Instructional Delivery

Instructional Delivery Requirements for Promoting Student Course Success

Administrative Requirements

All faculty are responsible for performing the administrative duties below throughout each semester/term. These include (but are not all-inclusive) maintaining the Blackboard Grade Center in all Blackboard shells, providing a link to the course syllabus (Concourse) in each Blackboard shell, and entering attendance for each course into Self Service weekly. 

Attendance

Faculty are responsible for taking and recording class attendance at each class meeting and are expected to enter attendance for all courses electronically. Attendance must be taken and recorded throughout the entire semester. Attendance is recorded in Self-Service>Faculty>choose your course/section, then select “attendance.”

Syllabus

Every course section is required to have a link to their respective course syllabus. Refer to details about the syllabus on the Course Syllabus and Course Schedule page in the Faculty Manual.  

Blackboard Grade Center

Regardless of the modality used to deliver instruction, all faculty are required to maintain an updated electronic grade book within Blackboard.  The grade center must have a column for each item, e.g., assignment, quiz, test, discussion board, etc., that is used to calculate the student's course average columns, which should align with the grade breakdown stated in the Concourse syllabus. An up-to-date grade center provides students with feedback on their performance/learning. 

All grades must be posted in the grade center for each course promptly for students to view and track their grades at any point during the course. Timely manner, the amount of time between the assignment due date and the time the grade is posted, is normally defined as one week but can be set at the department level due to the variations of assignments and grading requirements. All cells must have a grade entered. If an assignment has not been submitted, there should be a grade of zero entered rather than leaving blank cells, regardless of whether the assignment will be accepted and graded at a later date.  All grade overrides should include an explanation in the grade feedback area or notes area.  All grades should be posted for the Overall Grade calculation to display correctly in both student and instructor views. 

The grade center must have the Overall Grade activated/set up and placed at the top of the grade center in List View or on the far-left column in the Grid View. Regardless of whether points or percentages determine the course grade, the Overall Grade column must be set up to show a percentage as the primary display. Neither point totals nor letter grades should be used in the Overall Grade column to allow for efficient communication between the Gradebook and other platforms.

IMPORTANT: It is essential that the grade in the overall grade column correlates with the letter final letter grade you enter into Self-Service at the end of the term. Once the college moves entirely into Anthology, faculty will not need to enter grades as the numerical grade will be transferred to Anthology, at which time a letter grade will be assigned.

Course Final Grades

The final course letter grade is based on a 10-point scale as follows:

A: 89.5 - 100%
B: 79.5 - 89.4%
C: 69.5 - 84.4%
D: 59.5 - 69.4%
F: 0-59.4%
 
This scale is to be used for all courses at the college unless the course is graded on pass/fall or satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Because the overall grade column is a calculated grade (calculated based on grades entered for each learning activity), additional points may not be added to the overall grade column but must be adjusted at the assignment level.
 
For instructions on setting up the gradebook with Blackboard, refer to the Gradebook Setup & Overall Grade video and/or the Blackboard Overall Grade Settings document. Both are located on the CISC lib-guide.


Classroom Breaks

Classes must meet 750 minutes per credit hour each semester/term. Classes that meet for more than two hours per class period have break times incorporated into the class schedule.  Refer to your school's classroom break policy for the allotted length of time for breaks.
Note: The college strictly enforces the requirement to maintain prescribed hours for all classes throughout the semester/term, including the first day. Be sure to engage students in course content on the first day.

Student Feedback

There are many ways of engaging students in their learning process. Effective feedback is essential for student growth and learning. Here are several strategies to ensure feedback is constructive, timely, and beneficial:

  1. Timeliness:
    • Immediate feedback: offer feedback as soon as possible after an assignment or activity to help students make connections and improvements while the material is still fresh. 
    • As mentioned above, In the Blackboard Grade Center section, grades should be posted in a timely manner so students can gauge their performance. 
  2.  Specificity:
    • Provide specific examples of what the student did well and where there is room for improvement.
    • Use rubrics or clear criteria to show students exactly what is expected.
  3. Constructive and Balanced:
    • Begin with positive feedback to build confidence, then address areas for improvement, and end with encouragement to keep the student motivated. 
    • Give clear, practical suggestions on improving students' work or understanding. 
  4. Personalization:
    • Adjust feedback to the individual student's needs, learning style, and progress. 
  5. Clarity and Focus:
    • Use simple and clear language to ensure that feedback is easily understood. Avoid overwhelming students with too much information at once. 
  6. Building on Prior Feedback:
    • Connect current feedback to previous comments to show progress and continuity.
    • Create opportunities for students to revise and resubmit work based on feedback, fostering a cycle of continuous improvement. 
  7. Encouraging Dialogue:
    • Open Communication: foster an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions about their feedback and seeking clarification.