CTL Instructor Handbook

Please complete your new employee paperwork as directed by your school’s dean’s office. Once the paperwork has been processed, you’ll receive your UTD ID.

Once you receive your UTD ID, you can use it to set up your UTD NetID through the NetID Self-Service Portal. Your NetID is your unique username — it gives you access to your UTD computer account and serves as your default UTD email address. NetID gives you access to your UTD computer account; it is a unique identifier (username) that also serves as your default UTD email address. 

We strongly recommend that you do not forward your UT Dallas email to a personal account. Forwarding can put sensitive information at risk, especially when using third-party email services that aren’t covered by UT Dallas security policies.

To help keep communication secure, faculty, staff and students should use their UT Dallas email addresses for all university-related work. If you’re looking for better ways to manage your UTD communications, consider the following options:

• Duo: This is UT Dallas’ two-factor authentication method designed to add a second layer of security to your NetID account. It is used to verify your identity and prevent anyone but you from logging in, even if they know your password. If you have not previously enrolled in Duo, you should be automatically prompted to register when you try to access a Duo-protected application such as the Office 365 portal or Galaxy.
• UTD’s Outlook Web Access: Email at UT Dallas is provided by Microsoft Office 365, and it is sometimes called “Exchange Online” email. Office 365 email is protected by Duo and modern authentication.
• Microsoft OneDrive: UT Dallas provides Microsoft OneDrive as part of your Office 365 (Microsoft 365) access — offering 1 TB of free secure cloud storage, managed by Duo authentication. Microsoft does not provide an option to extend storage capacity beyond the original 1TB. However, Box storage is also available (See below).
• CometSpace (Box.com): This service allows students, faculty and staff to use Box cloud storage to store and share files from anywhere in the world. While there are several options available in the cloud storage market that may fit your needs, Box is the only option approved by the Information Security Office (ISO) that allows you to share files outside UT Dallas and store an unlimited amount of data.
• VPN remote connection: The GlobalProtect Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides secure access to restricted UT Dallas data and resources using an off-campus computer through a secure internet connection. In order to utilize VPN services, you must first be enrolled in Duo.
• Microsoft Teams is a collaboration and communication tool available to all UT Dallas faculty, staff and students through Microsoft 365. It can be used for virtual office hours, online meetings, chat, file sharing, and group collaboration, making it especially useful for remote or hybrid instruction and departmental coordination. Teams integrates with other Microsoft apps like Outlook and OneDrive, allowing you to schedule meetings, share documents, and communicate in real time all in one place.

For more information, visit the Atlas Service Portal. To keep your UTD computer accounts secure, you’ll need to update your password regularly. If the password isn’t changed in time, your account may be locked.

New to UTD? Visit the Office of Information Technology’s New to UTD page for a helpful overview of tech services available to you.

Need tech help? You can request support or find answers to common questions through the Atlas Service Portal.

Your UT Dallas ID card, known as the Comet Card, serves as your official campus ID. It’s used for identification, library access, building and lab entry, and even for discounts at some local businesses.

New employees need to complete the Faculty/Staff Comet Card Request form and have it approved by their department in order to get the card. Comet Cards are issued at the Comet Card Office in the Student Services Addition, second floor (SSA 12.324).

There is no free parking on campus. You may purchase a pass, pay citations and make changes to your parking status through the Parking Portal. Visitors may obtain a temporary pass at the Parking Office (PS3 1.200).

All instructors have access to support from an administrative assistant (AA). Your AA can help with:

• Assisting with travel planning and reimbursement.
• Requesting office keys and electronic access to labs or other approved spaces on campus.
• Ordering office and classroom supplies.

To identify the designated AA in your unit, contact your program head.

Availability of graduate TAs varies by school and by course. Instructors are responsible for adding TAs to their courses in Orion.

If you have been assigned a TA, you will be notified by your school or program head, and the TA will be asked to contact you to discuss their responsibilities. Please note: Each TA may have multiple assignments, and the claim of each instructor on a TA’s time is limited to the portion of the TA’s time assigned to that instructor. For example, a 50% TA means that the instructor can give the TA the equivalent of no more than 10 hours of work per week. Consult with your program head to identify the appropriate uses of a TA’s time in your school. See additional considerations for working effectively with TAs.

