Springs Center
1125 Kelly Johnson Blvd.
Suite 105
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
(719) 867-5800
Denver Tech Center
304 Inverness Way South
Suite 150
Englewood, CO 80112
(303) 963-3030
Main Campus
8787 W. Alameda Ave.
Lakewood, CO 80226
(303) 963-3300
Loveland Center
3553 Clydesdale Pkwy
Suite 300
Loveland, CO 80538
(970) 669-8700
Northglenn Center
10190 Bannock Street
Suite 200
Northglenn, CO 80260
(720) 872-5600
Grand Junction Center
2452 Patterson Road
Suite 200
Grand Junction, CO 81505
(970) 242-1811
Sterling Center
100 College Ave.
Sterling, CO 80751
(970) 521-6855
1
Academic Administration Leadership Team
DR. SARAH SCHERLING
DR. MELLANI DAY
DR. DEBRA HUDSON
DR. WENDY WENDOVER
DR. BARBARA WHITE
DR. EARL WAGGONER
LAURA DYKSTRA
DR. KRISTEN WALL
VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION
DEAN OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY
DEAN OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES
DEAN OF CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION EDUCATION
DEAN OF NURSING AND SCIENCES
DEAN OF BIBLICAL STUDIES & THEOLOGY
DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM
DIRECTOR OF FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
2
Table of Contents
Administrative Offices............................................................................................................................................................. 1
Academic Administration Leadership Team ........................................................................................................................... 2
Academic Integrity .................................................................................................................................................................. 5
ADAAA Accommodations........................................................................................................................................................ 6
Assessment Process and the Role of the Rubric ..................................................................................................................... 6
Auditing Courses ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Badges ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Blackboard .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Campus Emergencies/Inclement Weather ............................................................................................................................. 8
Cell Phones .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Classrooms .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Classroom Meeting and Dismissal .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Collaborate .............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Computers/Projectors............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Communication with Students ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Contacts .................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Contracts ............................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Course Development ............................................................................................................................................................ 11
Course Extensions ................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Course Evaluations ................................................................................................................................................................ 12
Directors of Retention........................................................................................................................................................... 13
Dress Code (in-seat classes only) .......................................................................................................................................... 13
Due Dates .............................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Email...................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Extra Credit ........................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Faculty Contact Information and Office Hours ..................................................................................................................... 14
Faculty Expectations Checklist .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Faculty Rank .......................................................................................................................................................................... 14
FERPA .................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Gradebook ............................................................................................................................................................................ 14
Grades ................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
3
Grading Philosophy ............................................................................................................................................................... 15
Guest Speaker Policy ............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Holidays ................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
Illness/Family Emergency...................................................................................................................................................... 16
Institutional Review Board .................................................................................................................................................... 16
Late/Missing Assignments .................................................................................................................................................... 17
Media .................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Mentoring for New Faculty (AFM 101) ................................................................................................................................. 17
Multimedia ............................................................................................................................................................................ 17
Resources .............................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Professional Development .................................................................................................................................................... 18
Software Requirements ........................................................................................................................................................ 18
Student Complaints............................................................................................................................................................... 18
Student Handbook ................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Student Behavior .................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Student Issues ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Student Service Advisors....................................................................................................................................................... 19
Student Success .................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Substitute Teachers .............................................................................................................................................................. 20
System Requirements ........................................................................................................................................................... 20
Technical Support ................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Textbooks .............................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Title IX and Pregnancy........................................................................................................................................................... 21
WebAdvisor ........................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Writing Style.......................................................................................................................................................................... 21
4
Academic Integrity
Consult the CAGS Student Handbook for the definition and procedures related to plagiarism and academic
integrity. Once plagiarism has been identified, immediately contact the office of the Vice President of
Academic Affairs at [email protected] to determine which academic dean will be handling the plagiarism
case. Your email must include the course name/ID, the student’s name, and the student’s ID#.
SafeAssign is a plagiarism checking tool for faculty located under Course Tools within each Blackboard course
shell. The first and final assignments for every course will be set up so the paper will automatically go through
SafeAssign when the student submits the paper. Instructors are encouraged to use the Direct Submit function to
check any additional papers or assignments that you suspect may contain plagiarized materials. Blackboard has
created an instructor manual with general guidelines about how to interpret the results of a SafeAssign report
(retrieved from the SafeAssign website at http://goo.gl/Ii4zir).
As stated in the SafeAssign instructor manual “The originality report provides an overall percentage of
matching text, indicating how much of the student’s paper matches material found in SafeAssign’s databases. A
score of 25%, for instance, means that 25% of the submitted paper matches material in the SafeAssign
databases and 75% of the text is either original or not included in the available databases. However, because
SafeAssign does not examine how or in what context outside source material is used, the matching score does
not necessarily indicate plagiarism.
Instructors should interpret the SafeAssign score in the context of their assignment criteria. What may be an
inappropriate score for one paper might be fine for another. Because of this, instructors should consider their
students’ scores in light of the type of assignment, the degree of research involved, and the preferred
writing and research style of the discipline.”
Score
What it means
Below 20%
Most likely NOT
plagiarized.
20-35%
May contain plagiarism.
Also depends on the type
of assignment.
35-50%
Most likely contains
plagiarism.
