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Frequently Asked Questions

What funding is available for travel?
Who do I contact if a student either cheats on an examination or has plagiarized a paper?
What do I do if I have questions about some issue and don’t know who to ask?
Who do I talk to if I get poor SOS scores?
I enjoyed meeting faculty at the new faculty orientation. What other opportunities exist to meet other faculty members?
Who do I call regarding technology assistance, such as setting up a blackboard course?
How do I go about selecting a textbook for my class?
I can’t find my way around campus. How can I learn where everything is located?
What teaching resources are available at CMU?
I'm asked to allow students to observe their religious holidays, but how do I know when those holidays are?
How can I reduce cheating within the classroom?

1. What funding is available for travel?

There are actually several sources of travel. Most departments and colleges have some funds available. Start by asking your department chair about FRCE (Faculty Research and Creative Endeavors). Links to information regarding this program can be found at http://www.orsp.cmich.edu/orspinternal.htm.

There is a Grant Development Reimbursement Award to support faculty members seeking grant funds. This program will support travel associated with applying for external grants and is administered by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

The Assessment Council sponsors faculty professional development activities and expenses for assessing student learning. Grants are typically limited to $1,000. Details may be obtained at the following web address: http://www.provost.cmich.edu/assessment.

Perhaps the best advice regarding internal funding for faculty members is to check with your department chair and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching. Each case is slightly different and these three sources will give you information regarding most of the funding opportunities on campus.

2. Who do I contact if a student either cheats on an examination or has plagiarized a paper?

Central Michigan University has a strict code with respect to academic dishonesty. It is located in the University Bulletin in Appendix II.

The Director of the Office of Student Life at extension 3016 and the Graduate School (ORSP) are good resources for handling academic dishonesty. Even Consult with your department chair if you judge a student guilty of academic dishonesty. If you do decide to “handle” the incident yourself, still consult with your department chair. Academic dishonesty is a very serious issue. Document everything carefully and do consider discussing the issue with the Director of the Office of Student Life.

3. What do I do if I have questions about an issue and don’t know who to ask?

You may have to check with a couple of sources. The fact is that there are so many policies and procedures on campus that there are few people who know them all. Check with senior colleagues, your chair, the office professional in your department, Faculty Personnel Services, and the director of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching (x 3615). Links to many of these policies, procedures and resources can be found in the resource center at this website (http://www.provost.cmich.edu/orientation/archive.htm).

Here is one thing for you to try that takes only a few minutes and will almost always get you moving in the right direction. Go to the CMU home page and in the search box type in the issue for which you desire information.

4. Who do I talk to if I get poor SOS scores?

The SOS is the student opinion survey which is used at CMU to provide evidence of teaching affectiveness. If you have any questions at all about the SOS, call the Director of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching, at extension 3615. He will help you to understand what the SOS is measuring, common reasons for both high and low SOS scores, and what to do if your scores are lower than you would like. All such conversations regarding the SOS are strictly confidential.

5. I enjoyed meeting faculty at the new faculty orientation. What additional opportunities exist to meet other faculty members?

There are many ways to meet others, but you will need to be a bit proactive. Walk around your department/college and introduce yourself to other faculty members. Be aware of those who are trying to meet deadlines and stop by and chat with those folks at a later time. For the most part you will find wonderful people who are very interested in having a short chat with you at just about any time.

Watch for other opportunities to meet and interact with others. Faculty discussion groups, campus workshops, and campus activities all provide opportunities to get to know colleagues.

6. Who do I call regarding technology assistance, such as setting up a blackboard course?

The first place to call with any technology-related question is the Help Desk (x3662). Then, if technology assistance is still needed, the next place to call would be IT (Information Technology x1474). The homepage for IT also has a host of information regarding technology (http://www.it.cmich.edu/default.asp). It is worth taking a short bit of time to preview the site and see what is available to you here at CMU.

Setting up a blackboard course is also done through this office. Call the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching at x6411 with questions about blackboard. There is also a special website for information regarding blackboard at: http://www.facit.cmich.edu

7. How do I go about selecting a textbook for my class?

Your first set of textbooks was probably selected before you even arrived on campus, but soon you will face the additional task (along with everything else) of previewing and selecting a textbook for next semester. Your first order of business should be to talk to anyone in your department who is, or has, taught the course in the past. It is common for faculty members to talk to one another about texts used in classes. There is a wide range of textbooks on the market and it is best to use texts that are similar in level of difficulty when there are multiple sections of a course.

A wonderful resource on the web is Faculty OnLine (http://www.facultyonline.com/). This program does require that you register, as they allow you to directly order examination copies of textbooks. Through this program you may review textbooks, see which universities/faculty are using which texts, find out sales volume on texts, and order examination copies. It really does make it much easier to select a text for your class.

8. I can’t find my way around campus. How can I learn where everything is located?

The easiest way to find your way around campus is to walk around campus. The weather in the fall is some of the best of the year. Take breaks in the early afternoon and stroll around campus. Walk through various buildings and see where departments/services are located. In a very short time you will have a good “feel” for the campus and where things are located. Although you may feel like you don’t have time to spare, strolling around campus for 20 – 30 minutes is a very good activity to serve as a break for a busy person.

There is an interactive map of the campus online. If you roll-over a building name, it will highlight the building on the map - a very handy tool.

9. What teaching resources are available at CMU?

There are many teaching resources on the CMU campus. There may well be resources within your department and college. At the university level, the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching (http://www.facit.cmich.edu/) was established in 2002 to provide a host of teaching resources and services for faculty throughout the university. The Faculty Center hosts workshops and discussion groups, facilitates delivery of funds for travel, provides print resources, generates teaching tips, provides a host of multimedia possibilities, and is available for private consultations and classroom visits (including videotaping your class if you wish). Take a moment and check out the Faculty Center’s web page for a full list of resources available for anyone who teaches for CMU. If you desire something that is not listed, call x3615.

10. I'm asked to allow students to observe their religious holidays, but how do I know when those holidays are?

The following websites list the dates of various religious holidays.

http://www.interfaithcalendar.org

http://www.interfaithalliance.org

http://www.diversity.cmich.edu/Appr_reqd/InterFaithCal03-07.htm

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Last Modified: 07/17/2008