In this chapter, you can learn about aspects of instruction that may arise while teaching your course. This includes working with Teaching Assistants, using technologies, accommodating students, dealing with disruptive students or emergency situations, and improving your teaching.

Click on the “plus” icon beside each heading to learn more. You can navigate to the next chapter or the previous chapter using the black bars at the bottom of the screen or by clicking on Contents at the top left.

Working with Teaching Assistants

In larger courses you might be assigned teaching assistants (TAs), although the number of TAs varies from year to year.  You and each of your TA(s) will have to complete the “Hours of Work Form”, which details the nature of their tasks (e.g. hours grading, leading tutorials etc.)  An administrator in your department will distribute and collect these forms at the beginning of the term.

You can find more information about Teaching Assistants’ hours of working, training, and policies in the Teaching Assistant Guidebook.

Visiting Your Classroom

It is a good idea to visit your assigned classroom and become familiar with its equipment before the first day of a course.  You can find out where your class is located by logging into Mosaic and clicking on Faculty Centre – the class location is listed under Room. If there is a lab or tutorial associated with the class, the days and times and room will be listed under the class time. If you do not have any TAs assigned to the course, you will be responsible for this time.

Find out where your building is located on campus using the interactive Campus Map – click on the Buildings button and scroll through the alphabetical list to highlight each building on the map. Information about where to park and other travel options is available through Parking Services.

The technological capabilities of classrooms vary, but almost all classrooms have a PC, projection equipment, mics, and opportunity to connect your own laptop. The Campus Classroom Directory gives you information about the audio-visual equipment in classrooms. You should receive an email with information about classroom codes (e.g., to unlock podium doors) from your Administrative Assistant. If you are unsure about how to use some of the equipment in your classroom, please contact CCT. An audio-visual technician will be happy to give you a demo of the AV equipment in your classroom.

If a particular classroom does not meet your technological needs, there are a few options.  You can book certain equipment with CCT if you only need it for a few specific classes (e.g., a DVD player and TV).  If the technological shortcomings of a classroom are more serious than this, speak to your Department; it might be possible to have your course moved to a different classroom. Your Department may also have some equipment that you can use when teaching, such as a laptop.

If you wish to change your classroom from the one originally allocated to you, contact your Department to request the change. If approved, the Examinations and Scheduling office will post the appropriate signs for students and update the University website timetable.

The staff in Campus Classroom Technologies (CCT) can assist with technologies for teaching, including Echo360 lecture recording.  Please visit the website for the University Library and scroll down to learn more about Campus Classroom Technologies.

Social Sciences Classrooms

Some smaller local department classrooms are not supported by CCT. For all Social Sciences or department/unit controlled in-person classrooms / meeting space supports please reach out via our Teaching Support Portal. Our teaching support team has also curated a series of video overviews of our teaching spaces so you can become familiar with the spaces and functionality. 

Showing Films

It is possible to show various educational films to your students through services provided by McMaster libraries, as either physical copies (DVD or VHS) or streaming formats. Visit the University Library website to learn more about Film and Video for Instruction.

You can search the Media Catalogue for films. If the films are available in McMaster libraries, you can book the films in advance for screening in class. If the films are available at other universities, you can arrange to borrow them for pick-up and return at McMaster.

There are two points that you need to keep in mind when showing films to your students.  First, due to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), any films must be in an accessible format.  If films are not already in an accessible format, you can use the Video Captioning and Described Video Request Form to see if this can be arranged.  Second, the showing of any films must comply with Canada’s Copyright Act.  For example, copies of films cannot be loaded into lectures or Avenue, since that constitutes unlicensed duplication of films.  It is best to provide a link or instructions on how to access films from a streaming service that McMaster subscribes to so that students can view the films independently.  As another example, not all films are licensed for classroom use (especially commercial motion pictures), and you may have to pay licensing fees to comply with Canada’s Copyright Act.  For more information about these two issues, please consult the relevant links under the University Library’s discussion of Film and Video for Instruction.

You are advised to book films as far in advance as possible to ensure availability.  It is particularly important to book films early if they are housed at another university, if they need to be made available in an accessible format, or if copyright issues need to be addressed.