New faculty members should review the UT Dallas Human Resources website for important information about required paperwork, your first meeting with HR and New Employee Orientation. Although this orientation is not mandatory for faculty, you are welcome to attend. To register, email UTD Talent Development. The site also includes a presentation on employee benefits to help you understand your options and make informed decisions.

This is the place to update personal information and view paychecks and benefits. Go to Galaxy and select either Orion or Gemini then select the Self-Service option and follow online instructions, within “Personal Details,” to update your information.

Visit the how to use Galaxy and PeopleSoft Fluid UX page for more information.

The Office of Faculty Success provides a step-by-step onboarding guide to help new faculty transition smoothly into their roles at UT Dallas. From tasks to complete before arrival to helpful resources for ongoing development, the guide outlines key milestones and offers practical tools to support your success.

Be sure to explore their guidance on getting started and settling in, including information on campus resources, teaching support, and professional growth opportunities.

UT Dallas uses a version of Blackboard known as eLearning as its learning management system (LMS). A course shell is automatically created for every course each semester, which allows the integration of technology into online, hybrid, and in-person courses.

You can use your eLearning course shell to make announcements, post documents, host discussions and share grades (which should never be shared in unencrypted email — see Information Security and FERPA) with students.

• The eLearning Team, part of Education Technology Services, provides UT Dallas’ faculty, staff and students with resources to facilitate a successful online learning experience. The team assists with the integration of technology into online, hybrid and in-person courses. Services for faculty and staff include instructional design, training and support. Please see the eLearning support website for more information.
• Virtual open labs are available if you need help with eLearning. You can get hands-on support with course setup, tools and troubleshooting. No registration is required. Just use the link on the virtual open labs page to join during the following lab hours: Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m.

You will find additional information on the eLearning for Instructors page.

All new employees are required to complete Compliance Training within 30 days of their hire date. To begin, log in to eLearning and follow the instructions provided. The training is overseen by the Office of Institutional Compliance and covers key laws and policies related to your role, such as FERPA and research ethics. For more information, visit the Education & Outreach page.  Call 972-883-2306 or email compliance@utdallas.edu if you run into any difficulties.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law enacted in 1974 to protect the privacy of student education records. For more information, visit the Posting Confidential Student Information page.

As a course instructor, you must be aware of the regulations regarding information security and protection of confidential student information.

Reporting a FERPA Violation.

Under FERPA, students have five primary rights:

1. To inspect and review their education records.
2. To seek to amend those education records they believe to be inaccurate or misleading.
3. To have some control over the disclosure of information from those education records.
4. To file a complaint concerning alleged failures by an institution to comply with FERPA regulations within 180 days.
5. To be notified of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

For more information, see the FERPA policies and procedures pages for undergraduate students and graduate students.

UT Dallas upholds the principles of academic freedom as outlined in the American Association of University Professors’ 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure. Faculty have the right to teach, conduct research, and engage in scholarly inquiry without interference, and students have the right to learn in that same environment. Academic freedom is protected through a network of faculty governance committees, which help maintain fair procedures and shared responsibility in academic matters. For more information, visit the Office of the Provost website and the Academic Senate website.

UTD CourseBook is a publicly accessible source for course schedules, room locations and instruction modalities, syllabi, textbook information, textbook adoption, student feedback on the learning experience, and instructor information. 

You can use your NetID and password to log in using the “my classes” link in the menu at the top of the page to download a photo roster or class roster, email students enrolled in your courses, upload your syllabus and public CV, and view a map of your classroom location. You also can use CourseBook to view syllabi for similar courses taught in previous semesters. For more guidance, visit CourseBook Help.

Be sure to review the Syllabus Templates and Syllabus Policies available through CourseBook or on the Office of the Provost Syllabus Templates page.

