While the word “technology” can refer to anything from a pencil or whiteboard to a projector or computer, here we focus on newer advancements in instructional tools. Some examples of pedagogical technologies are listed below; several are specific to UCF:
Content:
- Learning Management Systems (Webcourses@UCF)
- Materia
- Obojobo
- Lightboard, lecture capture, etc. (Faculty Multimedia Center)
- Videos (TED-Ed, Khan Academy, etc.)
- Media sharing (Flickr, Vimeo, etc.)
- eTextbooks (Yuzu)
Interaction:
- Discussion Tool on Webcourses@UCF
- Classroom Response Systems
- UCF Apps
- Notification tools (Remind 101)
- Collaborative tools (Office 365, Google Drive, etc.)
- Social Media (Blogger, WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
Mobile:
At the Faculty Center we support instructors in their use of official software such as Webcourses / Canvas, and Turnitin.
We also provide ideas and best practices for artificial intelligence – both student use and faculty use.
In terms of third party software, we suggest using PowerPoint to capture narrated lectures.
When should I use a certain technology?
As with any approach to learning, it is important to be goal-oriented. What do students need to learn? What skills do they need to build? Once those questions are answered, then you can consider how specific technologies can facilitate the completing of those goals. While it can be tempting to incorporate a new technology because of its bells and whistles, ultimately, a technology is only as good as the goal it is supporting. To take a non-goal-oriented approach can create roadblocks instead of dismantling them.
What are some important considerations when I’m deciding whether to incorporate a specific technology?
One extremely important thing to consider when incorporating technology into your classroom is making sure that technology is accessible for all students. Student Accessibility Services is an invaluable resource for helping to ensure that your classroom and the technologies you use for instruction support all of your students.
University faculty and staff are expected to adhere to information security guidelines regarding the handling and security of sensitive information. UCF IT offers a page on this information.
General Technology Support
For most technology issues, your first point of contact should be UCF IT Support:
- Phone: 407-823-5117
- E-mail: itsupport@ucf.edu
- Click here to access the UCF IT website.
Technologies in the Classroom
This document will orient you to the technologies you are likely to see in most classrooms. A division of IT called the Office of Instructional Resources (OIR) supports classroom hardware – look for their contact information on this handout.
Academic Activity for Financial Aid
All faculty members must follow a process to support UCF’s compliance with a federal financial aid regulation. In essence, the regulation states that students who receive federal student aid must be academically engaged in each course in which they are enrolled. Without verification of this engagement, students will not receive their aid.
The university must verify that every student enrolled in every course at UCF has met this standard, and must be able to gather that information as soon as possible but by no later than Friday of the first week of each new semester.
UCF requires that faculty members use Canvas, our learning management system (also known as Webcourses@UCF), to record the required information.
- This assignment should be available to students on the first day of classes, be due by the end of the first week of classes but be available to students until the last day of the term.
- See the Center for Distributed Learning’s informative website for details and specific dates for each semester.
The website link above gives you several options for satisfying the Academic Activity requirement, but you are welcome to use the following suggestion, as well:
- In Webcourses, create a graded Discussion, worth at least one (1) point, that opens the first day of classes and closes the last day of classes. This discussion question can be something simple and generic like “what topic that this course will cover do you feel will be most beneficial to you?”
- The instructor does not have to grade this assignment (but the student does have to submit it). The mere fact this assignment has been submitted/uploaded will generate a submission that is enough to qualify the student for federal financial aid.
- We at FCTL think of this as the ultimate “set it and forget it!” financial aid assignment.
Checking Student Work for Originality
The university provides access to two separate systems for ensuring the originality of submitted work—TurnItIn and iThenticate.
- TurnItIn is used for general purpose and undergraduate Honors in the Major
- iThenticate is used for graduate theses and dissertations.
Turnitin.com
Webcourses@UCF has Turnitin integration built in. To use it, when you create or edit an assignment that uses submitted files or text entry, select “Turnitin” from the dropdown menu in the “Plagiarism Review” box. You can then customize options for comparison and displaying results to students.
Please keep in mind that your syllabus must contain information about turnitin.com if you plan to use it in your class. See our syllabus statements page for language about turnitin.com.
Turnitin.com provides videos, user manuals, and other training materials for instructors planning to use the system in their courses.
- The training resources page can be accessed by visiting turnitin’s website.
- Guides are available on their help page.
If you are a UCF instructor and would like to use Turnitin for checking projects submitted for Honors in the Major, you may wish to use iThenticate.
iThenticate
The university requires all students submitting a thesis or dissertation as part of their graduate degree requirements to first submit their electronic documents through iThenticate for advisement purposes and for review of originality.
- The thesis or dissertation chair is responsible for scheduling this submission to iThenticate and for reviewing the results from iThenticate with the student’s advisory committee.
- The advisory committee uses the results appropriately to assist the student in the preparation of their thesis or dissertation.
For further information about or assistance with iThenticate, please refer to the Office of Research & Commercialization’s Resonsible Conduct of Research.
