Teaching Excellence Handbook

^{CARE Team}

The CARE Team is a collaborative group of officials from various UNT offices who meet weekly to discuss solutions for students exhibiting at-risk behaviors. The CARE Team website offers tips for identifying students who are in distress, a flow chart analysis for how to respond when a student seems to be at-risk, and information about how to report a student to the CARE Team for further consideration. Visit the CARE Team website studentaffairs.unt.edu/care).

Classroom Support Services

Classroom Support Services (CSS) is funded by the student Technology Use Fee to provide and maintain audiovisual equipment in UNT's general-use classrooms. Instructors who have difficulty operating any A/V equipment in a classroom (including difficulty in the middle of a class) or who need to request special equipment that is not regularly available in the classroom should contact CSS directly by phone or online.

Location: Chilton Hall, Room 243

Telephone: (940) 565-2691

University Information Technology (UIT)

Central computing services in support of instruction and research are provided through Academic Computer Services. UIT oversees a number of programs that may be of assistance to instructors:

• General Access Labs: General access computer labs, located throughout the Denton campus, provide access to hundreds of computers for use by UNT students. The general access labs contain both Windows and Macintosh personal computers with laser printing capabilities. A special adaptive computing lab is available for persons with disabilities.

• Internet Services Academic: Computing Services provides a suite of Internet Services available to all students. Eagle Mail is the official student e-mail system of the University of North Texas and university policy requires that students activate and read their Eagle Mail. A bulk mail service allows faculty to send Eagle Mail to their students simply by entering their course and section number. In addition to e-mail services, personal web publishing and dialup Internet access are available as part of UNT Internet Services. For more information see: eagleconnect.unt.edu and bulkmail.unt.edu.
• Help Desk: The Computing Center Support Services Information Desk provides a centralized referral service to advise students on a wide variety of computing subjects and assist them in trouble-shooting problems. The helpdesk can be contacted by phone at (940) 565-2324 or via e-mail at helpdesk@unt.edu. For more information see: unt.edu/helpdesk. Your college may also have an information technology help desk.
• Training: A series of short courses on effective use of campus computing technology is available each semester. Computer-based training on a number of computing resources is also available. To see course offerings visit: unt.edu/training.
• Test Grading: The Data Entry Office of the Computing Center provides test-grading services for tests using the appropriate optical scanner answer sheets. Check with Data Entry to determine the correct type of answer sheet. A test analysis can also be run that provides such useful statistics as the mean test score, the standard deviation, and the percent getting each question correct. For more information, visit it.unt.edu/ACUS.

UIT’s contact information is as follows:

Location: Sage Hall, Room 336

Telephone: (940) 369-6029

Website: it.unt.edu

Counseling and Testing

The Counseling and Testing Services (CTS) provides a wide range of psychological services to assist students with social/family/relationship difficulties; psychological problems such as loneliness or depression; crisis counseling and referral; and career counseling and testing. Consultation and outreach programming are also available for faculty, staff, and students.

CTS administers computer-based testing for GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and CLEP. CTS also administer most national tests including THEA, MCAT, SAT and ACT. Information and application forms are available at the center.

CTS Location: Chestnut Hall, Room 311

Telephone: (940) 565-2741

Website:counselingandtesting.unt.edu

Computer Based Testing: Gateway Center, Room 140

Telephone: (940) 369-7617

Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity

The Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity is committed to executing the mission of the university as it relates to the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff, and students. The primary goal of this office is to develop a supportive environment for a culturally diverse faculty, staff and student body. The Division of Equity and Diversity provides a safe zone for all. Please refer to the university policy on diversity, (see Policy 04.018, (policy.unt.edu/policydesc/university-policy-statement-diversity-10-15_).

Location: Hurley Administration Building, Room 175

Telephone: (940) 565-2711

Multicultural Center

The Multicultural Center, a student services department of the Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity, was established to address the needs of the diverse campus population with the goal that it would be a place where the entire community and region could experience the cultural wealth of the university. Its central purpose is to “teach the culture” by increasing the involvement and knowledge base of all members of the university community through communication across cultures. Programs and activities sponsored by the Multicultural Center are developed with the intention of increasing the level of awareness, understanding and consciousness regarding the underrepresented cultures and histories of people of African, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American/American Indian descent.

The Multicultural Center is responsible for planning university-wide activities during Hispanic Heritage Month, Native American Month, Black History Month and Asian History Month, and it assists in the planning of Women’s History Month and International Week, as well as other cultural programs.

In addition to working in an advisory role with a number of organizations geared towards students of color, the Multicultural Center also has established the Alton and Renay Scales Ethnic Studies Library, which maintains a basic collection of works relevant to the experiences of African, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American people. These resources are available to all university students, faculty, and staff for research or general information purposes.