“A problematic level of
quoting or reliance on
outside sources.”
Taking a Closer Look
“Scores below 20% indicate that some quotes or blocks
of text in the paper match other documents. This score
may indicate a reasonable use of sources or may
indicate that a paper needs more outside support,
depending on the assignment and the amount of research
required.”
“Scores between 20 and 35% indicate that the paper
contains significant quoted or improperly paraphrased
material. Depending on the assignment, scores in this
range are likely appropriate, provided that the student
has correctly documented the source work.”
“Scores between 35 and 50% indicate considerable and
perhaps problematic levels of quoting or improper
paraphrasing. Instructors should consider the
assignment’s context and where a score falls in this
range in order to make a judgment about the paper”
5
Above 50%
Most likely contains
plagiarism.
“Scores above 50% indicate a high degree of text match
and suggest excessive quoted or improperly
paraphrased, or plagiarized material.”
Additional Resources:
Blackboard’s SafeAssign Manual for Instructors:
http://wiki.safeassign.com/download/attachments/37191694/safe_assign_building_block_instructor.pdf
ADAAA Accommodations
As a CAGS faculty member your position helps students and our Christian community; we want to reach out
and help whenever we can. In today’s society, we must be aware of the laws and rulings surrounding persons
with disabilities. They are very strict and, in many cases, may involve legal rulings that will affect our actions.
Therefore, don’t “reach out” too quickly.
The most important thing to remember with a student who may have disabilities is that by law you are not
allowed to ask, inquire, or assume. It is the responsibility of the student to ask about accommodations. You are
not to volunteer nor mention accommodations. This is considered an invasion of his/her personal rights.
Should a student ask directly about accommodations—do not offer any suggestions. If they ask about a
specific accommodation, again you are not to confirm or deny that CCU offers such resources. The student
should be referred immediately to the CAGS Student Services Coordinator for the proper forms and procedures
to apply for reasonable accommodations. Students seeking accommodations based on disability must be
referred by a specialist who can document the disability. Students are required to present their letter of
accommodations to the instructor at the beginning of the course – accommodations cannot be made
retroactively. The letter will clearly spell out what accommodations must be provided to the student.
ADAAA/504 procedures are mandatory and must be adhered to by CCU staff, faculty and students.
Some programs have specific “Essential Functions” for admission and progression in the program. Refer to
program-specific handbooks for clarification.
Assessment Process and the Role of the Rubric
The College of Adult and Graduate Studies (CAGS) seeks to continuously improve student learning. In
addition to program content areas, CAGS actively assesses student learning year round in the following
areas: critical thinking skills, written communication skills, subject matter competency, information literacy,
the ability to integrate a biblical worldview, and the ability to critically self-reflect. These areas align with
Colorado Christian University’s Strategic Objectives and the data is used in the University’s accreditation
process.
Data is gathered both directly and indirectly. Direct data comes from the use of actual CAGS student
work. The resulting data drives many areas in CAGS including curriculum development, course revisions,
policy and procedure development, and budgetary allotments. Indirect data comes from the course evaluations
and measures the student’s perceptions and feelings.
Instructors are instrumental in providing assessment data through the use of the standardized CAGS
rubrics. Assignments that are used for University assessment reporting are labeled “signature assignments”
and the rubric must not be modified. Faculty members are encouraged to add to the grading rubric for
6
assignments that are not labeled “signature” if it would clarify the expectations for the student. Please do not
delete content from any of the grading rubrics.
Auditing Courses
Your course will be audited periodically by the faculty development team. Auditing allows for a quality
assurance check of all CAGS courses. If a student makes a complaint about a course, a member of the regional
center or the faculty development team may review your course before contacting you. Courses are reviewed to
determine if the student complaint is valid and allows us to provide suggestions to the instructor quickly if there
is a problem.
Badges
Faculty in the College of Adult and Graduate Studies are periodically required to demonstrate competence in
key areas of University mission, policy, and procedures. This competency system is captured in the use of
professional development badges. Faculty will be informed periodically that a new badge is required and a
deadline will be set to complete the badge. Faculty members who choose not to participate in the badge process
will be removed from the teaching pool.
Faculty members who have demonstrated excellence and a high level of commitment to the University may be
invited to participate in the Highly Qualified Faculty (HQF) program, which requires additional badges but
gives participants more opportunities to teach. Participation in the Highly Qualified Faculty program is by
invitation only.
Blackboard
Colorado Christian University uses the Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver content to
students and faculty. The use of a Learning Management System allows the College of Adult and Graduate
Studies to maintain a consistent curriculum to our students and faculty across programs, centers, and even
online. A consistent curriculum is necessary for accreditation and accountability to our stakeholders. The
curriculum for your course is housed in a “shell”. Please do not change, alter, or delete content in your shell. If
you would like to make recommendations for future changes or improvements, please contact
[email protected]. We cannot guarantee that all requests will be implemented, but all feedback is
taken into consideration when courses are reviewed and revised. However, we do encourage you to add
additional resources or information for your students in the shell as you are teaching.
Students will submit assignments which will appear in the Grade Center where they can be graded and returned.
You must return both the graded assignment and the rubric back to students through the course shell.
