Continuing Education Instructor Handbook LibGuide

Master Shell  

• The master shell is the official template for a course. There is one master for each in-person course and one master for each online course or online self-study course. The master shell is always active and is available to be viewed by those who have been added to the class list.  
• As an instructor you will be added to the master shell’s class list as a student while the Program Associate (PA) and Development Team are added as Instructors.  In the student role, you will have restricted views and will not be able to edit the course.  

Term Shell  

• Term shells are ordered each time a course is offered.  The PA orders the term shell.  The term shell is blank when it becomes available.  The master shell is copied into the term shell. It is the PA’s role to copy the master shell into the term shell. Instructors are not involved in this step. 
• The PA will notify you when your course has been copied over to the Term Shell.  
•  As an instructor you will be added to the Term shell as an instructor. You will have access to make edits.  Your program team will brief you on the types of edits you are responsible for.   There are certain edits you need a Program Manager (PM)’s permission before proceeding with changes.  Details can differentiate between programs so please touch base with your PM for specifics.  
• Changes made to the term shell that an instructor wishes to be applied to the Master shell are to be recorded in the Tracking Changes Sheet (see Tracking Changes tab).  
• PA’s and the development team are added to the term shell as instructors.  Students who have an active MAC ID are auto uploaded to the tem shell’s class list as students once they register for the course in Mosaic.  This is an overnight process so access may take 1-2 business days.  If a student does not have access to the course they need to notify the PA by emailing the specific program account.  Although an instructor can manually add a student to the course in A2L we do not recommend it.  We check if the student is registered in the course before we manually add them.  The student may have an issue with their A2L profile which we send to the A2L support team to correct.  Only students with active MAC IDs can be added to A2L.   
• The term shell is activated by the PA 3 days prior to 1^st day of class.  If the day falls on a weekend, the course will become active on the Friday.   
• The term shells are deactivated by the PA after the course end date (at least a month after the end date) and are kept in A2L as historical records, but are no longer visible to students.  

At Continuing Educaton, we have 3 terms per year: Fall (September – December), Winter (January – April), Spring/Summer (May – August).  Courses may start anytime within the term, but they will not necessarily end in the same term.  Some courses will end in the next term due to their start date and course format (e.g. Online Self-Study courses).  

Term Set-up Deadlines 

• Contracts – Your contracts will be issued to you by the PA via email or MAC Drive from 4-8 weeks prior to your course start date.  Once you have reviewed and signed the contract please send back within 2 weeks. Please return all pages not just the signature page via email or MAC Drive.  If you receive the contract via email it will be password protected, please ensure it is password protected when you email it back for security reasons.  
• A2L - Instructor is required to review and update their A2L course no later than 2 weeks prior to course start date. The PA will send out a checklist which should help guide the instructor with the areas which need their attention.  The instructor is to email the PA once they are done.  If they require instructions on an A2L task they are to contact the development team at ccecrsdv@mcmaster.ca.  Please include course code and start date and include if the course is online or in-person.   

If you make any changes to your term shell which you would like to see incorporated in the next course offering, these changes will need to be added to the Master shell.  You can do so by adding them to the tracking changes sheet located in your A2L term shell’s content section.  Please keep this section in draft format so it is not visible to the students.  Email the tracking sheet to your PM for review and approval.  This tracking sheet is due 2 weeks after the course start date (a specific date will be provided).  If you encounter changes after this timeline, you can submit the tracking sheet but the development team may not have enough time to edit the Master in time for when the next time the course runs, which means you may have to re-do these changes in the term shell next time you teach.   It is important to copy your PA in on the email as the PA may need to hold off copying the Master to the next term shell until the changes are completed.   

