Teaching FAQs

• I need help with assignment design. Who can help me?

OFE can help you design new assignments (and even tweak and redesign assignments that you already use.)  OFE’s Assignments and Assessments page includes a variety of questions and strategies to consider when designing assignments.  We also offer Assignment and Syllabus Review. Take advantage of a second opinion opportunity by sending in your assignment (or syllabus) for review and suggested revisions. No judgment, just help.

• How much out-of-class time work is expected?

The University does not have any formal guidelines for students or faculty regarding “homework,” or out-of-class time. If you are looking for a very broad rule-of-thumb, however, you might try this: 2x class time for out-of-class studying and homework. So for a standard 3-credit course that meets 150 minutes, that would be 5 hours a week of out-of-class time. This 2-to-1 guideline makes full-time study (15 credits) a full-time work week (37.5 hrs/week).  The reality is that courses, professors, and students all vary tremendously.  It is helpful to guide your students, however, on what your expectations are.

• Are there teaching supplies such as whiteboard markers and erasers available for adjunct faculty to use?

The University’s adjunct faculty are provided office space and access to printing and other resources through the College/School or department.  Ask the person who hired you or your department administrator about these resources, or contact the Dean’s Office directly.

• Is there a “dress code” that I should follow when teaching in the classroom?

There is no official dress code, but business casual is typical for instructors. Also, dressing in layers is practical because temperatures in different classrooms tend to vary.

• How do I find out about outdoor spaces?

See Practical Details.

• Where can I find the University’s health and safety protocols and policies?

All information and updates will be found on the COVID-19 Information website. Please note that COVID-19 procedures changed on May 11, 2023.

• What if I, the instructor, am unable to attend a class for illness or other another reason?

You should communicate with your department chair to make arrangements for covering classes. In some cases holding the class online (if you were able to do that) may be an acceptable arrangement, though most instructors find that if they hold class online once, students will clamor for more.

• Are there any differences in retention between online and F2F modalities?

Yes.  Online courses and programs typically struggle with retention more so than is the case with F2F courses and programs.  Instructors teaching fully online should be watching for engagement/activity, and seek to re-engage students who drop off and report problems and concerns in Navigate, requesting tutoring, studying skills, or even help navigating Canvas, if that’s appropriate, or simply to provide information for advisers.

• How is Hawk2Hawk different from the traditional F2F classroom setting? 

It isn’t.

• What is HawkLIVE? 

HawkLIVE, which uses one of our tech-enhanced mediated classrooms, is the most similar to traditional F2F teaching in that the expectation is for all students to attend “LIVE,” either in the classroom, F2F, or remotely through video-conference software.  Instructors attend every session F2F and students attend either in-person or via Zoom as determined by instructors.

• What is the technical set-up of a HawkLIVE class?

A HawkLIVE tech-enhanced mediated classroom is equipped with mics to pick up faculty and student voices; at the lectern, the familiar console includes controls for a Pan-Tilt-Camera [PTC] (positioned at the back of the room) as well as the usual capacity to hook up a laptop and project. The PTC camera will be pre-set to 6 views, each enabled by pressing a button: one preset on the podium, three positioned at different whiteboards around the rooms, and two positioned to capture the in-person student population (some variation related to the room is likely).  In addition, there are controls to move the camera manually.  Remote students should be able to hear instructor and student voices through the mics, and in-class participants should be able to hear remote students via the speaker system.

• What are the benefits of HawkLIVE?

Of the modalities with online components, HawkLIVE is most like traditional F2F so it is a good choice for instructors who believe the traditional F2F experience is most conducive to effective teaching and learning of their courses.  For an individual instructor teaching multiple courses, some courses may seem more in need of a simulated F2F experience than others.  HawkLIVE is also a good choice for students who have found they learn more effectively in F2F modalities, or who simply wish to have that classroom experience.   

• What are the disadvantages of HawkLIVE?

HawkLIVE requires a lot of multi-tasking for instructors. It can be difficult to attend to both online and in-person students, while also doing everything else you want to do as an instructor.  Further, many HawkLIVE instructors find that most students end up wanting to be remote, so you may end up with few students in attendance. Or, if you require in-person attendance, students may be unhappy that they have to come.

• In HawkLIVE, will students be able to see the instructor, the board, and the instructor’s projected screen all at once?

Not all at once — students can have one main screen view, and one smaller inset view. There are six preset positions on the room camera, and the camera can also be moved manually.  When instructors project to remote students, they have a choice as to whether to foreground one of the camera views, or a screen share (the instructor’s screen), and they can toggle among these options.  In addition, when in Zoom, the backgrounded screen is typically shown in smaller squares, allowing, for example, a view of the instructor lecturing to be shown as a slide deck is being worked through. Alternatively, instructors can highlight a shot of an actual whiteboard or one of the students sitting in class, among other options.

• If students receive 3 hours of instructional time per week live, how is instructional time calculated for modalities that meet for less than 3 hours? 

Instructors in this situation need to be sure to provide at least 3 hours per week of instruction, and asynchronous work — reviewing lectures, reading, answering questions, etc. — “count” in this total.  So it’s not difficult to achieve.

• Do instructors teaching HYBRID modalities need to schedule specific sessions ahead of time with the Registrar?

Room scheduling is handled by the Registrar’s Office through communication from the Colleges/Schools and departments.  To the extent possible, being very specific about room usage enables the optimal use of our best instructional spaces.

See Practical Information.