Department of Computer Science
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College of Engineering Department of Computer Science |
This document is intended to provide information for Computer Science department instructors.
Every VT employee must obtain a VT Hokie passport. This
is a
photo ID card provided by Hokie passport services.
Every employee/student must have a VT PID (Personal IDentification) account to access VT systems. Click this link and follow the instructions and obtain and activate your VT PID. After activation you will need to setup two-factor authentication.
To access the CS Dept intranet you should have a departmental CS SLO (Single LogOn) account. Use this link to create your CS SLO account .
CS Department room reservations and equipment can be requested at the CS Dept intranet web site.
The UPC (Undergrad Program Comm.) full course proposals/descriptions are available through the Course Descriptions PDF link.
Departmental email account can be manged through the Account>My Email link.
Course web page (http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csXXXX) access can be obtained through the Web>Course link. Click on a course link and use the Add User field to get FTP access: ap1.cs.vt.edu.
Techstaff: the CS techstaff can be emailed for help: techstaff@cs.vt.edu
The Techstaff maintains a wiki site with useful system documentation & HowTo guides.
Personal page creation - how to (all faculty must create a personl page.)
Course rosters can be downloaded through HokieSPA. After logging on, follow the Faculty Access link and then the Summary Class List link to select the term and course/crn to download a csv roll file.
The Va Tech course timetable is available through HokieSPA. Term calendars, Final exam information, course enrollment sizes, buliding codes, etc. are all available from the timetable site.
VT uses Google Groups (GG) for course listservs. The course GG/listserv email address can be found by following the View Class Section Google Groups link from the HokieSPA faculty Access page. The GG/listserv email page has help links: Using VT Google Groups - Creating a VT Google Groups. By default, a GG is setup for announcement only. Students may not post to the listserv, only instructors.
The SSD office can help you with support for students with disabilities.
Students with final exam conflicts (or 3 exams within 24 hours) can request a reschedule. The request deadline is ubout 5 weeks before the end of exams. The College of Engineering forms are available online. Instructors are NOT allowed to change the time/day of a scheduled final exam unless it is approved by the College of Engineering Dean's office.
Course Management Systems (CMS)
Canvas (the primary CMS @ VT)
It is possible to copy an entire Canvas course, (or relevant sections), from a prior semester into a current semster Canvas course. You will need to request access to the source course from a orior term instructor. Check the CS dept. intranet course web pages to determine recent faculty instructors for a course.
Software/Tech Resources
VT has site liscences for many software products and reduced pricing:
Software/Cloud Service Platforms
If you wish to use a software/cloud service platform in a course or your research you must check to see VT alreadys has a site liscense for the software. Eveen if the software is free, if it is not site liscenses bt VT then you must go through a Software License Agreement Review Request. Contact Ms. Melanie Darden regarding the details of getting approval for service software.
Excel
Many instructors use Microsoft Excel for grade management. If you need to learn Excel, online training is available for free to VT students through LinkedIn Learning whose tutorials are licensed by Va Tech. To obtain access log on using your CAS VT email PID (without the "@vt.edu") and your VT email password and access the Excel tutorial.
Course Syllabus
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning maintains a web page with information to help you compose your course syllabus. It contains a syllabus checklist, learning contract, technology usage and same syllabi.
Most faculty schedule office hours based on the number of credit hours they are teaching on a 1:1 basis. For off-campus (KW II) based faculty, the CS department provides on-campus hoteling space in McBryde Hall room 122 for holding office hours for undergraduate courses. See the staff in Torgerson 1160 at the start of classes regarding the scheduling of hoteling space.
The VT PageUp Learning Management System (LMS) contains new hire and compliance training courses, such as Compliance: Title IX/Policy 1025/VAWA, State of Virginia: Civilian Response to Active Shooter, and State of Virginia: Employee Safety and Disaster Awareness.
A summary of the federal guidelines governing disclosure of the academic record is provided at this link: https://registrar.vt.edu/FERPA.html. Details of privacy guidelines are provided. Please remember that FERPA allows the disclosure of information to appropriate school, health, or law enforcement representatives in cases of health and safety emergencies. If you have any questions or concerns when considering disclosure, contact the University Registrar. EMAILS: please remember that grade information should never be disclosed in an email. Refer students to SCHOLAR for access to graded information or distribute individually to the student. Do not include full name and full ID in an email.
All VT employees are required to complete and submit the FERPA form. The form can NOT be submitted electronically. You must print the form, complete it, sign it and physically turn it in to the CS department office.
