New Faculty FAQ 

1. Are there syllabus templates or required syllabus language? The Provost’s Office maintains Syllabus Templates which faculty can edit. They also maintain a list of suggested Syllabus Statements pertaining to effective classroom accommodations, Lottery Scholarship, emergencies in classroom, etc. 

2. How do I get access to my classrooms? Classrooms have several types of access, including key, combination, Learn Lock, and Card Swipe Access. To obtain access through any of these systems, the first contact would be your department. The department staff can review the type of lock through 25Live – click on the classroom number and look for the room access. A key card must be completed to obtain a key to a space. Combination lock and Learn Lock access must be coordinated through the first priority department. Card swipe access requires your department send an email to the key shop with the faculty member’s M# number. 

3. Is there Desire2Learn (D2L) training? D2L is MTSU’s Learning Management System. Faculty can find D2L support in the ITD Service Portal and also through MTSU Online teaching resources web page. D2L is most easily accessed by using the D2L link within the Quicklinks menu on the MTSU homepage or from the D2L link within Pipeline. 

4. How do I use classroom technology? The ITD service portal Knowledge Base has step by step instructions for Classroom Touch Panels and lecture capture control. Contact the ITD Help Desk for classroom support. Also the Jones College of Business IT Services has created several guides for D2L, Zoom, Microsoft 365, and Master Classrooms that faculty may find helpful. 

5. What is faculty workload? MTSU’s required faculty workload is 15 workload units (WU) per semester. Tenured/tenure-track faculty members with an active research agenda will typically teach nine (9) WU per semester. For non-research active, tenured/tenure-track faculty, the maximum teaching responsibility is twelve (12) WU each semester, which is typically reflected as four three credit-hour courses. The remaining three (3) WU are allocated for other “typical” non-instructional  activities.  Workload Unit requirements differ based on appointment type. For example, the assigned work for other full-time temporary faculty (instructor-track and lecturer) consists of a fifteen (15) WU in instructional activities. 
   
   Workload Guidelines include information on teaching an overload, banking instructional hours, etc. Workload Guidelines, forms, deadlines, and request for non-instructional (Reassignment from Teaching) workload units can be found at this web site Faculty Workload Reporting – Academic Administration and Resources. 

6. What are expected office hours? MTSU Policy 800 (General Personnel) states that “All full-time personnel, including faculty, shall be required to devote a minimum of 37.5 hours per week to MTSU and shall maintain appropriate office hours as determined by the President.” According to the workload guidelines, faculty are expected to establish, post (on office door and syllabus), and maintain a minimum of five (5) scheduled office hours where faculty are available to students for conferences and special  instruction. Department chair may establish a higher number of minimum required office hours based on student need. 

7. What are some services to help my students? MTSU has many services to help your students. Counseling Services, tutoring in many subject areas, the University Writing Center, Information Technology (ITD) Help Desk, and Health Services. A list of resources for online students is available. Additionally, we have a Campus Action Response and Engagement (CARE) Team in an effort to meet the needs of students who may be in distress.  Faculty can submit a CARE Referral. 

8. How do I order textbooks? Adoptions can be emailed to the bookstore at store8348@bncollege.com or entered through the Barnes and Noble Adoptions and Insights Portal (AIP) link available through the Faculty Pipeline page under Faculty Resources. The Library also provides information on Textbook Affordability options such as Open Educational Resources and Course Reserves.  

9. What is attendance reporting? Attendance reporting is due by the 14th day of the term to verify whether or not a student has academically engaged with a course. Faculty may continue to make needed corrections or updates online throughout the remainder of the part-of-term. In addition to attendance reporting, faculty are asked to report mid-term grades and can report academic progress at any time. The links for Attendance Reporting and Mid Term Grade reporting are available through the Faculty Pipeline page under Required/Reporting Grading.  Faculty can see all reporting due dates for the term under Required/Reporting Grading.  

10. What is LDA-Last Day of Attendance? Though MTSU does not require instructors to take attendance, for federal audit purposes we are required to retain source documentation justifying the last dates of attendance/activity you reported on final grading for some students. All faculty members must complete one LDA form per CRN to provide supporting documentation for the associated last date of attendance/activity (LDA) for those students who: had an ‘F’ or ‘I’ (default ‘F’) grade submitted; AND had a last date of attendance after the midpoint of the semester; AND stopped attending and did not complete the course in its entirety. The link for reporting LDA is available through the Faculty Pipeline page under Required/Reporting Grading.  

11. What is the OFD (Outline of Faculty Data)? Regular faculty members who are tenured, tenure-track, and specialized (non-tenure) track use Faculty Success to enter information in preparation for the annual Performance Evaluation report and for Tenure and Promotion review. The Outline of Faculty Data (OFD) is the report that is pulled from the information entered. Step by step instructions are available at Videos & User Guides – Faculty Success 

12. What is the travel policy? MTSU’s travel policy is outlined in University Policy 658. Travel procedures, forms and other resources are available at https://boffice.mtsu.edu/travel/ 

13. How do I get my email and access other office technology?  Information about Microsoft 365 email for faculty, staff and students is provided at this site https://www.mtsu.edu/email/.  Additional information about office technology can be found at “New Faculty Onboarding Basic Technology.”