Course Syllabus
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Contact Information
Instructor
To insert Teacher & TA details, first set your DesignPLUS comfort level to intermediate, then go into Add Advanced Elements, select the instructor you want to add (make any necessary updates to the info), then click the "+ Insert Details at Cursor" to add it to the page.
Teaching Assistant
TA details can be added the same way. If you do not have a TA for your course just delete this section.
Instructor Communication Policy
Online learning can be especially isolating. How do you intend to communicate with your students? Perhaps an announcement twice a week? If they have questions, should they contact you or your TA? How would you prefer they contact you (phone/email)? How long should they expect to wait for a response? If you find yourself overwhelmed with communications and needing to adjust these plans, that's fine, just let your students know what they should expect.
Office Hours
Use this space to share logistical details about when and where your office hours will be located, but also how you intend to use that time. The concept of "office hours" is foreign to the uninitiated, and even for students who have been here for a couple years you could be expecting to use those hours in a different manner than some of your peers. What should students expect if they come to your office hours? Do you keep them one-on-one, or is it more of an "open door" approach? What do you want students to feel comfortable talking with you about during this time?
Course Description
Replace this with the official description of your course. If this is your first time teaching the course you can search the undergraduate course catalog to find the description.
Prerequisite: Does your course have any prerequisites?
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- We encourage you to review Designing Your Course, Part 1 in Teaching @ UNL as you get started writing course objectives.
Textbook & Reading Materials
Required and Recommended materials should all be listed. Make the designation clear. If there are any other expectations around the materials make sure to clarify those as well, e.g. "You must purchase a new copy of the textbook with a digital access code included"
Course Schedule Details
Note that if you have created assignments for your course in advance and included due dates, the Course Summary below includes much of this information. Scheduled assignments will also populate the students' calendars. This section is predominantly intended to be a topical outline.
| Date | Details |
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| Week 1 | |
| Week 2 | |
| Week 3 | |
| Week 4 | |
| Week 5 | |
| Week 6 | |
| Week 7 | |
| Week 8 |
Canvas Information
Canvas is where course content, grades, and communication will reside for this course.
If you are new to Canvas, quickly review the Canvas Student Orientation materials. You can also find guidance on how to use Canvas by visiting the Canvas Student Guide. This Technical Requirements page identifies the browsers, operating systems, and plugins that work best with Canvas.
For help with Canvas, click the Help (?) link in the lower left-hand corner of the navigation bar.
For other computer-related technical support, contact the IT Help Center.
- Phone: 402-472-3970
- Submit a support ticket: http://support.nebraska.edu (or email support@nebraska.edu)
Course Policies
Grading Policies
Feedback
How do you plan to provide feedback to your students? When should they expect it? Where will they find it? What do you want them to do with it? If you find yourself unable to meet the "deadlines" you're setting for yourself, just let your students know.
Late Work Policy
We recommend clearly expressing your expectations for timely submission of work.
Assignment Weighting
If you weight assignments include that information here as well.
Grading Scheme
In the long-term, the more efficient way of creating and distributing your grading scale is to create and enable a Grading Scheme in Canvas, then you can use DesignPLUS to add a Grading Scheme block immediately under the Grading Policies block. Establishing your grading scheme and keeping a carefully organized gradebook in Canvas will make end-of-semester grade reporting to MyRed only take a few minutes instead of a few hours, and eliminates the possibility of manual data-entry errors into MyRed.
The table below is provided for those of you who have not yet adopted a Grading Scheme in Canvas.
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| A+ | |
| A | |
| A- | |
| B+ | |
| B | |
| B- | |
| C+ | |
| C | |
| C- | |
| D+ | |
| D | |
| D- | |
| F |
Expectations for Student Conduct
What preparation do you expect students to do outside of class? How do you expect students to treat one another?
Attendance & Engagement
Is attendance during scheduled classtimes a requirement of your class? What reasonable exemptions are there? What advance notice and documentation do you expect to verify their exemptions? Are there alternative activities students can do in lieu of coming to class?
