There are a number of teaching resources and technologies dedicated to helping part-time faculty improve their classroom experiences. Do not hesitate to seek help from colleagues and administrators in designing your courses and improving your teaching.

Teaching

The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence and Teaching and Learning with Technology, both housed at University Park, are available for faculty members at all locations who seek guidance concerning any aspect of their teaching. There you will find information about their current offerings as well as a variety of printed resources.

In addition, Griff Lewis, Penn State Scranton Instructional Designer, is available for individual consultation. He can be reached at (570) 963-2551 or at [email protected]. 

“Brown Bag” seminars are available throughout the semester on a variety of instructional and technology topics. Visit Center for Instructional Design for more information.

CANVAS

Penn State University's learning management system is called CANVAS. CANVAS is software that enables faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants to use the Web to enhance their courses without any knowledge of HTML. 

CANVAS is designed to be used in any academic discipline without imposing a particular teaching methodology on instructors and students. 

If you teach a class at Penn State as a faculty member, instructor, or teaching assistant, you can use CANVAS to:

  • Make course materials such as syllabi, schedules, announcements, lecture notes, quizzes, and multimedia resources available on the web from one location.
  • Manage the administrative aspects of your courses more efficiently by automating repetitive tasks.
  • Introduce exciting new learning opportunities to your students using its communication features.

See Griff Lewis in Dawson 118 or call 570-963-2551 or email [email protected] to get started in CANVAS.

Class Rosters

Class Rosters are available from the Faculty Center in LionPATH.

LionPATH tutorials are available.

To access a Class Roster in LionPATH, you must be recorded as the instructor of record, have an active Penn State Access Account, and be enrolled in Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). 

If you are unable to obtain your class roster from LionPATH, please contact the campus Registrar’s Office.

Syllabus

An electronic copy of your syllabus for each course must be sent to Suzanne Morgan, Academic Affairs Office, Dawson 7, via email at [email protected] no later than the end of the first week of the semester. 

Please be certain to include the Campus Closing & Cancellations Policy information with your syllabus. This policy is found under the Department, Campus and College Resources tab in the left rail menu.

A written syllabus must be distributed to students in each course within the first five calendar days of a semester or its equivalent. Changes to the syllabus shall also be given to the student in writing. 

The syllabus should include the class name and number, your name, campus phone number, email address and, as appropriate, voice mailbox number and webpage address. It should also include your office hours or manner in which an appointment can be arranged, a list of required books and other necessary materials which the student must acquire independently. There should be a calendar with dates of class meetings and exams and the due dates for written, oral, and reading assignments. 

In addition to course content and expectations, the syllabus must include the course examination policy, basis for grades, and the current copy of the mandatory sayllbi policy statements which include Academic Integrity, Non-Discriminatory/Disability Statement, Mandated Reporting and Veteran Statement, Emergency Procedures, Educational Equity Statement. Inclusion statements for syllabi can be found under the Syllabi Policy Statements tab in the left rail menu.

Classroom Technology

For assistance with classroom technology or to request specific technology, please contact the IT Support Services at 570-963-2551 for an orientation to your classroom. Instructions are also posted at the instructor station. Visit Request Services located on the Faculty & Staff landing page to make a request online.

To Request Technology Assistance, open a service ticket from the Technology Assistance section.