Standards of Instruction

Faculty members are encouraged to demonstrate this standard by:

1. Living a committed Christian life actively engaging and modeling a biblical representation of the Christian faith in all facets of life – personal, professional, academic, social, virtual, and spiritual.
2. Practicing spiritual maturity, such as prayer for students, routine Bible study, and meeting regularly with a body of believers, to enhance faculty-student connections, and to support the holistic well-being and development of students and the spiritual formation of the faculty member.
3. Actively seeking opportunities to minister to and serve students as an outpouring of the Christian calling (Yonker et al., 2019) by fostering discipleship opportunities, and a deeper sense of community and care.
4. Ensuring course communication (i.e., announcements, emails, phone calls, lectures, videos, discussions, etc.) regularly integrates biblical perspectives, as well as the personal affirmation and application of biblical truths to connect the theoretical and practical application of the course content to the spiritual, if applicable.

References: Yonker, J. E., Pendery, A. R., Klein, C., & Witte, J. (2019). Relational-based Christian practices of gratitude and prayer positively impact Christian university students’ reported prosocial tendencies. International Journal of Christianity & Education, 23(2), 150-170.

In support of this standard, faculty members are invited to engage with these foundational practices as a baseline for active and effective engagement:

1. Faculty in residential courses consistently begin and/or end class sessions with prayer, to embody the institution’s commitment to Christian values.
2. Faculty proactively solicit student prayer requests via various communication methods, including course announcements, phone calls, emails, and face-to-face meetings.
3. Faculty actively create a sense of presence and support through their communication efforts and responsiveness, recognizing that encouraging and substantive feedback, personal acknowledgment, timely responses, and a clear sense of availability can dramatically improve the academic experience of the student.
4. Faculty communications across all mediums (e.g., announcements, emails, phone calls, lectures, videos, discussions) consistently reflect a biblical worldview in tone and language.
5. Faculty actively identify and engage with students who are underperforming, demonstrating a commitment to student success and spiritual growth.
6. Faculty integrate biblical principles into course materials (e.g., readings, lectures, presentations, videos, assignments, quizzes, discussions) to enhance the spiritual dimension of learning, as applicable.
7. Faculty demonstrate a commitment to deepening their understanding of the biblical worldview through ongoing research, scholarship, and development.

The shared goal of enhancing the quality of education relies on support and collaboration among the faculty. Faculty are encouraged to review the various strategies and support tools listed below:

1. Reviewing communication (announcements, discussion threads and replies, grading feedback, inbox messages, etc.) posted in the Learning Management System (LMS) and other university communication platforms.
2. myStudents To Do items (Course Completion Probability (CCP) communication, Writing Inactivity, FN Warnings) timely completion.
3. Timely engagement with College/School communications, as noted by the College/School.
4. Completion of all assigned tasks and training within the specified timeframe.
5. Annually updating Curriculum Vitae (CV) items in the Faculty Portfolio Tool (FPT).
6. Faculty Assessment Summary (FAS) End-of-Course (EOC) Survey Scores and Qualitative Scores.
7. Reviewing and investigating student feedback and/or complaints.
8. FPT – Evaluation Questions

Faculty members are encouraged to demonstrate this standard by:

1. Employing intentional language in all course materials, including syllabi, instructional resources, announcements, and feedback (Reeves et al., 2023). Language should be respectful, free of bias, and reflective of the belief that all are created in the image of God, thus promoting a sense of dignity and respect for every student.
2. Offering multiple communication channels like office hours, email, Microsoft Teams chats, and virtual meetings to cater to diverse student needs and preferences, ensuring accessibility and responsiveness.
3. Deliberately curating course content to be relevant and valuable to all students, considering their diverse backgrounds and objectives, to foster an environment where every student feels their learning needs are addressed.
4. Connecting course learning experiences to real-world applications, industry standards, and academic goals, thereby creating a learning environment that is meaningful, engaging, and aligned with students’ professional and academic aspirations.
5. Balancing accountability with robust support for all students, especially those needing accommodations, facing personal challenges, or requiring additional assistance, ensures every student has an equitable opportunity to succeed.
6. Completing a thorough pre-course checklist, verifying that all course materials, including due dates, links, and alignment between assignments and rubrics, are correctly set up and functional, ensuring a smooth start to the course for all students.
7. Recording and uploading lectures for hybrid, blended, and applicable residential courses, ensuring that all students, regardless of their learning modality, have access to the same quality of instructional material.

