CSD Instructor FAQ and Resources

Owned by Kathy Vander Werff
Last updated: Aug 13, 2024
7 min read

Who do I ask for help?

Lisa Shoen - Department Operations Specialist    lmshoen@syr.edu

  • Blackboard access, email, NetID
  • Hiring and payroll questions
  • Room and scheduling
  • Parking and building access
  • General questions

Kathy Vander Werff  - Department Chair   kvander@syr.edu

  • Course, department, and university policies
  • Course content
  • Student concerns and issues during the semester
  • Instructor illness or other absences

Other university help resources:

Where do I find help with Blackboard and classroom technology?

SU Blackboard Answers page

Blackboard Help page

Why can't I find/access my current course Blackboard site?

  • Make sure you have been issued a NetID and SU email
  • Make sure that you are listed as an instructor for the course - check with Lisa
  • Courses are made available about 5-6 weeks before the start of the semester

Using Gradescope through Blackboard (for bubble sheet grading or other assignment/exam grading)

Teaching and Learning Answers page including classroom resource guide and other help.

  • On main campus, for immediate assistance with classroom technology call the ITS Help Desk at 315.443.2677, ext. 2677, or 100 on the classroom intercom phone. 
  • At 621 Skytop for our department classrooms, problems should be reported to A&S computing services (consult@cas.syr.edu). Immediate assistance with classroom tech may not be available. Please report any issues to Timari or Lisa immediately so that we can follow up.

How do I submit my textbook for my course to the bookstore?

https://fast.ecampus.com/courses

What information should I have on my syllabus and where should I submit it?

Information for all syllabi: all undergraduate and graduate courses

ASHA competencies for REQUIRED graduate courses and combined undergraduate/grad courses (see below for reporting at the end of the semester):

  • ASHA competencies associated with the course and requirements for meeting them  must be included on all syllabi for required graduate courses. 
    • If you haven't received a copy of these for your course, request from the department chair (kvander@syr.edu) or Timari Hughes (tihughes@syr.edu)
    • Please check each semester that you have included the correct ASHA objectives and standards. Make sure the standards linked to the objectives say "2020 ASHA standards" (current certification standard).
  • Example text regarding meeting ASHA competencies based on specific requirements per standard:

Required Competencies Associated With This Course

CSD 637 addresses certain knowledge and skills competencies for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), as described in the chart below for Audiology students from the current 2020 Audiology Certification Standards. The knowledge and skills obtained in this course, along with those obtained in other courses and clinical experiences, will enable you to fulfill the range of standards as required for ASHA certification. A score of 80% or greater for the related assessments listed per standard is required for the objective to be considered met and the student to be considered competent in the specified knowledge/skill area. If an objective is not met, the associated competency(s) will be considered unmet, regardless of the overall grade achieved in the course.

In the case where a specific competency or group of competencies is unmet following completion of this course, a remediation plan will be determined if the student is to continue in the program. Remediation will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may include meeting with the professor, additional assignments, experiences, or coursework (including retaking the course if deemed appropriate). Successful completion of remediation will allow you to meet the associated competencies but will not change your course grade.

  • OR, if only an overall course grade is required to meet all, the following example:

Required Competencies Associated With This Course

CSD 637 addresses certain knowledge and skills competencies for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), as described in the chart below for Audiology students from the current 2020 Audiology Certification Standards. The knowledge and skills obtained in this course, along with those obtained in other courses and clinical experiences, will enable you to fulfill the range of standards as required for ASHA certification. An overall score of 80% or greater in this course required for the objective to be considered met and the student to be considered competent in all the specified knowledge/skill area. 

In the case where competencies are unmet following completion of this course, a remediation plan will be determined if the student is to continue in the program. Remediation will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may include meeting with the professor, additional assignments, experiences, or coursework (including retaking the course if deemed appropriate). Successful completion of remediation will allow you to meet the associated competencies but will not change your course grade.

Final syllabi should be emailed to Timari Hughes (tihughes@syr.edu) prior to the first class session, or to the department chair if you have questions. All instructors should post their syllabus on their Blackboard course site.

