Faculty FAQs

You may login to the NewLearn Blackboard environment:

• from the Governors State University homepage under the Academics column near the bottom of the page
• through the myGSU portal and select the orange eLearning Blackboard button
• by the direct site newlearn.govst.edu

Open the Blackboard Login text Tutorial to learn more.

You may logout of NewLearn Blackboard environment:

• by selecting the logout icon in the upper right corner of the page
• selecting the End session and log out button
• selecting the End Session button
• and closing the browser tab/window

Open the Blackboard Logout text Tutorial to learn more.

There is one username and password setup for your GSU account. This is setup by GSU's IT Department. If you need to reset your password, you may proceed directly to the GSU self-service password portal.

If you require documentation on how to change your password, please access the IT Helpdesk website.

For further assistance with a password reset, please contact the IT Helpdesk at 708.534.4357 or email help@govst.edu.

If you are in the myGSU portal, you may select the Email Access - Faculty/Staff Quick Link or proceed to the Microsoft Email website.

To add your GSU email account to your mobile device, please view the Android tutorial or the Apple tutorial.

For further assistance with email, please contact the IT Helpdesk at 708.534.4357 or email help@govst.edu.

Instructors no longer have access to add other users to their course.

If you would like to add another instructor into your course, please email blackboard@govst.edu with the following information:

• name/username of the instructor you would like to add to the course
• course ID (NURS-1000-01_17SU)
• what role you would like to provide the instructor (View the Course Roles page to learn more.)

If you would like to be added to another course, please email blackboard@govst.edu with the following information:

• approval from instructor of the course, dean, or chair
• course ID (NURS-1000-01_17SU)
• the role you are approved to be added as (View the Course Roles page to learn more.)

If you would like to add a student as a T.A., the student must complete a FERPA form, get the required signatures and send to the IT Department. Please email blackboard@govst.edu so we may work with IT to add the FERPA approved student to the requested Blackboard course section.

Please view the Editing your Blackboard Course List tutorial to learn more. This tutorial is located on the Faculty Tutorials page under the Getting Started category.

FERPA: You may not have completed FERPA. FERPA grants access to student records. Please review the material presented on the FERPA website, get the required signatures and send to the IT Department.

Not Assigned a Course: Check the Colleague Course Schedule to see if you are the instructor of the course. If you are not listed as the instructor, please contact your department to have them enroll you as the instructor in Colleague. The automated process will then add you to Blackboard.

If you have questions, please contact Blackboard Support at 708.534.4115 or email blackboard@govst.edu to further assist.

Check the Colleague Course Schedule to see if you are the instructor of the course. If you are not listed as the instructor, please contact your department to have them enroll you as the instructor in Colleague. The automated process will then add you to Blackboard.

Blackboard courses are created from the Colleague course ID's. Once the Blackboard course creation script is run, all of the courses and instructors are added to Blackboard.

Cross-listed courses are setup by your department. If you would like to request a cross-listed course, please contact your chair or dean.

Faculty may use Blackboard to grade students; however, official grades are entered through the myGSU portal. Please reference the Faculty Guidebook (GSU login required) for more information.

The certificate is offered at the graduate level. Students must have completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited, post-secondary institution. The Certificate in Online Teaching will be awarded to participants who complete the 18-credit-hour program with a "B" or better in each required course.

For more information, please visit the ONTL Certificate Program page.

Check the Colleague Course Schedule to see if you are the instructor of the course. If you are not listed as the instructor, please contact your department to have them enroll you as the instructor in Colleague. The automated process will then add you to Blackboard.

At GSU, the academic year starts with the fall semester. For more information, please visit the GSU Academic Calendar page.

Our Student Code of Conduct, along with other University policies, will give you clear guidance on both what you can expect from GSU faculty and staff, and what we will expect from students. For more information, please visit the GSU Student Handbook page.

Curriculog automates the process of curriculum to save time and to be more consistent campus-wide. For more information, please visit the Curriculum Management Processes page.

Policy 26 as approved 11/15/2019 stated: “Section III A. Determination of Final Grades 1. At the completion of the work for a course, a letter grade (which may include +/-) will be determined by the instructor.” The Interim Policy is now posted to clarify the use of plus/minus grades. For more information, please view the Interim Policy 26 FAQs sheet.

Violations of academic honesty include, but are not limited to cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly assisting other students to engage in such conduct. Additional details are found in Academic Honesty (24) and Fair Use of Copyrighted Works for Education and Research (62) policies. Individual instructors, in consultation with the appropriate department/division chair and/or college dean, may request that the Office of the Dean of Students retain copies of academic misconduct cases for record-keeping purposes only using this form: https://www.govst.edu/academicIR.