1. Course Syllabus: Syllabus requirements and best practices are described in detail below.
2. Public Curriculum Vita (CV) or Public Resume: Course instructors must post public CVs (or resume, as appropriate) on the UTD website per the Texas Legislature (Texas HB 2504). Public CVs or resumes should be updated each year. The public document must meet the UTD provost’s requirements and include:  
   • All institutions of higher education attended, with degrees earned.
   • All previous teaching positions, including names of the institutions, the positions, beginning and ending dates, and a list of significant professional publications relevant to the academic positions held, including full citation data for each entry.

It should not include any personal information, including the instructor’s home address or home telephone number. For more information, see the Curriculum Vitae (Public CV) Templates page.

The official UTD Academic Calendar provides information regarding semester start and stop dates, drop dates, reading days, final exam week, midterm and final grade due dates, and holidays.

UT Dallas textbook policy is Textbooks and Other Materials Prescribed for the Use of Students – UTDPP1005

Faculty must inform the UT Dallas Bookstore of any textbooks that students will need for their courses in one of two ways:

1. Discovery: A textbook adoption tool you can access through eLearning. Once you are logged in to eLearning, simply go to Tools, Follett Discover and click the “Follett Discover” link. This information is quickly submitted to the bookstore adoption software.
2. Email: You can directly email p.godfrey@follett.com with the course information and ISBN/Author/Title/Edition as well as if there are any access codes required for the course along with these materials.

This should be done several months in advance and not later than 30 days before the term starts for all enrolled courses. Log in to the Office of the Registrar’s Intranet for Faculty and look for “Submission opens for Book/Course Material for all enrolled courses” for submission deadlines.

If the displayed textbook (which is provided by the UT Dallas Bookstore) is incorrect in CourseBook, please report and submit the CourseBook TextBook Issue eform.

All instructors (i.e., faculty of any rank) are responsible for ordering any instructor or “desk” copies that they need (typically provided for free by the textbook publisher). Students can rent or purchase textbooks online or from campus and nearby bookstores.

Students purchase textbooks on campus or from bookstores located near campus. You may notify the off-campus bookstores of your textbook requirements.

The UTD Bookstore is located in the VCB (VCB 1.110). Email utd@bkstr.com or call 972-883-2665.

UT Dallas policy requires a syllabus for each undergraduate and graduate course, which must be posted and available to students within 7 days of the first day of class, preferably at least 7 days before classes begin. Upload your syllabus to CourseBook by logging in with your NetID and password. Choose “my classes” and your course. Click on the “Syllabus” tab to upload syllabi.

Faculty should upload their course syllabi to CourseBook, even if they are also posted in eLearning. Additional templates and requirements are available on the Office of the Provost syllabus templates page. Your program head can answer questions about the expected learning outcomes of your course and its place in the school curriculum.

All syllabi for undergraduate and graduate courses must have (1) a brief description of each major course requirement, including each major assignment and exam (2) measurable student learning outcomes (3) a general description of the subject matter of each lecture or discussion and (4) list of any required or recommended readings. For more information, see the Syllabus Policy – UTDPP1111.

To teach a course that gives credit at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, you must complete a Concurrent Course Approval Form, which requires approval by your associate dean or school dean, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Undergraduate Education, and the Office of Graduate Education. The Concurrent Course Approval Form also includes Concurrent Course Guidelines. The syllabi for these courses must indicate different learning outcomes and assignments that are appropriate for the level of credit awarded to students.

Please use one of the approved templates and follow the guidelines on these pages: 

• Syllabus templates.
• Syllabus policies.
• Syllabus submission.

Choose, choose “my classes” and your course. Click on the “Syllabus” tab to upload syllabi to your classes.

Office hours are a vital part of your role as an instructor. They provide students with a consistent opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification and engage in meaningful conversations outside of class. You should establish your office hours by the first week of the semester and communicate them clearly to your students. Be sure to also share your office hours with your department’s administrative assistant so they can be included in departmental communications.  

