Online Program Faculty Information

Limestone University Course Terms 2023

Fall 2023Spring 2024Summer 2024

Term 5
Aug 28 - Oct 17

 


Add/Drop
Aug 30

Grades due
Oct 19

Pay date
Oct 31

Term 6
Oct 23 - Dec 12

 


Add/Drop
Oct 25

Grades due
Dec 14

Pay date
Dec 29

Term 1
Jan 8 - Feb 27


 

Add/Drop
Jan 10

Grades due
Feb 29

Pay date
Feb 29

Term 2
Mar 11 - April 30


 

Add/Drop
Mar 13

Grades due
May 2

Pay date
May 31

Term 3
May 6 - Jun 25


 

Add/Drop
May 8

Grades due
June 27

Pay date
June 28

Term 4
Jul 1 - Aug 20


 

Add/Drop
Jul 3

Grades due
Aug 22

Pay date
Aug 30

Faculty Requirements

The Halo

  • The Halo login is the same as the username and password for your email account and Canvas account.
  • The Halo is the main access point for faculty and student information. 

Textbooks Information

  • Please check for your current textbook at:
    limestone.edu/bookstore
    Click on the order textbook tab and look up what course you are teaching.  Contact the publisher to send the textbook to your home address.  If your employment with Limestone needs to be verified, please have the publisher contact Lori Downey ldowney@limestone.edu.
  • Please order from the publisher (see  Publishers List ) and have it sent to your home address. If the publisher needs verification of your employment with us, please have them contact Lori Downey.
  • If you have any questions about your text, email pmccraw@limestone.edu

Direct Deposit

  • Complete the following form:  Limestone Direct Deposit Authorization or Change Form
  • Attach a voided check and email it to Patti Lankford.
  • You only have to submit this form ONCE unless you need to make a change in your bank account information.
  • The Federal Reserve requires a pre-note period to verify the accuracy of the account information. This verification process takes one full pay cycle. Compensation earned during this verification process will be sent by check.

Master Course and Canvas Usage

  • Course Coordinators will copy the content into the live course.
  • Use of the Master Course syllabus is mandatory and you are required to make the following four changes listed below. No other changes are allowed without approval by the Course Coordinator or Department Chair.  
    • Be sure to update the syllabus with your contact information
    • Add your contact information to the homepage
    • Check that all web links are active
    • Update the due dates within the course. 
    • The course needs to be published by 5pm on the Friday before the term begins.
  • Canvas offers a 24/7 support.  Any student or faculty needing assistance with the use of Canvas can contact them at support@instructure.com. Please make sure you reach out to Canvas first and if they cannot assist they will then route you to Limestone’s Help Desk.

Entering Grades

  • Finals grades must be entered in The Halo within 48 hours of the last class. You do not have to enter grades for the entire class at one time.
  • Contact the Registrar's office immediately should you have any difficulty in submitting grades. 
  • It is imperative that grades are entered by the deadline stated in your contract because it impacts other tasks, such as probation, suspension and scholarship awards, which must be completed.
  • Failure to enter grades by the required deadline may impact future contract offers.
  • All grades will be due by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday after the term ends.

Last Date of Academic Activity Form

  • Must be completed for students who have received a Failing grade in a course.
  • The form is located in The Halo under Faculty/Staff Resources -> Faculty Resources at the bottom right of the page.
  • Once a final grade has been entered, if the form is needed, the students’ name will appear.  Instructors will need to choose that student's name and complete the form.

"I" or Incomplete 

  • A mark of "I" is requested by the student and approved by the instructor and the Dean, when due to extenuating circumstances such as illness, a student is unable to complete the work assigned in a course.
  • It is understood that to receive a mark of "I", all completed work (minimum of 75%) in the course must collectively be at the passing level or above.
  • The mark of “I” must be removed within 30 days from the end of term.
  • Failure to complete required work will result in a grade of “F”.
  • An incomplete must be requested at least one week before the class end date.
  • Students cannot withdraw from a class after an "I" has been issued.
  • In determining the Grade Point Average the mark of “I” (Incomplete) will not be considered.

Withdrawal From Class

  • Students must initiate the withdrawal process by completing the “ Withdrawal From Class” form. 
  • This form is located in The Halo under “Student Forms." 
  • Online Program Students will be allowed to withdraw through the 4th week of class at 5:00 pm, EST. with a grade of "W", which will have no impact on their grade point average (GPA). 
  • After the 4th week, students can withdraw with a grade of "WP" or "WF", which could impact their grade point average (GPA). 
  • Under no circumstances is a professor allowed to award a withdrawal grade without using the appropriate form.  If a student emails you regarding withdrawing from your class, please instruct them that they must complete the form.  
  • After completion of the form, a copy will be emailed to the professor for a grade of “W”, “WP” or “WF” to be awarded. 
  • If a student does not complete any of their assignments or withdraw from the course, then they will be awarded an “F” for the class.
  • The last date of academic activity will be the first day of class. The last date of academic activity must be entered for all withdrawals as well as any student who earns an “F”.  This date must fall within the course enrollment dates.