Submission of and return of the assignments via e-mail is not permitted unless there is a Blackboard outage. In
the event of an outage, students will submit their assignments via e-mail. You do not have to open the
attachment; it serves as evidence the assignment was submitted on time. Once Blackboard has been restored it
is the student’s responsibility to re-submit the assignment to the course shell. The Blackboard shell is the only
official record for the course. E-mail attachments are not part of the official record.
Once you have received notification that your course has been duplicated and you have been enrolled, complete
your faculty expectations checklist (found on the Faculty Development tab on your Blackboard home page) and
thoroughly review your course. Contact [email protected] for additional assistance if
needed. Instructors have access to Blackboard 28 days before the start date of the course. Students have
access 7 days before the start date of the course.
7
Once a course begins, instructors must log into their Blackboard course shell every 48 hours to monitor
student activity and fulfill their teaching responsibilities.
Campus Emergencies/Inclement Weather
In the event of an emergency, the University has an emergency notification system (a.k.a., RAVE Alert) that will
send a text message and e-mail to all students, staff and faculty. It is imperative that you keep your e-mail and
mobile number updated in the Emergency Contact Information section of the My.ccu.edu portal homepage. This
system is used in the event of class cancellations due to inclement weather or other emergency situations.
The decision to close the Center or cancel classes due to inclement weather will be made by 6:00 AM for
weekday and weekend classes and 3:00 PM for evening classes.
If the decision is made to close, the following actions will be taken by the faculty member:
 Notify students in his/her class of the closure via e-mail and an announcement in the Blackboard course
shell. Note: closure of the Center does not mean a “free” day for students. Alert the students that all
online assignments and threaded discussions must be completed for that week.
If the center remains open:
 The faculty member who does not feel comfortable driving in inclement conditions should alert the
students they will be moving online for the week. If a student contacts you and expresses concern about
driving in because of the weather, instruct the student to complete online activities in the course shell for
that week. If the coursework is completed by the due date for the other assignments for that session, the
absence will not be counted.
 The faculty member has the authority to shorten the class if weather intensifies during the class and the
Center was not closed prior to class starting.
In the event that a student or another faculty member experiences a health crisis during class, 9-1-1 must be
called immediately. After emergency personnel have arrived and the situation has been stabilized, you must
contact the Director of Retention to advise him/her of the situation and await further instructions.
In the event that a student or instructor is feeling threatened by another individual, or an individual has made
threatening statements against a student or instructor, or an individual has demonstrated aggressive behavior, 91-1 must be called immediately. After emergency personnel have arrived and the situation has been stabilized,
you must contact the Director of Retention to advise him/her of the situation and await further instructions.
Cell Phones
Bring your cell phone to class and set it on “vibrate” in case of an emergency RAVE alert. To check to make
sure your contact information is updated and correct, consult the portal at my.ccu.edu under “Human
Resources”.
Classrooms
You are welcome to reconfigure the classroom in a way that is most beneficial to your students, but you must
return the desks and chairs back to the original set-up. Classroom assignments are determined on a daily basis
depending on the needs of the entire center as a whole. Whenever possible we will try to accommodate the
classroom preferences of faculty, but this might not always be possible. Classroom assignments are posted on a
whiteboard or electronic message board in the lobby of each center.
8
Classroom Meeting and Dismissal
Students in an in-seat class must meet the entire block of time listed in WebAdvisor (unless CCU initiates a
change). Faculty members are not at liberty to change the room assignment or the date/time of class. Students
who arrive after 6:15 PM may not be able to enter the building. Instructors may dismiss class early ONLY in
the case of increasingly inclement weather or other serious emergency (see “Inclement Weather Policy”).
Class meetings held off-site (coffee shops, private homes, etc.) are not permitted without written permission
from the academic dean. Occasionally it is beneficial for a class to attend a community event together in lieu of
a class meeting for one week. Instructors should contact the dean of the program in writing before the start date
of the course and explain how the outing meets the student learning objectives and what benefit students will
receive. Once approval has been given, the instructor should forward the approval from the dean to the Director
of Retention.
Collaborate
Collaborate is a web-conferencing tool that is embedded in all Blackboard course shells to facilitate
conversation between faculty and students. The faculty are encouraged to provide 1-2 hours per week where
they will be available to chat with students in the Collaborate room.
Collaborate should not be used as a substitute for in-seat classes. Unless specified by your academic division,
Collaborate sessions should not be required for students.
The Help Desk contact information for Collaborate can be found on the main dashboard of the Faculty
Development Blackboard community.
Computers/Projectors
Make sure the LCD Projectors are turned OFF at the end of every class meeting, and log off of the computers.
The computers need to remain ON at the end of every class session to allow for IT-directed updates to the
system.
Communication with Students
Faculty should respond to all student email, text, or voice mail communications within 48 hours. Faculty are
responsible for monitoring all student lounge posts and responding to student questions posted in the lounge
within 48 hours. It is best practice to follow up with a student with an e-mail when you have reached an
agreement with them via phone.
Contacts
Issue/Question
Contact
Info
General Faculty
Questions
[email protected]
Questions about policies,
procedures, student
behavior.
9
Plagiarism
If you have found plagiarism, contact Linda If you have questions
Wheeler, office of the Vice President of
about plagiarism or the
Academic Affairs at [email protected]
process please refer to the
Student Handbook.