If you are teaching in an unfamiliar room or have not used the audio/video (AV) equipment before, Media Services encourages you to schedule a training session before classes begin. They can walk you through how to log on, operate the system, and make sure everything you need is working properly.

To reserve classroom equipment that is not already installed, please contact Media Services before the semester begins at media@utdallas.edu or 972-883-4900. Planning ahead ensures that staff are available if you need immediate assistance before or during class. A media services staff member typically arrives within 10-15 minutes. Please be prepared to provide your building and classroom number, your name, as well as specifics about your request.

Online Resources

As a reminder, there are numerous online resources available to support virtual teaching and instruction. Preferred platforms are those already in use at UT Dallas, including eLearning (along with Blackboard Collaborate) and Microsoft Teams.

The eLearning support team offers training and support for faculty and staff, as well as tutorials and handouts.

To contact the eLearning support team, please email elearning@utdallas.edu.

Accessibility Requirements

Course materials should be accessible to all students, regardless of disability. A text equivalent for every non-text element should be included for all course materials. This includes images, graphics, video and audio.

Text-Based Course Materials

Text-based course materials — such as syllabi and readings — must be made available in an accessible format. Detailed instructions are available from Microsoft on how to make Word documents accessible and how those can be saved as accessible PDFs.

Documents should:

• Include alternative text with all visuals.
• Use meaningful hyperlink text rather than URLs.
• Ensure that color is not the only means of conveying information.
• Use sufficient contrast for text and background colors.
• Use a simple table structure and specify column header information.

PDFs from external sources can be checked for accessibility and made accessible. Adobe Acrobat allows users to create and verify PDF accessibility.

Live Virtual Classes

• Subtitles must be made available during live virtual lectures or class meetings.
• Microsoft Teams provides automatic real-time closed captioning, which can be turned on by participants (please note that captioning will not appear on iPhones or iPads). Teams meetings that are recorded may be uploaded to Microsoft Stream to create automatically generated captions. See instructions below.
• PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 can transcribe your words as you present and display them on-screen as captions in the same language you are speaking, or as subtitles translated to another language. Instructions for setting up PowerPoint captions and subtitles.
• Instructors who choose to use another platform are responsible for ensuring that captioning is available to all students.

Pre-Recorded Lectures

If lectures are prerecorded, a text alternative must be made available, either as open or closed captions, or as a separate transcript file. Videos published in Microsoft Stream will have automatically generated captions. Any on-screen graphics should be described audibly in the lecture or in the transcription to make that content available to students with low or no vision.

When uploading pre-recorded videos to Stream, follow these steps to trigger Stream’s production of closed captions:

1. Open the video playback page in your browser.
2. In the Details pane, select the ellipsis (“More”) button, and then select Edit.
3. Under Details, specify the Video Language. Currently, auto-generated caption files can be created for English- and Spanish-language videos in MP4 and WMV formats.
4. Next, in the Options window on the right, select Autogenerate a caption file.
5. Select Apply at the top of the page to save these settings.

Note: Automatic captions generally take 1-2 times the video’s duration to finish processing (that is, expect to wait roughly two hours for the creation of captions for a one-hour video). Instructors may need to edit the captions for accuracy.

Blackboard Ally

Blackboard Ally provides guidance on how to correct accessibility issues with your digital course content, which means your learning materials will work better on mobile phones and tablets as well as with assistive technologies. Ally is now available in eLearning courses.

Resources for Course Accessibility

• OIT: Accessibility Resources for Microsoft Office 365.
• eLearning: Training and Support for Faculty and Staff, including a new course on lecture delivery and recording.
• ETS: Blackboard Ally.

Registrar’s Intranet

The Registrar Intranet is a secure site for faculty to access information about grading, scheduling and other essential responsibilities related to teaching This source can be accessed only by logging in with your NetID and password. Many common questions are addressed on this site, and all faculty are expected to review and understand the information provided.

Although not required, a good way to let students know you care about their learning and want them to come prepared for the first class is to send a brief “welcome” email introducing yourself and the course before class begins. This can be done via CourseBook or eLearning. A few items that you may include in this email are:

• Any pre-class assignment.
• Textbook information (many students like to buy their textbooks online).
• Course syllabus.
• Start dates of labs, if applicable (which typically are not the first week of class).
• Any room changes.
• Any pre-class assignment.