For Spring 2021, courses will be delivered in a variety of modes outlined in this document. Students who enrolled in any course with an in-person component are expected to attend in-person at scheduled meeting times. For short-term absences due to illness, quarantine, or isolation, instructors are expected to work with students based on their individual situations to allow them to complete work remotely. To receive longer-term remote accommodations for classes with an in-person component, most instructors will require students to be approved for an Academic Flexibility accommodation. More information on obtaining an Academic Flexibility accommodation can be found here. Students who are ill or in quarantine or isolation will need to notify professors prior to missed classes in order to receive a recording of the missed lectures.
Many Spring 2021 classes have a live, synchronous web conferencing component conducted through Zoom. To encourage students to engage in live, synchronous sessions, let students know that they are expected to be actively involved in the class in order to earn course credit for participation and engagement. Some ideas for active involvement include:
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- Requesting that students turn on their cameras during class, except in cases where a low-bandwidth connection makes this difficult, which may be more likely in larger classes.
- Encouraging students to use their microphones to talk with the instructor and peers during class discussions and breakout sessions (students can use the raise your hand tool in Zoom to get the instructor’s attention or respond when questions are asked)
- Encouraging students to use the chat feature (but be sure to stay on topic and use @ to respond to specific people)
- Requiring students to participate in live session activities such as collaborative documents, discussion boards, homework problems, etc.
Classroom Roles and Responsibilities
This is an opportunity for you to articulate what preparation and behaviors you expect from your students. To help establish a cooperative culture between you and your students you may want to elicit their input on what expectations they have for you as well. This can be a great first-day-of-class discussion to have with your students ("These are the things I expect from you, but what are your expectations for me as we progress through this semester?")
Technology Use
Technology policies are another area where student input may be beneficial. Based on previously examined behaviors you may expect students want full access to their technology during class, but they're often aware of the distractions that technology brings with it. Rather than imposing a policy onto them from the top you may get better buy-in if you open this up to a class discussion. Consider sharing some of your previous experiences with student technology use in the classroom with them and then asking them what they think the technology use policy should be.
Netiquette
In an online learning environment it's also valuable to include Netiquette guidelines. Feel free to use the ones listed below, adapt them, or replace them with your own. If you use the ones listed below please include the CC attribution.
- Participate: This is a shared learning environment. No lurking in the cyberspace background. It is not enough to login and read the discussion thread of others. For the maximum benefit to all, everyone must contribute.
- Report Glitches: Discussion forums are electronic. They break. If for any reason you experience difficulty participating, please call, email, or otherwise inform me of the issue. Chances are others are having the same problem.
- Help Others: You may have more experience with online discussion forums than the person next to you. Give them a hand. Show them it’s not so hard. They’re really going to appreciate it!
- Be Patient: Read everything in the discussion thread before replying. This will help you avoid repeating something someone else has already contributed. Acknowledge the points made with which you agree and suggest alternatives for those with which you don’t.
- Be Brief: You want to be clear—and to articulate your point—without being preachy or pompous. Be direct. Stay on point. Don’t lose yourself, or your readers, in overly wordy sentences or paragraphs.
- Use Proper Writing Style: This is a must. Write as if you were writing a term paper. Correct spelling, grammatical construction and sentence structure are expected in every other writing activity associated with scholarship and academic engagement. Online discussions are no different.
- Cite Your Sources: Another big must! If your contribution to the conversation includes the intellectual property (authored material) of others, e.g., books, newspaper, magazine, or journal articles—online or in print—they must be given proper attribution.
- Emoticons and Texting: Social networking and text messaging has spawned a body of linguistic shortcuts that are not part of the academic dialogue. Please refrain from :-) faces and c u l8r’s.
- Respect Diversity: It’s an ethnically rich and diverse, multi-cultural world in which we live. Use no language that is—or that could be construed to be—offensive toward others. Racists, sexist, and heterosexist comments and jokes are unacceptable, as are derogatory and/or sarcastic comments and jokes directed at religious beliefs, disabilities, and age.
- No YELLING! Step carefully. Beware the electronic footprint you leave behind. Using bold upper-case letters is bad form, like stomping around and yelling at somebody (NOT TO MENTION BEING HARD ON THE EYE).
- No Flaming! Criticism must be constructive, well-meaning, and well-articulated. Please, no tantrums. Rants directed at any other contributor are simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The same goes for profanity. The academic environment expects higher-order language.
- You Can't Un-Ring the Bell: Language is your only tool in an online environment. Be mindful. How others perceive you will be largely—as always—up to you. Once you've hit the send button, you've rung the bell.
