Faculty Handbook

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)

Location: The Kurt R. Schmeller Library Building Room 314
Telephone: 718-281-5161

The mission of the Center for Teaching & Learning (CETL) and the Office of Educational Technology (OET) is to foster faculty innovation and effectiveness through the provision of faculty development opportunities related to evidence-based pedagogical and assessment practices. By supporting reflective communities of practice and the scholarship of teaching and learning, CETL and OET facilitate not just faculty excellence, but student success as well.

Goals:

• CETL and OET provide faculty development opportunities that support the College's academic initiatives and respond to faculty and student needs.
• CETL and OET assess their efficacy in order to continuously improve. 
• OET promotes the use of instructional technology and identifies technology solutions in support of faculty teaching in face-to-face, hybrid, or fully online learning environments.

Please remember that the CETL lab is a space reserved for faculty use. While there are meetings and occasional classes scheduled in the lab (a schedule of which is always posted on the lab door), please feel free to stop by on weekdays between 9am and 5pm.

Office of Educational Technology

Office of Educational Technology

Location: The Kurt R. Schmeller Library Building Room 314, within the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL)
Telephone: 718-281-5540

In support of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning's mission, the Office of Educational Technology (OET) provides faculty consultation, training and support for a wide range of educational applications. Our instructional technology services include eLearning, Blackboard Learn, Blackboard Collaborate, Lecture Capture Systems, Respondus Exam Software, SoftChalk, VoiceThread, PlayPosit, SoftChalk and ePortfolio. We also provide support for various projects related to Distance Learning, Online Pedagogy, and Online Course Design.

Academic Computing Center

Academic Computing Center
Location: Library Building, Room 117
Telephone: 718-631-6624

The Academic Computing Center (ACC), including the department of Media Services, provides appropriate, innovative and timely technological solutions to facilitate student instruction, develops standards for academic technology deployment and supports the College’s special events, classroom and campus presentations.  The ACC provides a wide array of academic technology; including a 114 station student computing facility, podia, laptops, mobile devices, media services; several venues to host student, faculty and staff workshops; virtual servers to support student instruction, the online hosting of videos; and technical consulting for Queensborough’s academic community.

eLearning with Blackboard™

Blackboard is a Web-based platform used to deliver course materials to enhance both teaching and learning experiences. Working in a password-protected environment, faculty and students are able to post and access course materials, make use of discussion groups, email and many related course management tools -- anytime and anywhere. Blackboard is the only Learning Management System (LMS) fully supported by CUNY. Queensborough faculty are using Blackboard in a number of ways, including Web-enhanced, Hybrid and Fully Online courses. Each semester, the Office of Educational technology (OET) conducts workshops covering the pedagogical aspects of teaching online and the technical aspects of using the Blackboard environment. In addition, an eLearning Institute has been established whereby faculty members participate in eight days of intensive training followed by one semester of guided (Mentored) course development.

The Kurt R. Schmeller Library

The Kurt R. Schmeller Library
Circulation and Periodicals Desks: 718-631-6227
Reference Desk: 718-631-6241
Reserve Desk: 718-631-6225
Office of the Chief Librarian: 718-631-6220
Information Literacy Instruction: 718-281-5010
Interlibrary Loan: 718-281-5067
Book recommendations: 718-281-5711

Hours: Monday through Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Hours may vary. Please check the web site

Resources and Services

The mission of the Library is to provide support for the academic programs of the college and faculty research. This support includes both services and resources.

Student learning is supported in several ways, including information literacy instruction. Finding and evaluating information are important skills that enhance a student's habits of critical thinking. Faculty members can schedule instruction sessions that are designed to teach students to find and use information related to a specific discipline or assignment. Short, online tutorials are embedded on the library's web site and additional online modules can be created as needed.

Library faculty members staff the reference desk to assist both students and faculty. We also are available via online chat reference.

The library supports faculty members who wish to become involved in eLearning or convert their courses to Zero Textbook Cost. We can assist faculty members in identifying and using appropriate resources to enhance teaching.

Faculty research is supported by the services of our faculty and staff and especially by Interlibrary Loan. User-friendly, patron-initiated services are available.