It is not unusual for students to contact the course instructor prior to the beginning of the semester with questions about course prerequisites, permission to enroll in the class if it is full, or other enrollment-related questions. It is important to note that instructors do not have the authority to override prerequisites. The program head may do so under very limited circumstances. Instructors also do not have the authority to allow a student to enroll in a class that is full. In either case, please refer students to an undergraduate or graduate advisor.

• Students who participate in UT Dallas varsity sports or other University-sponsored events may present a note from their coach, athletic director or faculty sponsor at the beginning of the semester; this constitutes an allowable absence. If a midterm falls on one of those dates, students must be given the opportunity to make it up. Athletic events are not scheduled during the final exam week.
• Instructors may allow students to make up missed exams based on approved and documented excuses. Some excuses, such as the observance of religious holy days, must be accommodated in accordance with UT Dallas policy and should be clearly stated in the course syllabus. Instructors should apply policies consistently to all students and are encouraged to align with departmental practices to ensure fairness. Consult with your associate dean or program head when deciding your exam policies.

According to UT Dallas policy, the instructor of record is responsible for grading of exams and other assignments. If a TA is involved in grading, their work must be closely supervised and approved by the instructor. 

Website: Graduation Help Desk

Email: graduationhelpdesk@utdallas.edu

In-person, Virtual or Phone Appointments: Graduation Help Desk Bookings

Faculty are also encouraged to consult with the Office of Undergraduate Education or the Office of Graduate Education for additional support, including guidance on academic policies, access to data, and information on campus resources.

Faculty also can engage with students through various programs, such as undergraduate research initiatives, mentorship opportunities, and events focused on supporting minority and first-generation student success.

Website: Comet Cupboard

Email: cupboard@utdallas.edu

Call: 972-883-6613

Website: Office of Graduate Education

Email: gradeducation@utdallas.edu

Call: 972-883-2234

For Faculty: Faculty Resources Page

• Visit the Faculty Resources and Guidelines page for information about completing the online Request Form. See the Faculty Exam Request Information on that page, which includes details about creating a RegisterBlast account and the faculty memorandum shown on the website.
• When completing the form, please include all your specifications about exam conditions or restrictions. Be sure to include the students’ names and the deadline that you chose for when they must have completed the exam or make-up exam. You can upload or send the make-up exam or other exam through eLearning for students to submit their answers via Blue Book. If you require students to submit answers on documents you provide, all exams and materials must be assembled and dropped off at the Testing Center at least seven business days prior to the exam start date per the faculty memorandum instructions. Students are not allowed to bring any personal belongings into the Testing Center and are monitored closely while they complete their exams.
• Testing Center requests should be submitted a minimum of 10 business days prior to your quiz/exam time.
• See the Faculty Resources and Guidelines page for more information about scheduling whole-class exams, makeup exams, information needed by students, policies, and hours of operation.
• Faculty may consult with Testing Center staff about remote exam proctoring services, such as Honorlock.
• eLearning Tutorials— Training for setting up online quizzes and exams in eLearning is available via organized sessions and individual requests. Visit eLearning Training and Support Resources and click on the eLearning Training Request Form to arrange an in-person tutorial or sign up for TA/RA training sessions. For more information about all tutorials, visit the eLearning Tutorials & Handouts page. 

You may find that the Testing Center is particularly helpful for scheduling and administering make-up exams that can take up so much time each semester. See the Testing Center site for more information about policies and procedures.

Final exam dates are scheduled by the Office of the Registrar. These dates are available in  Orion and are set shortly after Census Day, which occurs about two weeks after the start of each semester.  

Students who have more than three final exams scheduled in one day may petition to take the additional final exams on different days. Students with two or three exams on the same day are not guaranteed the right to a separate exam. However, you may choose to offer an alternative time at your discretion as along as the same option is made available to all students in similar circumstances.