All Va Tech employees are required to complete Title IX and Retaliation training. The sexual harassment of students and sexual violence involving students are forms of sex discrimination prohibited by Title IX and university policy. The training explains Title IX’s focus on sexual harassment, sexual violence and the prohibition against retaliation for participating in a discrimination investigation or complaint. Learn how to support students, satisfy your compliance responsibilities under Virginia Tech’s policy and ensure that actions are not taken to retaliate against someone for bringing or participating in an investigation. (If you have previously been a UTA and have already completed the Title IX Training you do NOT need to do so again.)
There is an online Title IX and Retaliation training course. The online training takes approximately 90 minutes.
Logon to training.vt.edu using your VT email PID and password.
Select the "View by Category" option at the top of the page.
Select "Department of Human Resources (HR)" and click "Go!"
Select "Compliance Workshop: On-Demand Module"
Read the instructions provided on the left-hand side carefully. After you do that, select "Click Here to Register" on the right-hand side then click "Next Step".
Fill out the information (include "@vt.edu" in your e-mail address on this page) and click "Submit Registration"
You will receive an e-mail with further registration options, (VT HR is using an outside company to host this training). You will need to use your VT e-mail address and 9-0# when registering for at this training website so VT HR will get accurate information on when you completed the training.
Once you complete the training, VT HR will be informed and update your information to indication your completion. Be aware though, is that VT HR will also be informed of how many slides you completed and how fast you completed the training. If VT HR doesn't deem that you "put enough effort" into the training module, they will not mark it as complete and you won't get credit!
For faculty involved in grant research requiring the collection of data on human subjects you will be required to complete the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Human Subjects Protection Traning Tutorial.
In addition all VT research investigators are required to
complete
conflict of interest training.
Be aware that in your duties as an instructor you will have access to students' grades and academic work. Note that you will have a legal obligation to maintain the strict confidentiality of any students' grades and work.
NEVER download student data to external data mediums, (USB flash drives, etc.)!
NEVER identify students by their full name and VT ID number via email or in documents.
Destroy all hardcopies of student data after one full year past the end of the semester.
When deleting temporarily downloaded students' data from your computer you should use file shredding software to ensure permanent deletion of the data:
MS Windows: File Shredder
Mac OSX:
Permanent
Eraser
GTAS
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) will be assigned to your course shortly before the start of a term. You will be copied on email notification of the assignment. GTAs are assigned to work no more than 20 hours per week. Their duties consist of assisting faculty with assignments including laboratory teaching, grading of examinations, problem sets and/or lab assignments, setting up lectures/laboratory sections, holding office hours to assist students, and preparing/maintaining laboratory equipment. GTAs are advised to read the GTA survival guide. GTAs are assigned based on student enrollment in a course. GTA positions usually have a start date the week before clases start. However, the week preceding courses they may have to attend a grad school course, employment meetings and complete and submit employment forms. All graduate students seeking a GTA position must apply each semster.
UTAs
Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (UTAs) may be assigned to your course at the beginning of a term. You will be copied on email notification of the assignment. UTAs are assigned to work no more than 10 hours per week. Their primary duties consist of helping GTAs offer a lab and holding office hours to assist students. It is not recommended that UTAs be used for course work evaluation. From the Office of Academic Affairs: "UTAs should only provide objective feedback on assigned work. The types of acceptable feedback according to a well-defined rubric". Due to the possibility of conflict with their friends great care must be taken in assigning UTAs any grading work. UTAs are wage employees and must enter the hours they work online using the Time Clock Plus system. At the end of each two-week pay period, (at the beginning & middle of a month), you will need to logon to Time Clock Plus system to approve their logged hours. Follow the HOURS link and then the Individual Hours sub-link. From the left pane select the Employee/UTA name and then either click separate hours entries followed by the Apply Changes button OR simply click on the Mü link to approve all of the hours at once.
Presentation Kiosk Access: If you need grant a TA access for lab teaching or
otherwise:
setup access for you
through VT Classroom A/V Services.
You may direct undergrads interested in becoming UTAs to apply online.
Resources for Instructional Faculty
Special Instructor Needs: if an instructor has an impairment that requires special teaching accomodations they should contact the Office for Equity and Accessibility to report their needs. The registrar and the CS department will then work wtih faculty to meet their need course scheduling needs.
Reporting a Student Concern: The Student Advocacy Team, within the Dean of Students Office, serves as support for faculty and staff in working with students that may require intervention. Contact the Student Advocacy staff at 540-231-3787, dean.students@vt.edu or visit 109 East Eggleston Hall.
Identifying the Distressed Student: Faculty guidelines as prepared by Cook Counseling Center is available on their website.
