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Welcome New Faculty!

We are glad you are here! Below you can find:

If you are looking for general onboarding information (e.g., employment policies, benefits, etc.), please visit Eastern's Human Resources department.

Orientation Schedule for New Full-Time Faculty 

Summer orientation for new full-time faculty will take place on the following dates:

  • July 16, 1 - 2:30 pm (virtual): Welcome and Information Session with the Deans - register for Welcome session
  • July 28, 1 - 2:30 pm (virtual): Introduction to Eastern's Liberal Arts Core (ELAC) Curriculum - register for the ELAC session
  • August 3, 1 - 2:30 pm (virtual): Technology Tools for Teaching (Blackboard Ultra, library resources, etc.) - register for Tech Tools session
  • August 17, 9 am - 4 pm: In-person orientation
  • August 18, 9 am - 4 pm: In-person orientation 

The virtual sessions will be recored for those unable to join.

In addition, new full-time faculty are invited to participate in bi-weekly sessions throughout the year to support your ongoing success at Eastern. These sessions will focus on topics such as expectations for promotion and tenure, opportunities and funding for research, making sense of student evaluations, building classroom community, and preparing renewal portfolios. The schedule for fall sessions will be available later this summer.

Group of new faculty posing at fall orientation

Orientation Schedule for New Part-Time Faculty

Summer orientation for new part-time faculty will take place on the following dates:

These sessions will be recorded for those unable to attend.

Please note that part-time faculty are always welcome to join workshops posted on the CTLA website and calendar, unless they expressly say they are for full-time faculty.

Resources for New Faculty

  • Eastern email: All university communications are sent to your Eastern email. Please use your Eastern email as your official mode of communication—and require your students to communicate with you through official channels (either by using their Eastern email or through Blackboard) so you can be confident of who you are communicating with. Your department secretary will submit paperwork for you to receive an Eastern email address.

    OneDrive: All faculty are provided with a cloud-based OneDrive account that can be accessed from any campus computer as well as from off campus. You can store all of your Eastern-related documents here while you are employed at Eastern. Read more about getting started with OneDrive.

    Division of Technology Services (DTS) Help Desk: If you encounter problems with the podium computer in a classroom or your Eastern-provided computer, contact the Division of Technology Services Help Desk. You can also find instructions for connecting to campus wi-fi on their homepage.

    Phones: The campus utilizes MS Teams for our telephone system. Phone calls can be dialed or received from any location with the MS Teams app. Use the dail pad to make a call in MS Teams.

    Web Conferencing: Eastern offers two options:

    Software Requests: Faculty and staff can install some software for free on their personally owned computer. Faculty who need additional software on their Eastern-provided computer, in classrooms, or in computer labs can request software purchases and installations.

    This section was last updated 5/1/26.

  • When planning your course, your first conversation will be with your department chair about the department's expectations for the course, including the learning outcomes and the required content.

    If your course is part of Eastern's Liberal Arts Core (ELAC) curriculum, there are additional requirements related to meeting the course's specified ELAC Learning Outcomes, incorporating High-Impact Practices, and submitting items for assessment. You can reach out to the CTLA with questions about your ELAC course, and we'll help you connect to the right person so that you get the support you need.

    Below are some tools that can help you get your syllabus (for any course!) ready for the semester.

    Course planning tool: Eastern's course planning tool was originally developed by Dr. Courtney Broscious to support faculty interested in designing ELAC courses—but the tool is useful for planning any class. The tool is a step-by-step resource for building a course and communicating goals effectively to students. It utilizes backwards design to support instructors in aligning their course learning goals with assignments and course activities. You can find an editable, Word version of the course planning tool on the ELAC Sharepoint site (requires Eastern login).

    Syllabus template: Eastern has a syllabus template that is aligned with the course planning tool. You can copy text from the planning tool into the corresponding section of the syllabus template—or you can work directly in the syllabus template. You can download the template from the Designing Courses for ELAC Folder.

    Suggested syllabus statements: The CTLA maintains a Syllabus Statements web page with statements that are required to be on all course syllabi at Eastern, as well as recommended language related to university policies, course policies, and resources and supports for students. In addition, the website has a sample of other policies that instructors may wish to include on their syllabus (e.g., AI policy, use of devices during class, attendance policies, etc.).

    ELAC resources: It’s important for all faculty to have a solid understanding of Eastern’s Liberal Arts Core (ELAC) curriculum so that you can appropriately advise students—and to ensure that any ELAC course you teach meets curriculum requirements. You can read an overview of the curriculum designed for faculty on Eastern’s website. In addition, faculty maintain a comprehensive Sharepoint site of ELAC Faculty Resources that includes course design resources (including information on High-Impact Practices), resources specific to teaching each of the ELAC learning outcomes, the ELAC rubrics, and resources for faculty teaching LAC101. Folders include sample syllabi, lessons, and assignments. (Eastern login required.)

  • Blackboard Ultra is Eastern's course management system (LMS) as of Fall 2026. Most faculty teaching on-ground courses use Blackboard at a minimum for posting their syllabus and communicating with students using the announcement tool. Blackboard can be your central location to upload course materials, post readings and videos, and share other resources with students. It also provides tools for posting and collecting assignments, grading through rubrics, and calculating student grades.

    Get support in using Blackboard by making an appointment with a staff member at the Center for Instructional Technology (CIT).

    If you’re ready to begin building your course, you can use the Blackboard Course Template—or read the Blackboard QuickStart Guide to build a course from scratch without the template. You can also access Blackboard's Help Center for Instructors.

    This section was last updated on 5/1/26.

  • Class Roster: Once a course has officially been assigned to you, you can check your class roster via eWeb. Please be advised that your roster will change frequently prior to the start of the semester and well into the first couple of weeks of class (up to the add/drop date). Students who are not enrolled in your course should not be allowed to attend your class. See general information about using eWeb.

    Mid-semester grades: Faculty are asked to enter midterm grades by the Registrar’s deadline. Midterm grades help faculty advisors and the Academic Success Center identify and support struggling students—when there is still time to help them recover. In addition, when students who are performing poorly know early enough, they can withdraw, go to a tutor, reach out to you, work with their advisor, and potentially turn around their course performance.

    It is very helpful for students if there are a few graded components early in the semester so they (and you) can realistically measure their progress, which they can access by using the Gradebook tab. The Center for Instructional Technology can assist you in setting this up, including weighting assignments so that Blackboard does all the grade calculations for you.

    This section was last updated on 5/1/26.