Beginning of Semester Reminders: Spring 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Happy, happy new year! I hope you were able to relax and rejuvenate over the holiday break. Although I’ve never been so happy to ring in a new year, I am extremely proud and grateful for what we all accomplished together this past year. 

Below are information and reminders to help you get going with this new semester.

Late Course Adds

The deadline for students to self-add into courses is the end (11:59 pm) of the seventh calendar day of the semester (prorated deadline for summer or flexibly scheduled courses). For spring 2022 15-week courses this deadline is Monday, Jan. 24.
 

Academic Presence Verification Roster

Faculty are required to indicate whether students have been “academically present” at least once in order for their financial aid to be disbursed. “Academically present” means that the student has either attended the class or has participated in some form of academic activity at least once. 

When you record that a student has “Not Started” your course, the NF administrative mark populates on the final grade roster and the student’s access to your course through Blackboard or Canvas is terminated. If you want a student to be able to enter your class after you note “Not Started,” you can go back into the APV and note “Not Reported” so that access to Blackboard or Canvas can be restored. Once the student is academically present once, you can change their APV status to “Started.” 

Also, please note that the APV roster will include students who have subsequently dropped or withdrawn, even as of the first day of the class. All students on the roster must be updated to either "Started" or "Not Started" regardless of their registration status because we have to be accurate about whether students were academically present at least once, even if later they withdraw or drop the course.

The APV roster for each of your courses (undergraduate and graduate levels) will be open by the first day your class meets and your completed rosters are due by the end of the fourth week of a standard semester (prorated for flexibly scheduled courses). The Registrar’s office will send you email reminders to complete the AVP rosters, but you can also find the due dates for each of your courses from within FlashLine. Go to the Grading Resources section of the Faculty Dashboard and choose the Academic Presence Verification Roster link and select your course. The due dates are listed with your course information.

Remember, students will be eligible to receive aid only for those classes in which their academic presence has been verified so this is a very, very important process. Full instructions on how this works and answers to FAQs are located on the Registrar’s website.
 

Midterm Reports

Midterm reports are required for all students in all 00-, 10-, and 20-thousand level courses. The midterm report roster opens week 4 and closes week 7 of the standard term (prorated for flexibly scheduled courses). We know that the earlier you provide feedback to students, the quicker they can adjust their study behavior and attendance so that they are successful in your classes. As always, the Registrar’s office will send notification of the midterm report rosters being open and our hope is that you will provide students information on their progress as early as possible.
 

Blackboard Retirement and Canvas Updates

Many of you are already fully engaged with Canvas. Thank you for your adoption of this new learning management system (LMS). As a reminder, Blackboard will no longer be available for use after this semester and Canvas will be the university LMS. Below is more information regarding this.

 
Visit kent.edu/canvas for additional updates, training, help and support.  
 

For Your Syllabus

As you prepare your syllabi and get ready for your classes to begin, please ensure that your course materials are accessible to and usable by all students. The Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) provides support and recommendations for creating accessible course materials on the SAS website and in person.

Please check the Final Exam Schedule and include accurate information about the date and time of final exams in your syllabus. Midterm and final exam dates can also be found on your final grade roster. Having the dates and times included in the syllabus helps students plan their final exams schedule. For your convenience and quick reference, please see the Academic Calendar and the Registrar’s list of Important Dates.

Given the unique challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on instruction, the Ad Hoc Academic Continuity Committee (ACC) recommends that all instructors include language in their syllabi that clarifies student and instructor expectations concerning the impact of COVID-19 on the instructional process. In particular, the ACC recommends that you address expectations for communication and staying informed; health and safety; intellectual property and privacy; and absence, illness, and short-term distance education instruction. 
 

Textbook Orders

The Higher Education Opportunity Act requires that course textbook information be made available to students before they enroll in a course. This means that faculty are required to submit textbook orders to their KSU University Bookstore prior to the date that students register for courses. If you are NOT requiring a textbook for your course, the Bookstore needs to know that as well. All faculty, therefore, must provide an order—even if it is “no textbook required.” The University Bookstore will publish the textbook requirements with the course offerings so that students can plan their finances accordingly.

The date that textbook orders are due to your KSU University Bookstore:

  • for a summer semester course (any part of term) is on or before March 1;
  • for a fall semester course (any part of term) is on or before April 1; and
  • for a spring semester course (any part of term) is on or before Oct. 1. 


Remember that you must place your order with the bookstore. Failing to do so can jeopardize some students’ abilities to pay for their textbooks with book scholarships which can only be used at the bookstore.

You can easily search for and submit all required, recommended or suggested course materials through the Adoption & Insights Portal. A single sign on link was placed in Flashline to easily access the textbook adoption tool. It can be found by clicking the Faculty and Advisors link, followed by Resources – Faculty.

If you are interested in exploring the Flash Books model (textbook fee model) and see how it helps our students, or find resources on alternative low-cost textbook solutions for our students, please review https://www.kent.edu/studentaffairs/flashbooks and https://www.kent.edu/provost/textbook-affordability.

For assistance in ordering your textbooks or to see if your course can be added to Flash Books, please contact Curtis Lamb directly in the bookstore at 330-672-1589 or email him at clamb@kent.edu.
 

Student Support

Whenever students are struggling academically and need assistance that you are not able to provide, please direct them to the Academic Success Center . The Academic Success Center, located on the Kent campus in the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, provides free tutoring aimed at math, physics, chemistry, and biology and Supplemental Instruction provides study groups that allow students to practice effective study strategies and prepare for exams. Remember, each regional campus also has an academic success team ready to help your students, so be sure to familiarize yourself with the location and resources locally available.

We know that students may also struggle in nonacademic ways and there are many resources on campus and in the local community to assist and support students who may be in emotional distress or exhibiting disruptive behavior. The Step Up and Speak Out website and mobile app provide helpful information on do's and don'ts of dealing with distressed and disruptive individuals and list resources that are available 24 hours per day. If you identify a student who may reasonably pose a potential threat to self, others, or the university , please consult with the Care Team. 

The Care Team is a cross-divisional crisis management committee that collaboratively assesses and coordinates a response in these situations. Referrals to the Care Team may be made quickly by contacting Dr. Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell (tdrumme1@kent.edu; 330-672-8003), Dean of Students, or Dr. Amy Quillin (aquillin@kent.edu; 330-672-9494), Student Ombuds.

During these difficult times, students and their families may also be struggling with access to adequate food and housing. Any students having trouble affording groceries, accessing sufficient amounts of food, or those who do not have safe and reliable places to sleep, should contact the Office of the Dean of Students (330-672-8003) or visit the Kent Cares website www.kent.edu/kent-cares. There might also be a food pantry in the student's local community to help. To find food pantries and shelters, students can search http://www.feedingamerica.org and https://www.shelterlistings.org/. Feel free to note these resources on your syllabus.


Thank you for all you do. As we enter into yet another “semester like no other,” I am confident that our students will make excellent progress because of your commitment to them and their learning. Please let me know if I can provide you assistance.

My Best,

Melody Tankersley, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Provost 

cc: Kent and Regional Deans, Chairs and Directors 

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