Adjunct Faculty Expectations

All instructors are expected to uphold the COD values of integrity, equity, honesty, respect, and responsibility.

• About COD (Mission, Vision, and Values)
• College Policies

All new hire adjunct faculty must complete a three-hour orientation session presented by the Adjunct Faculty Support office and will also be enrolled in a New Hire Orientation Blackboard course.

For more information, contact the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support at (630) 942-2158 or oafs@cod.edu.

Prior to class start, all new hire adjunct faculty are required to complete compliance training by the indicated deadline. All adjunct faculty are required to complete compliance training on an annual basis as communicated by the College via e-mail. Compliance training modules must be completed by the stated deadline to avoid a suspension in teaching privileges.

For more information, contact the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support at (630) 942-2158 or compliancetraining@cod.edu.

Prior to class start, utilize the Course Syllabus Guide (as provided), approved textbooks (policies may vary by division), and supplemental materials.

• Syllabus Guide and Template

All faculty members must post their course syllabi to their Blackboard course shell by the first day of their class.

• Syllabi will be retrieved electronically from Blackboard and stored in the College’s database
• Each syllabus should be formatted as a PDF and must include “syllabus” in the document title
• Each syllabus must then be placed in the Syllabus tab in Blackboard.

Staff ID and Parking Permit

Prior to class start, obtain a COD staff ID and parking permit. The ID card serves as your room key, is needed to utilize the printers, and can also be registered with the library to rent materials.

Contact Susan Watts in the Police Department at wattss14@cod.edu.

Code of Academic Conduct and Code of Student Conduct

Prior to class start, familiarize yourself with the Code of Academic Conduct and Code of Student Conduct policies and procedures to report student violations of Academic and Student Conduct Codes when necessary.

Course Schedule Meeting Times and Location

Prior to class start, comply with the official course schedule meeting times and location. Class should not be released early or cancelled except in emergency situations. If such a situation does occur, you must contact your division office immediately. Course Calendars are located in the InsideCOD Portal.

Final Exam Schedule

Adhere to the Final Exam Schedule. Final examination periods must be used for an exam or other culminating activity. Faculty must include final exam dates on their course syllabi and remind students of those dates.

Since the final examination period is designated to allow students additional time for study and preparation, final examinations should not be administered during the last week of instruction for 12 and 16 week classes.

COD Email

Use your assigned College of DuPage email as the primary mode of communication with COD students, staff, and administrators.

For instructions on forwarding COD email to another account, contact the Faculty/Staff Help Desk at (630) 942-4357 or email helpdesk@cod.edu

Respond to emails from students, staff, and COD administrators within two business days (Monday through Friday are considered business days). Save all email correspondence so that in the event of an issue, documentation is available. 

• COD Email Account
• Staffed Adjunct Faculty Centers: BIC 2A07 and HSC 1235

COD Voicemail

You may also request a COD voicemail extension as an additional contact method. For more information, contact the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support at (630) 942-2158.

COD Adjunct Faculty Mailbox

Check your assigned COD adjunct faculty mailbox weekly. Contact your division office or Adjunct Faculty Center to locate mailbox.

Classroom Management Technology

Knowledge of classroom management technology is expected (e.g. Blackboard). Your syllabus must be posted in Blackboard for every section you teach.

In addition, it is recommended that you post an instructor profile and use the Blackboard announcement feature for communicating with students outside of class. For training and assistance using Blackboard, contact the Learning Technologies Office at (630) 942-2490 or learningtech@cod.edu.

The purpose of FERPA is to afford certain rights to students concerning their education records, and one of these rights is to have some control over the disclosure of personally identifiable information from their records.

Personally identifiable information contained in education records may not be disclosed without the student’s written consent except to college officials whom the institution has determined have a legitimate educational interest.

College of DuPage maintains personally identifiable information for students, faculty members, staff members, alumni, and other donors, disclosure of which is prohibited by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. All adjunct faculty must acknowledge that they fully understand that the intentional disclosure of this information to any unauthorized person could subject them to criminal and civil penalties imposed by law.

Furthermore, all adjunct faculty must acknowledge that such willful or unauthorized disclosure of student information violates College of DuPage Board Policy and Administrative Procedure #20-15 and could constitute just cause for disciplinary action including termination of employment regardless of whether criminal or civil penalties are imposed. All adjunct faculty are liable for any unauthorized use of, or access to, information protected by FERPA and GLBA by any other person accessing information via their password due to their own negligence or carelessness.

• FERPA

During regular business hours, faculty members are expected to notify their division office as soon as possible in the event of absence or tardiness. Division offices are open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed Fridays during the summer).

Outside regular business hours, faculty who are scheduled to teach at the Glen Ellyn campus should contact the Police Department at (630) 942-2000.

Faculty who are scheduled to teach at one of the Centers should contact both the division office as well as the Center where they teach.

All substitute faculty must be approved in advance by the appropriate Dean. Deans approve the use of substitutes at their discretion when an instructor cannot attend a class session due to an extenuating circumstance or situation.

It is your responsibility, as the instructor, to contact the Dean to discuss the situation and need for substitute instruction in a timely manner. 

Maintain professional demeanor with students and staff and serve as a positive representative of College of DuPage in the academic environment.

For large copy orders (more than 50 single-sided copies), use the Print Center at the main campus. You will need your division’s copy account number to submit a work order. Please contact your division office to obtain the correct account number. Once you have established a profile with the Print Center, you will be able to order copies easily and efficiently. Be sure to allow 48 hours to complete your copy order.

Copies of less than 100 single-sided or 50 double sided pages can be made on the copiers in the Adjunct Faculty Centers. Copy account number is available from your division office.

• Print Services
• Staffed Adjunct Faculty Centers: BIC 2A07 and HSC 1235

By the first day of class, direct students who are not on your class roster, but are sitting in class, to the Registration Office located in the Student Services Center 2221. You should also continue to review the class roster throughout the term.

College of DuPage believes in student success, to assist students in their progression it is important to share success markers throughout the semester. How a faculty member works with their students to inform them of their progress varies from course to course. However, the College has mandated that several key success markers are to be entered into Blackboard (the College’s LMS) by all faculty.

Using Blackboard Grade Center, faculty members must complete the following:

• 10 Day Roster Verification
• First Quarter Grades
• Midterm Grades and Verifications
• Final Grades

These must be completed by their designated due dates. An email will be sent indicating the course and time that these important student success markers are due to be entered.

For training and assistance using Blackboard Grade Center, contact the Learning Technologies Office at (630) 942-2490 or learningtech@cod.edu.

Faculty must maintain individual student grade and attendance records in an electronic form. These must be submitted to the appropriate division office when final course grades are due to the Student Records Office.

College of DuPage is committed to equality of educational opportunities for eligible students with disabilities. If students have the ability to do college- level work and an educational commitment to succeed, the Center for Access and Accommodations ensures access, provides accommodations, and coordinates support services. Students requesting accommodations need to self-identify with the Center for Access and Accommodations and provide appropriate documentation of their disability. Students must send documentation to their instructors in order to receive their specific accommodations in each course in which they are enrolled.

• Center for Access and Accommodations

A classroom observation will be conducted by the Office of Adjunct Faculty Support during the first year of teaching then on a cyclical basis. The purpose is to facilitate a conversation about teaching effectiveness and to provide support.

• Classroom Observation Process

All adjunct faculty should encourage their students to complete end of course evaluations for each course taught. To accomplish this, adjunct faculty should:

• Post reminders in the announcements area within Blackboard
• Send email reminders

In addition to these, all adjunct faculty should remind students during any synchronous class meetings, VCMs, hybrid/on-campus meetings, etc.