Accommodating Students through Accessibility Services

Students who have disabilities and want accommodations on the basis of those disabilities are required to arrange for accommodations.  To learn more, visit the website for Student Accessibility Services (SAS).

The SAS Instructor Portal lets you use your Mac ID and password to see the SAS accommodation letters for students in your courses.  If students have arranged accommodations through SAS, you will receive an email notification to log in and view their accommodation letters.  These letters are presented in PDF format, and each identifies the particular accommodations of a specific student.  It is advisable to download the letters so that you can more conveniently refer to them throughout a term, but please be sure to store these confidential documents securely on a password-protected computer.  You are required to acknowledge receipt of each letter through an online system, which then generates an automated message to the students involved.

After receiving your acknowledgment, students may communicate with you to discuss arrangements and procedures regarding their accommodations.  Ideally, soon after the term begins, students should send you an email message or have a conversation with you to get an understanding of how their accommodations will be met in your course.  However, since many students do not do this or forget to do this, it can be helpful to post an announcement on Avenue to Learn early in the term and use this announcement to encourage SAS students to communicate with you as soon as possible to discuss their accommodations.  If some SAS students do not come forward after a few weeks, you may wish to repost your message (if there are a number of students who did not contact you) or reach out to the students you have not yet heard from via McMaster email (if there are not many of them).

You may have various students with accommodations for tests and examinations.  Consequently, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with information that SAS has provided about Test and Exam Accommodations.

In the Faculty of Social Sciences, Michelle Alway (the Faculty Liaison for Accommodations) is available to help faculty members with SAS-related issues.  Michelle does not handle the day-to-day management of SAS accommodations in particular courses (since faculty members are responsible for this), but she can provide guidance or answer questions associated with meeting SAS accommodations.  For example, she can provide support for developing implementation strategies or using assistive technologies.  Michelle can be reached at alwaym@mcmaster.ca.

Accommodating Students through McMaster’s Student Absence Form (MSAF)

Students may indicate that they missed an in-class test or failed to get an assignment in on time due to medical situations (personal illness) or personal situations (such as a death in the family).  In such situations, students may request accommodation.

The procedures regarding requests for accommodation are explained in the PDF document that outlines McMaster’s Policy on Requests for Relief for Missed Academic Term Work.

The Faculty of Social Sciences has prepared its own description of appropriate procedures, which are much more specific than the general McMaster policy. Visit the website for the Faculty of Social Sciences to learn more about Student Absence Information.

Students can submit one of two types of McMaster Student Absence Forms (MSAF). The MSAF (Self-Report) is for absences of 3 days or less, where work is less than 25% of the final grade, and is completed by the student on Mosaic. The MSAF (Administrative Report) is for absences longer than 3 days and/or for work 25% or more of the final grade.  The MSAF (Administrative Report) requires students to contact an advisor in their Faculty office.

Class Cancellations

Please note that if you need to cancel a class or have early dismissal, the staff in the main office should be notified ahead of time so that notices can be posted to notify students. Instructors should also try to contact students via Avenue to Learn (if they are using it). Similarly, TAs should be advised to contact you as soon as possible if they postpone or cancel a tutorial, or if they need to end a tutorial early.

Student Support Services

There are a wide range range of support units on campus available to provide support to your students. These include supports around wellness (e.g., Student Wellness Centre), supports for equity deserving groups (e.g., Indigenous Support Services, Black Student Success Centre), academic support (e.g., Student Success Centre), accessibility support (e.g., Student Accessibility Services), food support (e.g., Food Collective Centre), and peer support.

You may consider sharing this information with your students so they are aware of these supports or referring students to supports as appropriate.

Dealing with Disruptive Students

Occasionally, it can be difficult to teach due to the behaviour of disruptive students.  Instances of disruptive behavior in the classroom (as well as other, more seriously problematic aspects of student conduct) are addressed in McMaster’s Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

You should also familiarize yourself with the website for Student Case Management (SCM).  The SCM Office is responsible for administering the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and it is also responsible for providing support to students through Case Management services. These two objectives often intersect since, for example, disruptive behaviour by students may be linked to difficulties they are experiencing in their lives.  Where there are cases of persistent disruptive behaviour by students, you may wish to contact the SCM Office to explain your concerns.  One of the Case Managers can then address issues with the students.

