Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning

Pre-Semester Checklist

Getting Started with Teaching at The Ohio State University

Welcome to teaching at Ohio State! This Pre-Semester Checklist outlines ten key steps to deliver a well-organized and engaging course. It includes practical tasks and resources you can monitor as you prepare for the semester. Beyond this checklist, contact your department or supervisor for additional guidance about expectations and resources for teaching. 

Step 1: Confirm Your Course(s)
  1. Login to Buckeye Link with your Ohio State name.# and password, and click on Faculty Center to confirm the following information about your course(s): course number, section number, class number, class roster, meeting dates/time, location. 
    1. Instructors must have formal approval to change the delivery mode of a course. Contact your unit’s academic leadership if you have questions.
  2. Check the Academic Calendar and Important Dates for the semester.
  3. Learn about and connect with Ohio State teaching support as soon as possible:
    1. Visit the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning website to learn about Programs and Services for all who teach at Ohio State, for faculty, for graduate students and postdocs, and for department leaders. 
    2. Explore the Teaching and Learning Resource Center (TLRC) for articles on Technology Tools, Teaching Topics, and Learning Opportunities. 
    3. If you are a new faculty member, learn about the New Faculty Program.  
Step 2: Reflect and Start Organizing
  1. Take time to reflect on the course goals and learning outcomes.
  2. Familiarize yourself with the approved syllabus and how it fits within the academic program’s curriculum (e.g., required course, elective course, General Education course)
  3. List readings, videos, examples, and ideas that excite you about the course. 
  4. Review previous student end-of-course survey responses, teaching reflection notes, and/or peer review feedback for insights about what successful teaching and learning can look like in this course, as well as ideas for changes you may be able to make.
  5. Consider where your students are coming from. What may be motivating them to take the course? What authentic connections might be created between your course and their lives?
  6. Learn about your responsibilities as an Ohio State instructor and review university policies and guidelines listed in Managing Classroom Conflict. 
    1. Learn about additional university resources in the Navigating Conflict toolkit for instructors. 
    2. Online courses must be approved and address the requirements described in Policies for Online Teaching. 
Step 3: Select Educational Materials
  1. Explore Affordable Educational Materials. 
  2. Ensure any textbook(s) are ordered before students begin registering for the course, using the Adoption & Insights Portal (AIP). You may review textbook ordering instructions summarized by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
    1. To comply with federal and state laws intended to help students control college costs, textbook orders should be submitted at least ten days prior to the date of priority registration for a given term. Typically, this means that textbook orders should be submitted by early March for autumn semester, early October for spring semester, and early February for summer semester (the Registrar website provides registration dates). When a textbook order for a given class is not submitted by the deadline, the bookstore will “auto-adopt” the most recent prior textbook order for that class. Auto-adopted titles for each course will include a custom message that appears on the website: “Textbooks are listed for information purposes only. Please do not order textbooks without first verifying with the instructor, as textbooks may be subject to change.”
Step 4: Consider Assessments, Learning Activities, and Materials
  1. If designing your own assignments, consider appropriate assessments, learning activities, and additionalcontent that align with course goals. 
    1. Learn more about course design in Using Backward Design to Plan Your Course.
    2. Learn more about assessment design in Designing Assessments of Student Learning.
    3. Learn more about designing assignments and learning activities in Universal Design for Learning: Planning with All Students in Mind.
    4. Consider early semester low-stakes assessments to support student success and to provide early feedback before the course drop deadline (see the Academic Calendar for dates). 
  2. Review descriptions and instructions for students’ assignments.
    1. Apply the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework.
    2. Learn more about implications of Generative AI for assignments in AI Teaching Strategies: Transparent Assignment Design.
    3. Learn more about online assignments in Creating and Adapting Assignments for Online Courses.
    4. Learn more about Designing Research or Inquiry-Based Assignments.
    5. Foster academic integrity as you prepare assignments. Read more in A Positive Approach to Academic Integrity.
  3. Ensure you have a lesson plan for each week of class, and gather materials (e.g., presentation slides, handouts, class activities, community partners, etc.).
    1. Plan for active and collaborative learning. Review active learning strategy explanations and examples provided on the Drake Institute’s website (scroll down to middle of page).
    2. Learn more about designing assignments and learning activities in Universal Design for Learning: Planning with All Students in Mind.
    3. Connect with your Subject Librarian who can help you find information for your discipline and supportive materials for your course.
  4. Plan how you will mitigate and adress conflict that may arise in your course. 
    1. Read more about how to prepare to turn challenging moments and tensions in Managing Classroom Conflict.
    2. Read Supporting Students Through Tragedy to learn about how to support students during difficult times.
Step 5: Update the Syllabus