Instructor Submitting Exams: 

• Instructors are to submit exams in MS Word format no later than 3-4 weeks prior to exam.  In-class quizzes will be accepted 2 weeks prior. 
• Exams must have a cover page using the standard Continuing Education template. The cover should include course code, course name, section (e.g. C01 or C21), term (e.g. Spring 2018), total # of pages, duration of exam (e.g. 3 hours) and examination instructions (e.g. closed book, calculator not required etc.)  Please note that each program may have additional instructions or guidelines specific to the program.  Your program team will provide those details.  

Exams - In Person Courses 

For in person courses, your PA will photocopy the exam for you and provide answer booklets if your exam requires it (exams that are only multiple choice and true and false will not need answer booklets).  The PA will leave the exam copies, exam sign in sheet and answer booklets at reception in your designated mail slot (if room) or in lower cabinet designated for larger pick-ups.  You will be invigilating your exam on the last day of class unless otherwise instructed by the program team. You can return the marked exams to Continuing Education.  If you decide to keep the exams they must be kept for 1 year, after which they can be shredded. 

Exams – Online Courses 

•  For online courses, the PA will forward your exam to the exam coordinator.  For the group of students writing onsite, the exam coordinator will photocopy the exam and prepare the sign-in sheet for the invigilator.  You will not be invigilating your exam, even if you reside near the University.  You will be notified once the exams are ready for pick up or when they are sent to you via courier.  If you do not reside in the area they will be couriered.  If you teach an in-person course at that time or if you reside in the area you may pick up the exams from reception.  They will either be in your mail slot or in the cupboard below designated for large pick-ups.  Please sign binder once you have picked up the exam(s).  The binder is located on top of the instructor mail slot cabinet.   
• Students who do not reside in the area can write the exam offsite.  Details are included in A2L for each course.  If students have any questions or would like to make arrangements to write offsite please forward them to the exam coordinator at cceexams@mcmaster.ca  The exam coordinator corresponds with the offsite examination centre.   Once the offsite centre returns the completed exam, the coordinator will either courier the exam to you or leave it in reception.  If the exams do not fit in your mail slot, they will be left in the cupboard below marked for larger pick-ups.  Please sign binder once you have picked up the exam(s).  Binder is located on top of the instructor mail slot cabinet.   

Exam Deferrals 

• In person course exam deferrals are reviewed and approved by the PA. Requests are to be sent to the program email within 48 hours of the originally scheduled exam date in order to be considered.  
• Online course exam deferrals are reviewed and approved by the exam coordinator.  Requests are to the sent to the exam coordinator’s email at cceexams@mcmaster.ca.  
• If you receive any request, please forward to the appropriate email and copy student in on the email. 
• Students will be asked to supply supporting documentation and if approved, students will be required to pay a deferral fee to write the exam.   
• Continuing Education’s deferred exam policy is followed when assessing approvals. 

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) Exam Accommodations 

• It is the student’s responsibility to be assessed by SAS if they require exam accommodations. It is recommended that the student begins this process before they begin the course or very early into the course term. 
• Students must contact SAS to book their test/exams in advance (as early as possible) as space is sometimes limited. 

• SAS will contact us with exam date, requesting the exam copy but they usually contact us close to the exam date.  Student’s may inform you of their SAS exam arrangements, please encourage them to forward the confirmed exam date to us as soon as they know as some programs will require an alternate exam.  They should email the program account for in-person courses and cceexams@mcmaaster.ca for online courses.     
• Administration of accommodated tests and examinations can be made through SAS according to standard SAS test booking procedures. 
• Students can book tests online (minimum 2 weeks prior to the class scheduled test / exam date). All bookings will be confirmed via email to both student and instructor. 
• Instructors will be responsible for submitting test or exam copy to the Program Associates at Continuing Education who will forward to SAS for administration. 

• Completed test / exam copy will be available for pick-up by instructors or contact can be made with SAS Tests (sastests@mcmaster.ca) where alternate arrangements for completed test / exam copy is requested.    

