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Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ page). Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions visitors to this our Web site may have. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please email us tsherwoo@engr.smu.edu or call us at 214-768-1100.
- As a new adjunct instructor, how can I find out about SMU’s rules, policies, and procedures?
Computing and IT:
- How do I get an SMU computer account?
- What is access.smu.edu?
- What if I am having trouble getting into Access.SMU?
- What is the Blackboard computer system?
- How do I set up my class in Blackboard?
- Is there a place for me to post students’ exam and homework grades for
them to review?
- Can I build my own website?
- What happens if I forget my access.smu.edu password?
Beginning of semester matters:
- How do I access my class rosters?
- What are the policy statements that must be included with each course syllabii?
- What days will my class be held?
End-of-semester matters:
- What is the university policy on scheduling final exams?
- Where can I find the official Final Exam Schedule?
- How do I post grades?
- How do I post grades for only part of my graduate class using access.smu.edu?
- How does a grade of Incomplete “I” work?
- What grade should I give a student on my roster who never came to class?
- When must I post my class grades?
- Which of my students are graduating this semester?
- How am I supposed to submit grades for this fall’s graduates when my final exam is scheduled on the day of graduation ceremonies?
Teaching issues:
- How do I deal with students requesting a disability accommodation, such as extra time on exams?
- What can I do to avoid cheating by my distance education students?
- I have evidence that some of my students have cheated on an exam. What can I do?
- What constitutes sexual harassment in the classroom setting and how can I prevent it?
- What student information is private and what must I protect?
- May I have a teaching assistant or grader?
Travel expenses:
- What is the standard mileage rate for business travel reimbursement?
Answers
- As a new adjunct instructor, how can I find out about SMU’s rules, policies, and procedures?
The School of Engineering dean’s office has prepared an Adjunct Faculty Handbook, which documents many of these. This EMIS Faculty Site is being developed to include as much additional information as possible to help you in this area. Suggestions are welcome and should be sent to the EMIS administrative assistant, Tammy Sherwood.
- How do I get an SMU computer account?
You will need two computer accounts. See SMU Computer Accounts description.
- What is access.smu.edu?
See Access.smu.edu description.
- What if I am having trouble getting into Access.SMU?
Call the Information Technology Service (ITS) Help Desk at 214-768-4357(HELP)
- What is Blackboard?
This is a course management system (CMS), for maintaining course information online for your students. It is available to interested faculty to facilitate communication with the students in your classes by providing a private web site that supports: posting materials, links, and email addresses; opening discussion boards; posting student grades with privacy; creating tests and surveys; developing supplemental class materials, or providing instructional materials that come with some textbooks; create student groups, with their own upload, email, and discussion areas; plus others. More information is available at Blackboard’s company website.
- How do I set up my class in Blackboard?
See Getting Started with Blackboard
- Is there a place for me to post students’ exam and homework grades for
them to review?
This is what a course management system, such as Blackboard, are for. See question and response above.
- Can I build my own website?
Yes. If you do not wish to use the course management software, you can create and manage your own web site, two different ways.
- What happens if I forget my access.smu.edu password?
You must come to campus to request that it be reset. How to avoid this inconvenience: sign up for the online password reset tool. Do it now before you forget!
- How do I access my class rosters?
This is done via the access.smu.edu web site. See Access.smu.edu description.
- What are the policy statements that must be included with each course syllabii?
SMU requires that a syllabii be distributed for each course. In addition to information for that specific course, the Provost requires the inclusion of a standard policy statement in each syllabii, as detailed in his recent letter to all faculty.
- What days will my class be held?
See calendar notes for: Fall 2005 or Spring 2006
- What is the university policy on scheduling final exams?
See Final Exam Policy memo from the Provost
- Where can I find the official Final Exam Schedule?
See Registrar’s Final Exam Schedule
- How do I post grades?
This is done via the access.smu.edu web site. See Access.smu.edu description.
- How do I post grades for only part of my graduate class using access.smu.edu?
See Grade Posting page
- How does a grade of Incomplete “I” work?
The instructions are on the student/instructor agreement form that must be submitted for each “I” given (see: undergraduate form, graduate form). Signed forms may be submitted via fax or scanned image.
- What grade should I give a student on my roster who never came to class?
Give them a grade of “F”. This will motivate the student to resolve the problem with the staff of the dean’s office.
- When must I post my class grades?
See Grade Posting Deadlines page
- Which of my students are graduating this semester?
See Graduating Graduate Students page
- How am I supposed to submit grades for this fall’s graduates when my final exam is scheduled on the day of graduation ceremonies?
The fall “graduation” ceremonies are to recognize students that are expected to graduate in December. The registrar’s graduation decisions are made later in the month, so just follow the standard grade posting policy.
- How do I deal with students requesting a disability accommodation, such as extra time on exams?
See a discussion of the accommodation process, rules of operation, and suggestions for faculty on the Student Disability Accommodation page.
- What can I do to avoid cheating by my distance education students?
See some ideas in A System for Teaching Distance Education
- I have evidence that some of my students have cheated on an exam. What can I do?
Here are some links that may have some useful information: SMU Honor Code (what faculty and students should do), Student Code of Conduct (what is expected of students), University Judicial Code (how on-campus judicial process works)
- What constitutes sexual harassment in the classroom setting and how can I prevent it? Sexual harassment is clearly spelled out in the University Policy Manual, section 2.5, and how such cases will be handled. We recommend that all faculty take the online Preventing Sexual Harassment Tutorial.
- What student information is private and I must protect?
SMU and its faculty are bound by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or “FERPA” (also known as the Buckley Amendment of 1974), regarding the release of student education records. Faculty cannot disclose a student’s gender, race, ethnicity, SSN, student ID number, class grades, attendance record, class schedule, disabilities, prior honor code violations, and more. See SMU’s FERPA Cheat Sheet for a helpful discussion of dos and don’ts.
- May I have a teaching assistant or grader?
The EMIS department may provide funds for a person to help in grading student submissions for your class. The department’s chair or administrative assistant will send each qualifying instructor an email near the start of the term and it is up to the instructor to identify an individual for this work and notify the administrative assistant, who will process the paperwork. Graders duties do not include preparing instructional materials or lecturing.
- What is the standard mileage rate for business travel reimbursement?
For business travel in 2005, the rate is 4x cents per mile. For travel in 2006, the rate is 44.5 cents per mile. Reimbursement requests should use the SOE mileage log form.
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