Spring 2025 Resources Page

flowers on campus

Spring 2025 Course Resources

ACTIONS TO TAKE  •  PREPARING CANVAS  •  READY-TO-GO RESOURCES  •  SPRING 2025 DATES  •  GET SUPPORT  •  EVENTS

Actions to Take

Below are policies and guidance every instructor should address prior to the start of the term.

1. Omit UO instructional policies from your syllabus

University-wide course policies are now are featured on the student-facing page University Course Policies: A Guide for Students, which is linked from every Canvas course site. Rather than reproduce these statements on your syllabi, you can include a link to the page and highlight in class these important resources and policies. Not sure which policies are the ones to omit and which remain? Revisit our Syllabus 'Starter' page for a list of what is still required.

2. Know UO supports to refer students to  

We know instructors continue to see the impacts of student anxiety and other student stressors on student learning and wellbeing. Please take a moment to remind yourself of what resources you can point students to.

If a student is in crisis
  • If a student is in immediate physical danger, call 911; request CAHOOTS response if related to mental health and the student is in the Eugene/Springfield area.
  • If the student is not in immediate physical danger but is having a mental health crisis, refer the student to UO Counseling Services and their 24 hour hotline (541-346-3227). If it is a weekday between 9am and 5pm, consider offering to walk the student over or to call together. Students can also call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
For mental health support
  • Refer students to Counseling Services and their 24 hour hotline (541-346-3227). If you know a student is actively struggling, ask them if they have spoken with someone there, and if not, if you can walk them over or call together. The student can expect to be connected quickly, particularly if there is a safety concern. If you think a student might be experiencing a mental health crisis, refer the student to UO Counseling Services and their 24 hour hotline (541-346-3227). If it's weekday between 9am and 5pm, consider offering to walk the student over or to call together. Students can also call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
  • If you're concerned about a student and want to consult with Counseling Services as an instructor, call (541-346-3227). Let the person who answers know you are an instructor calling to talk about a specific student-related concern, and a member of their leadership team will get back to you quickly.
  • If you'd like tools to support student well-being in your course, explore the Student Well-being Toolkit. You can also contact tep@uoregon.edu for a consultation.     
For other non-academic support
For immigration resources and FAQ

UO students include international students and those who are undocumented or are DACA recipients. Many students are concerned about the impacts of recent executive orders and other policies that might impact their lives and studies. You can share this Immigration Resources and FAQ page with your classes as an important general resource.

3. Continue to consider your AI policies and practices

All instructors should have an explicit policy about GenAI in their course syllabus. Find sample GenAI policy language in Teaching and Generative AI Systems and our Syllabus "Starter" is updated with sample policies.

UO Information Services reminds all faculty, staff, and students that Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection is currently your most secure option for generative AI. Learn more at Getting Started with Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection in the UO Service Portal. 

study spot at lillis hall
Preparing your Canvas Course

If you are preparing to teach a course again that you taught in the past, you do not need to start from scratch: you can easily import your materials from a prior Canvas course. Below are instructions for how you can copy a whole course, a single item, and your recorded videos:  

Please note that Panopto videos must be copied to the new course site to ensure student access.  

professor teaching class

Ready-to-go Resources


Below, you can find our Syllabus "Starter," Canvas Course Templates, Welcome Module, Report Absences module, and Academic Integrity module. You also will see descriptions of each resource, so you can identify which might best fit your needs and context. Links will take you to the relevant webpage and Canvas Commons modules, where you can explore, import, and adapt them for your courses!

►  Syllabus 'Starter'
►  Canvas Course Templates

And log into Canvas with your DuckID to view:

  • Course Welcome Module​​​​​​
  • Report Absences Here Module
  • Ducks Have Integrity Module
Screenshot of Starter Syllabus web page

Syllabus 'Starter' (webpage & Word document)

This  Syllabus "Starter” resource provides framing and student-facing policy language for all required elements as well as other sections that you may wish to consider in crafting and communicating your distinctive course policies. The webpage for this resource also features a downloadable and accessible Word document version.

Visit the Syllabus Starter webpage

 

Canvas Course Templates text over image of multiple people at computer

Canvas Course Templates (New!)

Canvas course templates are designed to save you time, ensure consistency, and incorporate best practices in instructional design and accessibility. Whether you’re teaching online, hybrid, or in-person, UO Online's Canvas course templates offer a flexible and structured approach to course design..

Read about and use the Templates

 

thumbnail of Canvas Commons "Welcome module"; above title are icons for TEP & UO Online

Course Welcome Module (Canvas)

This customizable module orients students to the organization and content of the course. It supports clearer course navigation—a need many students identified last year. It also features opportunities for you to introduce yourself to students, for students to introduce themselves to one another, and for students to easily find both academic and non-academic supports on campus.

Explore the Welcome Module

 

thumbnail of Canvas Commons "Report Absences Here" module; above title are icons for TEP & UO Online

Report Absences Here (Canvas Module)

This module directs student communications about absences to a single place in Canvas. Weekly absence surveys (a) link to key course and UO policy, (b) ask students to identify both the week's absence and total absences (to encourage their awareness of where they fall in the policy), (c) include weekly highlighted "UO dates to know," featuring supportive student resources/events, as well as any relevant academic deadlines for things like withdrawing from or adding a class, and (d) ask students to answer several questions about how they plan to keep up with the course, to activate their agency in planning and decision-making.

The surveys are designed not to require responses from faculty; they direct students who wish to receive support in the course—support unrelated to the absence and makeup policy—to email the instructor.

Find the Report Absences Here Module

 

Thumbnail of Canvas module titled "Ducks Have Integrity" with green background, yellow hand holding leaf

Academic Integrity (Canvas Module)

This customizable module engages students with questions around what academic integrity is and why it matters—both to UO, and to them. Students who entered UO in the last two years will have taken a detailed Academic Integrity module as part of IntroDUCKtion (a module made by the same collaborators who created this one). Adding "Academic Integrity" to your course and customizing it for your context can help strengthen and refresh that initial guidance for students.

This module has been updated with brief guidance for students around generative AI, the importance of understanding each instructor's policy on whether generative AI has a appropriate role in the work of the class, and information about the risks of using it inappropriately.

Get the Module in Canvas Commons

Spring 2025 Dates & Deadlines

  •  

    April 5

    Last day to drop classes without a "W"

  •  

    April 7

    Last day to add a class via DuckWeb 

  •  

    May 18

    Last day to withdraw from a class and the last day to change grade options (graded or P/N)

  • May 26

    Memorial holiday; classes not in session

  •  

    May 28 - june 9

    End-of-Term Student Experience survey is open

  •  

    June 13

    Last day for students to request an Incomplete. Students must submit the request by 5 p.m. on the Incomplete Policy page. 

  •  

    June 17

    Deadline for instructors to submit grades

Resource Goals

Each term, TEP and UO Online update this page and its component resources, created to support you as you prepare your courses. We hope that reading timely information on any new university policies and practices, browsing ready-to-go resources that you can easily adapt, accessing concise guidance on things like rolling over Canvas courses, and noting key term dates will give you a boost and help you enjoy the start of term as much as we know your students will.

Let us know how else we can support you! As you approach the term, know we are available to connect with you on anything related to teaching and learning. Whether you have a brief, targeted question or are looking for co-thinking, how-tos, or feedback, we're here for you. Connect with us using our simple contact form.

All our best as you begin your term!