  1. Each Ohio State course must have a syllabus, and it must “be provided to each student explaining how the student’s performance will be assessed.” The syllabus must “be made available to students at the beginning of, and throughout the conduct of the course” (see University Faculty Rule 3335-8-19 on Student assessment). 
  2. Edit/update your course syllabus. If you want to propose a new course, contact your academic unit’s curriculum committee for information on the course approval process. Explore Ohio State’s recommended syllabus statements and policies. In addition to information about the course and office hours, include your department’s required statements and the following key elements to ensure clarity and support for students. 
    1. Course Goals and Content
    2. Assessment Methods
    3. Instructional Approaches
    4. Schedule of readings and assignments
    5. Academic Integrity
    6. Content Warning Language
    7. Copyright
    8. Counseling and Consultation Services/Mental Health
    9. Creating an Environment Free from Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct
    10. Disability and Accessibility
    11. Diversity
    12. Grievances and Solving Problems
    13. Religious Accommodations
    14. Open Communication
    15. Weather/Short-term Closing
  3. If you are teaching an online or hybrid course, be sure to use the required Online and Hybrid Syllabus Template. 
  4. For additional syllabus resources and examples, review the following:
    1. College of Arts and Sciences (ASC) Syllabus Elements
    2. To learn more about grade marks, see University Faculty Rule 3335-8-21.  
    3. Ohio State’s Standard Grading Scheme (may be edited)
    4. ASC’s example of an Alternative Grading Scheme
  5. Plan when and how you will seek students’ feedback on their experiences in your course.
    1. Review and reflect on Ohio State’s  end-of-course student survey. Learn about whether your academic unit or program uses a different method or tool to collect students’ end-of-course feedback. 
    2. Learn about how to prepare to collect student feedback during your course in Beyond the SEI: Collecting Student Feedback in Your Teaching
  6. Consider additional student support resources to add to your syllabus, for example:
    1. Dennis Learning Center
    2. Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing
    3. Student Mediation Program
  7. Submit your syllabus to the University Registrar in accordance with university policy. 
Step 6: Set Up Your CarmenCanvas Course
  1. Set up your course in the CarmenCanvas learning management system. Begin by reviewing the Start of Term Checklist for CarmenCanvas. 
    1. Ensure accessibility requirements are addressed for your course. Learn more about Accessibility and review Disability Services resources on Best Practices and Resources for Faculty/Staff. 
  2. Ensure your CarmenCanvas course is accessible by reviewing Five Ways to Improve Accessibility in Your Carmen Course.
  3. Post the syllabus to your CarmenCanvas course.
  4. Rember to publish your CarmenCanvas course before the start of the semester.
Step 7: Technology Tools, Learning Spaces, and Additional Resources
  1. Familiarize yourself with university-vetted tools like CarmenZoom. Learn more in Understanding Learning Technologies at Ohio State. 
    1. Explore and utilize Ohio State Toolsets like Top Hat and confirm whether your college/department has approved additional technology tools for teaching.
  2. If you are teaching in a physical classroom, visit the Learning Spaces Directory to tour the space and available technology.
  3. If time permits, walk to the building(s) and classroom(s) you will be utilizing before the first day of class. 
  4. Make sure to reserve additional spaces you may need during the semester (e.g. tutorial rooms, computer laboratories), for example: 
    1. Research Commons Computer Lab in University Libraries. 
    2. Learn about Proctoring Options at Ohio State.
Step 8: Positive Learning Environment
  1. Prepare to create a welcoming and respectful classroom community. Read more in Shaping a Positive Learning Environment and Creating an Inclusive Environment in CarmenZoom. 
  2. Prepare to talk with students about academic integrity on the first day of class and throughout the semester. Learn more in A Positive Approach to Academic Integrity.
  3. Invest time in understanding the implications of Generative AI on instruction and learn how to effectively discuss AI with your students in AI Teaching Strategies: Having Conversations with Students.
Step 9: Plan Communication
  1. Establish clear communication channels you intend to utilize with your students. Learn more in Communicating with Students. 
  2. Prepare and send a welcome email and place a message in CarmenCanvas Announcements.
  3. Plan how you will communicate with students throughout the semester. Schedule regular announcements or emails. 
    1. Schedule time on your calendar to provide students’ timely feedback and communication throughout the semester.
  4. Communicate with all contributors associated with your course (e.g., teaching assistants, graders, tutors, guest speakers) so they know what is expected of them in the course (including times, dates, places and deadlines, etc.). Learn more about planning to invite guests in Managing Classroom Conflict. 
Step 10: First and Second Week of Class
  1. To comply with Federal Title IV regulations, the university collects information about whether a student begins attending or participating in a course at the beginning of a semester or session. All instructors are required to complete a grade roster report during the first week of class. Learn more about attendance and participation rosters. 
    1. Reach out to students who did not show up or participate during the first and second week of class to remind them they are enrolled in the course, refer them to student/advising services, and remind them to consider important deadlines on Academic Calendar.
  2. If you are teaching an online or hybrid course, learn more about requirements for “regular and substantive interaction” between instructors and students. 

 

Additional Resources

Here are other resources as you prepare to teach at Ohio State: