Faculty Cafe Closed

Monday, March 23, 2020

7:00 am - 7:00 pm

For the safety of our faculty and staff, the Faculty Cafe will be closed until UH classes resume. However, the FED will continue to host virtual events and a discussion board. Please see our Sharepoint site for details: https://uofh.sharepoint.com/sites/FEDResources27

There are a variety of resources and assistance available to help faculty transition their course to a virtual environment. You have choices about what content you present and if you upload presentations, show videos or provide documents. 

Student Communication

Take your time and decide how you will teach and communicate with your students.  There are a variety of tools to contact students about final grades, assignments and changes to courses. Many of the following tools will allow you to communicate with students as a group

• Blackboard
• UH Navigate
• Office 365 – MS TEAMS
• Online Meetings w/TEAMS

Teaching

The university has various tools available to help you provide academic continuity via online instruction. 

• All courses at UH have a course shell created.
• FDIS will offer online demonstrations and Q&A sessions via Zoom to assist instructors.

• For additional information regarding teaching, visit these sites:

  • UH Blackboard
  • UH Instruction
  • Getting Started
  • Office 365 - MS Teams
  • Online Meetings w/TEAMS
  • Create a TEAMS Class

  Research

  Visit the Division of Research website for information.

  Resources

  There are technology resources available to help with online instruction.  Below are a few resources to get you started:

  • University Information Technology (3-1411)
  • UH Access
  • Office 365
  • VPN
  • Skype
  • Zoom

University Resources

A list of helpful university resources:

• Human Resources
• Faculty Handbook
• Statistical handbook
• Faculty Senate
• UH Policies – MAPP and SAM

Promotion and Tenure

• New P&T SharePoint Site (365) 
• Provost’s website for P&T

Non Tenure Track

• Option 1 SharePoint Site
• Option 2 SharePoint Site
• Provost’s website for NTT

Faculty Awards

• Awards SharePoint Site (new 365)
• Provost’s website on awards

Office of Faculty Engagement and Development

FED SharePoint – All faculty have access to professional development resources. Visit the FED.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I request to have my course in Blackboard?

You do not have to request a Blackboard course.  According to the Academic Continuity information sheet, every course in each semester at UH has a course shell created on Blackboard, whether the instructor requested it or not.   For assistance with your course visit, http://instruction.uh.edu and http://uh.edu/fdis. 

2. How do I get access?

You can find Blackboard Learn in your Access UH portal or by visiting the Quick Link on the Faculty & Staff section of the University of Houston’s home page.

3. Can my TA/GA have access?

Here is a step-by-step guide to add your TA/GA or Co-Instructor to your course via INSTRUCTION@UH.

4. Who can help me set up this course up?

There are several Faculty Support Programs, please explore the program links below: 

• Blackboard Functional Support
• Education Innovation & Technology
• Faculty and Departmental Instructional Support
• Instructional Designers

5. Can I stream videos and record my lectures?

Faculty and Departmental Instructional Support (FDIS) provides professional support services to faculty with guidance and use of technology.

6. What are the technology requirements? ( version, compatibility, browser)

Verify whether your browser and operating system supports Blackboard Browser Checker and MS Teams.

7. How do I create content to transfer to an online environment?

You can completely customize your course structure. Go to the Course Structure Setup on Blackboard Instructor support site. 

8. I have questions regarding instructional expectations, class times, and online instructions.

Contact your college/department for detailed information about the Continuity of Operations Plan regarding how to continue classes if there is limited access to campus.

9. My student is not accessing the online course and materials, has not completed assignments, or contacted me.

Contact your college/department for detailed information about the Continuity of Operations Plan regarding how to support students if there is limited access to campus. Use UH Navigate if you are concerned about a particular student.

10. What about my research?

The university has asked researchers to evaluate their research needs.  For more information, visit the university internal alerts and the Division of Research websites.

11. For updates visit the UH website.

As stated in the Chancellor Khator’s email on March 4^th, “[her] priority is to ensure that the university remains safe and healthy and is closely monitoring the global outbreak.”  Visit the UH website for up to date information.