The+Role+of+the+Instructor


 * The Role of the Instructor ** (To be Revised, Summer 2015)

As an instructor in the School Library Media Studies sequence, there are a number of “housekeeping” details that are hard to remember from year to year, or changes in the details that occur when you are in an off year. The following sections will try to help you with the overall picture in the process of teaching a distance education course at UVM. This section will undoubtedly change from time to time, so there will be updates that you will want to insert in this handbook and replace in the electronic version.


 * Timeline **

The courses in the sequence are delivered in a two year cycle, one course per semester. The current cycle begins in Fall 2015 with the Managing School Library Media Centers course. Spring 2016 follows with Developing and Organizing a School Library Media Collection, and Summer 2016 will offer Information Technologies. Fall 2016 will offer Information Sources and Services, Spring 2017 will offer Designing Instruction, and Summer 2017 will offer Children’s and Young Adult Literature.

The UVM course development schedule requires that you will have to revise and present your syllabus and proposed meeting times, and fill out a questionnaire well in advance of teaching the class. You may be asked for an updated resume at that time also. You can anticipate the course planning by the schedule below:

Fall Spring Summer Contact from CE to Submit Courses Mid-January Mid-August Early October Deadline for course submission Mid-February Mid-September Early November Deadline for Changes March 1 October 1 December 1

The syllabus shell can be found by going to the CE website ([|http://learn.uvm.edu/faculty/?Page=planning.php#approve] ), and scrolling down to “How do I obtain course approval?” There is a link to it in Word format that you can use. The coordinator will also email that form and the questionnaire about personal information to you when the course planning process begins.

The folks at CE will send that information to the UVM Department of Education for course approval, and then will set up room assignments and VIT dates.

Your course will be open to registration during the semester before it is scheduled to be given. Students will register in mid-April for the fall semester, early March for the summer, and mid-November for the spring semester. As the courses are taught every other year, you will need to revisit your past course syllabus and make adjustments to objectives, rubrics, assignments, textbooks and readings to reflect changes in content or technology that have emerged since you last presented your course. After reflection about standards, current trends or issues, and emerging technologies, you may need to make additions or remove sections from your course plan. You may also access the student evaluations from the previous time you taught the course by requesting to view those evaluations through the CE page. [|http://learn.uvm.edu/faculty/?Page=evaluate.php#past_data] Things to think about: After reviewing these and other ideas, you may find that you will make adjustments. This exercise challenges us maintain a forward looking focus on our constantly changing and dynamic profession. You may also seek feedback from your faculty colleagues. We will try to establish a format for curriculum mapping (more on that later). A list with email addresses appears at the end of this document. FYI, also at the end of the document is a thought provoking article by Barbara Stripling that addresses teaching and learning, “Teaching for Understanding (2007).” If you are interested in comparing the content, etc. in your course with other online courses, look at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis web site: [] -an excellent and complete program!
 * Developing and/or Revising Course Syllabi **
 * Review assignments and content-what are the current issues? Do the assignments reveal authentic learning and reflection? Do assignments align with objectives of the course?
 * Review the standards (mentioned above with links). How does your content align with the standards?
 * Review the syllabi for the other courses in the sequence. How does your content scaffold or lay the groundwork for in depth study in another course?
 * Review your textbook selections and readings. Are they more than two of three years old? Are there updates or new editions? Review professional journals. Check publisher websites or catalogs. You may be able to order instructor copies of new titles directly from the publishers by contacting them through their websites.
 * Review your rubrics and expectations. Are your expectations clearly stated, with rubrics that are easy to understand? Do your final projects have clear rubrics also?
 * How do you incorporate technology tools into your teaching? Are you comfortable with the online delivery format? Do you need a refresher or training in creating material for your website? Do your assignments challenge students to use technology tools and applications that they will have to use in the classroom? e.g., Desktop publishing, web publishing, social communication programs (Web 2.0-blogs, wikis, digital media, and so on)?