Textbooks
[email protected]
Course Content
Issues/Questions
Contract Questions
[email protected]
Student Behavior
Situations
Inactive Students in
Course
[email protected]
Grading
[email protected]
Digital Service
Account (DSA) Issues
(email or my.ccu.edu)
New Faculty
Questions
[email protected]
Regional Center
Questions/Concerns
[email protected]
Blackboard
Questions
(FACULTY ONLY)
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
To order books for
upcoming course
Typos/issues with course
content/broken links…etc.
Questions about enrollment,
start/end dates, etc.
We will help you walk
through this situation
Student Success will
contact students who are
not participating
Policy, procedure, and
instructional questions
Log-in/e-mail problems
New faculty should
contact Sarah Wightman
for placement in the
mentoring program
They will guide you to the
Regional Center that will
handle your request
Any questions about the
function of Blackboard.
Contracts
The CAGS Scheduler runs a report of all courses with low enrollment (less than seven students) 14 days before
the start of the block. The regional centers review the information and determine which courses should be
cancelled and which courses will run under-enrolled on a pro-rated contract. A course may be cancelled (and
the instructor is informed) or it may be held open for additional registrations. An enrollment report is run again
at seven days before the start of the block and a final decision is made about whether to cancel or
run. Instructors will be contacted as soon as possible and should expect notification no later than 3 working
days before the start of the block.
If a course has 3-6 students and the regional center decides it should run, the instructor will be paid 6/7 of a
contract. By signing the instructional agreement you are agreeing to teach the class at this rate. If you are
unwilling to teach the course at this rate, you must decline the contract offer. Courses that have 18-23 students
will be paid a full contract plus $100/credit. Pro-rated pay rates will be determined on the start date of the class.
10
Courses with 1 or 2 students are considered a directed study and pay $300/student. Enrollment is capped
between 10 and 65 students, depending on the course or program. The Nursing and Counseling programs set
enrollment based on accreditation requirements and may exceed the standard 23 students. These exceptions are
communicated to the faculty by the department before the contract is sent.
Once a contract has been offered and accepted it is in the best interest of the faculty member to fulfill the
contract. If you believe that you are no longer able to teach the course you have accepted, you must contact
CAGS Scheduler at [email protected] immediately. We understand that you are working adults with
busy lives, but repeated failure to fulfill teaching contracts may result in your removal from the teaching pool. If
you live a considerable distance from the regional center you may not want to accept in-seat contracts during
the winter.
Due to the sheer volume of responses, instructors will not receive individual confirmations when replying to
offer emails. Only one instructor is put in for a course at a time. The instructor secures the course as long as
they reply within the time frame given on the course offer email. The final confirmation of a course offer is the
contract. Contracts will come in a PDF format via email from [email protected] . Contracts can be
faxed, emailed, or mailed back to the Faculty Contracts department. Contracts are processed weekly; if it has
been 2 weeks since you have emailed accepting an offer and you still have not received a contract, please check
your CCU email, then your SPAM folder. If there is nothing there please send an email with your name and the
class you accepted to [email protected]. We will look into the contract and get back with you within
48 business hours.
Faculty members who do not respond to contract offers for 365 days (a decline is still a response) will be
removed from the teaching pool.
Faculty Contracts:
Payroll/Contracting
8787 West Alameda Avenue
Lakewood, CO 80226
[email protected]
P: 303.963.3273 ● F: 303.963.3150
Course Development
Courses in the College of Adult and Graduate Studies (CAGS) are identified for review and/or development for
several reasons. The first is that the course is brand new and identified as part of a major. This entails a brand
new course development, from start to finish, including a completed curricular alignment table, a completed
course outline, syllabus, outlines and ancillary materials developed specifically to assist faculty members in the
facilitation of the course.
Other reasons for course revision may include a review and revision based upon the CAGS review cycle or
textbook edition change. This review cycle was developed based upon an estimated amount of time for textbook
changes and how quickly material becomes obsolete. Other factors in the review cycle include the length of
time a course has been in circulation before reviewing for content and current research, and the content of the
course itself. For example, a course in computers systems may be on a shorter cycle than a general biblical
studies course due to the rapidly changing content in the field of computer systems and information. This
directly coincides with an edition change, where the updating of the content based upon the new edition may
involve more than simply changing the reading assignments in the course, but also include significant revisions
11
in the field that directs the changes in the class. Each time a course comes under review and revision, it is
reevaluated for its alignment with the mission, vision, and strategic objectives of the University.
Once the course has been identified for redevelopment and the developer has been trained and contracted, the
course development process begins. At the conclusion of the development process the courses are put through
both educational and operational audits. The Operational Audit entails ensuring that all the required components
have been included based upon the course developers checklist and course developer guidelines. The
Curriculum Development team has identified, based on best practices in adult education and an integration of
faith and learning, several key items that should be included in how the course is developed. This includes
collaborative activities, academic papers, assignments that require real-life application, an integration of biblical
principles, and opportunities for personal reflection. The Educational Audit entails an in-depth review of the
assignments based upon best practices in adult education, an integration of faith and learning, the strategic
objectives of the University, and sound instructional design practices. This audit evaluates language used,
requirements, alignment with the curricular alignment table, and general content information in accordance with
sound instructional design practices. In addition to the review of the course done by the Curriculum
Development team, the dean of the program reviews the content-specific material to ensure additional
alignment with the mission, vision, and objectives. It is during this review that the deans make additional
comments on course content improvements that need to be made by the course.