The library's collections consist of carefully selected circulating and reference books, an excellent assortment of online databases, and various multimedia resources. About one third of our book collection is available in e-book format. Most of our periodicals are available online. Our databases also include online video and audio collections. The Reserve Desk supplies textbooks, laptops, calculators and cordless chargers.

Computer workstations and laptops provide online access to the library's collections. Some computers in the library also make full internet access available. The library
follows The City University of New York (CUNY) policies regarding computer use. Off-campus access to library resources is available to students, staff and faculty members who have activated ID cards.

The Library website offers subject guides and information regarding all aspects of Library service.

Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA)

Office of Institutional Research and Assessment
Administration Building, Room 302
Telephone: 718-631-6279

The mission of the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) is to provide official, accurate, unbiased, and useful information and analysis to support institutional planning, assessment, decision-making, and reporting obligations. OIRA is a vital partner in campus-wide data governance and strategic data and information dissemination for daily operations, decision-making, and assessment support.

The OIRA is the leader for academic and student data analysis and interpretation for the campus. The office provides expertise in research design, methodology, and techniques in the fields of higher education. In addition, it is the primary resource for definitions of commonly and nationally used terminologies for institutional effectiveness measures.

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment strives to disseminate useful and comprehensible information that creates insights and answers questions for various constituencies and the college community at large.  OIRA collaborates with all members of the campus community and strives to provide high quality service. The office is guided by its belief in curiosity, continuous improvement and refinement of our expertise, reliability, and efficiency.

Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs

Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs
Humanities Building, Room 336
Telephone: 718-631-6357

The Office of Grants/Sponsored Programs (OGSP) is responsible for Sponsored Programs Administration and is accessible to assist principal investigators or project directors with any sponsored research or program administrative requirements. The PI should complete and submit the Grant Proposal Information (GPI) form to the Sponsored Programs as early as possible in the proposal/application development stage and at least 4 weeks before the deadline in order to receive support from all offices across campus.

OGSP is available for:

• Assisting the PI with the administration of research and sponsored programs from inception through closeout;
• Reviewing proposals submitted to assure compliance with University policy. The Grants Office also reviews budgets to verify that all appropriate charges are included in the cost calculations;
• In cooperation with the Research Foundation, assisting the PI with the negotiation and acceptance of grant awards;
• In cooperation with the University and The Research Foundation, assisting the PI with the negotiation and execution of contracts and cooperative agreements;
• In cooperation with the University, assuring compliance with sponsor’s policies, e.g., fiscal, property, intellectual property, human and animal subjects;
• In cooperation with the University, assuring compliance with the policies and procedures of the Research Foundation;
• In cooperation with the University and the Research Foundation, maintaining official records concerning sponsored projects including official grant and contract files;
• Assisting faculty and department/college staff in the preparation of proposals and other administrative aspects of sponsored projects as needed; and
• ·      Training of faculty and administrative staff in the policies, procedures and practices of the University, College or School and sponsors.

 

Institutional Review Board

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Queensborough Community College is committed to protecting the rights of individuals who voluntarily participate in research studies. All members of the university community, therefore, who plan to conduct research involving the participation of human subjects are required to prepare applications giving complete descriptions of any proposed research, whether it is grant-funded or unfunded, and submit them to Queensborough's Institutional Review Board (IRB). The QCC IRB Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Coordinator is Dr. Shiang-Kwei Wang, Dean for Research.

All submissions to CUNY HRPP/IRB must be submitted through the Ideate system

All faculty investigators conducting research involving human subjects must complete CUNY’s Human Subjects (HSR) computer-based training module.

This computer-based training course, known as the CITI program, is available online. Researchers must register and complete the appropriate training course on the protection of human subjects. This training reviews common principles and issues and takes several hours to complete. Once completed, the PI can download an electronic copy of the certificate, and submit it with the IRB application through the ideate system.

Additional information about human subjects research is available at the QCC IRB website or the CUNY Office of Research Compliance.

Research Compliance

Queensborough Community College is committed to the responsible and ethical conduct of research. The Dean for Research, Dr. Shiang-Kwei Wang, oversees Queensborough Community College’s research ethics and supports the implementation of CUNY’s Research Misconduct policy. The Dean acts as the first point of contact for any faculty member who needs more information on matters of research integrity.

