Faculty Guide Faculty Guide

Faculty Guide

General Guidance:

  • Navigate Alerts:  Navigate Alerts:  Starting Fall 2023 FCC will be utilizing the Navigate alert and cases system instead of our older Student Success Alert process.  Read more about Navigate and the importance of issuing student alerts here.  For a quick overview of how to submit alerts click here.
  • Faculty Course Checklist:  All faculty should complete the Faculty Course Checklist found in left side navigation bar in Blackboard for each course
  • Changing Course Formats:  As a reminder, students sign up for specific course formats because that is what works well for them, their schedule, their technology access, etc.  Please do not change course formats (canceling an in person class and moving it to SR, etc) without first notifying and discussing this with your department chair. 
  • Student Blackboard Course Access:  In order to provide consistent and accurate messaging to students regarding when they can expect access to their courses in Blackboard, all courses will automatically be made available to students one week prior to the session start date as noted in the credit course schedule. Faculty are expected to provide a welcome message for students in their courses clarifying expectations related to communication and class meeting times. This message should be present when the course is made available.
  • Instructional Time: Be sure your courses are providing the appropriate number of hours of instruction (synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of the two) to meet appropriate credit hour obligations. See the attached document for more information
  • Use of Generative AI in the Classroom:  FCC will be developing guidance throughout the academic year.  A new section has been added to this guide to help plan for the fall semester.
     

In-Person Courses:

Students are expected to attend all class sessions in person. All college health and safety protocols must be observed while on campus.


  • Faculty can create and implement participation policies as appropriate.
  • Students unable to attend a class due to COVID-19 related complications should not be penalized and alternate arrangements should be made when assessments/content is missed.
  • Interested faculty can explore use of FLEX technology in their classroom .

 

Online Courses (ONL):

Courses designated as Online (ONL) are held entirely online and do not meet at a scheduled time. Students will meet all expected deadlines outlined by the professor and complete work on their own time.


  • Faculty may not offer synchronous sessions to deliver required course content
  • Optional synchronous sessions focused around extra help, exam review, etc. are acceptable provided they are recorded, captioned, and posted as appropriate
  • Students should be expected to complete some form of weekly activity for the purposes of attendance tracking.   Simply  logging in does not count as online attendance
  •  Academically related activities that count towards attendance can include, but are not limited to:
    • physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students
    • submitting an academic assignment
    • taking an exam, an interactive tutorial or computer-assisted instruction
    • attending a study group that is assigned by the school
    • participating in an online discussion about academic matters, and
    • initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course. 
  • All real-time virtual sessions must be recorded and made available for students with captions. See Accessibility Guidelines Section  for more information on closed captioning expectations
  • While proctored exams are not required for online courses, students can be required to come to campus, or an approved testing center, for certain assessments as specified in the syllabus
    • These requirements should be clear in the syllabus
    • The Testing Center does not have capacity to provide testing for entire online or Structured Remote courses
    • Due to limited capacity the testing center can only support exams for:
      • Accommodated FCC Course Exam
        • Students registered with Disability Access Services who require testing accommodations listed on the Student Success Plan (SSP)
      • Pre-Approved Make-Up Testing Students without access to a personal device for testing or students who do not meet the technology/device requirements for online proctoring services enrolled in Online, Structured Remote, Hybrid sections
      • Other circumstances with prior approval from the Testing Center Director to arrange a make-up exam in a proctored environment
      • Submit your test using the Exam Form on the Testing Center page under Faculty and Staff
    • Faculty can work with their AOM to schedule regular classroom time through 25 live to hold proctored exams on campus. Faculty are responsible for proctoring these exams when the Testing Center cannot accommodate the request
    • Faculty can use Honorlock online proctoring services through Blackboard. Faculty can find more information around the Honorlock tool at https://guides.frederick.edu/honorlock or contact the Testing Center
  • Set a consistent method for identifying both the start and end dates for the modules and/or sections of your course
  • A best practice is to provide an easily-identifiable course orientation that uses multiple methods to orient students to the course and establish expectations 
  • All online courses should start their week on a Monday. This will help minimize student confusion around having to navigate multiple ‘work weeks’ across their classes.  Faculty should assign due dates that are appropriate for their course, but weeks (week 1, week 2, etc) should begin on Mondays. 
    • OLII recommends structuring your course around content modules, rather than weeks, to  establish further consistency and to make it easier for faculty to carry over course shells between semesters.
 