Course Extensions
The Course Extension policy is explained in the CAGS student handbook. Please note that the student’s Student
Service Advisor will determine if the student meets the criteria for an extenuating circumstance. It is your
responsibility to determine if the student was passing the course at the time the extenuating circumstance
occurred. Students who are not passing at the time of the extenuating circumstance are NOT eligible for an
extension. If there are other reasons for declining a course extension, please include the justification on the
Course Extension form.
Instructors are not allowed to adjust the student’s amended course end date indicated on the Course Extension.
Final grades are due in WebAdvisor seven days after the amended Course Extension date.
Course Evaluations
The University deploys course evaluations to solicit student feedback at the end of every block. The course
evaluations are sent before the final grades are due in an attempt to get feedback from students that is not
impacted by the final grade. Faculty members will receive their course evaluation results after the final grades
are posted.
Course evaluation results are used to make adjustments to curriculum, provide recommendations for best
practices, and to identify faculty members who may need additional training. While the course evaluations do
provide valuable information, they are not the only factor used to make contract decisions. A negative course
evaluation will result in contact from the Faculty Development team, but the conversation is meant to help you
improve your teaching practice or affirm that you are doing well. A negative course evaluation does not
necessarily indicate the faculty member did not perform well. Often times a negative course evaluation
indicates the faculty member is holding students to high standards. If the Faculty Development team contacts
you about your course evaluation, you can expect they have already audited your course and will discuss the
results of that audit with you. They may also have recommendations for improvement for the next time you
teach.
12
If you receive comments on your course evaluation that cause you concern, please feel free to contact the
Faculty Development team about your concerns. The process is meant to help you improve your teaching.
If a student has questions about how to complete their course evaluation, please direct them to
[email protected].
Directors of Retention
The Directors of Retention (DOR) serve as the liaison between the faculty and the University. They are
available to assist instructors in facilitating courses, addressing student issues, and provide valuable information
about the logistics of teaching a class. Before you teach your first class at a center you should contact the DOR
to learn about center-specific policies. Contact information for the centers can be found the front of this
manual.
Dress Code (in-seat classes only)
Adhere to the business casual dress code that is policy for the University, and dress professionally for your
teaching engagement. Further information on dress codes can be found in the Employee Manual on the Human
Resources page on the my.ccu.edu portal.
Due Dates
For online courses, all discussions and assignments are due on the last day of each session, which is Sunday
night at 11:59pm MT unless noted in the assignment prompt. For the threaded discussion, post an
announcement that the initial post is due on Wednesday and the discussion closes on Sunday. The due date in
the grade book is Sunday. Consult the Late Assignment policy in the Student Handbook for additional
guidelines about due dates.
For in-seat classes, all written assignments must be completed by the Sunday night of each session unless
otherwise noted in the course shell. You will continue to meet on your scheduled night of the week, but
students will have until Sunday to complete the assignment. Discussion assignments will be conducted during
your class meeting times.
Final grades must be posted by the instructor to WebAdvisor 7 days after the course end date. Please check
Web Advisor for the official course end date if you have questions.
E-mail
Faculty members should regularly check his/her CCU e-mail address to stay current on University news. Your
CCU e-mail address is considered your primary address for University communication. The University sends
teaching contracts and other important documents to your CCU e-mail address. Announcements will be posted
in the Faculty Development community in Blackboard. You may not email students from accounts
associated with other universities. You must not e-mail students from your CCU account if you are
teaching at other universities.
Extra Credit
Providing extra credit for students is generally not permitted. If there are circumstances where you determine
extra credit may be appropriate, contact the Curriculum Development team at [email protected] for
guidance.
13
Faculty Contact Information and Office Hours
Each course contains a place for instructors to put their faculty contact information and office hours. When
entering this information into your course shell, include your name and and CCU email address. Do not post
email addresses associated with other universities. You are encouraged to post an hour or two each week where
you are available to students through the Collaborate tool in Blackboard. See the section in this manual called
“Collaborate” for more information.
Faculty Expectations Checklist
The Faculty Expectations Checklist (found on the dashboard of the Faculty Development tab in Blackboard) is
the set of basic expectations that the College of Adult and Graduate Studies has for every instructor. The
Checklist is updated annually to be in alignment with other University documents. Completion of all items on
the faculty checklist is one indicator that is used to determine eligibility for future contracts. Non-compliance
with these expectations may result in termination of a teaching contract and/or removal from the faculty
pool. If you have questions or concerns about how to fulfill items on the checklist, contact the Faculty
Development team at [email protected]
Faculty Rank
Please reserve the title “Professor” for faculty who have faculty rank—an honor reserved for full-time faculty.
You may use “Dr.”, “Affiliate Faculty”, or “Instructor”. Even if you are a Professor at another University, the
title does not transfer.
