Info for New EDP Faculty

Owned by Cristabella Trimble-Quiz
Last updated: Sep 13, 2023 by Cristabella Trimble-Quiz
9 min read

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Before You Start

Welcome to the Department of Educational Psychology! This page includes information about the administrative aspects of teaching and working in EDP and at UT. Please review thoroughly.

  1. Review UT's New Employee Checklist and New Employee Resources  
  2. Set up your Faculty Profile
  3. Bookmark the EDP Faculty Handbook page - this will be your "go-to" place for info

Safety & Health

HR

Contacts

EDP has administrative staff and faculty available to assist you - please feel free to contact us any time! See the Contact Page for an updated listing of EDP administrators and staff, with descriptions of who to contact for specific questions/issues.

Mandatory Online Trainings

All UT employees must complete training modules. After your appointment is finalized, log in to the UTLearn system using your UT EID. The system will automatically take you to the modules required for your position.

Technology

Equipment & Support

The EDP Administrative Manager will have arranged for technology setup for you on your first day, with the Information Technology Office (ITO), the College of Education's in-house IT office. Your setup will include:

  • Computer access
  • Printer access
  • Your phone line and caller ID
  • Your UT email address
  • Job-relevant University software systems and permissions

For technology support, contact ITO at help@education.utexas.edu, (512) 471-3234, or visit their website.

Email

Faculty are expected to read all department email thoroughly, respond to requests, and meet deadlines. Please pay special attention to emails from EDP staff and administrators as you are responsible for keeping up with the information and requests they send out. 

Faculty Profile & Media

View the Faculty Profiles & Websites page for information on reviewing and updating your contact info, official faculty profile, and setting up / migrating your professional website(s). 

COE's Communications Office can assist with PR. You can contact them regarding any publications, speaking events, screenings, news, etc. that you’d like to promote. They may promote items via department or COE website, social media, relevant calendars, slides for the College’s monitors, etc. They may also elect to draft press releases and work with UT Communications and/or outside media.

Getting Around / Your Office

Building Information

The EDP Department's offices are located in the Sanchez Buliding (SZB). The main office is in SZB 5.708, with office hours M-F, 8AM-5PM. 

  • EDP Addresses and Contacts
  • Program Suites:
    • CP - 5.404
    • SP - 5.318
    • HDCLS - 5.174 
    • QM - 5.319 
    • EDP Admin - 5.708
  • Mail - each faculty member has a mailbox in the EDP Office in SZB 5.708.
  • Kitchen - each program suite has a kitchen with refrigerator, sink, microwave, and plates/utensils. Please be courteous and keep the kitchen clean, and wash/return non-disposable plate ware/cutlery to the kitchen. 
  • Custodial Services - UT offices are vacuumed once a month. To have trash removed for the next business day, set your trash can outside your office door.

Parking

If you are interested in a campus parking pass, visit the Parking and Transportation Services web site. There are many different parking options for UT employees, with different price points and parking areas. Please note that parking at UT can be challenging, and often UT parking garages have lengthy waiting lists (from weeks to months) for parking passes.

Note: Your UT ID allows you to ride Capital Metro city buses for free! 

Your Office

Faculty offices are assigned based on space availability by the Department Chair and Administrative Manager. The Administrative Manager will notify you of your office assignment, and arrange for you to visit/view the office and discuss any changes. 

Keys

Prior to your start date, the EDP Administrative Manager will have requested any suite/office keys necessary for your position. You will need to take the approved key request form to the Lock & Key Services Office. Be sure to bring your UT ID, which is required for key pickup. 

Phones

Faculty are provided with a UT digital phone (VOIP) in their office. Your phone will be set up with your directory information prior to your arrival. You will need to set up a few things, including your voicemail preferences. To do so, visit the Phone and Voicemail setup guide. The ITO staff are available to assist as well. 

Copiers / Printers

The department highly encourages the use of digital alternatives to printed paper whenever possible. Each area suite has a convenience printer located in the suite's common area. When ITO sets up your computer, they will set you up to print on it. There is also a high-capacity Xerox scanner/copier in the EDP Main office, SZB 5.708, as well as in the SZB 2.308 suite common area. The printers are for sole use by EDP faculty and staff, for job-related printing only. Teaching Assistants / Assistant Instructors may use the suite copiers/printers for course-related teaching materials (e.g. exams, handouts) only. 

Supplies & Letterhead

Office & teaching supplies will be provided, budget allowing. General supplies are kept in the EDP Office kitchen. To request additional office supplies, contact the EDP Front Desk admin. EDP Departmental letterhead is available in the EDP Office.

Room Reservations

If you would like to reserve a room for a meeting, presentation, etc, email EDP@austin.utexas.edu. 

Note: classrooms for courses are assigned automatically by the EDP course scheduler based on a number of UT regulations/factors.

Teaching

Academic Calendar

The UT Academic Calendar is viewable online. It contains information about registration access periods, payment deadlines, class start/end dates, commencement dates, breaks, and other important deadlines and dates.

Canvas

UT offers the Canvas course management software to faculty to use to organize their classes. 

Course Scheduling

See the EDP Course Scheduling Policy via the Faculty Resources page. 

Course Information

You can view your class information in the UT online Course Schedule once it is published.

Course Descriptions & Prerequisites

Click on the unique number next to your course(s) in the UT course schedule to review your course description & prerequisites. We recommend checking with your Area Chair to be sure the information listed there is current and accurate. If there is any disparity, or you have any further questions/edits, contact the EDP course scheduler. 