Research Conduct of Research (RCR)

All CUNY faculty members and students involved in research are required to complete the CITI RCR training and the in-person RCR workshop within six weeks of initiating the research. The RCR training certificate will be valid for four years. CUNY researchers are required to take a refresher CITI RCR training course every four years. The PI should attach the RCR certificate to any internal or external grant proposal. View the in-person RCR workshop schedule.

Conflicts of Interest

Each PI must complete the CUNY Significant Financial Interest (SFI) Disclosure Form for research projects and submit it to the Grants Office at the time that the PI submits a grant proposal or application.

Biosafety

Faculty who plan to conduct research or submit grant proposals involving recombinant DNA, synthetic nucleic acid or other potential hazardous materials must submit the “Application for the Use of Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules” for review. If the proposed project needs to be reviewed by an NIH registered Institutional Review Committee (IBC), the QCC Grants Office will forward the proposal to an IBC for review. The signed application should be included in the Grant Proposal Information (GPI) form. For details please see the Biosafety Procedure page.

Support for Scholarly Research

Several sources of research funding are available within the University for Instructional Staff. Please refer to Article 25 of the Professional Staff Congress (PSC)/CUNY Collective Bargaining Agreement for details. These include the PSC-CUNY Research Awards, Fellowship Awards, and the Scholar Incentive Awards. Some of these awards are designed to support junior faculty. Faculty should consult with their department chairs regarding award opportunities; they may also consult with the Office of Sponsored Programs and with the Dean of Research about these and other opportunities.

Support for Undergraduate Research

QCC is committed to providing our students with faculty-mentored research opportunities. Undergraduate research experiences offer students the opportunity to work with faculty mentors in individual or collaborative settings, foster ownership for learning, develop inquiry, analytical, communication and presentation skills, and encourage a commitment to high standards. QCC faculty and students can use the Undergraduate Research website to find a variety of internal and external grant sponsored, curriculum-embedded, or voluntarily research opportunities. 

Travel for Professional Purposes

The College encourages faculty to attend professional meetings, seminars, workshops, etc. During the academic year, faculty members must obtain prior permission from the department chairperson for attendance at such functions.

Each year, the College makes funds available to support faculty travel for professional presentations. The faculty member should contact his/her department chairperson regarding the funding for professional travel.

Please note: Travel policies, guidelines and forms have been recently updated.  Kindly visit the faculty travel intranet site to read about these changes and to download forms needed for travel.

 

Classroom Behavior

Faculty members who have concerns about classroom management and behavior issues should consult with their department chairpersons. Additional resources include the following:

• Academic Integrity: faculty must include a statement on Academic Integrity in the course outline. The course outline should use the statement on the official course syllabus— this can be a departmental policy and/or the CUNY policy, adopted July 1, 2011. The full policy is found in the 18-2019 catalog pages 40-42; the first paragraph of the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity reads:

Academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York. Penalties for academic dishonesty include academic sanctions, such as failing or otherwise reduced grades, and/or disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or expulsion.

Faculty are referred to the Faculty and Staff Resources page on the QCC website where Anti-Plagiarism links can be found

• Electronic Devices (cell phones, laptops, etc.): faculty should consult the department chairperson regarding departmental policies and practices; the College does not have an official policy
• Distracting & Disruptive Behaviors: faculty should consult with the department chairperson, the Counseling Department (Library, Room 422, telephone 718-631-6370) and/or the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (Library, Room 412, telephone 718-631-6351).
• Violent Behavior: for immediate problems, faculty should contact the Campus Public Safety Department (Library Building, third floor, telephone 718-631-6320); other resources include the Counseling Department (Library, Room 422, telephone 718-631-6370) and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (Library, Room 412, telephone 718-631-6351). See page 34.
• Health and Safety Concerns: faculty may contact the Campus Public Safety Department (Library Building, third floor, telephone 718-631-6320), the College Health Services office (Medical Arts Building, MC-02, telephone 718-631-6375), or the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (Administration Building, Room 204, telephone 781-281-5148).