Uploading Grades to A2L & Mosaic   

• The instructor is responsible for posting grades into the Grade book in A2L within 1-2 weeks of assessment deadline/submission for students to review how they are progressing through the course.  If a student fails to participate in an assessment, please enter a mark of 0.  Any missing marks will cause the final calculated mark to be incorrect as some courses are set-up to drop ungraded items in grade book.  Students will not be able to see each other’s grades. 
• Grades are not official until they are posted to the student’s profile in Mosaic. 
• Final calculated grades are posted by the instructor by uploading from A2L or manually inputting into grade roster in Mosaic. You are required to submit final calculated grades at the end of the course. Choose one of the following options below based on your course structure (if you are unsure, contact the Program Associate). 
• Option A: Loading Avenue to Learn Grades in Mosaic, opens in a new tab 
• Option B: Manually Entering Grades in Mosaic 

It is important that you keep an eye out for Academic Dishonesty. This can take many forms beyond simply copying from journal articles. We strongly suggest that you get familiar with this website to get a better understanding of what constitute academic dishonesty.  

If you suspect a student has committed academic dishonesty, please follow the steps as outlined on the Office of Academic Integrity. The Academic Integrity Officer will work with you to review your claim and walk you through the necessary steps. The website also offers email and letter templates to send to the student during the investigation.  

Depending on the severity of the offense and if it is or is not their first offense, a penalty or a course of action will be put in place. This can be a reduced grade on the assignment, a failed assignment, a reduced course grade, a failed course, a notation on their transcript, denial to use the facilities at McMaster, denial of permission to register, cancellation of registration, suspension etc. A full explanation of the Academic Integrity Policy can be found here.  

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If you have Turnitin enabled in the LMS, you will notice a Turnitin icon next to your student's submissions in the Assignment Tool. If the students have not indicated that they wish not to have their assignment submitted through Turnitin, you can press the icon next to each assignment and submit it for a similarity check. It takes a few minutes. The results will be a number. If the Turnitin score is above 25%, it is worth to take a look. After further investigation, you may determine the student committed academic dishonesty. If so, please follow the Academic Dishonesty Process in this "What to do when?" section or connect with your Program Manager for more information. 

To know more about Turnitin, please watch this short video: 

If your course does not use Turnitin and you would like to have it added, please connect with your Program Associate who will be able to complete the necessary steps in A2L to turn that feature on. 

Building Layout  

Students and Instructors have access to the first two floors of the building. The third and fourth floors house administrative offices for various departments of the University.  Should you need to meet with someone from Continuing Education during office hours, go to the Information Services area on the 2nd floor, and use the phone available to call your Program Associate or Program Manager.  We regret that Information Specialists are not available for support of Instructors as they are tasked with focusing on student support. 

The 1st floor holds our Security, Student Lounge, two study/group work rooms, and accessible washrooms.  Also on the 1st floor, across the hall from Security, are three classrooms (rooms 110-112). 

The 2nd floor has the remaining classrooms, Information Services, administrative offices, washrooms (including a separate accessible washroom), and access to the “Courtyard” (rooftop area of the mall). 

Elevator access is available directly from the underground parking garage to both the 1st (Main) and 2nd floors.  Access is not available to the third floor on weekends or evenings after 6:00 pm. 

Access Cards 

When an instructor card is issued, the instructor must sign a form confirming receipt. This is usually handled at the Information Service Area prior to the first class.  In the event of a lost or stolen card, please notify Continuing Education immediately so that we can de‐activate your card.  A nominal replacement charge may be assessed for lost cards.  New card requests should be submitted via email to your Program Associate. 

Instructor access cards permit entry via Continuing Education's front doors at One James North. During regular building hours, these doors are open. Your card will grant you access if you arrive early for class.  Your access card will also open (swipe once) and lock (swipe twice) the classroom doors. 

As an instructor, your card also operates the doors to the “Courtyard” from the 2nd floor.  Please note that although students may exit onto the Courtyard from the 2nd floor, they do not have access to re-enter. Please help ensure the safety and security of all building occupants by PROHIBITING people from entering behind you after swiping your card. 