Course Restrictions

There are a few ways a course may be listed in the Course Schedule. These are:

    • Restricted: class has some enrollment restrictions (for example, restricted to EDP students only), and there are spots available
    • Open: any student may register for the course (unrestricted), and there are spots available. 
    • Waitlisted: class is full, so students can add themselves to the automatic waitlist online via Registration - see "Waitlists" section below for more information. 
    • Closed: both the class AND waitlist are full

Important Note: due to some bugs in the mainframe system, course status will occasionally show incorrectly. This is infrequent, but can be confusing for both students and advisers! It's always best to check with the EDP course scheduler prior to Registration start to find out if your class will be restricted or not.

Enrollment / Registration

UT uses an online registration system. Students are automatically assigned access times, which they can view online. The first opportunity to register for a course generally occurs the semester before the course is offered. Subsequent add/drop periods are also offered to allow students to change their schedules. EDP students are told to register during the early registration periods, as courses fill quickly and space is not guaranteed.

Waitlists

EDP utilizes the standard UT online waitlist system. Students add themselves to waitlists online through the regular Registration system. Waitlists are automatic - when a student drops, the first student on the waitlist is added, and so on. Only students are able to add themselves to the waitlist - the department is able to change the order of students on the waitlist, however this is done only in special circumstances (e.g. a particular student's need for the course is determined by the instructor to be greater than others on the waitlist). If you'd like to move a student's position up on the waitlist, contact the EDP course scheduler. After the 4th class day of a semester, the Registrar shuts down all the waitlists, after which point students need instructor permission to be added (see Late Adds below).

Student Add Requests

Students may contact you for permission to add your class. EDP students do not need instructor permission to add EDP courses. Some EDP courses require instructor permission for out-of-department students, however. You can confirm with the EDP course scheduler whether your course requires instructor permission for out-of-department students. If no permission is required, the student can add themselves to the class or to the Waitlist online if it is full. If your course is restricted, you'll need to let the EDP course scheduler know (email is best) that you'd like to give the out-of-department student permission to add your course. The scheduler will then remove the restriction for that student so they can register for the course (or add themselves to the waitlist online if it is full). It is up to the instructor to determine if the student has the appropriate prerequisites / experience necessary for the course. 

Late Adds

After the 4th Class day, the Registrar deactivates all waitlists and registration is closed to students. After this point, EDP requires instructor permission for late adds - if a student wants to add a class after this date, they should contact the EDP course scheduler. 

Class Rosters

You can access your class rosters and many other teaching tools on-line via CLIPs.   

Classroom Technology

We recommend visiting your classroom before semester start to check out the technology there. If you have questions about classroom technology, contact ITO at help@education.utexas.edu  

Textbook Ordering

The University partners with the UT Co-op to make sure UT is complying with a federal law that mandates required course material information be available to students at least 30 days prior to the start of class. The Co-op compiles all the course information and makes it available to the students on the UT Direct website. Even if you do not require a textbook, you need to log onto the Co-op's textbook "Adopt" system and indicate that no textbook is required.

Although you must submit your book list to the Co-op, students are NOT required to order their books from them. They are welcome to search for their best deals online. 

Instructions on how to submit your textbook list to the Co-op can be found here: How to Submit Textbook Adoptions | Faculty FAQs

Teaching Resources

The Office of Instructional Innovation (OI2) in the College of Ed provides support to instructors regarding course structure, format, technology, syllabi, and nearly every facet of instructional design. They are a phenomenal resource, so we highly recommend reaching out to them as well as utilizing their support for your courses!

Course Instructor Surveys (CIS/CES)

At the close of your course, students will be provided with course evaluations online by the University. The Course Evaluation System will send emails and communications via Canvas to your students. You may choose to add up to three (3) optional questions, from a pre-determined question bank, to each of their evaluations for any/all of your courses. EDP staff will contact you prior to the evaluation period to alert you to CES procedures and schedule.

EDP TAs with official appointments will be evaluated alongside course instructors, via a separate set of TA-specific questions.

Student Support and Emergencies

It is important that you help students to become aware of the University facilities that can help them. Resources include the Sanger Learning Center (http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/slc), Disability and Access (http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability/), and the Counseling and Mental Health Center (http://cmhc.utexas.edu/).

If you have concerns about a student’s behavior, please contact the Behavioral Concerns Advice Line at 512-232-5050 or contact them online at https://safety.utexas.edu/behavior-concerns-advice-line. If a student is in immediate danger to themselves or another, please call 911 and notify the EDP main office as soon as possible afterward. 

Restriction of Student Information

You are responsible for adhering to the following laws > 

Teaching Assistants

The EDP Administrative Manager will notify you of your TA assignment(s), if applicable. 

Research

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Note: a comprehensive list of Research-related resources can be found on the Faculty Resources page. 

In addition to the benefits for students of working with faculty on research, there are a variety of benefits for faculty of allowing undergraduates to assist with research. 

Faculty interested in advertising their research to interested undergraduate students should refer to the guide for using EUREKA (UT's Research database). 

Undergraduates may choose to earn EDP course credit for undergraduate research. To do so, a student must work a minimum of 3 hours/week on an EDP faculty member's research project (or the research project of an EDP student supervised by an EDP faculty member), and register for EDP 379L. 

Purchasing & Travel

The University of Texas requires prior approval for all faculty travel and purchasing. See the Faculty Resources Page sections on Travel and Purchasing policies.

Other

EDP Committees

See more information about EDP Committees >


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