Welcome 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.

Technology Help Desk: If you encounter problems with the podium computer in a classroom or your office computer, contact the Technology Services Help Desk. The Help Desk website also has instructions for connecting to wi-fi on campus.

Microsoft Teams: The campus utilizes MS Teams for online meetings and for our phone system. Access video trainings on using Teams.

Software Requests: Faculty and staff can install some software for free on their personally owned computer. Faculty who need additional software in their office, classroom, or computer lab can request software purchases and installations.

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 is Eastern's course management software, and most faculty teaching on-ground courses use Blackboard in some way. In addition to providing a central location for you to communicate announcements, 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 a one-on-one appointment with a staff member in 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.

Note: Eastern will be transitioning to Blackboard Ultra in Fall 2026.

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. It is especially helpful if you use the Full Grade Center feature on Blackboard, so that students can track their grades in real time. 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.