Though we are a public space, we also have the right to disallow access to the building to anyone who does not have a legitimate reason to be in our space. 

Classrooms 
There are 9 classrooms, mainly located on the second floor. Three classrooms are located on the first floor. These rooms are in a separate corridor on the north side of the main entry vestibule. 

LCD Directories 
LCD screen directories of classroom locations are located at various points (across from Security, outside 2nd floor elevator, across from Information Service Area).  It is important that you, as well as your students, refer to this posting of classroom locations before each class. Due to changing enrolment at the beginning of the term, special events or common exams at the end of the term, Continuing Education may need to re‐assign classrooms on occasion. Classroom assignments will correspond with enrolment levels.  

Locked Classrooms 
General security building hours for OJN, when Continuing Education classes are in session are as follows: 

Monday – Thursday: 7:00 am – 11:00 pm  
                         Friday: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm (if classes are scheduled) 
                        7:00 am – 5:30 pm (if no classes are scheduled) 
  Saturday – Sunday: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm (if classes scheduled)  

For evening classes, Set-up Technician will unlock classrooms approximately 30 – 45 minutes prior to the class start time.  Building security opens classrooms on the weekend and for weekday morning classes.  If your classroom is locked, please verify the room location at one of the LCD directories and then use your swipe card to unlock the room. Should you have any difficulties, go to Information Service Area to open the room.  If the Information Service Area is closed, check with the security guard located on the 1st floor. 

It is important that instructors ensure that doors are closed and locked at the end of your class. This can be accomplished by doing a “double swipe” across the pass card reader.  When successful, the light on the pass card reader will change to red. 

Student Lounge 

The 1st floor has a large space set aside for students to gather informally.  There are also two small rooms that can be booked with Security for students to do group work, or study. 

A series of computers are set up for use.  Please see the section on Photocopying for details on how students may use the copier. 

Instructor Area 

Should you wish to book one of the small study rooms on the 1st floor for some quiet time to prepare, or for breaks/lunch, please feel free to book the room through the Security desk.  Your access card also allows you easy re-entry through the doors from the Courtyard. This is a large and relatively secluded area available for our use. 

Classroom Setup 

As a general rule, all classrooms are maintained in a classroom style setup (rows of tables with chairs). Instructors may rearrange furniture as needed to suit learning activities; however, the room should be reset to classroom style at the end of the session. Should you find that you need an alternate set-up on a regular basis, contact your Program Associate. 

Occasionally, Continuing Education may need to pre‐set a room for a subsequent user. We will make every effort to contact the instructor and seek approval that the instructor’s class is accepting of the setup change. Signage will be posted requesting that the room be left in the setup style in which it was found. Continuing Education appreciates your help should this situation arise. 

End of class process

At the end of class, please ensure: 

• The classroom style has been reset if you changed any of the class set-up (tables and chairs back where they were)
• Wipe the whiteboards clean
• Turn off the projector
• Ensure that all students have left the room
• Lock the classroom behind you (swipe the keypad twice with your card)

Classroom Temperature 

For severe classroom temperature issues during the day, please go to the Information Service Area. During the evening and on weekends, please report to the security guard located on the 1^st floor. 

Audio-Visual Equipment 

All classrooms are set up with the audio-visual equipment permanently in place.  This includes either a ceiling-mounted projector or an LCD monitor, internet connection, built-in audio system, and Blu-ray player.  Controls are managed through a tablet at the front of the room.    

If required, you may request a laptop, headset or hand-held microphone, PowerPoint clicker, and flipcharts.  Contact your Program Associate to reserve.  We strongly encourage you to pre-book a microphone if you are instructing a large class, and will be located in one of the larger classrooms (204 or 206) to ensure adequate audio levels. 

White Boards 

Whiteboards are installed in all classrooms. We also have portable whiteboards available. Please ensure that only the EXPO dry erase markers are used on the walls.  If you are in a divided room, the shiny white panels of the divider are also white boards and may be used.  It is critical that you use only dry erase markers, and ensure that regular markers used on flipcharts, are NOT used on whiteboards. 

Blinds 

The white remote control for the blinds is located on the wall beside the light switches.  

Power Sources 

Instructors have access to the electrical outlets in the main teaching desk.  Students have power sources built under the metal circles in the floor, under the desk areas. 

Wireless Internet 

The Teaching Desk at the front of the room has an Ethernet cable for internet connection.  Students can login with their MAC ID through the building’s Wi-Fi (Mac Secure). 

Smudging 

Smudging is a ceremony practiced by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas that involves the burning of sacred herbs, in some cases for spiritual cleansing or blessing. If smudging will be one of your activities, please email ojnroom@mcmaster.ca with the date and time of when this activity will occur. Continuing Education will contact the Property Manager to have the fire alarms turned off during this time. The Property Manager requires 48 hours’ notice.  

Evaluation Process 

If you are distributing in-class evaluations half way through the term, you need to follow the following process:  

• Assign a student to volunteer and handle the process 
• Give the blank evaluations and the envelope to the student volunteer and leave the room. 
• The student volunteer will distribute the blank evaluations to everyone. When completed, all other students should put their evaluations back in the empty envelope. 
• Once everyone is done with the evaluation, the student volunteer should seal the envelope and drop if off in the mailbox next to the Information Service Area and return to class.  
• You can return to class.  

Please ensure to explain this process to students prior to leaving the room as some new students will not be aware of the process. This process ensures the anonymity of students by having the instructor leaving the room. The envelope will be put in your mailbox the following week. Once you review it, place the evaluations in the PA mailbox so that it can be reviewed by your Program Manager.  

Hours of Service 
Normal hours of operation are: 

Monday through Friday, 8:30 am–4:00pm 
Saturday & Sunday: Closed 

The Information Services Centre staff member’s priority is to respond to student requests and questions. Should you have a request or A/V issue, please let them know and they will assist the best they can in the circumstance. 

Drop Box 
Located in front of Information Services is Continuing Education’s secure drop box. This box should be used by instructors and students when leaving materials behind for staff, when the reception window is closed. The following items are examples of what you or students may place in the drop box: 

• Student assignments intended for delivery to a program manager or instructor  
• Borrowed items between Program Manager/Instructor (e.g. text books, video, etc.) 
• Correspondence directed to a Continuing Education staff member 

Instructor Mail Slots 
Instructors have a mail slot, located in Information Services Area. You are responsible for checking your mail slot prior to each class. Important information will be placed there at various times throughout the term. In addition, all materials or exams requested during the term will be placed in your mail slot. Please be aware that any completed student exams that an instructor is picking up must be signed off for in the purple and white “Exam Sign-off binder” located at the top of the instructor mailboxes.  

If you suspect that something is missing from your mail slot, please notify your Program Associate or Program Manager on the next business day. 

Lost and Found 
A lost and found box is located at the Security Desk on the 1st floor.  Items that are unclaimed after two months are donated to local charities. 

Photocopying 

In order to be environmentally conscious, Continuing Educaton will no longer provide photocopying services to our instructors (aside from printing exams). We strongly encourage you post any document to the learning management system so that it can be made available to students. This also allows students to have the information in a more accessible format, should they have accessibility needs. Please know that the Information Service Area and staff are not able to provide last minute photocopying.  

If you should require a last minute photocopying job, there is a photocopier available in the Student Lounge on the first floor. A generic MacID and password has been set up for instructors to use, though this should be used as a last resort only and for small jobs. For the username and password, please contact your Program Associate. Students may also set up an account to use this copier. Please note the instructions for use: 

• A PrintSmart account is required to copy, scan or print from any of the networked printer/copiers 
• A current, activated MAC ID is needed to set up your account. 
• Users login with their MAC ID, and the price of the copy/print is deducted from their balance 
• Once a PrintSmart account has been created, your transaction activity and account balance can be checked at anytime.  