FERPA
The Federal Educational Right to Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) was enacted to protect student privacy. For this
reason you may not assume that it is appropriate to discuss matters related to a student’s enrollment or
performance with anyone except the student or a University staff member. It is illegal to disclose to anyone—
spouses, parents, employers, other students, etc.—that a student is even enrolled at the University. If someone
inquires about a student, refer that individual to the Director of Retention.
It is a FERPA violation to allow another person to log into your Blackboard course shell and conduct work on
your behalf. Any instructor that engages in this behavior is subject to contract termination and/or removal from
the teaching pool.
Any papers that have been downloaded to your personal computer should be deleted immediately after final
grades are posted to the course. All student work and correspondence on your personal computer should be
password-protected.
Gradebook
It is best practice to work in the “Full Grade Center” of the gradebook and not in “Needs Grading”. The
Blackboard system has limitations that make it very easy for an instructor to miss assignments unless they are
working in the “Full Grade Center”.
It is best practice to keep your gradebook current. Faculty must post a zero for all assignments that have not
been completed by the time late assignment deadline has passed. Faculty who do not post zeroes for
14
assignments that were not submitted contribute to grade inflation and misrepresents CCU’s institutional
academic integrity.
Grades
It is the College of Adult and Graduate Studies’ policy to return graded assignments to students no later than
five days after the assignment has been submitted. All final grades for a class must be posted in the grade book
7 days after the course end date.
Instructors must assign a zero to all assignments in the Blackboard grade book where student work was not
submitted by the time the late assignment policy timeline has passed. Instructors who do not complete their
final grades on time may not receive teaching contracts in the future or may be removed from the teaching pool.
Posting final grades late can impact a student’s ability to receive financial aid.
Students must submit assignments through Blackboard—see the section titled “Blackboard” for specific
information, and rare exceptions, to this rule.
When posting final grades, a student has earned a "WF" if they have not attended or participated in the course
enough to pass the class, and an "F" if the student participated but did not show enough academic achievement
to pass. In rare instances you may be asked to post a “FX”, or “Administrative Failing” grade for a student.
This is a new grade that is only used when the University is removing a student from a course for violating the
Student Handbook policies. You will be contacted by a University administrator in the event that a “FX” grade
should be posted.
Faculty members should consult the Attendance policy in the student handbook for information about student
eligibility. A student has stopped participating in an online class if they have not submitted an assignment or
discussion post in 14 or more days (concurrently). 15 days after the start date if a student has not participated,
the instructor will (1) log on to WebAdvisor and post a "WF" (for withdraw/failing) in the grade column (2)
mark “never attended”.
When a student has submitted an assignment and then does not participate for 14 consecutive days, the
instructor will (1) log on to WebAdvisor and post a “WF” in the grade column and (2) note the last date the
student submitted an assignment or discussion post in the “last date attended” column.
If the student has stopped participating for 14 or more days and then returns to the course you must e-mail
[email protected] for assistance in determining eligibility. You must continue to monitor
this process throughout the course and post a WF as soon as a student meets the above criteria.
Grading Philosophy
One of the University’s strategic objectives is to “Teach students how to speak and write clearly and
effectively” (http://www.ccu.edu/strategicobjectives/). Our desire is that all faculty members tell students the
truth about their writing, and one of the best ways to do that is through grading and feedback on the written
assignments. Rubrics are provided in the course shell to give faculty members an effective tool to provide
objective, substantive feedback in addition to the written comments that should be provided in every
assignment. It is important that every faculty member be cautious about grade inflation and to alert the
University when the design of a course seems to promote disproportionately high grades.
15
In addition, the Student Handbook provides expectations for students about feedback on assignments. You are
encouraged to refer students to that section when it seems as if a student does not have a clear understanding
about the purpose of feedback.
Guest Speaker Policy
Faculty members may find that asking a guest speaker to come into the classroom adds richness and depth to
the academic experience. As a guest in your classroom, the speaker(s) you bring are considered representatives
of your professional reputation. When choosing a guest speaker, the following points should be considered:
 Guest speakers do not have to be Christians, but they must be provided a copy of the CCU Statement of
Faith (found on www.ccu.edu) and reminded to present the material with sensitivity toward the
mission/vision of the University.
 Professional dress and language are required. Lectures longer than 60 minutes are generally
discouraged because it does not serve the needs of an adult learner to sit passively and listen for longer
than an hour.
 Guest speakers should not expect financial compensation, nor are they to promote the sale of materials,
services, or products.
 Faculty must be present during the presentation and be prepared to redirect the conversation if it veers
too far from acceptable content.
 If there is a request to capture the guest lecturer or speaker on video, please set this up ahead of time by
contacting [email protected]. You will also need to have a signed consent form for the speaker
that they will be videoed and their material will be loaded in the Blackboard course shells.
Holidays
Effective January, 2016, the university instituted an expanded holiday schedule. Please review the official
holiday schedule found in the CAGS Academic Calendar when determining your course due dates.
For the official week-long breaks, no classes are held and no assignments are due for both online and in-seat
students. Affiliate faculty are also on break for those weeks, with the exception of Christmas—students have
two weeks off; affiliate faculty have a one week break before final grades are due.
Illness/Family Emergency
For in-seat instructors, if you are ill or have a family emergency on the day of your class, you must notify your
Director of Retention as soon as possible, but no later than 12:00 PM. Post an announcement letting students
know they will be completing all of the assignments for an online class for that week.