References: Center for Applied Special Technology. (2023, October 16). The UDL Guidelines. Universal Design for Learning (UDL). https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Reeves, D., Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2023). Confronting the crisis of engagement: Creating focus and resilience for students, staff, and communities. Corwin

In support of this standard, faculty members are invited to engage with these foundational practices as a baseline for active and effective engagement:

1. Online, and applicable residential, faculty consistently post pre-course and weekly announcements in the LMS, focusing on fostering meaningful connections and enriching learning experiences.
2. Faculty actively monitor and engage with the student roster during the first week, reaching out to students who haven’t completed the Course Requirements Checklist (CRC) to facilitate early engagement and check for students added late to the course.
3. Faculty ensure timely responses to all student communications, replying within 36 hours to foster a sense of community, and a supportive learning environment, and to help the student overcome any academic difficulties with the course material.
4. Faculty participate actively in discussions (both in-person and online) by initiating threads or directly replying to students (online) or facilitating in-class discussions through probing questions or thoughts (residential), aiming to deepen discussions, connect topics to course content/industry, or prompt further student reflection.
   • Online faculty are required to post a minimum of two times in each LMS Discussion.
5. Faculty review and implement accommodation requests from the Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS) as needed.
   • Adjustments to quiz time limits based on accommodations are to be made promptly upon review of the accommodation letter.
6. Faculty complete the Week 0 survey distributed by the College/School, confirming the readiness of course content before student access, if applicable.
7. Residential faculty record and upload in-class lectures, ensuring accessibility of these materials to all students via the LMS.

The shared goal of enhancing the quality of education relies on support and collaboration. Faculty are encouraged to review the various strategies and support tools listed below:

1. Faculty Assessment Report (FAR) – Pre-course Announcements and Announcements.
2. FAR – Roster Verification
3. Week 0 Survey
4. LMS – Modules page
5. LMS – Moderate a Quiz page
6. LMS – Announcement page
7. LMS – Discussion page
8. LMS – Teacher Access Report
9. myStudents – To Do
10. myStudents – Course Completion Probability
11. ODAS Reminders
12. Faculty Assessment Summary (FAS) End-of-Course (EOC) Survey Scores and Qualitative Scores.
13. FAS – Discussion Boards – Faculty Only
14. FPT – Evaluation Questions

Faculty members are encouraged to demonstrate this standard by:

1. Ensuring that every assignment is accompanied by a clear and detailed electronic rubric within the Learning Management System (LMS), providing transparent criteria for evaluation.
2. Consistently using these electronic grading rubrics for assigning grades, thus maintaining fairness and clarity in the evaluation process.
3. Employing annotation tools within the LMS or an equivalent tool for grading, allowing for detailed and constructive feedback on student submissions.
4. Committing to timely feedback, returning graded assignments and assessments promptly, within six days (online) or one week (residential) of the assignment’s due date or from the date of submission for late work, thereby supporting continuous learning and improvement.
   • Residential faculty may request an exception for particularly complex projects. In these cases, faculty should grade within the approved exception time period.
5. Using secure and confidential methods for posting and distributing grades, ensuring student privacy and data security.
6. Providing consistent, accurate, and specific feedback that guides students in understanding their strengths and areas for improvement, fostering their academic growth.
7. Offering substantive feedback that enables faculty to proactively affirm the merit of quality work while also addressing areas for improvement to promote greater learning and academic proficiency.
8. Maintaining accurate records of student attendance (for residential, hybrid, and blended courses) and tracking missing or late assignments, ensuring a comprehensive and fair assessment of student engagement and performance.