 

Structured Remote Courses (SR):

Structured Remote Courses (SR) meet online during scheduled class times, as listed in the schedule and syllabus. These sessions may include lecture, group discussions, review, or skills demonstrations. All sessions should be recorded and made available to students unable to attend.


  • Real-time virtual instruction must be offered during all scheduled class time
    • All SR classes should utilize the entirety of the scheduled class period
  • Real-time virtual instruction can include:
    • Lecture
    • Discussion of readings and concepts
    • Review of course material
    • Demonstration or practice of classroom skills
  • All real-time virtual sessions must be recorded and made available for students with captions. See Accessibility Guidelines Section  for more information on closed captioning expectations
  • FERPA guidelines should be read prior to recording (these pop up automatically in ZOOM)
  • Students are expected to attend SR sessions, and are accountable for all information and material covered in a recorded SR session
  • If a course has grant or certification related requirements for attendance, those guidelines must be followed
  • Faculty can assign graded assessments or provide points for participation in class activities, but should allow for alternatives or make up dates due to COVID related absences
  • Students can be encouraged but not required to utilize a web camera or microphone with the exception noted below for proctored exams
    • Camera use cannot be positively incentivize through extra credit
      • Students cannot be penalized for not turning on a camera
        • Students have many reasons for not turning on a camera:
          • They may not own one
          • There may be technology/bandwidth barriers
          • The student may not be comfortable inviting people into their home
  • Web cameras can be required during proctored exams. Students who do not own or are unable to access a web camera should work with their professor ahead of the exam to come up with alternate arrangement
  •  Students may be required to come to campus, or an approved testing center, for certain assessments as specified in the syllabus
    • These requirements should be clear in the syllabus
    • The Testing Center does not have capacity to provide testing for entire online or Structured Remote courses
    • Due to limited capacity the testing center can only support exams for:
      • Accommodated FCC Course Exam
        • Students registered with Disability Access Services who require testing accommodations listed on the Student Success Plan (SSP)
      • Pre-Approved Make-Up Testing Students without access to a personal device for testing or students who do not meet the technology/device requirements for online proctoring services enrolled in Online, Structured Remote, Hybrid sections
      • Other circumstances with prior approval from the Testing Center Director to arrange a make-up exam in a proctored environment
      • Submit your test using the Exam Form on the Testing Center page under Faculty and Staff
    • Faculty can work with their AOM to schedule regular classroom time through 25 live to hold proctored exams on campus. Faculty are responsible for proctoring these exams when the Testing Center cannot accommodate the request
    • Faculty can use Honorlock online proctoring services through Blackboard. Faculty can find more information around the Honorlock tool at https://guides.frederick.edu/honorlock or contact the Testing Center
  • A best practice is to provide an easily-identifiable course orientation that uses multiple methods to orient students to the course and establish expectations 

 

Hybrid Courses (HYB):

Hybrid Courses (HYB) require in-person and virtual participation. In addition to participating in online or real-time virtual sessions, students will be expected to come to main campus, clinical sites, or the Monroe Center for in-person class sessions during the scheduled time. In-person and real-time virtual session meeting dates will be designated on the syllabus. Students are expected to attend all in-person and real-time virtual sessions. Virtual sessions will be recorded and made available to students unable to attend.


  • Face to face and real-time virtual class sessions should be held during the scheduled class meeting time and communicated to students on the first day of class and in the syllabus
  • HYB classes are expected to have at least one on-campus meeting per week, lasting the full scheduled class time
  • If a class has multiple meeting times per week, any session not used for on-campus instruction should be a real-time virtual session. Course content that is not taught on-campus or through real-time virtual sessions should be delivered asynchronously
  • Notify students in the syllabus and through Blackboard at the beginning of the term which sessions will be real-time virtual and which will meet on campus
  • A best practice is to provide an easily-identifiable course orientation that uses multiple methods to orient students to the course and establish expectations

 

Web Enhanced Courses (WE):

Web Enhanced Courses (WE) are in-person courses that take place during an accelerated session (typically 13 weeks). The courses meet during the same class session length as a 15 week class (typically 75 minutes twice a week). The equivalent of four class periods must be made up through online content, to ensure the same material is covered that would have been covered during a fifteen week session.


  • Students are expected to attend all in person class sessions.
    • Faculty can create and implement participation policies as appropriate.
    • The online content might include shifting in person assessments to an online format (e.g, shifting a full period in person exam to online) , asynchronous  instruction (an entire online unit), or transferring certain class activities to an online format (moving from in person small group work to discussion boards or other asynchronous activities.
    • Additional Structured Remote or in person class sessions at alternate times are not an acceptable way to account for the four missing class sessions.
  • Students unable to attend a class due to COVID-19 related complications should not be penalized and alternate arrangements should be made when assessments/content is missed.
  • Interested faculty can explore use of FLEX technology in their classroom

 

Flex Options


Starting in the Spring 2022 semester select sections of certain courses will be identified as FLEX.  In a FLEX class, faculty use classroom technology to either record or live stream a class.
This means faculty can:

  • Record classes so students can review the content later
  • Enable students to access course content when they are unable to attend
  • Provide students with the opportunity to attend class in person, virtually or access content online, providing maximum flexibility (HY-FLEX only)

FLEX classes are identified in Peoplesoft:

Course Capture: In a Course Capture section, the faculty member records every class meeting, making the recordings available on Blackboard for at least thirty days. Students can watch the recordings if they want to revisit course content or if they missed class that day. Please be aware:

  • There is an expectation that students attend class regularly. Students may be penalized for non-participation or missed assessments. Course Capture does not excuse absences, it ensures that students can access content they missed
  • These videos are intended for students in the class ONLY. They should not be made public or shared outside of the class
  • While the camera and microphone will be on the faculty, there is a chance a student may be recorded. If this is a concern, students should choose a class section that is not designated Course Capture
  • Not every class is right for Course Capture
  • There may be elements of a class that are not recorded (class breaks, small group activities, in class exams, or class discussions of a sensitive nature). The primary focus of Course Capture is recording the lecture
  • Some course capture classes may provide audio only

HY-FLEX: A HY-FLEX class allows a student to choose, on a day-by-day basis, whether they attend class in person, virtually, or asynchronously (accessing information online) – based on their needs or preference.

  • The professor will be teaching from their designated classroom
  • Not every class is right for HY-FLEX

Students who have further questions about these formats may contact their assigned advisor.

Allows students can review the content later
  •  
  • Enable students to access course content when they are unable to attend
  • Provide students with the opportunity to attend class in person, virtually or access content online, providing maximum flexibility (HY-FLEX only)

FLEX classes are identified in Peoplesoft:

Course Capture: In a Course Capture section, the faculty member records every class meeting, making the recordings available on Blackboard for at least thirty days. Students can watch the recordings if they want to revisit course content or if they missed class that day. Please be aware:

  • There is an expectation that students attend class regularly. Students may be penalized for non-participation or missed assessments. Course Capture does not excuse absences, it ensures that students can access content they missed
  • These videos are intended for students in the class ONLY. They should not be made public or shared outside of the class
  • While the camera and microphone will be on the faculty, there is a chance a student may be recorded. If this is a concern, students should choose a class section that is not designated Course Capture
  • Not every class is right for Course Capture
  • There may be elements of a class that are not recorded (class breaks, small group activities, in class exams, or class discussions of a sensitive nature). The primary focus of Course Capture is recording the lecture
  • Some course capture classes may provide audio only

HY-FLEX: A HY-FLEX class allows a student to choose, on a day-by-day basis, whether they attend class in person, virtually, or asynchronously (accessing information online) – based on their needs or preference.

