To our incoming cohort of faculty

Hello and welcome to Transy! We are Melissa Fortner (Psychology), Julie Perino (Academic Affairs), the Co-Directors of the Bingham Center for Teaching Excellence (BCTE), and Elaina Henderson, our superhero administrative assistant. 

The BCTE runs what has long been called New Faculty Roundtable (NFR) - which we are now calling Early-Career Faculty - an orienting series of meetings to help early-career colleagues with teaching development, community building, and understanding how Transy works.

The pictures above are of last year's New Faculty Roundtable!

While Kim Naujokas in the Dean’s Office, the administrative assistant in your division, and/or your program director will provide onboarding help (e.g., office keys, your ID card, parking pass, laptop, etc.), we at the Center can help you with course preparation (syllabi, Canvas use, assignments, texts, etc.) and direct you to the right onboarding resources as needed.

We are available both before and after you are under contract to provide in-person and asynchronous support to help you get started. Please don't hesitate to contact us with questions, big or small, by emailing us at bcte@transy.edu or via text or phone (Melissa's cell: (859) 221-0218; Julie's cell: (217) 720-6133).

Also, check out our calendar of new/early-career faculty-specific events below, which include a luncheon and happy hour on Tuesday, August 25, as well as a Lunch & Learn hour the first Tuesday of every month of the regular semesters. (We buy you lunch at those events!) You'll also eventually get Google Calendar invites for any New Faculty Roundtable event. These and all BCTE events are also listed on this site's home page. 

Below the calendar are a number of resources to explore, including links to materials we recommend as you settle in and prepare your courses. 

We strongly recommend that you review all linked material, except for those items we have noted as optional. If you encounter any broken links, please let us know!

Please do familiarize yourself with Transy's services by reading or watching the following four resources, all of which are also housed in this Resources for New Faculty Drive Folder:

1. Navigating Transy's network and setting up direct deposit (updated April 2026)

2. Registrar (updated July 2026)

3. Library video or slide deck orientation (your preference), and a Quick Look doc (updated May 2026)

4. Academic Center for Excellence (slideshow has audio embedded in each slide - enter "Slideshow" mode and click on the audio icon on each slide for best experience) (updated April 2026)

And, as questions arise about the curriculum and academic regulations, many answers can be found in the Academic Catalog (an optional read for now).

1. Transy uses Canvas. 

Individual faculty members range in the depth of their use, from nothing more than uploading a syllabus to fully integrating all course materials in Canvas. Do use it yourself in some capacity. Our IT department loads shells for each of our courses for the school year in early August. 

(Optional) Canvas training module for faculty, with links to resources for all levels of experience.

(Optional) Self-Paced Grow with Canvas Course--click the enroll button to join

2. Syllabus template from Dean's office

Before each Fall and Winter semester, the Dean's office shares a syllabus template. The purpose of the template is to showcase what types of information you ought to include in a syllabus or on Canvas, the use of Styles for screen readers, and to convey the mandated sections.  It’s pretty boilerplate, and you don’t have to use its formatting or content if you have developed your own. (For example, I don’t use this template! ~ Melissa) (However, you do need to make sure any digital document you share with students follows ADA guidelines for Title II & III. Check out this Document Design Checklist for help with Accessibility ~Julie).

The only parts you do need to include in your syllabus or on Canvas are the (a) legally mandated sections - Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Non-Discrimination - and (b) recommended syllabus language - The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Online Conduct, and Statement of Community. If you use the “recommended” sections, you can reword as desired.

Part of our plan for world domination is to take over the syllabus template and offer more dynamic options. (Which is why we'll never conquer the world - that's a bad plan.) Until then, if you want to talk syllabus construction, we’re always happy to do so!

3. Other elements to include in your syllabus or somewhere in your Canvas courses 

• Please share this Canvas page of academic resources with students by linking to it in your Canvas courses or on your syllabus.

• Include something about academic integrity, including an AI policy. Transy's academic integrity policy (Inside Transy --> Dean's Office --> Policies, Procedures, and Handbooks) allows individual faculty to choose their level of allowable/required AI use in courses (AI at Transy website). Do communicate something to students in your syllabus or Canvas! 

• Transy's Writing Center: Consider shouting out the Writing Center, Transy's space for supporting student (and faculty!) writing projects. The main page of their website provides a convenient link for students to schedule an appointment. The rest of their site contains info on the services they provide to students (Student Services, What to Expect), as well as a message for us faculty on how we can both facilitate student support and be supported ourselves.

4. Grading conventions

Individual faculty are free to develop their own grading systems, and colleagues use a variety of approaches, from ungrading to wild-point systems (looking at you, Mark Jackson) to standard percentage systems corresponding to +/- letter grades (e.g., 90-92 = A-, etc.). 

For final grades, Transy does use a +/- letter grade system for final grades - for each student, you'll report a final grade through Self Service as a letter grade only. The Academic Catalog lists the possible letter grades and their corresponding GPA points. 

For midterm grades, you only have to give students an S (Satisfactory) or a U (Unsatisfactory). Students who receive a U will receive extra support from the Associate Dean's office and ACE.

Here we'll post answers to questions as they arise.

What's the AI situation?

Transy faculty, staff, and students currently have access to free ChatGPT for EDU accounts; use your Transy email to sign up, and make sure to choose the Transylvania EDU option if asked. Also, free NotebookLM accounts and access to Google Gemini, using your Transy account.

You'll hear more about teaching with and around AI - we annually offer workshops on the topic! In the meantime, feel free to browse the AI at Transy website.

When do I absolutely need to be on campus?

The opening faculty retreat on Wednesday, August 26 for sure. We strongly encourage that you attend the New Faculty events the day prior, on Tuesday, August 25. 

How should I respond to students emailing me to ask for a course pass into a course that's full?

If you have a student who asks to be added to your class, contact Melissa!

Does Transy offer access to Microsoft?

Yep! We're a Google Workspace campus, so many of us use Google Drive for documents. However, if you prefer Word, Excel, etc., here are IT's instructions to get access.

Where is the Bingham Center for Teaching Excellence?

The lower level of the library, on the corner closest to Broadway and Third. Enter the library’s front doors using your Crimson Card. 

The checkout desk is directly in front of you; go down the steps to the immediate left of it.

Take a left at the bottom of the steps and make your way down the hallway and through the study area. Take a left at the hallway past the curved staircase and elevator. We're right there!

If you get lost, the people at the checkout desk will happily help you find your way!