Online Final Grade Submission
All instructors submit end-of-term grades to the Registrar online through myUCF. Step-by-step guidance on how to use the online submission process and who to contact for assistance is provided below.
Timeline
Online grading is only available at the very end of the term. Usually, the icon will appear on the evening before the start of the final examination period, and will disappear after grades are due. Note: the icon may be present before the start of grading, but will not function until the first day of final exams.
Final Grade Form
You can enter final grades via the online final grade form at myUCF. See the walkthrough below.
Import Grades from Webcourses
You can import your final grades directly from your Webcourse into the myUCF final grade form. Our tutorial below provides step by step guidance through the process.
Incomplete Grades
In order to assign a student a grade of Incomplete (I), you must fill out a supplemental form that is available through your online grade roster. When you record the “I” grade in the dropdown menu the form will pop up. Complete the fields of this form and click SAVE at the bottom; the student will be notified to read the form. Because this incomplete grade form opened in a new window, close this window and return to your grade roster.
Workshops and Live Help
During the Grading Period: Drop-In “Live-Assistance” Labs
Simply come to our office, where you can perform the upload of your actual grades with our help – bring your gradebook with you!
- If your grades are stored in Webcourses@UCF, we can access them from this lab.
- Plan on a 10-15 minute visit.
- RSVPs are not necessary.
- Start at myUCF and log in.
- In the “Menu” near the top-left of the screen, click on Faculty/Advisor Self Service, then Instructors, then “View My Teaching Schedule.”
- Your list of classes should load. One column labeled “My Class Roster” contains icons of people; you would click here to obtain a roster at the start of the term. A nearby column will be labeled “My Grade Roster” that contains a different icon
you need to click to access your final grade submission roster. 
- A new screen will load with all of your students already populated onto the screen. Contact the Registrar’s Office (grades@ucf.edu; 407-823-5510) if you have additional students or students missing.
- Next to each student’s name will be a dropdown menu, allowing you to select a final grade. You will only be able to select grades based on the approved Grading Type for this class. Grades of “+” and “-” may also be among the available selections.
- Use care when selecting final grades. A last-second slip of the computer mouse or roll of the mouse wheel may yield a grade accidentally different than intended.
- When you have finished selecting final grades, scroll to the bottom and click the SAVE button.
The final grade roster needs to be approved by the instructor of record. To approve the final grade roster, the instructor of record should log in to myUCF, navigate to the roster, and switch the roster Approval Status to “Approved” using a dropdown menu near the top.- No further action needs to be taken by the instructor. The Registrar’s Office will collect and post the grades automatically from this point.
F (Failing) Grades
When you assign an F-grade to a student, the next time you click SAVE you will be prompted to input an attendance option:
- Began and Cannot Determine (i.e., you know they started the course but have inconclusive attendance/test records)
- Began and Stopped by 60% (i.e., they ceased participating in the class before the moment when 60% of the class was completed; scroll up to the top of this column to see what the 60% date is for this particular term)
- Began and Stopped After 60% OR finished course (i.e., students made it at least 60% of the way through, or they participated in the entire class but still earned an F)
- Never Began/No Record (i.e., you have no idea who this student is)
Incomplete Grades
While it is possible to create an Incomplete Grade form first before entering your grade roster, it is easier to assign an I-grade to a student, click SAVE, and find the link to the form that has been created for you. Complete the fields of this form and click SAVE at the bottom; the student will be notified to also read the form. Because this incomplete-grade-form opened in a new window, close this window and return to your grade roster.
Additional Information
- You may import your grades directly using Webcourses (see below).
- If you enter any “F”, “I”, or “U” grades, you will be prompted while saving to also record attendance information for those students, as required by law. A new dropdown menu will appear next to each student. Remember to click SAVE at the bottom after recording the attendance information.
Until the Registrar’s Office collects the grades (a process called “posting”), it is possible for instructors of record to change the grades online. Switch the Approval Status back to “Not Reviewed” in the dropdown menu at the top, and the final grades will become editable again. Remember to click SAVE at the bottom after any changes.- If you attempt to navigate away from this page without clicking SAVE, you will be prompted that your work will be lost.
For Further Assistance
Contact the Registrar’s Office (grades@ucf.edu; 407-823-5510) for online grading assistance, such as missing rosters or missing students, and questions about policy. Contact the Faculty Center (fctl@ucf.edu; 407-823-3544) for questions about how to use the tools for online final grade submission.
You can import your grades from Webcourses directly into the myUCF grade roster. In order to use this tool, you must have a course grading scheme enabled in Webcourses and either the students’ current or final grades must be accurate. The following instructions are provided by the Center for Distributed Learning.
Instructions
- Log in to myUCF.
- Select Faculty/Advisor Self-Service
- Select Instructors
- Select View My Teaching Schedule
- Click on the icon for My Grade Roster
- Click on Import Grades from Webcourses@UCF
- Use the dropdown menu to select a course
- Choose Current Webcourses@UCF Grade or Final Webcourses@UCF Grade
- Current Webcourses@UCF Grade – Use this option if you do not count ungraded assignments as zeroes in your course.