What are the department's attendance, absence, and missed assignment/exam policies?

  • Attendance in classes is expected in all courses at Syracuse University and by the department. Faculty will use Early-Semester Progress Reports and Mid-Semester Progress Reports in Orange SUccess to alert the Registrar and Financial Aid Office of /wiki/spaces/orangesuccess/pages/162824489.

  • It is up to the instructor whether attendance and participation are graded.
  • There is no departmental policy regarding make-up exams or assignments. In general, specific course policies about missed assignments/exams due to absence are up to the instructor. Whatever your policies, whether you allow make-up exams/assignments, deadline extensions, etc., they should be clearly stated on your syllabus from the beginning of the semester.
  • Types of absence and absence notifications are described here. Instructors may require an absence notification (received through OrangeSuccess) for extended absences for make-up exam/assignment eligibility or due date extensions.
  • Final exam dates should be on the syllabus from the beginning of the semester (available in MySlice and here). Final dates/times should NOT be changed. Students will not be excused from scheduled finals for reasons other than documented illness/emergency absences. If an incomplete is needed due to an emergency situation, please contact the department. Students who are graduating cannot take incompletes- contact the department chair.

What are the academic dates and deadlines?

Academic Calendar 2024-2025

Five-year academic calendar 2020-2025

REMEMBER NO CLASSES FOR THE FALL BREAK - Monday October 14 and Tuesday October 15 - or for Thanksgiving week Sunday November 24 - Sunday December 1


IMPORTANT: Be sure to put the academic/financial drop deadline and withdrawal (no money back, W on transcript) deadlines on your syllabus

  • Fall 2024 Academic/financial drop deadline Monday, September 16, withdrawal deadline Friday November 22
  • Spring 2024 Academic/financial drop deadline Monday, February 3, withdrawal deadline Tuesday, April 15

What do I need to know about the confidentiality of student grades and information?

  • Please read: FERPA: What instructors need to know about the confidentiality of student information
  • According to FERPA, all students attending post-secondary institutions are viewed as responsible adults who legally decide who can have lawful access to their student records. Information may only be shared with parents with the student's written consent. Information about a student's enrollment in, attendance, or performance in your course  should NOT be shared with a parent or guardian without the student's express written permission. 

How do I report whether graduate students have met the ASHA competencies for my course?

Full-time CSD faculty

  • At the end of the semester, indicate in Typhon under your current course and semester whether each student has met each competency according to the requirements you set in your syllabus.
  • If any students do NOT meet all competencies, you should develop a remediation plan and enter comments into Typhon that the competency is not met and remediation is in progress.
  • When remediation is successfully completed, be sure to enter the date that the competency is now met in Typhon.

CSD adjunct faculty (required courses with grad students only)

  • Email Timari Hughes (tihughes@syr.edu) and copy the department chair (kvander@syr.edu) indicating whether all graduate students have met the requirements for all ASHA competencies associated with your course as described on your syllabus (generally, have achieved a B- or better, but you may have other requirements as described above under syllabus requirements).
  • If any students do not meet all competencies, the department will develop a remediation plan for the student. Your input will be valuable in developing the plan, but adjunct instructors are not responsible for the remediation.

How do I submit my grades?

Mid-semester grades:

  • There is no university submission of midterm grades, but /wiki/spaces/orangesuccess/pages/162824489 should be submitted by all instructors
  • Midterm grades must be submitted to the department for all courses with graduate students  enrolled
    • Submit grade standing for all graduate students in your courses to Lisa using this link by the date below:
      • Fall 2024 submit grades by Friday, October 18
      • Spring 2024 submit grades by Monday March 17

Final course grades:

  • Submitted through MySlice>Faculty and Advisors>Faculty Center
    • Under My Teaching Schedule, first icon is your class roster and second icon is the grade roster
  • If under exceptional circumstances, a student needs to take an incomplete, please discuss this with the chair prior to approving. Procedures for entering an Incomplete grade are described here.
  • If you need to change a grade, this can also be done through the MySlice grade roster after grades are submitted. Be sure to enter a clear reason why the grade is being changed, and all grade changes are then approved by the chair.