  • The professor will be teaching from their designated classroom
  • Not every class is right for HY-FLEX

Students who have further questions about these formats may contact their assigned advisor.

FCC will be offering two types of FLEX classes. Each type will be identified by a different student facing indicator. 

Course Capture:  Faculty will record all lectures and relevant class discussions, to be posted on an unlisted YouTube channel, STREAM or to be hosted by ZOOM for viewing for 30 days after class. Classes are recorded so students can revisit content, and students unable to attend can stay current.Course capture is not intended to replace in person attendance.

  • Course Capture applies to In-Person classes, in-person and structured remote sessions components of Hybrid classes or Structured Remote classes
  • Recordings can be audio, video, or audio/visual
  • Instructions for recording a Zoom Class can be found here
  • Please note that all real-time session recordings posted online must be closed captioned even if there are no students in the class requiring accommodations. For more information about these compliance guidelines refer to the Accessibility Section of the Faculty Guide
  • All students registered in the course are allowed to access the recording. Instructor permission is not required
  • Course Capture recordings should not be made public or shared outside of the class.  More information on how to appropriately upload recordings can be found in the  Accessibility Section of the Faculty Guide
  • Recordings should be made available for at least thirty days. Course capture recordings are not intended for use across multiple sections. Cameras should be focused on the instructor and the board, and while students may be in frame, cameras should not be adjusted to specifically record students. Student privacy/confidentiality should be respected when requested, provided it does not cause undue burdens to instruction
  • Course Capture applies to lecture and discussion components of classes.  If there are stretches of private or group activities where a recording will not be helpful, or if there is a particularly sensitive conversation that may not be appropriate to record, faculty can pause the recording.  Lab/Studio/Applied activities can be recorded at the discretion of the faculty or program as appropriate
  • Class participation and in-class assessments can still be required, and missing/making up participation/assessment would still require the approval of the instructor.

 

HY-FLEX: MHEC defines a HyFlex course format as “an instructional approach that combines in-person and remote learning in a way that students can choose the learning format at their discretion throughout the semester. Each class session and learning activity is offered in-person, synchronously online, and asynchronously online, and students can decide how to participate and alter their participation in that course throughout the term; students can change their mode of attendance weekly or by topic, according to need or preference.”

  • Hy-FLEX applies to In-Person classes or In-Person components of Hybrid classes only
  • Students can choose to attend in person, remotely, or asynchronously without prior approval
  • All classes should be recorded
  • Please note that all real-time session recordings posted online must be closed captioned even if there are no students in the class requiring accommodations. For more information about these compliance guidelines refer to the Accessibility Section
  • Faculty cannot require students to turn on cameras or utilize a microphone
  • Recordings should not be made public to help ensure student privacy.  More information on how to appropriately upload recordings can be found in the  Accessibility Section of the Faculty Guide.
  • Recordings should be made available for at least thirty days
  • HY-FLEX may not be appropriate for all classes. Course capture recordings are not intended for use across multiple sections
  • In the HY-FLEX model faculty should still be teaching from their designated classroom, even if all students are attending remotely.  The HY-FLEX option does not alter the basic course format (In-Person or Hybrid).
Faculty should ensure that there are ways to assess the last date of participation for Financial Aid purposes whether the student is in-person, synchronously online, or asynchronously online. For further guidance on FLEX technology and pedagogy see the Flex Instruction resources on our Faculty Essentials page.