If you are teaching online or in-seat and find that you are falling more than three days behind on grading due to
illness or a family emergency, please contact the Faculty Development team at
[email protected] immediately so that we can provide support and advise you on your
options.
Institutional Review Board
Faculty members or students wishing to do research with human subjects for CCU or another University must
submit an application to the Institutional Review Board. Please contact [email protected] for
more information.
16
Late/Missing Assignments
Consult the Student Handbook for the University late assignment policy. If you are concerned that a student is
struggling in the course, or has not turned in an assignment, and you have already attempted to work with the
student, contact the Student Success team at [email protected]. The appropriate staff member
will be alerted and he/she will reach out to the student and try to determine what the issues are that may be
hindering the student’s work.
Media
If you are contacted by a member of the media to be interviewed or comment on a news story regarding CCU,
refer them to the Director of Retention. Faculty members are not to present themselves as representatives of the
University.
Mentoring for New Faculty (AFM 101)
Faculty members who are teaching their first class or who have not taught in the last 12 months will be enrolled
in a mentoring class for the duration of the first class they teach. An experienced faculty member will serve as a
mentor to answer questions and provide guidance. Participation in mentoring is a requirement.
Multimedia
Any audio or video files submitted in your course should be in .mp3 format or hosted on a video hosting site
(such as YouTube or Vimeo). This ensures that everyone can listen to the file without conversion and for
videos, that the file size stays relatively small.
Instructional videos created by instructors must also include closed-captioning for the hearing impaired. This
can be done by providing a transcript of the audio content, or by utilizing the captioning tools provided with
YouTube, Vimeo, or other video hosting site. Please contact [email protected] if you would like
assistance with finding resources that can do this.
Please note, this does not only apply to videos or audio files that faculty choose to create, but any multimedia
that you choose to incorporate in your class. If you find there are files that are included in your course already,
but do not have acceptable subtitles, please contact the CAGS development team at [email protected].
You must use discernment about the appropriateness of any content you use in the course. Avoid offensive
language, R-rated movie clips, and profanity.
Resources
The portal can be found at my.ccu.edu. You will find general information such as:
 CCU directory
 Phone numbers
 Forms
 Applications
 CCU announcements
A wealth of information can be found under the CAGS Faculty Development Blackboard page that is
specifically designed to support the faculty. You will find:
 Blackboard training
 Faculty Expectations Checklist
17




Faculty Procedure Manual
Student handbook
Professional development (webinars, brown bags, recommended readings)
Information about teaching contracts
Professional Development
The University periodically offers professional development opportunities that are designed to help you hone
your teaching skills. These free seminars provide you with additional connections within the University as well
as keep you up-to-date on current policies. Attendance at seminars may be required to complete a professional
development badge. . Academic divisions may also provide additional professional development opportunities
for their faculty. However, the University does not provide funding for affiliate faculty to attend internal or
external professional development conferences or seminars. Many of the professional development
opportunities are provided via the web for no cost.
Software Requirements
Students are required to use Microsoft Office Products in line with the type of assignment. Please be sure that
you have in Office 2010 or newer to ensure the greatest compatibility. Students and faculty can purchase
subscriptions to Office 365 through http://www.ccu.edu/private/office365/.
 Microsoft Word
 Microsoft Excel
 Microsoft PowerPoint
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of software that you may need, depending upon the course that
you are teaching. Please see the course shell for additional software requirements.
Student Complaints
Students who are dissatisfied with the quality of instruction are encouraged to work out their issues privately,
with the instructor, before bringing their concern to a University administrator. The process students are to
follow can be found in the Student Handbook. If a complaint reaches the University administration, some or all
of the following steps may be taken to determine if the student’s complaint has merit:
1) An audit of the Blackboard shell
2) An observation of an in-seat course
3) A phone call with the instructor to get their perspective
4) A review of current or previous course evaluations
The goal of the process in addressing student complaints is to reach resolution regarding the issue.
Student Handbook
The student handbook is the legally binding contract with the students that gives them direction on how they
should behave, what they can expect from the University, and due process for handling student issues or
concerns. It is imperative that faculty members consult the student handbook to become knowledgeable
about University policy before having conversations with students regarding their behavior or academic
performance. Faculty members who do not follow University policy may be removed from the faculty pool.
If you are unsure what policy in the handbook applies, or you are unsure how to implement it, please contact
[email protected].
18
Student Behavior
If you experience inappropriate or disrespectful student behavior, whether in person or online communication
through emails, please contact CAGS Faculty Development ([email protected]). Please do
not respond to the student online or in person until you have consulted with the faculty development team.
Inappropriate posts to the discussion board should not be removed by the faculty—the faculty
development team will remove the post once the situation has been adequately documented. The faculty
development team will assess the situation and provide guidance and support. If necessary, the situation will
be escalated to the academic dean or the dean of student success.
Student Issues
Instructors are required to be familiar with the CAGS Student Handbook, which can be found on your
Blackboard Dashboard page. Questions about the Student Handbook should be directed to
[email protected].
 Absences: Refer to the CAGS student handbook.
 Illness: Refer to the CAGS student handbook.