Information from the Equity and Inclusion Office

The Equity and Inclusion Office is committed to assisting all students with removing barriers that could impede their personal development and academic success. Through services such as those provided by Accessible Education, the Learning Enrichment and Achievement Program (LEAP), SaintsFIRST, and International Student Support, Equity and Inclusion team members strive to empower and position students for an optimal collegiate experience. Students in need of assistance as a result of a disability (physical, mental, or learning) or being an international or first-generation, or any other circumstance that may impact their academic performance are encouraged to contact the Equity and Inclusion Office to discuss their needs.

  • If a student in your class indicates they have a disability and requests an accommodation, these steps must be followed:
    • Ask the student if they have been in communication with the Equity and Inclusion Office
    • If the student has NOT communicated with Equity and Inclusion, you should provide the student with the contact information below so that the student may contact the office.
    • You are NEVER to offer any accommodations to a student if you do not have the official accommodation letter from the Equity and Inclusion Office.
  • If the student has completed the intake process with Equity and Inclusion, you will receive an email from Equity and Inclusion detailing the approved accessible education services for that semester.
  • You can only provide the accessible education services allowed on the letter sent to you by Equity and Inclusion
  • Should the student request additional accessible education services, you cannot provide them unless you receive a revised letter from Equity and Inclusion.

Online Program Teaching Requirements

Phase I - Course Shell Standardization (Template Deployed Term 2 2022)

Phase II - Professional Development (Canvas PD Deployed by CTLI Fall/Spring 2022-2023)

Phase III - Faculty Engagement (begins Term 5 2023)

Phase III – Faculty Engagement: All online faculty (undergraduate and graduate) must ensure they engage in each of their courses weekly by employing a minimum of three varied/different forms of course engagement such as, but not limited to, the below. 

  • Weekly Announcement(s) 
    • Post reminders and announcements, summaries of academic growth and observed challenges, and overall student encouragement to establish your ongoing presence and support, etc.; 
  • Assessment Feedback – Beyond a Grade!
    • Provide assessment/assignment/project individual student feedback for graded and/or draft submitted work;
  • Discussion Board Posts
    • Provide a summary post of your observations from their posts (celebrations, challenges, misconceptions), share food for thought to encourage further topic discussion and reflection, etc. on any assigned discussion board post for that week within the discussion board (this, too, establishes faculty presence and support);
  • Videos
    • Post a video to introduce a module or topic for the week; to teach a mini-lesson or conduct a demo; etc.
  • Host a Weekly Optional Live Course Session
    • If your course is a gatekeeper or difficult content that may need F2F support, offer an optional live course session specific to the topic or culminating assignment to show examples, demo how-tos, talk through misconceptions, etc.
  • Individual Student Canvas Email Communication 
    • Send out email alerts to students struggling with ways to assist, support, or provide feedback on how to recover, etc.

Phase I Update…

After one year of mandated “One Hour Per Week Virtual Office Hours”, members of academic leadership amend this policy to allow a few more options to meet this requirement:

  • One Hour Per Week Virtual Office Hours (Teams, Big Blue Button, GoToMeeting, Zoom, etc.); or o Use the Bookings with Me option for students to schedule with you via Microsoft Teams – this option would be placed in Canvas under Virtual Office Hours; or
  • Employ the Appointment Campaign in Navigate (only available for FT faculty and undergraduate courses) for the duration of the course and invite only students in your course(s) to join – this option would be placed in Canvas under Virtual Office Hours; or o Employ a spontaneous Canvas Announcement/Email to alert students that you are online and available and how to immediately connect with you during that timespan – evidence of this option would be visible on the announcement page; or
  • Use the Availability option in Navigate (hopefully coming soon – stay tuned) – this option would be placed in Canvas under Virtual Office Hours once/if it becomes available; or a combination of the above.

Online Program Test Proctoring

Limestone University’s online program uses Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor as a more efficient and convenient way to maintain academic integrity in online and hybrid courses. Although there is not a human watching you take your exam, the software will record audio and video during the exam, so make sure you’re following the guidelines set by your instructor while testing. The service is fully integrated within Canvas and available 24/7. 

For more information about Respondus, see the Respondus Student Quick Start Guide and see Limestone's Online Test Proctoring page.

Online Program Course Faculty Expectations

Please carefully review the list of expectations below for all faculty teaching online courses. The expectations were written and approved by Limestone University faculty and are intended to ensure that our online courses provide students with a high-quality learning experience.  You will find these expectations referenced in your contract for teaching Limestone Online courses. 

Please ensure that each course you teach is in compliance with the expectations below.  Should you have any questions about how to adjust your course to meet these standards, contact your department chair or the course coordinator for assistance.  Any other questions, please contact Lori Downey. 

