1 Welcome to Teaching at DeGroote!
Getting Started
Whether you are a new or returning sessional instructor, teaching-track, tenure-track, tenured professor, or have a Contractually Limited Appointment, you are a part of a vibrant and dedicated community where learning deeply matters. As an instructor at McMaster, you have access to a wide variety of resources for teaching include Avenue to Learn, Microsoft Office 365, the libraries and MOSAIC for managing your details as an employee as well as course information. We discuss these resources and others in this handbook which is intended to be a quick reference for many aspects of teaching at DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University. We hope you find this guide a useful starting place as you participate in our campus teaching and learning communities.
Here at DeGroote, we are driven by our mission, vision, and values:
Mission
To foster interdisciplinary thinking and evidence-based management to transform business and society.
Vision
To be ranked among the top tier business schools in Canada, and to be globally recognized as a leader in research, teaching, and community-building – especially in healthcare management and the management of digital innovation – by 2020.
Values
We support a culture that embraces bold, interdisciplinary thinking; drives the creation and application of evidence-based knowledge; and expects collegial activity undertaken with integrity.
Below, we have included a timeline of what you can expect while teaching at DeGroote along with more information about the Teaching and Learning Services team who can help you along the way.
What can you expect?
There are a few mandatory or recommended dates and deadlines you should be aware of as you prepare your course:
- All registrar dates, including the first day of classes for each semester, can be found at this link. The DeGroote MBA program may have different dates, so we recommend you check out their website here. If you’re unsure about which dates apply to you, please contact your program director or area chair as soon as possible!
- You can request your Avenue to Learn course shell approximately 8-12 weeks prior to the start of the semester by visiting this link.
- The McMaster Campus Store requires you to submit your textbook or courseware adoptions approximately 6-8 weeks before the semester begins. You can find more information about submitting your adoptions at their website link here.
- If your course is eligible to have Teaching Assistant (TA) support, you will either be assigned a graduate student TA or be required to hire one. Hiring typically takes place approximately 4 weeks prior to the start of the semester. You will receive more information about this process from your Area Chair and the Dean’s Office.
- Following the semester, your final grades must be submitted on Mosaic within five (5) business days of your exam or final graded assignment.
DeGroote Teaching and Learning Services
Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) is a team of educational developers and instructional media designers whose mandate is to support faculty, instructors, and staff to achieve excellence in teaching. We work with the DeGroote community to make every educational experience engaging, impactful, and lasting. We can assist with the course development, including creation and revision of your course syllabus, assessments, interactive learning activities, selection of teaching tools, online best practices, media production and development, and Avenue to Learn support. To ask a question, request a consultation, or be partnered with a TLS member for the development and execution of your course, email dsbEdDev@mcmaster.ca.