All final exams must take place during the final exam week. You may plan and conduct an examination in any regular class period as part of your overall evaluation of the students, including the last class period. Any exam conducted outside the final exam week, however, cannot be treated as or announced under the title of “final exam.” If an instructor does not wish to take advantage of the time allocated in the final exam week, for official purposes this means the course does not have a final exam.

Please note that you can NOT change the time of your final exam even if all your students agree. Changes can only be made with a request to scheduling@utdallas.edu. Faculty should NOT:

• Reschedule a final exam outside the approved meeting times — even if all students agree — without approval. This also means there can be NO cumulative final exams on the last day of class.
• Give a final exam after the final exam period has ended.
• Ask students to stay longer than the 2 hours and 45 minutes allotted for a final exam.
• Schedule final exams during Reading Days. Reading days are scheduled between the last day of classes and the first day of the final exam period for the semester.

Designated Reading Days are indicated in the Academic Calendar. Reading Days are designed to provide students with a study day prior to final exams. Study days do not include University activities or any course activity, including early final exams.

Activities allowed on Reading Days:

• Optional student and class review sessions.

Activities NOT allowed on Reading Days:

• Any gatherings not specifically for review or study of the semester’s academic work.
• Required class review session.
• Early final examinations.
• Required presentation session.
• Student club or group meetings/activities.
• Any gatherings not specifically for review or study of the semester’s academic work.

After a final grade has been recorded by the Office of the Registrar, faculty may change grades only to correct a clerical error or replace a grade of “incomplete” or “NR.” A faculty-initiated change of a final grade may be submitted in Orion and will be forwarded to the department or program head, associate dean of undergraduate education or associate dean of graduate education, and the school dean for written approval.

Grade changes must be submitted by the end of the eighth week of the following long semester after the grade was awarded. Any grade change initiated after the eighth week of the long semester requires the written approval of the instructor, the department or program head, associate dean of undergraduate education or the associate dean of graduate education, the school dean, and the dean of undergraduate education or the dean of graduate education.

• The only grounds for considering a grade to be incorrect are either clerical error or that the grade is arbitrary or capricious. Examples of clerical error would include, but are not limited to, a mistake in adding component grades, a mistake in recording grades, or attributing a paper or examination to the wrong student. “Arbitrary or capricious” means that the grade cannot be considered reasonable given the material of the course, the overall performance of the class, and the individual performance of the student. The University assumes that coursework is best evaluated by the instructor in the immediate context of the course activity. Requests for reconsideration must show with clear and convincing evidence why this assumption should be set aside.
• If a student believes he or she has been assigned a grade because of a clerical error or that the grade is arbitrary or capricious, the student should first seek to discuss the grade with the instructor within 60 calendar days after the course grade posting in Orion. If this does not lead to satisfactory understanding, the student may file a formal appeal following the procedures described for academic grievances in the Rules, Regulations, and Statutory Requirements Section C. (See Student Grievances).
• Sometimes, a student may ask you to change a grade without academic merit. Such a request may come with a wide range of comments involving the student’s emotional or financial state, their academic or nonacademic workload, how well the student is doing in other courses, and the ramifications of the grade to the student’s GPA or scholarship. Additional arguments may be raised involving any number of perceived shortcomings in the textbook, the classroom, the classmates, the instructor, etc. None of these constitutes an acceptable basis for changing a grade that has been accurately delivered according to the actual performance of the student subject to the course guidelines.
• In responding to a student’s request for a higher grade, it is recommended that you be firm but kind. Avoid blaming a student at a time of distress, even if you feel the blame has been earned. It is reasonable, however, to say that the grade reflects the work that was delivered, and that is the only basis that exists for grading at UTD. At the same time, it is appropriate to sympathize with the student’s situation, and you can recommend what can be done for better results next time, i.e., change the focus from negative (bad grade) to positive (future improvement).
• Although mistakes sometimes happen and must be corrected, please be aware that grade changes are especially scrutinized. Improper grade changes can reflect badly not only the instructor, but also the school and the University as a whole.