Location: Stovall Hall, Room 122B

Telephone: (940) 565-3424

Fax: (940) 369-7262

Website: edo.unt.edu/multicultural-center

UNT-International

UNT-International assists all students, faculty, staff and all departments and colleges in administering, participating and developing programs with an international emphasis. UNT- International is committed to fostering an international perspective that amplifies the University’s mission of excellence in teaching and the discovery and application of knowledge through research and creative activities.

• Welcome Center and Programs Office: The International Welcome Center provides year-round orientation for international students. It is a place for students to meet, to relax, and to feel at home.

• Intensive English Language Institute (IELI): IELI provides seven levels of English language academic preparatory classes for international students, from beginning to advanced levels. A “gateway to the university, IELI provides conditional admission (NO TOEFL required) for international students who successfully complete the IELI. The institute offers specialized courses, including the Graduate Preparation Course (GPC), which, upon successful completion, waives the GRE verbal requirement for many graduate degree programs, pre-MBA/MS Program in collaboration with the College of Business, and GRE/GMAT and TOEFL preparatory courses.

• International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Training Program: IELI conducts the ITA program, which provides training for teaching/research assistants and fellows at UNT. This program offers workshops for developing language and teaching skills, as well as an awareness of the roles and expectation of international TAs and TFS in the classroom environment.

• International Advising: The International Advising office assists international students and scholars at UNT, UNT Dallas, and the Health Sciences Center at Fort Worth who are in the process of obtaining visas, maintaining status, extending stays in the U.S., authorizing employment, and all other immigration matters.

• Sponsored and Special Programs Center (SSPC): SSPC offers specialized services to students who are sponsored by their government or other sponsoring agency. SSPC offers tailor-made academic programs for special groups, orientation, academic advising, personal counseling, cultural excursions, and other services. SSPC also provides third-party billing and timely reporting to sponsors.
• Study Abroad Office: All students at UNT, including international students, who meet academic requirements are eligible to study abroad in many countries. Study Abroad advisors help plan appropriate semester or year exchange programs and short-term or summer programs led by UNT faculty. Scholarships and financial aid, if applicable, are available to all students who participate in Study Abroad programs.

Location: Marquis Hall

Website: international.unt.edu

Learning Center

The Learning Center (LC) was created to support academic success for all UNT students, both undergraduate and graduate. Programs within the LC include: the Texas Success Initiative, Supplemental Instruction, one-on-one tutoring, online tutoring, the Early Alert Referral System, and a wide range of workshops to support student specific needs.

• Academic Coaching is a program in which individual students can connect with a LC staff member in order to collaboratively develop an individualized academic success plan, which is determined by exploring each student’s unique needs.
• The Academic Success Program is offered to students to assist with gaining academic skills to regain good academic status at the university.
• The Early Alert Referral Program provides assistance to faculty and staff who have identified struggling students and would like the students to be further assisted. The LC staff evaluates alerts daily, and will personally reach out to students by phone or email or make appropriate campus referrals.
• Graduate Student Services assist students interested in pursuing graduate level education and supporting students working to complete graduate level coursework. Support is provided through one-on-one guidance and various workshops and programs.
• Learning 101 is a series of skills-based workshops for student seeking to improve their academic performance. Topics include, but are not limited to, time management, note taking, and test taking.
• Online Tutoring provides UNT students with access to qualified tutors from any computer and is a great option for distance learners.
• Speed Reading is a five week, non-credit workshop to help students improve their reading rate while maintaining or improving their comprehension.
• Study Skills Lab is a five -week, non-credit lab aimed at developing academic skills in areas such as textbook reading, studying, note-taking, test-taking, goal setting, and time management.
• Supplemental Instruction (SI) places peer tutors in difficult courses. SI Leaders meet with students in small groups to discuss and clarify class material.
• Texas Success Initiative (TSI) specific advising is offered to assist students with meeting requirements, selecting TSI specific courses, and progression to TSI completion.

Office Location: Sage Hall, Room 315

Telephone: (940) 369-7006

Website:learningcenter.unt.edu/

Libraries

The University Libraries are the heart of teaching and academic research at UNT, offering access to more than 7 million catalogued print and digital holdings and expert personnel to assist patrons in achieving their scholarly goals. Areas of excellence include the Music Library, the Digital Libraries, Special Collections, and Government Documents. The Libraries operate six facilities, four on campus and two off campus.

• On-campus libraries:

Willis Library - The main library on campus, Willis houses the arts, education, humanities, and social sciences collections along with the Music Library, microforms, and special collections, including the University Archives. Willis is open 24 hours a day seven days a week during long semesters and during summer sessions.

Eagle Commons Library – Located in Sycamore Hall, Eagle Commons Library contains Government Documents and business, political science, law, and geography collections. It also houses the Collaboration and Learning Commons, a unique and technology-rich group study space.

Media Library - Located in Chilton Hall, the Media Library houses audiovisual materials, including films, audiobooks and video games. Video recording equipment and gaming consoles are available for checkout.

Discovery Park Library - Serving Discovery Park, this library covers multiple areas of engineering, library and information science, and learning technology.

• Off-campus facilities:

Library Annex – The Annex houses remote storage and the Collection Management Division. Requests for remote materials can be made by logging into your UNT Libraries catalog account at library.unt.edu/accounts-login.

Research Collections Library – The Research Collections Library is a newly renovated remote storage facility used to house special collections materials.

Reference and Library Services

Key reference and library services are available to support student and faculty success:

• Ask Us – Reach a reference librarian by calling (940)

565-3245 [toll-free (877) 872-0264] or visiting the Ask Us web page at library.unt.edu/ask-us.

• Faculty Delivery Service – Designed to provide faculty easier access to library materials and to accommodate research needs, books are delivered within 48 hours Monday through Friday to departmental offices via UNT campus mail. Visit library.unt.edu/services/access-services/faculty-delivery-service for details.

• Class Pages - These resource guides are developed for specific classes and fields of study by a librarian with the involvement of the course instructor.

• Library Instruction - Workshops are offered throughout long semesters to teach students how to locate, evaluate and use information relevant to their research. An up-date schedule may be found at library.unt.edu/services/library-instruction.

• Subject Guides - These guides are prepared by librarians with special knowledge in the subject area and can be found at guides.library.unt.edu/home.

• Tutorials - Tutorials are a great introduction to the diversity of research materials available on the libraries’ website.

• Distance Learning Students – Students enrolled in a distance learning class may request that regular, circulating books and journal articles available at UNT Libraries be sent to them. UNT- owned materials are generally sent within 48 hours; articles will be delivered electronically to requestor’s ILLiad account. Books are sent via Express Mail.

Office of Disability Accommodation

The Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) exists to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability as mandated by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) as amended. Eligibility for qualified students is determined by reviewing disability-related medical and psychological documentation along with the student's individual experiences in order to determine appropriate and reasonable accommodations, which are recommended to the campus. As part of this process the office strives to facilitate the development of students through independence and autonomy. UNT is a student-centered research institution; the ODA complements this mission by providing leadership in the areas of equal access and advocacy for students with disabilities. In turn, campus diversity is richer, and UNT is more accessible to everyone.

The ODA provides a wide variety of services and resources spanning the full range of disabilities including, but not limited to, dyslexia, hearing loss, vision loss, mobility impairment, brain injury, learning disabilities, ADHD, mood disorders, chronic diseases and injuries, and other conditions that meet ADA definitional criteria. In addition, the ODA provides testing facilities for administration of classroom exams when faculty are not able to provide these accommodations. Students with impairment(s) lasting less than six months, such as a broken bone or brief illness, may receive assistance through the Dean of Students office.

Office Location: Sage Hall, Suite 167

Website: disability.unt.edu

Toulouse Graduate School

The Graduate School leads graduate education at the University of North Texas through a variety of services and programs designed to enhance the educational experience of graduate students. These programs include:

• Professional development workshops
• Milestone management
• Thesis/dissertation fellowships
• Assistantships and scholarships
• Travel grants

The Center for Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies sponsors and develops interdisciplinary courses and a master’s degree program with majors in interdisciplinary studies.

Telephone: (940) 565-2383

Website: tsgs.unt.edu

University Police

The mission of the UNT Police Department is to protect life, property and individual rights and freedoms. The department’s purpose is to provide an environment that will aid the
learning process. University police officers are commissioned and licensed by the State of Texas. They have the same police powers as municipal law enforcement officers and enforce state statues. The UNT Police Department has jurisdiction and authority that extends throughout Denton County, and it works closely with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

The department provides a full range of police services and programs on a routine or emergency basis for the university, including an emergency telephone system located throughout the campus, a security escort service, and various crime prevention programs.

Emergency number: 911

Non-emergency number: (940) 565-3000

Website: unt.edu/police/

Writing Lab

UNT’s Writing Lab offers free face-to-face and online tutoring to all UNT students (from incoming first-year students to graduate students). The Writing Lab website offers schedules of workshops, information about tutoring services, and games and other resources for grammar, punctuation and more.

Location: Sage Hall, Room 152

Telephone: (940) 565-2563

E-mail: writinglab@unt.edu

Website: ltc.unt.edu/labs/unt-writing-lab-home