  • All Adjunct Faculty newly hired on or after 09.01.2021 are required to complete Limestone’s Instructor Training Course (self-paced in Canvas) prior to and/or by end of week 1 for the term hired. Instructors will receive a one-time stipend of $75 upon successful completion of the training course and a digital badge.
  • The course needs to be published in Canvas by 5pm on the Friday before the term begins.  Instructors must engage actively and frequently with students throughout the course. Instructors are required to make available multiple modes of communication for students—at a minimum Limestone email, and discussion boards. 
  • Online Faculty must provide a minimum of one hour of virtual live office hours per week.
  • Faculty members are expected to respond to all student communications within 48 hours. 
  • Faculty are expected to provide meaningful, detailed, and timely feedback to students.  Clear criteria should be included in the course regarding the basis of evaluation of all graded assignments, discussion, wiki, blog, etc. such as a rubric and/or a list of criteria with associated point values.  Feedback should include the use of the rubric/criteria in the explanation.  All assignments are to be graded within one week of due date. 
  • Faculty should post regular announcements providing general feedback on assignments, areas for improvement, tips for success, etc.  
  • The faculty’s policy on accepting late submissions must be clearly stated in the course and/or syllabus. 
  • Each course must include at least two proctored exams by Respondus, typically a midterm in the 4th week, and a final exam in the last week. 
  • The Canvas grade book or the grade book provided by department approved software (e.g., Hawkes, SAM, etc.) must be used in recording and posting all student grades. 
  • Faculty members are required to submit the Last Date of Academic Activity for every student receiving a W or an F in an online course. 
  • Final grades must be posted in the Halo no later than 48 hours following the end of the course.
  • Issuing an Alert for retention purposes will allow the student’s advisor to intervene with the online students that are not performing well in their classes and discuss their options. You may access navigate using this link: https://www.limestone.edu/navigate/faculty-and-staff or by logging into The Halo.  Please keep in mind that the online courses still do not display correctly in Navigate. For example, if two different professors are teaching the same course (different section numbers), both professors’ names show up on the student’s schedule (see photo one). All students enrolled in the course (all sections) show up on the professor’s “assigned students” list in Navigate.  The professors will need to know from Canvas which students are in their course.  

  • During Summer terms 3 & 4, undergraduate faculty will use the Online and Graduate Retention Report Form.  All other terms 5,6,1, & 2 please issue an alert in Navigate.

  • Positive Alerts: The Navigate platform has exciting new updates and features. We added two positive alerts in the Navigate platform, both indicated with the phrase ‘High Five.’ When you issue one of the High Five alerts, the student’s advisor, coach, and Student Success team members are notified and the student receives an email from me that says:
    • High Five – Class Participation/Engagement: Your professor, {$completer_name}, gave you a high-five for your recent class participation in {$course_name}-{$course_number}! Engagement with your professor and classmates during class is instrumental for your academic success - keep up the great work! 
    • High Five – Improved Academic Performance: Your professor, {$completer_name}, gave you a high-five for improving your academic performance in {$course_name}-{$course_number}! Keep up the great work and continue to put in the effort - it is paying off!
  • **Please note:  Any graduate faculty will continue to use the  Online and Graduate Retention Report Form for graduate students only for all terms. This form is also found in The Halo. 

Library Resources

With Canvas, a librarian can provide library instruction services for the online program. In addition to Library Course Guides and face-to-face instruction, the library also offers the following:

  • Online Instruction for Your Class: The librarian will remotely connect to your course synchronously (via MS Teams, Canvas Conference, or Zoom) or offer asynchronous webinar options for students to attend on their own time. To request library instruction, please complete this form:
    Library Instruction Request Form or email Chloe Hoyle cflournoy@limestone.edu
  • Online Embedded Librarian: Add a librarian as a teaching assistant to your Canvas course by emailing the request to Chloe Hoyle at cflournoy@limestone.edu. The librarian can add links to library resources, host discussions on scholarly research and how to find information, email students about specific library resources relating to course assignments, answer questions, and more.
  • Customized Instruction Videos or Tutorials: Request a specific tutorial video or series of videos for your class. The librarian will provide a link that can be uploaded in Canvas for students to view as required. See the Library’s  YouTube page for examples and to view our current tutorials and webinars. Contact Chloe for more information at cflournoy@limestone.edu.

Additional library services are detailed in the  Library Services for Faculty page. Please contact the Library Director,  Lizah Ismail, if you have further questions about library services.

Technical Questions

Helpdesk Information

Phone: (864)-488-4032.

If you are calling from on campus, please dial extension 4357 (help).

To chat with our team, enter a ticket or find FAQs, please visit limestone.edu/help

The Halo

Your login for The Halo is the same as the username and password for your Limestone University email account and Canvas account. The Halo is the main access point for faculty and student information at Limestone University. Here you can access your Course Roster, Textbook list, and is where you will enter student grades.

Canvas Issues

Canvas offers a 24/7 support.  Any student or faculty needing assistance with the use of Canvas can contact them at support@instructure.com. Please make sure you reach out to Canvas first and if they cannot assist they will then route you to Limestone’s Help Desk.

Self Service Password Reset

In order to change/reset your password please visit the I.T. page where you will find “Password Self-Service” on the right-hand side. When clicked, it directs you to all the info you need to set up your account for a password reset, if you haven’t already, OR to reset your password.