Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning

Where Can I Find…

…access to Brightspace, MaineStreet, Google Drive, Kaltura, Zoom, Box, and other educational technologies?

The easiest way to access these tools is to use your single sign-on (SSO) through the UMaine Portal. The best way to learn how to use these tools is to register for a workshop at CITL.

…support and information about teaching?

The Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL) provides comprehensive support for faculty teaching needs in any teaching modality from face-to-face to blended, to fully online. Located on the first floor of Fernald Hall, CITL has drop-in hours from 8:00-4:30pm Monday – Friday (by appointment only), a phone line 207.581.3333, and email at citl@maine.edu.

…the academic calendar?

Each year the academic calendar is updated and can be found on the Portal under “Academic Resources” or on the Student Records webpage.  Important dates related to teaching and learning will also be updated on your Brightspace landing page.

… the current schedule of courses?

MaineStreet allows you to search for courses using a number of parameters (name, time, date, course name) for both past and upcoming semesters.  Individual departments often have their available schedule of courses.

…the final exam schedule for this semester?

Information about final exams is posted by the Office of Student Records for the Fall and Spring semesters. Winter and summer session exams are built into the course schedule.

…a list of my students with photos?

You can download a roster (names only) of students from your MaineStreet account by clicking the “class roster” icon next to a given class in your Faculty Center.  To get a list of your students with photos, login to the UMaine Portal, select Academic Resources and Class Roster.  Use the drop down menu to select the term and class and the list of student photos will appear.

…the previous syllabus for the course I am teaching?

In most departments, the administrative assistant keeps syllabi from previous courses.

…the University syllabus template and required syllabus information?

A link to a syllabus template is available in your Brightspace courses or you can find the required syllabus language in electronic format on the CITL Teaching Resources Page. You can provide links to these statements in your syllabi. A syllabus template is also available.

…copyright guidelines for materials I use in my teaching?

Copyright guidelines for use of material in teaching have been provided by the Office of General Counsel and can be found on the Portal under Academic Resources. To learn more about copyright and teaching you can also refer to this libguide.  If you have questions about the use of copyrighted material in your teaching, contact CITL.

…a reference librarian to work with me on my course?

Folger library hosts a suite of faculty services including subject specialists that are available to work with you.

…instructional design support to work with me on my course?

CITL has instructional designers, who work with faculty for face-to-face, blended or online classes at no cost.  

…information about course evaluations?

Course evaluations are required for all courses at the University of Maine, and these are managed by the Office of Assessment. Guidelines, instructions and tips for success are outlined on their instructions page.  Face-to-face courses require either a short (19 standard questions with up to 10 additional questions),  or long form (29 questions with up to 7 additional question) . Online courses use the short form only. It is important to emphasize to your students that these evaluations go on your permanent teaching record and that you take student feedback seriously.

…standard university academic policies?

Information about degree/graduation requirements, grades and grading, academic standing, transfer credit and other important academic policies can all be found in the undergraduate catalog.  The undergraduate catalog is the authority on university policies and is updated annually.  

…the current catalog of courses?

The undergraduate catalog and graduate catalogs can be accessed from the UMaine webpage under the Academics tab.  The undergraduate catalog can also be found on the UMaine Portal under Academic Resources. Always be sure that the appropriate catalog year is selected from the drop down menu.  Undergraduate students are grandfathered into the policies in place for the year they matriculate.

…the FERPA status for a student?

FERPA status for students is indicated in MaineStreet. The Office of Student Records provides guidelines for understanding FERPA, what data to consider, and how to determine FERPA status.  The student information release form will indicate what persons have permission to their non-directory information.  Any additional questions should be directed to the Office of Student Records.

… writing, technical, or tutoring support for my students?

You may want to make connections to the various student supports services available on campus, including the Writing Center, and the College Success Programs which houses the TRIO Student Support Services, and the Tutor Program

…IT support for my students?

Students having issues with their technology, including access to or working in Brightspace and other educational technologies can contact US:IT at techsupport@maine.edu or by calling 207.581.2506. Students can also walk-in Shibles Hall Room 17.   If you are teaching UMaine Online course, UMaine Online provides separate support for students enrolled online courses.   

…support for the technology in my classroom?

Media Services supports and maintains all technologies in classrooms, including computers, projectors, cameras, iclickers, document cameras etc…

…software available to UMaine faculty and students?

The University of Maine has software available to faculty and students along with educational technologies.

…dates for when student registration/advising begins?

Registration start dates for students are based on credit load, with higher credits registering first. Advising for winter session and spring semester starts in October, and in March for summer session and fall semester. The Office of Student Records posts advising schedule each semester once the schedule of classes is finalized.  These dates will also be on your Brightspace landing page.

…my union guidelines?

The Office of Human Resources has links to current handbooks and policies for represented (Associated Faculties of the University of Maine – AFUM; and Maine Part-Time Faculty Association- PATFA) and non-represented employees at UMaine.

…the faculty handbook?

The faculty handbook is maintained by Faculty Senate.  Presently it pertains to full-time faculty only.

…resources for international instructors and students?

International faculty or faculty with international students are encouraged to contact International Programs and CITL to learn more about ongoing programs and supports.

…resources for graduate teaching assistants?

CITLs workshops and program are open to any teaching faculty on campus.  In addition to the suite of programs, CITL also offers a Graduate Teaching Academy.

Do I Need To…

…use Brightspace for my course management system?

Faculty have sole discretion on classroom pedagogy and are not required to use any given platform outside of MaineStreet for entering final grades.  Maine’s supported learning management system is Brightspace, which can be supported by IT and CITL.

… hold office hours?

Office hours are required per the faculty handbook.  Office hours can be held face to face, or virtually using Zoom. Often faculty offer these at scheduled times or by appointment.