 Military Deployment/Work Reassignment: Students who find that they will be deployed or moving
due to military or work assignments should contact his/her Student Services Advisor as soon as possible
to discuss options. The CCU Student Services Advisor will require documentation of the circumstances
from the student’s supervisor.
 Student Performance: Please email student performance concerns such as failing grades, little or no
participation, etc., to [email protected].
Student Service Advisors
Student Services Advisors, known as “SSAs”, are the main contact for our students for academic progress,
student handbook policies, academic policies, and class registration--they are integral to our student’s success.
If a student is struggling in your class or is concerned about his/her academics, encourage him/her to contact the
SSA. If you are concerned about a student, you can also contact the SSA—that information is available in
WebAdvisor by going to my.ccu.edu, choosing “WebAdvisor”, then logging in and choosing “Faculty Menu”,
then “Class Roster”, click on your section name, then click on the student’s name. You can access the name of
their SSA and their e-mail address.
Student Success
Each Blackboard course contains an Early Warning System. This is a rule-driven communication tool that you
can use to send email notification messages to students when Early Warning System rule criteria are met. Rules
are created by instructors and can be based on a test score, calculated column, due date, or course access. The
Early Warning System can be found under the Course Tools drop down menu. Early identification leads to
greater retention and ultimately the success of CAGS students.
Here are a few of the resources Student Services is offering to CAGS students:
 Phone calls from the CAGS Resource Coach
 Mentoring: peer support dealing with life’s pressures that can negatively impact their schooling
 CAGS Student Community in Blackboard
 Online writing lab
19
Substitute Teachers
If you know you will be out of town for one or more weeks during a block, please do not accept an in-seat
teaching contract for that block. If we cannot find someone else to teach we will circle back and re-offer the
course after offering the contract to other instructors. Students are paying to take the in-seat class and do not
want to move online. If you accept the contract and then discover a scheduling conflict, you must contact the
Scheduler ([email protected]) immediately. The University reserves the right to reassign the contract
to a faculty member who will not miss in-seat sessions.
Instructors who find they need to miss a week of their in-seat class because of illness or family emergency are
required to contact CAGS Faculty Development for instructions.
System Requirements
Review the technology requirements in the Student Handbook—the same requirements exist for CAGS
Faculty.
Technical Support
When students report technical issues with the Blackboard shell, it is the faculty member’s responsibility to
attempt to troubleshoot the problem by reviewing the resources in the Faculty Development community in
Blackboard. If you have attempted to help the student and the issue is not resolved, please refer the student to
the Technical Support department (call 303-963-3444 or email [email protected]). Their hours of operation
can be found on the main Blackboard dashboard.
If you experience technical issues with Blackboard, first email the Faculty Development team at
[email protected]. They will either resolve the issue, or forward your issue to the correct
technical support department.
If you experience difficulties with Collaborate, please see the contact information on the dashboard of the
Faculty Development Community in Blackboard.
Textbooks
Once you have signed and returned your contract, if you do not already have the texts for your courses, you will
need to email [email protected] to request your texts. Please do not wait until the last minute to order
your textbooks. Even digital textbooks can take a few days to be approved. If you do already have the
textbooks, please check the course syllabus and the bookstore website to ensure that you have the correct
editions. Some texts go to a new edition as often as every year. The University does not supply recommended
texts for courses, only required texts that are not considered “tools of the trade” (for instance, the DSM,
APA manuals, Bibles, writing manuals).
It is policy that if there is a digital textbook available, that is the version that is sent to the instructor. Once you
have requested your texts, you will receive an email from the textbook manager with instructions on how to
access the digital copy. Faculty will still need to access instructors’ resources through the publisher’s website.
20
Finally, the textbooks are the property of Colorado Christian University. From time to time, CAGS may need
the instructor to return the textbooks. If asked to do so, the instructor will receive instructions on how to return
the books to the Textbook Manager.
If you have a student who is having difficulty locating the textbooks for their course, please have them contact
the bookstore.
Title IX
Please consult the Student Handbook for information about discrimination and Title IX.
Students who need accommodations due to pregnancy should contact their SSA. Faculty members can expect
to receive communication from the Title IX Coordinator, Dave Bechtold, regarding the accommodations the
student is permitted to receive. Any questions about the accommodation will be addressed by him. Pregnancy
is not covered under the Extenuating Circumstances policy in the Student Handbook.
WebAdvisor
Instructors should consult WebAdvisor to confirm the date/time/location of his/her classes and the number of
students currently enrolled. This information is available in WebAdvisor by going to my.ccu.edu, choosing
“WebAdvisor”, then logging in and choosing “Faculty Menu”, then “Class Roster”, click on your section name,
then click on the student’s name. You can access the name of their SSA, phone number, and e-mail address.
Writing Style
The University requires APA (6th ed.) writing style on most academic research assignments for references, intext citations, margins/font, and the cover page. The assignment prompt will indicate whether or not APA is
required. CAGS has created an APA template (found in the Student Resources Community in Blackboard).
Faculty members will hold students accountable for correct APA format according to the template.
The graduate programs in Biblical Studies and Theology require students to use Turabian writing style for
assignments.
The final authority on all writing style disputes is the writing style manual listed on the course syllabus for the
course.
21