 

AI in Higher Ed

 

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been with us for a while (search engines like Siri, Alexa, etc. –are all AI powered tools), the emergence of generative AI programs like ChatGPT will have a seismic impact on the delivery and assessment of education. GeneratiAve AI is an incredibly powerful and disruptive tool that will have a transformative effect on the types of skills we teach our students and how we assess their learning.  It opens up new possibilities for more sophisticated educational experiences and requires all of us to rethink our traditional expectations around academic integrity. We must learn how to adapt to it and use it effectively, as opposed to simply pretending that it does not exist.

This will be the work of many years, but over the course of the 23-24 academic year, FCC will begin this process by offering professional development focused on how we as educators can effectively employ these tools, how your students will be using them, and how to modify assessments and expectations accordingly.   We will also be drafting institutional guidelines around the use of AI, and information regarding how to participate in that process will be forthcoming). In the meantime, here are some guiding principles to inform your teaching practices, which are drawn heavily from the work of English faculty Bryan Hiatt and FCC’s ENGL 101 and 102 OER texts.
 

Advice for Faculty

  • Acknowledge that generative AI exists, and students will be using it.   Be very clear about your expectations around its use in your syllabus and on Blackboard.
  • joint taskforce of the Modern Language Association and Conference on College Composition and Communication recommends that faculty “use caution about responses that emphasize surveillance or restrictions on the writing process that make the conditions of writing for class radically different from writing conditions students will encounter in other classes, work environments, and their personal lives.” (MLA-CCC, Overview of the Issues, Statement of Principles and Recommendations, p. 11)
  • Recognize that generative AI detectors are in their infancy, and their accuracy is questionable.
  • Encourage your students to be honest about their use of generative AI through policies that encourage proper sourcing and citation, rather than its prohibition.
  • Recognize that in the absence of a professional consensus around its use, faculty will have varying expectations, and students are likely to find these differing standards confusing. If you prohibit its use, it is highly recommended that you give students opportunities to revise and resubmit work to account for the larger lack of consensus around use.

    You can find some sample use policies in FCC’s ENGL 101 OER text.

  • Use Generative AI tools on your own assignments as part of your course prep. Run your prompts and assignments through an AI tool. This will give you a sense of what AI generated responses look like, help you assess their accuracy and clarify your own prompts and questions. Considering sharing these results with your students so you can collectively explore how to effectively utilize AI in service of your learning objectives.
    • Recognize that students may not be aware of accuracy challenges that come with generative AI, such as ‘hallucination’ – the generation of false information through the language programming that powers the AI.  As part of our role as educators, we will need to develop an understanding of both the benefits and challenges associated with AI tools in order to help our students strengthen their digital literacy skills. 
  • Scaffold! As we are all learning these technologies, consider breaking down assignments into discrete parts (a best practice in writing-based assessments). Using a scaffolding based approach will enable you to assess the impact of AI technologies on your students’ work on assignments, make adjustments early in the process, and minimize any negative impact students may experience on their work on the larger assignment as a whole. 

Advice for Students

  • Honesty: Encourage students to be honest about their use of generative AI. Treat the results like any other source.
  • Limitations: Help students understand that AIs are not currently capable of fact-checking their own results, and students will need to review AI responses for accuracy.  Again, incorporating information literacy practices into your pedagogy will be critical
  • Enhance: Encourage students to use generative AI to enhance their own thinking and writing, not replace it.  Acceptable uses might include:
    • Idea generation
    • Resource generation
    • Drafting assistance
    • Paraphrasing and summarizing
    • Editing and proofing
    • Researching

 Additional Reading and Resources:

 

Course Design & Blackboard Support:

If you need assistance from OLII, please submit a support request here:  https://www.frederick.edu/servicedesk

 

Course Design Expectations and Tips
 
Learning Technologies
 
Accessibility Guidelines
 
Faculty Links for Additional Guidance
 
Trainings and Individual Consultations
 
Student Academic and Support Resources