Emergency Preparedness: The Office of Emergency
Preparedness has provided a flyer. The information has been updated from last
year. Please review and maintain with your classroom resources. The flyer
provides information so you may make informed decisions in your classroom in
case of emergencies:
http://www.registrar.vt.edu/documents/Preparedness_Document.pdf
Classroom Locks
If you are teaching in a general assignment classroom you
will notice corridor locks/handles on the classroom doors. A general assignment
classroom is a centrally scheduled classroom (170 of the approximately 225
instructional spaces). These locks (known as "corridor locks") are designed so
occupants can lock the door from the inside the room in times of emergency.
Please be aware that this lock requires that the door be closed prior to
locking. If you engage the lock while the door is open, the lock will disengage
when you close the door. Simply moving the handle from the inside of the door
will release the lock and allow exit. Also, please keep in mind that emergency
and security personnel have key access to all the doors. There are some
instructors who wish to lock their doors as standard procedure. We urge you to
use caution for a very practical reason: you should consider the implication for
students arriving late to class. It is important that you discuss your intent
with your class so all students are aware of the implications of arriving late.
Audio Visual Services
Classroom Support (AV) is a unit in Enrollment and Degree Management, http://www.classroomav.vt.edu. Card readers allow equipment access via your HOKIE PASSPORT. REGISTRATION is required. Visit this link to complete registration and receive access: https://register.classroomav.vt.edu/. Information on classrooms, including how to use the classroom equipment is available at this link: https://rooms.classroomav.vt.edu/buildings. Classroom AV also maintains a page for determining when a room in a building has been reserved.
Grade Posting
As you know, faculty may not post grades in a listing format
with any portion of the student identification number and name. Please visit
this link for
student privacy information.
Security of Data
Identity Theft is a prevalent danger. Just as you hope others take care with your personal information, it is as important that you take care with the data provided on your students. University policy requires that you assure your desktop or laptop has the most current security software. Please visit www.security.vt.edu for more information.
Syllabus Requirements
Course syllabi must include the following:
Instructor contact information: office location, phone, email, office hours
Grading criteria with assignment/test weights and grade range
Topics list
Course/Learning Objectives
Absence policy
Undergrauate Courses
CS is a highly popular major which has seen large course enrollment growth. Instructors are advised not to promise students seats in your class. Many CS courses are over-enrolled and are restricted to CS majors.The CS department employs an online force add process. After students have received the results of their web course request during the web drop/add period they can submit a force-add request online. Students MUST submit the force-add request approximately one week prior to the first class meetings.
As force-adds are processed the students' schedules will be automatically updated. Force-add requests are usually processed within the first 1-3 days of each semester. Instruct students to check their HokieSPA course schdule to determine if they have been force-added into the course.
For students who do NOT receive a force-add inform them they will have to attempt to add the course in a later semester. Do NOT send these students to McBryde Hall room 1114, (the CS dept undergrad advising office). All students must meet course prequisites - NO exceptions are made!
Graduate Courses
For graduate courses, if your course is full, it is
recommended you tell the students to attend the first class meeting and request
a seat. At that time you will have to decide who gets added.
Midterm Grades
Estimated current grades for entering/transfer students during the Fall semester. Satisfactory" is given for work earning a grade of C or better and "unsatisfactory" is given for work earning a grade of C- or below.
Tentative Grades
Tentative Grade reports are only applicable to graduating students to make sure they are on track. Tentative Grade reports are usually due one-week before the start of final exams.
Final Grades
Student course grades can be submitted individually or uploaded for an entire course. The registrar's office has published online grade entry instructions. The process for submitting midterm and tentative grades is similar.
Change of Grade
If a mistake in a student's grade is disovered after the deadline for submitting grades to the Registrar, you must submit a Change of Grade Form, (available on the dept. intranet) to Ms. Ruth Hale <ruth2018@vt.edu>.
Extra Credit Work
Virginia Tech does "not" allow extra work to be done to raise a grade. From the VT Undergrad Catalog:
"All grades are to be based on established grading
criteria and not on personal conduct or opinions unrelated to academic
standards. An individual student may not do extra work to raise his/her grade."
A course textbook request must be submitted in the
prior semester to the offering. An
online google form will generate the textbook request. Contact
Ms. Zier if you have questions. You can also
request that she order a desk copy for you and your TAs from the publisher.
(Chec the faculty handbook below regarding the use of a textbook you have
authored.
Applicable Information
VT Faculty Handbook (VT employment policies & procedures)
The Va Tech people search is available online.
Campus maps are available at: maps.vt.edu
University Policies
| © 2021 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | updated: 2022.08.15 DirAcadOps@cs.vt.edu |