Identity and Statement of Purpose
Samford University recognizes and celebrates the tremendous talents, skills and abilities of its faculty body. The Samford University Faculty Success Collaborative (FSC) is a formal advisory committee convened by the provost representing all academic units at Samford University, that identifies and coordinates development opportunities in conjunction with a variety of internal and external stakeholder groups. Faculty success and continuing professional development is internally driven by the FSC through a process that is responsive to emerging trends and opportunities in higher education. The FSC fully embraces the developmental needs of all faculty in the three domains of a faculty member’s roles and responsibilities as it pertains to teaching, service, and scholarship, as well as personal wellbeing. Face-to-face programming, enduring content and other resources are provided to support faculty at all stages of their career.
Mission and Goals
Mission
Enhance the educational mission of Samford University through professional development experiences that encourage excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.
Goals
- Promote evidence-based activities that help faculty improve student learning, engagement, and success
- Initiate and sustain a collegial conversation about all aspects of teaching service, scholarship, and learning at Samford
- Foster a culture of reflective practice that values quality, innovation, and inclusiveness in teaching
- Cultivate an institutional climate that values and supports teaching and learning
- Develop and support faculty through all stages of their academic careers
The FSC will accomplish these goals by collecting, curating, and connecting faculty to professional development opportunities and resources.
Faculty Instructional Resources
Canvas Basics
- Getting Started
- Assignments
- Communications Strategies
- Conferences
- Discussions
- Gradebook & SpeedGrader
- Modules
- Rich Content Editor (RCE)
- Studio
Course Design and Organization
- Course Design
- Course Objectives
- Course Mapping
- Consistent Design
- Approval Checklists
- 10 Tips for Quality
- Course Interactions
- Engaging Discussion Forums
Assessment
- Assessments Overview
- Assessment Panel Discussion
- Rubrics
- Canvas Quizzes
- Online Proctoring
- Grading & Feedback
Supplementary Information
Whom Should I Contact?
Support Options
Canvas Support
Any question dealing with Canvas should be directed to Canvas Support first.
Whom do they support?
Faculty, Students and StaffWhat do they support?
- Assignments
- Conferences
- Studio
- Quizzes
- Gradebook
- Speedgrader
How do I contact them?
Technology Services
Whom do they support?
Faculty, Students and Staff
What do they support?
- Wireless Networks
- Administrative Systems
- DUO 2 Factor Authentication
- Microsoft Office 365
- Microsoft Teams
- WebEx
- Zoom
- Classroom Technology
- