Fall 2025 Teaching Toolkit for VCU Faculty
Dear VCU Faculty,
Welcome to the Fall 2025 semester!
We are writing to share and reiterate important information as you start a new semester. Below are the top 12 points that faculty need to know before classes begin.
1. Faculty are expected to teach their course(s) in the modality originally scheduled. Details on these guidelines can be found here.
2. The course syllabus should be posted in advance.
- Contact your department chair/director for a sample syllabus, or refer to this guide to creating a syllabus.
- Incorporate and/or link to student-relevant information from the details here.
- Consider including this helpful video for students about the syllabus statements.
- Announce and keep regular office hours (in-person and/or online).
- Include a Canvas tutorial for students during your first class meeting.
- Upload your syllabus to Banner (even if you have already uploaded your syllabus into Canvas) and provide any expectations for the first class meeting prior to the start of class. It is highly recommended that you welcome students to your course by emailing them the same information. You can find your class roster here.
3. Course semester life cycle overview.
- A workshop for new faculty, Life Cycle of Your Semester, which takes place on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 (as part of the New Faculty Orientation sessions), provides resources, links, and details about what faculty members should be mindful of throughout a semester (pre-semester beginning/early semester, mid-semester, and end of the semester). This is a recurring workshop, offered shortly before the beginning of all spring and fall semesters.
- Links to the various resources discussed in the session can be found here.
4. Academic policies, guidelines, and regulations.
- Registration is required for student attendance: After the add/drop period (August 19-25), students may not attend classes in which they are not registered. All faculty are strongly encouraged to take attendance immediately after August 25 to ensure that only enrolled students are attending class. Please note that VCU does not have a first day attendance policy.
- Absence policy: VCU’s regular attendance policy, as listed in the VCU Bulletin, applies for all students. The temporary academic regulation pertaining to student absences due to COVID put in place in the past is no longer in effect.
- Pass/fail grade option: VCU has a published pass/fail grade option for undergraduate students. Students must familiarize themselves with the current grade option, including limits and deadlines.
- For the fall 2025 semester, students will have until October 31 to request the pass/fail option for eligible courses. (Please note: fall miniterm, September miniterm, and October miniterm classes all have different deadlines for choosing the pass/fail option)
- Additional information to help with supporting students and maintaining a classroom culture of well-being can be found here.
5. Academic calendar and windows for scheduled student feedback.
- Academic calendar: Consult the fall academic calendar for important deadlines, events, and planned closings.
- Timely feedback & Student Success: VCU provides two methods to help faculty set and reinforce high academic expectations in their undergraduate classes by providing timely feedback to students regarding their academic performance: progress reports (from Aug. 26-Sept. 15) and midterm grades (from Sept. 16-Oct. 17).
- Final exams: All final exams for the semester will be scheduled according to the university’s final exam schedule. Students enrolled in courses with an in-person component (i.e., not fully online) will be expected to be on campus for final exams if required by their instructor. For off-campus classes and classes that are not listed on the above final exam schedule, students should contact their instructor.
6. VCU’s health and safety protocols.
- COVID-19: Masking remains optional on both Monroe Park and MCV campuses.
- COVID Vaccinations: Are no longer a requirement for students at VCU. Student Health strongly recommends that students and faculty are vaccinated and boosted. Free vaccinations are available to students through the Student Health Web Portal. Faculty cannot ask students about their vaccination status.
- Read the current Health Advisories for information related to the university’s ongoing response and recommendations to Influenza, Mpox, and COVID-19.
7. Stay informed.
- Add the VCU Academic Calendar to your Google Calendar for easy reference.
8. Gen AI and Teaching & Learning.
- Gen AI Guidelines for Faculty and Gen AI Guidelines for Students are available on the Faculty Affairs website.
- Considering that the AI world is constantly changing, we have created an advisory council of faculty who are familiar with AI and who stay abreast of new developments, so that we can update this tool with addendums (addendums are forthcoming).
- During the fall and spring semesters, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Faculty Affairs will continue to hold sessions that address various Gen AI topics. This semester, session topics include Gen AI’s Impact on How Students Conduct Research (August 26, 9:00-10:30 a.m.), and Crafting a Gen AI Use Policy for Your Syllabus (Sept. 25, 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.).
9. Guidelines regarding campus disruptions and space utilization.
- Guidelines for Addressing Disruptions to Educational and Other University Operations are available here, as well as on the Faculty Affairs website.
- Space Utilization Guidelines for Faculty are available here, as well as on the Faculty Affairs website.
10. Prepare now for Title II digital accessibility compliance.
- Updates to federal regulations of Title II (the American with Disabilities Act) will require all public universities to ensure that digital course content is accessible. The deadline to comply is April of 2026, so faculty are encouraged to prepare for this ahead of time
- To get started, explore VCU’s Digital Accessibility website for valuable resources and guidance. To support faculty, CTLE will hold sessions in November and January focused on digital accessibility. These sessions will provide background on Title II and practical steps for improving accessibility in your course materials. Details will be shared on the Faculty Affairs and CTLE events pages closer to the session dates.
11. Changes coming to Canvas third-party tool integration.
- By June 1, 2026, instructors will no longer be able to add third-party tools directly to their Canvas courses.
- Faculty who wish to use a third-party tool that isn’t already installed, or that doesn’t have a VCU institutional agreement in place, should submit a request through the process outlined here. This page includes the request form, timeline, and important details about what is required from both the requester and the vendor.
12. A variety of professional development initiatives are available for faculty during the fall 2025 semester.
- A listing of the initiatives is available here.
- Please stay on the lookout for the monthly Faculty Affairs newsletter via email. This newsletter will feature upcoming events, essential updates, and other resources relevant to faculty.
As always, we encourage you to remain empathetic and flexible with your students. Best wishes for a vibrant and engaging spring semester!
Kathleen Rudasill
Interim Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Susan Coombes
Director, CTLE