• Value can be added online (using credit or debit) from any Internet-enabled computer.  

For more details on the program, please visit the McMaster copying site. You can also visit the PrintSmart Frequently Asked Questions. 

This section of the handbook includes important information related to emergency procedures, security staffing and your role in maintaining a safe and secure teaching environment. 

Emergency Procedures 

If an emergency occurs at OJN that affects Continuing Education's operations, every effort will be made to communicate closure or other important information to instructors and students. Possible means of communication to instructors include: 

• Notice sent to instructor email distribution list 
• Instructors phoned individually 
• Initiate use of special Continuing Education voicemail greeting message 
• Notice added to Continuing Education's web page and social media feeds 
• Notices posted at OJN entrances 

We strongly encourage all instructors, and students, to subscribe to McMaster’s emergency alert system.  You may sign up for notices at the following link by following the instructions to download the app. 

Types of emergencies that may arise include but are not limited to: power outages, chemical spills/accidents, natural disaster, building mechanical problem, etc. 

Fire Alarms 

At One James North, there is a two stage alarm – meaning there are two separate and distinct tones that tell us to follow two separate procedures.  Essentially, the first stage alarm is a warning and is a slower, longer beep. The second stage alarm is a faster, steadier beep and indicates that the building needs to be evacuated. 

If a second stage fire alarm sounds during your class, you are required to evacuate yourself and your students from the building immediately. Stairwells should be used – not the elevators. The only exception to this procedure is if you have been notified in advance (either by way of building signage or a Continuing Education staff member) that alarm testing is scheduled and evacuation is not required.  

As an instructor, it is your responsibility to be familiar with the fire exit locations and to share this information with students at the beginning of the term. 

Security Personnel 

The University subcontracts security services from Garda. This company provides a security guard for all hours that OJN is open to the public. The security guard is located at a desk by the entrance from James Street North. The guard has a phone at the desk. Contact numbers are as follows: 

• Desk: 905‐525‐9140 ext 23206 
• Main Campus – University Security Services: 905‐525‐9140 ext 24281 
• Yale (Mall) Security- 905-522-4277 If calling this number, make sure to specify that you need assistance with a security issue. 

The OJN security guard is on site to ensure the safety and security of building employees, students, instructors and guests. If you notice suspicious persons or circumstances, please report the matter to the security guard immediately. 

The following are examples of tasks that the security guard can perform: 

• Unlock a scheduled classroom 
• Respond to a suspicious person 
• Report theft or vandalism 
• First Aid/CPR 
• Call McMaster Facility Services regarding the temperature of a classroom 

The following requests cannot be performed by the security guard: 

• Unlock an unscheduled classroom 
• Allow access to audio/visual equipment 
• Allow access to Continuing Education offices/copy machine/etc. 

Security of OJN Rooms and Equipment 

Continuing Educaiton has made a large investment by providing pleasant classroom furnishings and a large assortment of audio/visual equipment. We rely on instructors to ensure that this equipment is used properly and kept as secure as possible. All specialty audio/visual equipment, such as data projectors and laptops will be delivered with a secured cable locking mechanism. When you are finished with your class session, please make certain that your classroom door is closed and locked. This step provides one more barrier between our expensive equipment and prospective thieves. At the end of class, students are not to remain in the classroom without an instructor present. 

Advise students to keep any valuables with them at all times. Unfortunately, the opportunity always exists for thieves to strike during lunch breaks or other breaks when students flow in and out of the classroom. This can also provide thieves with an opportunity to remove audio/visual equipment. Only staff should remove equipment that is already assigned to a classroom. Please challenge anyone entering your classroom who claims to be providing technical support to a piece of equipment. The individual should be able to provide some form of identification for you to inspect.