- Final Webcourses@UCF Grade – Use this option if you count ungraded assignments as zeroes in your course.
- Click Process
- Click Status and check that the grades appear in the Status box (make sure that all of the grades appear; you may have to click Status several times)
- Click Go To Approve
- Use the Roster Grade dropdown menu to adjust individual student grades. When you assign an F-grade to a student, you will be prompted to input an attendance option:
- Began and Cannot Determine (i.e., you know they started the course but have inconclusive attendance/test records)
- Began and Stopped by 60% (i.e., they ceased participating in the class before the moment when 60% of the class was completed; scroll up to the top of this column to see what the 60% date is for this particular term)
- Began and Stopped After 60% OR finished course (i.e., students made it at least 60% of the way through, or they participated in the entire class but still earned an F)
- Never Began/No Record (i.e., you have no idea who this student is)
- Click Save to save the attendance codes
- Switch the roster Approval Status to Approved
- Click Save once again and wait for a status message to tell you your roster has been approved.
Current and Final Grades
You have the ability to upload either the students’ current or final grades. The current grade reflects only the assignments that are graded. So, if a student grade is left blank, it will not be calculated in the current grade. Student grades that are left blank will be calculated as zeroes for the final grade. The option you choose will depend on how your gradebook is set up in Webcourses. If you have any optional assignments in your gradebook, you will need to choose current grade. If all gradebook columns are used in the calculation of the students’ grades, you will choose final grade.
Note: If you use the option to “Treat Ungraded as 0,” the current grade will not reflect these zeroes.
Muted Assignments
Please note that if you have muted columns in the gradebook, the Webcourses Grade Import tool will read these grades as zeroes, which will cause the students’ final grades to be inaccurate.
For Further Assistance
Contact the Registrar’s Office (grades@ucf.edu; 407-823-5510) for online grading assistance, such as missing rosters or missing students, and questions about policy. Contact the Faculty Center (fctl@ucf.edu; 407-823-3544) for questions about how to use the tools for online final grade submission.
Student Perception of Instruction
Overview
Students will be given the opportunity to complete an online Student Perception of Instruction form for each of their classes near the end of each semester. The students are notified of the need to complete the form(s) when they access the myUCF portal.
- Student responses are anonymous and are not provided to the colleges and faculty members until after the semester is over.
- We recommend you speak to the chair of your department to find out how the results are used in your evaluations.
Questions on the Student Perception of Instruction Form
These are the questions on the Student Perception of Instruction Form, with responses on a five-point scale (excellent, very good, good, fair, poor):
- Organizing the course:
- Explaining course requirements, grading criteria, and expectations:
- Communicating ideas and/or information:
- Showing respect and concern for students:
- Stimulating interest in the course:
- Creating an environment that helps students learn:
- Giving useful feedback on course performance:
- Helping students achieve course objectives:
- Overall, the effectiveness of the instructor in this course was:
There is also a free-response section:
- What did you like best about the course and/or how the instructor taught it?
- What suggestions do you have for improving the course and/or how the instructor taught it?
Instructions for Student Perception of Instruction
While most faculty want to encourage all students in their classes to complete their Student Perception of Instruction forms, having never completed them as students ourselves can make it hard for us to do so. On this handout you’ll find detailed, student-centered (and student-authored) instructions for completing the forms. Feel free to share these directions with your students as you remind them how much their feedback matters.
Faculty Perception of Instruction
The UCF Faculty Senate developed this instrument for faculty to reflect on their teaching experience. The form provides an opportunity to document and contextualize instructional experiences each semester before receiving the Student Perception of Instruction (SPI) results. Faculty could complete the form for each of the classes taught in the semester. Faculty responses can be compared with student responses to assist with interpretation of SPI results. Faculty members have the option to share their Faculty Perception of Instruction (FPI) with their chair or others. Faculty participation is completely voluntary.
Proctoring Online Exams
UCF’s official online proctoring software is Monitor, an add-on to the Respondus Lockdown Browser. When faculty employ the lockdown browser and Monitor, students cannot open new tabs or switch programs, and Monitor will record both the student via webcam and the screen. A report is generated for faculty with suspicious behaviors timestamped for faculty to investigate in the recordings. The Center for Distributed Learning supports this proctoring software; visit their page to get started.
Captioning and ADA Compliance
UCF has a policy that all teaching materials must be provided in an accessible fashion as they are made available to students, without waiting for a request for accommodation. This means several things: all images in Webcourses (or any website) must have ALT text, documents and PDFs must use styles such as HEADING3 rather than formatting with bold and font size, PowerPoint slides must include a title on each slide, and videos must be provided with captions (this includes student-created videos if other students are to watch them). Faculty are expected to self-caption their own videos. The Faculty Multimedia Center offers this self-guided course on creating your own captions, and there is more information from the Office of Institutional Equity’s course on accessibility.