Your role as an adjunct, teaching through Continuing Education means that your main contacts at UVM, besides the SLMS sequence coordinator, are there. Ellen Morris, Ellen.Morris@uvm.edu (656-5797) is an education coordinator, and she will arrange your room assignments and the VIT sessions. The SLMS coordinator will request that you send your revised syllabus and questionnaire to both of them. Ellen comes to your first class to organize the VIT sites and will answer any of your questions, no matter how small or complicated. She is there to help sort out all the issues that arise in connection with teaching your course. There are education counselors who answer phones and emails at Continuing Education. They will talk to prospective students and will want to know about your courses. The SLMS coordinator assists them in guiding students who are interested in the sequence of courses. There is a contact page with the CE website for the SLMS sequence. [] Unfortunately, when you are not teaching at UVM, you may be dropped from their ID system, and will have to be reactivated. Technically, when registration for your course is open, you should automatically get access using your NetID. That ID will give you access to the secure faculty site on the [|registrar’s page (Banner)] so that you can view your class lists and other information about your students, as well as override new students into the class. When you log into the [|Blackboard] web page, you should see your class listed as “unavailable.” It’s there for you to begin to shape the course, and to make the site “available” to your students when the class starts. If you can’t get into the registrar’s site or can’t get into Blackboard, contact Ellen, and she will help you out. You will be able to get a plastic UVM once you are in the system... You can take that letter to the office in the Davis Building to get a photo ID, if you are going to have a use for it. If you want a library card, you can arrange to have a guest card until you get a photo ID. The Continuing Education section of the UVM website has lots of helpful information. You should explore it thoroughly, and bookmark it for future reference. []
 * Working with Continuing Education Contacts; NetID, UVM ID **

UVM uses a web online teaching course management system, [|Blackboard]. All classes will have websites in the Bb format. The format does have access to some simple Web 2.0 functions. Hopefully you will create original files in Word document or RTF form. The first time you design and build a Bb website, it will be a learning curve. The sequence coordinator is available to help with setting up and monitoring the web site. See the separate page within this wiki for additional Blackboard information.
 * Setting Up Your Course Online: Distance Education Contacts **

Training can also be set up on campus and there are tutorials online if you want to give them a try. You might want to plan some time at the Center for Teaching and Learning on the 3rd floor of the Bailey-Howe Library, and check out their website: [|http://www.uvm.edu/~ctl/]. When you get your site set up, please add me as a teaching assistant. As an adjunct, you will have access to download UVM software programs such as security software at no charge. Go to the CTL site and click on software archives to see what’s available.

If there is a problem with your NetID, email Ellen Morris, and she will help you. Once you have a NetID, you can log in to the CTL page [|http://www.uvm.edu/~ctl/] and start to use the tutorials for starting with Bb and converting WebCT to Bb. The SMLS Coordinator is also available to help you se up your Blackboard site. Just give a holler!

Another component in distance education is the opportunity for face to face classes that are held at various Vermont Interactive Television ([] )sites throughout the state. In your course planning, you can opt to have between 4-6 sessions at the sites. You may choose the length of the session, 2-3 hours, usually. During the summer course, you may have longer sessions if your class is offered over a shortened time period. The advantage for the VIT sessions remains a key for building a community of learners, or “cohort.” The students meet at the sites, at least two students per site, and get to interact with the rest of the class and the instructor through voice activated teleconferencing. The instructor can teach from any site close to home, as long as there are two people at the site. Instructors can use overhead projection, and access to the internet in instruction. Individual sites can be connected for group work, so you can plan work sessions between distant parts of the state. Sites are located at [|Bennington], [|Brattleboro], [|Castleton], [|Johnson], [|Lyndonville], [|Middlebury], [|Montpelier], [|Newport], [|Randolph Center], [|Rutland], [|Springfield], [|St. Albans],
 * VIT Sites **

 [|Waterbury], [|White River Junction], [|Williston]. Ellen Morris will be at your first class to organize the sites. The use of the sites is also subject to availability, so be sure to include your dates for VIT on your syllabus.

Once registration is open, you can go to the registrar’s page ([|http://www.uvm.edu/~rgweb/]) and look for the “enter UVM Banner.” You will need a UVMID (SSN or “95” number) and password to access this page. The registrar’s page is where you will be able to get additional information about your students, including contacting them through email, online grade reporting, and so on. Bookmark this site on your computer. The “Faculty Registration Override and More” portal gets you into your class. You may have to do overrides to allow additional students into the class. This page has many options, most of which you will not need, but look closely at the academic calendars so you can plan your classes around scheduled breaks, holidays, etc.
 * Connecting to Student Enrollment Using the Registrar’s Page **

Four to six weeks prior to the start of the upcoming term, you will receive one assignment/appointment letter per course you are scheduled to teach. This letter will contain: You must return a signed copy of your assignment/appointment letter prior to the first day of the class you are teaching to avoid a delay of payment. A sample letter can be viewed: [|http://learn.uvm.edu/faculty/?Page=planning.php#letter] If you would like to have your check directly deposited, you can get a pdf form from the UVM Human Resources web page and send it in. []
 * Contracts, Payroll options **
 * Final course information, including location
 * Compensation information