The second floor doors to the courtyard are secure doors and may only be opened from the outside with an access card. At no time may these doors be propped open. In the event that a door is propped open, alarms will sound at Security Services on campus and the OJN security guard will respond. A report must be filed in the event that an alarm is triggered. 

Health and Safety 

As a Continuing Education Instructor, you have a responsibility to be aware of any potential hazards in the classroom and surrounding area. We ask that you let reception know if you encounter anything that you feel needs attention. 

The Working at McMaster team has a website that provides information about health and safety:  

Incident/Injury Reporting 
If an incident occurs that causes you or a student personal injury, please follow these steps: 

• Immediately report incidents/injuries to the Information Service Area at the Continuing Education offices or, if the office is closed, to the security guard in the front lobby. 
• Complete an Injury / Incident Report form and sign it. 
• Drop the completed form off at the Information Service Area if it is open; if the reception desk is closed, please leave the completed form in the drop box located next to the Information Service Area. 
• If requested, assist in the incident investigation and implementation of any corrective action, required to prevent a recurrence of the incident. 
• If you are considered an employee of McMaster University, you must adhere to the legal requirements of the WSIB and McMaster University's Return to Work Policy if lost time results from a work related injury.
• Reporting forms must be printed from the following link. 

If the injury is considered critical: 

• Turn off any systems that may be furthering the injury 
• Get medical help for the injured person(s). Dial 911! Dial “9” first to get an outside line if you are using the McMaster phone system to dial out 
• Secure the scene by asking a responsible individual to watch the area. 

• Contact EOHSS office at ext 24352 or by dialing 911 during off hours. Dial “9” first to get an outside line if you are using the McMaster phone system to dial out 

Note: The Occupational Health and Safety Act defines a serious injury as “an injury of a serious nature that places life in jeopardy; produces unconsciousness; results in substantial loss of blood; involves the fracture of a leg or arm, but not a finger or toe; involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand, or foot but not a finger or toe; consists of burns to a major portion of the body; or causes the loss of sight in an eye.” 

In some cases, a class cancellation is unavoidable. A last‐minute cancellation should be made in emergencies only. You must notify your Program Manager and Program Associate if you cancel a class. Discuss with your Program Manager how you will make up the missed time. 

For cancellations that are determined during business hours, Continuing Education staff will make every effort to notify students and instructors at their work and/or home telephone numbers. If possible, instructors may assist with these calls. In the event of an unexpected course cancellation, Continuing Education will also post a notice on the assigned classroom door. 

If you expect you will be late for your class, please call Continuing Education main reception 905‐525‐9140 ext. 24321 and ask that the staff person let your students know that you will be late 

Instructor Illness 
Please notify Continuing Education as early as possible if an illness prevents you from teaching. 

Missed Classes 
Occasionally, students will experience illness or other obligations that require them to miss a class. Most adult learners are balancing numerous priorities. Communicate your attendance policy to students on the first night of class and include it on your course outline. Students are responsible for notifying the instructor in advance of an absence in accordance with the course’s attendance policy. 

Rescheduling Classes 
Continuing Education must be informed of ALL rescheduled classes or extended class times. Please notify your Program Manager and Program Associate so that they can verify that classroom space is available on the desired “make‐up date”. If you and your students choose to make‐up missed classroom time by extending regularly scheduled courses, Continuing Education must be notified, in order to ensure that other service providers (security, building cleaners) are informed and available for the extension. 

Please do your best to ensure that all students are able to attend at the rescheduled time(s). 

Severe Weather Policy 

Please note that the University’s severe weather policy does not align with that of the Hamilton‐Wentworth District School Board. 

We strongly encourage all instructors and students to sign up for McMaster’s emergency alert system to receive the most current and up to date information on University closures: 

The University administration makes all official weather cancellation decisions.  Click here to view the University’s official policy on storm emergency procedures. 

