Instructional Support

Orange Cluster Instructional Support

 

  • Canvas Access
  • Instructors use Canvas to organize and present class materials, assign and view homework, assess submissions, provide grades, and mediate communication with their students. Students use it to manage their course requirements, find course materials, submit homework, assess their course progress, and communicate with instructors and fellow students related to course assignments and requirements. More information is available on the Canvas Help and the Keep Teaching websites.
  • Class Syllabus
  • At the end of the first week of each academic quarter, Orange Cluster Faculty must submit a copy of their course syllabus to the Cluster’s Undergraduate Advising Center at ocadvising@ucdavis.edu. Per Academic Senate Regulation 537, “by the end of the first week of instruction, the instructor will provide students with a course outline containing information regarding the anticipated: topical content of the course, amount and kind of work expected, examination and grading procedures, and notice of the Code of Academic Conduct.”
  • Course Evaluations
  • The Cluster’s Academic Personnel Coordinator works with Faculty and Graduate Students to administer quarterly course evaluations. Faculty and Graduate Students can view course evaluations through the Academic Course Evaluations website: https://eval.ucdavis.edu/Home/About.
  • Course Permission to Add (PTA)
  • Orange Cluster Faculty, AIs, and TAs should refer to their departmental PTA policies when requesting a Permission to Add (PTA) number. For inquires and questions about PTA policies, please email the Undergraduate Advising Center: ocadvising@ucdavis.edu.  Note that the Undergraduate Advising support staff will only issue aPTA number after receiving confirmation from the department/course instructor.
  • Course Schedule & General Classroom Reservation
  • Faculty who need support to schedule their class or to reserve a space for a course review session, including in Kerr Hall, should submit their request to ocscheduling@ucdavis.edu at least three business days in advance. 
  • Exam Room Reservations
  • SDC Accommodation Exams: All faculty and TAs should utilize the UC Davis Student Disability Center’s Exam Services for assistance in scheduling and proctoring student SDC accommodations and makeup examinations. Note that this unit prioritizes large lecture classes, and all requests must be submitted five business days in advance. Please visit the SDC’s website, https://sdc.ucdavis.edu/faculty-and-staff/help-providing-accommodations, for instructions on submitting a request to provide testing accommodations, including online exam accommodations. 

    If SDC cannot accommodate the reservation, Kerr Hall has limited space (14 stations maximum) to accommodate make-up exams for Orange Cluster departments. Note that the instructor or TA must be available to proctor the exam. 

    To book a Kerr Hall exam space, please send an email to ocevents@ucdavis.edu with the following information:
         - Instructor Name
         - Course number
         - Date and time of request
         - Number of students 
  • Grades, Grade Changes, & Incompletes

  • Only the faculty listed as the official Instructor of Record for the class can submit final grades electronically. Grades are due every quarter by the Wednesday after finals week. For more information on how to submit grades, including via Canvas, please visit: https://classes.ucdavis.edu/grading/

    The Online Grade Change Tool allows instructors to submit easily and track grade change requests. For additional information, including who can submit a grade change form and the types of grade changes that can be submitted using the Online Grade Change Tool, please visit https://registrar.ucdavis.edu/faculty-staff/ogc.

    When a student has requested an incomplete grade, Faculty should contact the Undergraduate Advising Center at ocadvising@ucdavis.edu for assistance with issuing an incomplete grade.

  • Office Hours
  • All Faculty, AIs, and Teaching Assistants are expected to hold office hours during the academic year. Faculty must hold at least two hours weekly when classes are in session and are intended to review course material, prepare for assignments and examinations, and answer any course-related questions. By Friday of the first week of classes, Faculty, AIs, and TAs must post their office hours on their door and submit them to the Orange Cluster Advising Center, ocadvising@ucdavis.edu.    
  • Retention of Course Materials

  • Faculty, AIs, and TAs must keep exams for one full quarter after the end of the course. For example, if the course occurs in the Spring or during Summer Sessions, instructors must retain examinations for the entirety of the following Fall quarter. The exception to this policy involves those students who may have received an irregular grade, such as an Incomplete, In Progress, No Grade, or Y (pending Judicial Action). Students have three full quarters to rectify an “Incomplete” grade. Thus, Faculty, AIs, and TAs must keep the exams until the student has completed their work for the class or for three academic quarters (whichever happens first). Faculty and TAs should hold exam documents for the other situations until instructed otherwise. For questions and assistance with retaining course materials, please get in touch with the Orange Cluster Advising team, ocadvising@ucdavis.edu. 

     

    Every quarter, the Cluster’s Administrative Specialist will arrange to have past examinations shredded and discarded securely. The email notification to Faculty and Graduate Students will include further instructions, including drop-off locations in Kerr Hall.

  • Textbooks/Desk Copies/Library Reserves
  • The Cluster’s Undergraduate Advising Center will contact Faculty to request quarterly textbooks, desk copies, and library reserve orders at least one quarter in advance. All efforts will be made to obtain desk copies for Faculty, AIs, and TAs; however, providing complimentary copies is solely determined by the publishing company’s discretion.