Of course, in those very rare cases of extremely serious and threatening behaviour by students, you should immediately contact McMaster Security Services.  For more information, see “Dealing with Emergency Situations”.

Students in Distress

The Responding to Students in Distress or Difficulty (RSDD) protocol was developed to guide student-facing staff and faculty on how to recognize and reach out to students in distress or difficulty and connect students with appropriate resources and support. Within the RSDD protocol are six steps designed to navigate your interaction with students: Recognize, Reach Out, Rate, Respond, Review, and Reflect.

The RSDD protocol resource linked above includes information about and links for a number of support units on and off campus to support students in crisis and to help educators supporting students. You can learn more about the RSDD protocol and how to support students in distress and create a mental health positive classroom through the Professor Hippo-on-Campus Mental Health Education Program.

Dealing with Emergency Situations

In extremely rare circumstances, emergency situations may develop in your classroom.  McMaster Security Services has prepared a comprehensive guidebook for emergency situations.  Please visit the website for Security Services to view or download the McMaster Emergency Guidebook.

While this guidebook covers a variety of emergency situations (such as bomb threats and lockdown procedures), two types of situations are worth highlighting.

Medical Emergencies

Very occasionally, there may be medical emergencies in your classroom. In the event of medical emergencies, the guidebook indicates the following procedures:

• For on-campus emergencies, call McMaster Security Services.
  • Dial Ext. 88 from any campus phone (and some large classrooms have a campus phone).
  • Dial 905-522-4135 from non-campus phones.
  • Use the Red Assistance Phones located throughout campus to directly contact McMaster Security Services.
  • Use the McMaster Safety App to directly contact McMaster Security Services.
• Advise the dispatcher of the nature of the illness or injury as well as your location (e.g., the building and room number).
• Do not move the person unless there is a high risk of further injury or death.
• Keep calm and do not leave the person unattended.
• Provide first aid only if qualified.  Otherwise, wait for a first response team to arrive.  McMaster Security Services and the Emergency First Response Team will be dispatched to provide assistance for emergences on the main campus.

You may wish to visit the website for Security Services to learn more about the McMaster Safety App (referred to above) and follow the provided links to download the app for either iPhone or Android devices.

Student Behaviour

The behaviour of a student may become erratic, verbally abusive, or physically threatening.  Although such circumstances are quite rare, it is important to know what to do if they occur.  If you feel as though your personal safety or the personal safety of others might be in immediate danger, contact McMaster Security Services using the contact information provided above.  It is also worth noting that the “McMaster Emergency Guidebook” (referred to in the last sub-section of this manual) contains useful information about what to do in the event that you are a victim of harassment and what to do if you become aware of persons of concern (i.e., people whose behaviour could be a threat to the university or to the campus community).  These parts of the guidebook direct you to contact McMaster Security Services (and to do so immediately if the threat is imminent).

Improving Teaching

If you want to find ways of improving your teaching, help is available from the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching (the MacPherson Institute).

You may wish to explore sections on topics such as “Professional Development”, “Curriculum Development”, and “Educational Technology.”  Be sure to scroll all the way down each of these sections to learn about different possibilities.  For example, the section on “Professional Development” includes information about “New Faculty Programming.”  The “Curriculum Development” section includes options for “Course Development or Redesign” and “Feedback (Course Refinements, Course Observations).”  These services enable to you get assistance with course preparation though workshops and offer ways of getting insight into how well a course is going while it is underway (so that it can be improved in some ways before it is over).  Finally, the “Educational Technology” section outlines how the MacPherson Institute can assist with technology for in-class or online teaching.

For more information or to book a consultation reach out to the Faculty of Social Sciences key contact, Stephanie Verkoeyen (verkoeys@mcmaster.ca).  

Informal Evaluations

Instructors often find it helpful to ask students to write informal, unsigned evaluations of their teaching early in the term (around the third week). These evaluations often simply ask students to evaluate what is ‘working well’ and what is ‘working less well’ in the course. This anonymous feedback can provide instructors with an opportunity to make changes, if they choose.

The MacPherson Institute offers guides on collecting midterm student feedback.