Netiquette: Ground Rules for Online Discussions by Peter Connor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Video Chat Etiquette
Out of respect for the instructor and your classmates you are expected to adhere to the following guidelines when you participate in synchronous sessions. Please keep in mind that the sessions are recorded for classmates who are not able to attend.
Present Yourself Professionally
Please check the course syllabus and with your instructor for any specific guidelines about how they would like you to present yourself to be respectful of time sent together. If your instructor has not provided specific guidelines, treat that time and space with the same level of respect as you would time together in a regular classroom.
Control Your Environment
If possible, find a space away from potential distractions. If your instructor expects you to enable your video and or audio during the session be mindful of the noise and lighting in the space as well. Extra noises can disrupt the flow of discussion, and intense lighting behind where you are sitting can wash out the video making it so your classmates cannot see you.
Know When You're Live
Check with your instructor to see when you should be broadcasting video or audio to the rest of the class. Review the Zoom instructions for attendee controls and be mindful of when your camera and microphone are turned on.
College and University Policies
Face Covering Guidance
As it has done throughout the pandemic, with regard to COVID-19 safety and health protocols, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln continues to follow the most recent guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.
As of March 22, 2022, UNL no longer requires face coverings on our campuses or facilities.
Additional information can be found on the University's face covering policy webpage.
More information on COVID testing can be found on the University's COVID-19 testing information website.
Counseling and Psychological Services
UNL offers a variety of options for students to aid them in dealing with stress and adversity. Counseling and Psychological & Services (CAPS) is a multidisciplinary team of psychologists and counselors that works collaboratively with Nebraska students to help them explore their feelings and thoughts and learn helpful ways to improve their mental, psychological and emotional well-being when issues arise. CAPS can be reached by calling 402-472-7450 (even after hours).
Accessibility Support
The University strives to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on your disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions), please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options privately. To establish reasonable accommodations, I may request that you register with Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). If you are eligible for services and register with their office, make arrangements with me as soon as possible to discuss your accommodations so they can be implemented in a timely manner. SSD contact information: 117 Louise Pound Hall.; 402-472-3787
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty is essential to the existence and integrity of an academic institution. The responsibility for maintaining that integrity is shared by all members of the academic community. The University's Student Code of Conduct addresses academic dishonesty. Students who commit acts of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action and are granted due process and the right to appeal any decision.
College of Business students are held to the standards set by the UNL Student Code of Conduct. In the Student Code of Conduct, acts of dishonesty are specified as, but not limited to: cheating, fabrication or falsification, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, complicity in academic dishonesty, falsifying grade reports, impermissible collaboration, or misrepresentation to avoid academic work. The penalties for academic dishonesty will be severe and may range from receiving a failing grade on the test or assignment, failing the course in which academic dishonesty took place, or the possibility of expulsion from the university.
Writing Support
The Writing Center can provide you with meaningful support as you write for this class as well as every course in which you enroll. Trained undergraduate and graduate peer consultants are available to talk with you about all forms of communication. You are welcome to bring in everything from lab reports, presentations, and research papers to cover letters, application essays, and graduate theses and dissertations. Writing Center Consultants can work with you at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming and organizing your ideas through polishing a final draft.
In 2021-22, there are two ways you can connect with a Consultant: Online (a real-time, video conversation) and eTutoring (email feedback). To learn more about these options and view video tutorials, please visit https://www.unl.edu/writing/online-writing-center-services. Sign up any time by visiting unl.mywconline.com. For more information about the Writing Center, please visit unl.edu/writing.
Weather/Fire
Every UNL campus building has emergency shelter and evacuation plans. Please familiarize yourself with the plans of each building in which you take classes or attend meetings. Make sure to note the routes to the lowest level of the buildings for shelter during inclement weather, as well as exits from the buildings in the event of fire or other emergency. For more information on emergency procedures, visit emergency.unl.edu.
Medical
In the event of a medical emergency in the classroom, immediately call 9-1-1 and take steps to assist the individual as needed.
Active Shooter/Physical Attack
- Run - If there is a clear and safe escape route.
- Hide - If there is no escape and you can get to a secure location to hide.
- Fight - If your only option is to defend yourself, fight as if your life depended upon it.
For more details and video training for all emergency procedures, visit emergency.unl.edu.
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Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|