References: Reeves, D. (2023). Fearless grading: How to improve achievement, discipline, and culture through accurate and… fair grading. Archway Publishing.

In support of this standard, faculty members are invited to engage with these foundational practices as a baseline for active and effective engagement:

1. Faculty use LMS annotation tools (or equivalent for offline grading) to provide feedback, which can include highlighting strengths, improvement areas, connections to course content, biblical integration, and formatting.
2. Faculty provide a summary of grading annotations and rubric deductions in the assignment’s comment box within the LMS.
   • For offline grading, faculty upload the annotated assignment with feedback in the comment box.
3. In the absence of annotation tools for Discussions and Quizzes, faculty ensure thorough explanations for any deductions in the comment box.
4. Faculty maintain accurate records of student attendance (via TopHat for residential courses) and track missing or late course assignments.

The shared goal of enhancing the quality of education relies on support and collaboration among the faculty. Faculty are encouraged to review the various strategies and support tools listed below:

1. Faculty Assessment Report (FAR) – Grading Assignments
2. FAR – Verified Roster
3. LMS – Announcements
4. LMS – Grades page
5. LMS – SpeedGrader
6. LMS – Rubrics page
7. LMS – Assignment page
8. LMS – Files
9. Concourse
10. ODAS Reminders
11. FAS End-of-Course (EOC) Survey Scores and Qualitative Scores
12. FAS – Grade Distribution
13. FAS – FAR Historical Flags
14. FPT – Evaluation Questions

Faculty members are encouraged to demonstrate this standard by:

1. Engaging in development opportunities, such as participating in professional development programs, attending workshops, and joining seminars, to continuously enhance their teaching skills and academic knowledge.
2. Committing to scholarly pursuits, including research, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, presenting at academic conferences, and engaging in creative activities, thereby contributing to the advancement of their field and the academic community.
3. Regularly updating and enriching course materials to reflect current academic findings and industry trends by subject matter experts or lead faculty, ensuring that students receive the most relevant and up-to-date education.
4. Collaborating with colleagues to share best practices and foster a culture of academic excellence and innovation.
5. Diligently reviewing feedback from End-of-Course Surveys and implementing necessary changes to improve course quality, teaching methods, and student engagement, demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement and student success.

In support of this standard, faculty members are invited to engage with these foundational practices as a baseline for active and effective engagement:

1. Faculty complete all required trainings provided by various institutional stakeholders (e.g., Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, LU ONE, Registrar, IS, and respective College/School).
2. Faculty document their attendance and participation in professional development events.
3. Faculty maintain an up-to-date record of their scholarly activities, including creative work, publications, and conference presentations within the academic year.
4. Faculty document all updates made to course content, noting any changes influenced by End-of-Course Survey feedback.
5. Faculty provide evidence of collaboration within their College/School, such as participation in meetings, accreditation committees, or special projects.

The shared goal of enhancing the quality of education relies on support and collaboration among the faculty. Faculty are encouraged to review the various strategies and support tools listed below:

1. Timely engagement with College/School communications.
2. Course Adjustment Tool (CAT) records.
3. Completion of all assigned tasks and training within the specified timeframe.
4. Annually add applicable Curriculum Vitae (CV) items to the Faculty Portfolio Tool (FPT) for the following items:
   • Degrees earned, licensure, and/or professional certificates
   • Research, scholarship, and/or creative activity items
   • Institutional, professional, and community service items
     1. 1. Professional Service: Memberships and Affiliations
        2. Professional Service: Contribution
        3. Professional Service: Meetings
        4. Professional Service: Guest Lectureships
        5. Professional Service: Visiting Professorships
        6. Professional Service: Clinical Practices
        7. Professional Service: Consulting Work
        8. Professional Service: Discipline
5. Faculty Portfolio Tool (FTP) –Evaluation Questions