If conditions deteriorate while your class is in session, please use reasonable judgment to ensure students as well as yourself experience the safest possible travel conditions. Immediately notify your program manager and program associate if you decide to cancel your class due to severe weather conditions to allow reasonable time to communicate with students before they are en‐route to McMaster University Continuing Education. 

The University will "close" because of severe winter weather when normal operation would pose a danger to students, staff and faculty (including Mohawk students at the Institute for Applied Health Sciences) while on campus or would prevent large numbers of them from coming to campus or returning safely to their homes in Hamilton‐Wentworth and the immediate surrounding area. Individuals must assess their personal safety in deciding whether or not to come to class. 

When the University is “closed”: 

• Classes are not held (One James North is closed) 
• Meetings and other scheduled events are cancelled 
• All areas and operations not defined as “essential” are closed 
• Examinations are cancelled and rescheduled 
• Deadlines for student assignments and other submissions due on a “closed” day are postponed until the same hour on the next academic day on which the University is not “closed” 
• Deadlines for job applications and other employment requirements are postponed to the same time on the next business day on which the University is not “closed” 

Morning Closure (Monday through Friday) 
When a decision is made to close the University in the early morning, the duration of the closing will be specified. In the event that the duration of the closure is only until 12:00 noon, any subsequent decision to extend the closure for the balance of the day and evening will be made and communicated by 11:00am. In the event of a closure for less than a full academic/business day, only those events, shifts, or activities scheduled to commence after the re‐opening time will proceed as scheduled. 

Morning Closure Procedure 
Every effort will be made to confirm a closing by 5:30am. When the closing decision has been made, Public Relations is responsible to do the following things: 

• Notify local radio stations and other media that “McMaster University is closed and classes are cancelled,” including the anticipated length of the closure if other than one full day 
• Notify Telecommunications, who will make the announcement on the recording that answers the University’s main telephone numbers 
• Post the announcement on McMaster University’s home page on the web 
• Notify the Director of Physical Plant 

Morning Closure: Decision to Close 
In the absence of a communicated decision to close, the University remains open and all activities continue as planned. At all times, individuals should assess their personal safety in deciding whether or not to come to work or class. 

Morning Closure: Classes 
Classes will not be held during "closed" periods, and assignment deadlines occurring on a “closed” day must be extended. Faculty members and academic departments do not have the authority to make exceptions to this rule. 

Daytime Closure (Throughout the Day) 
The University will “close” after classes and business hours have started for the day only in extreme circumstances. 

A decision to close during the day will be made by the Provost. 

A decision to close during the day will specify whether the closing is “immediate” or at a stated hour. Unless otherwise specified, the closing continues from that hour until the beginning of work on the next day. A class or examination that would continue past the specified closing hour is cancelled. 

Closure Outside Normal Business Hours 
If weather conditions justify closing the Downtown Centre in the evening or on weekends, the decision will be made by the Provost, in consultation with the Director of Security and Parking Services, who will notify the Director of Public and Government Relations. The Director of Public and Government Relations will initiate the appropriate communication procedure. Such a closing is effective until the next morning, by which time a decision will be made whether the University will be closed for any portion of the following day. 

Security Services will notify a designated person in the Downtown Centre. Please refer to the media where you can receive information on the Provost’s decision in these cases in the “Morning Closure Communication" section of this Handbook. 

Non‐Closure 
Weather conditions can sometimes be intimidating even though the University remains open. When the University is officially open and you cannot make it to your class, you are required to call the Information Service Area at extension 24321 and inform them. You are expected to make up as much of the missed time that you possibly can so that students are not disadvantaged. Contact your Program Manager the next business day to discuss your situation and how you can make up missed class time. 

Closure Communication 
Media that can be expected to carry announcements concerning closings include: 

In addition, CFMU 93 .3 FM will provide more detailed information. This information will also be communicated via the University’s website and social media via the Daily News, Twitter and Facebook. 

No one other than Public Relations is authorized to call the media about the closing of McMaster University, and local radio and TV have been asked not to pay attention to other calls.