… use any required language in my syllabus?

There are five required policy statements that need to be included in every syllabus.

… report any evidence of sexual harassment?

As an employee of the University, you are a mandatory reporter and therefore required to report all evidence of sexual discrimination, harassment, or assault involving the university community need to be reported. For incidences involved students or for more information contact the Deputy Title IX Coordinator.

… get a key to any classrooms?

Academic classrooms should be unlocked. Some classrooms, such as the active learning classrooms, may require your MaineCard to access the room after normal business hours.  If you are teaching in one of these courses, contact classroom scheduling (um.scheduling@maine.edu)  to be sure there will not be a problem getting into your classroom.

… hold my class if there is bad weather?

Only the President of the University has authority to cancel classes due to weather.  Many faculty, especially those teaching in spring, find it useful to have students prepared to meet via Zoom if weather is bad.  

… use a standardized grading scale in my class?

There is no University-wide equivalence between percentage (such as 80%) and letter grades (such as B).  Each instructor can make these determinations and should outline them clearly in the course syllabus. The definitions for the A-F grades as well as AU, DG, F*, I, L, LP, P, TH, and W are outlined in the grades and grading section of the undergraduate catalog.  Guidelines for grading graduate courses are slightly different.  

How Do I…

… deal with students who have me concerned in my class?

If a student is posing a threat to you or to other students, call Public Safety. When a student fails to appear to your classes, or if you have other reasons of concern, contact your Associate Dean’s office along with Student Life (207.581.1406). The faculty and staff in Student Life serve as the contact point for any students you are concerned about in your classes. They provide guidelines for identifying students in distress and contacting them is strongly encouraged, for any concern no matter how major or minor it might seem. Other resources on campus include: Counseling Center (207.581.1392); UM Police Department (207.581.4040); 911 – when immediate response by police is needed. The Associate Dean of the Graduate School is the contact for all graduate student complaints.

… deal with plagiarism or cheating?

The University of Maine System has a unified code of conduct for students. The most common question regarding student conduct is around plagiarism. Unfortunately, cheating and plagiarism are at times a part of the teaching process.  Tips for discouraging academic dishonesty and plagiarism can be found here, while guidelines for dealing with these issues are outlined in the faculty handbook. Faculty using Brightspace to manage their courses can use Turnitin to minimize plagiarism.

…make accommodations for students in my class?

Students requiring accommodations in your class should work with Student Accessibility Services to ensure they receive reasonable accommodations. Some of the services provided or coordinated for students with disabilities include testing accommodations, note takers, alternate format texts, human captioning. The staff at SAS also provide faculty with guidance and recommendations for working with students requiring accommodations.

…make my course more accessible to students?

Staff at both Student Accessibility Services and CITL are happy to consult with faculty to improve the accessibility of course materials and design.  

…work with student athletes in my class?

Many of Maine’s star athletes double as start students in our classes.  Academic Support Services for student athletes provide a wealth of support resources for student athletes.  As a faculty member you will be asked to report on performance of your student athletes during the semester to their athletic advisors.  

…change a student’s preferred name or gender on my roster?

Students have the ability to changed their official names, preferred name, email, gender and personal information by updating their personal information through Student Records.

…search for classes?

Class searches are available on the MaineStreet UMS Portal login page.  You do not need to login to search for classes.  

…login to my Brightspace course?

To access your Brightspace course, using the UMaine Portal will ensure that your single-sign on will be active for other UMaine services, such as Fogler Library Access, the Kaltura Video Platform and Zoom web-conferencing services.  

… learn more about how to use Brightpsace and other educational technologies?

Attend the many workshops and trainings in educational technologies at CITL.  Don’t have time to attend, perhaps our tutorials will help answer your questions.

…request a classroom type for your course?

Classrooms and teaching times are scheduled based on your availability determined by your Instructor Constraint Form which needs to be filled out each semester.  You can request classroom types, such as auditorium, lecture hall, active learning classroom, seminar room, or web-conference enabled room by working with your departmental Infosilum representative (often your undergraduate program coordinator, or departmental administrative assistant). Office of Student Records has a list of classrooms by category they are responsible for scheduling.  Many departments also have classrooms they schedule independently.  

…get scantron exams evaluated?

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment provides test scoring support for scantron (bubble sheet) exams.

…print materials or Coursepaks for my course?

The University of Maine’s Printing and Mailing Services offers rapid turnaround for printed materials needed on campus.

…submit final grades?

Regardless of how you manage your course, you are required to submit your final grades into MaineStreet within two weeks of the last day exams for a given semester.  Instructions for submitting grades on MaineStreet are provided by the Office of Student Records.

…propose a new course or modify an existing one?

New or modified courses must first be approved by your department before initiating the formal course development. From there, courses are approved at the college level before final approval by the Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee or the Graduate Curriculum Committee.  New course development can take several months from initiation to final approval, and may not always be approved in time to appear on the upcoming schedule of classes.  

…design a new course?

Faculty interested in designing a new course are encouraged to consult with the CITL instructional designers to help with the process.

…order books for my class through the bookstore?

Textbook orders for your courses will be due at the University Bookstore bookstore in mid-March for both summer and fall semester, in early fall for winter session, and in mid-October for the spring semester.  Faculty will receive an email with instructions. This deadline is especially important for students with disabilities to allow for sufficient time for Student Accessibility Services to contact publishers/organizations for accessible materials. It is not required to use the University Bookstore for your materials, but students may experience a delay in getting their materials beyond the first week of class if allowed to order elsewhere.

…put material on reserve in the library for my students?

Course material (hardcopy or electronic) can be placed on reserve through the Fogler Library.