You may want to have access to recently published books that support your course content. You have the ability to order those books and then check them out f the Bailey Howe library in person or through interlibrary loan. As an adjunct, you can request a purchase by going to the UVM Libraries library services web page: [] and click on “Recommend a purchase.” Fill in the blanks and voila, your book will be ordered and you will be notified by email when it is in!
 * Ordering books for the UVM Library for use in your courses **

At least a month before the start of your class, you will need to order textbooks for the UVM Store. You will have to email the information (author, title, publisher, edition, copyright, isbn,# of titles, etc.) to Denise Bora, Denise.Bora@uvm.edu, or call her, 802-656-3290 ~Toll Free 800-331-7305, Fax 802-656-8317. When you have your first class, build in some time so that students will be able to purchase the texts. Another option that may be even better is to have your students order the books online. Check to see if they are available first from Amazon, or another distributor or the publisher. Sometimes the books will have to be backordered and that is problematic. Some students ask for the textbook information before the start of your class, so you might email the information to the class through the registrar’s page.
 * Ordering textbooks from the UVM Store **

While you are ordering books for the UVM Book Store, plan on sending a welcome letter to your students, either by snail mail or email. You should include a copy of the syllabus, reminder of the meeting time and place, and textbook information. You may also want them to do some readings before they come to the first class. You can get a list of their names and addresses through the Continuing Education office, if you still are not able to access the class list through the registrar’s page, due to a delay in getting secure access. Contact Ellen Morris Ellen.Morris@uvm.edu with your request.
 * Welcome letter to students **

In your course planning, you will have at least two face to face meetings on campus at UVM. You should have requested room assignments when you proposed your course the semester before. You will have to have the first class in a space that has access to a computer classroom, so that you can train your students in using the online web software, and to make sure that they all have access. Traditionally, this class has been held in the media room on the first floor at Bailey Howe Library. On Saturdays, the library opens at 10am, so you will want to start around 11am and end by 4pm. You have to request those spaces (media room and computer classroom) ahead of time. Linda Brew (Linda.Brew@uvm.edu) will help you arrange those spaces. Email her with your room requests and she will set it up. Someone from the circulation desk will have to unlock the doors for you. If you have final student projects that require computer presentations, you may also want access to the computer classroom in your last class also. If you want to schedule your last class elsewhere, for example, the John Dewey Room at the Old Mill, let Ellen Morris know when you send her your course proposal the semester before. The SMLS coordinator will come to your first and last class. The first class will include a brief welcome and announcements about the sequence, and the final class will provide an opportunity to recognize the students who have completed the sequence, and answer student questions.
 * First and Last Class: Face to face **

In planning your assigned readings, you can put articles and chapters from books on reserve at the Bailey Howe Library: []. Of course, copyright restrictions are to be observed. You may send hard copies or other formats to the reserve desk using the forms for online reserve. Check the web page to see the instructions. Your assignments may include journal articles that can be found on in the online databases available through the UVM Library: []. Through your website you can create direct links to the online databases. Students will need to be trained to use the databases, and to access them from off campus. Designing curriculum that requires using these databases increases the student’s ability to learn to conduct research, also. You may also download PDF files from the databases to be used as a direct link from your Blackboard site.
 * Online Reserves and Online Databases at the UVM library **

Unfortunately, you have limited expenses for this class-$25 for copying, $250 for guest lecturers. Details about expenses and reimbursement forms can be found on the Continuing Education web page with a link to the list of acceptable expenses: [|http://learn.uvm.edu/faculty/?Page=planning.php#cover] Please contact Ellen Morris for further information about getting reimbursed.
 * Expenses, Guest Speakers **

Student evaluations will be completed online towards the end of your class. They will receive an email with instructions on evaluating the class. [|http://learn.uvm.edu/faculty/?Page=evaluate.php#evaluate] You will have access to these evaluations after they have been processed through Continuing Education. You may request copies through the web page above.
 * Evaluation of Courses **

After your last class, you should report your grades online through the registrar’s page. Technically, it should be within 72 hours of your final, but since we don’t give finals, you may report them sometime during the week after your last class. Information and links for step by step instructions are available on the Continuing Education web site: [|http://learn.uvm.edu/faculty/?Page=evaluate.php#evaluate]. It is actually painless and easy. Students will be able to go online and access their grades from the registrar’s page, also.
 * Reporting Grades **

Once you have wrapped up your course, be sure to back up your course through Blackboard, and download your files to your personal desktop or laptop. Save it to a CD, as well. The SLMS coordinator, as designer will also back up your course, so that we will have it saved in many spots! At this point, you may want to reflect and make some notes about what worked well during the semester, and what bombed-or more politely-was a challenge, so that the next time you teach the course, you will have some reminders for beginning the revision process!
 * Backing up and Saving your course files **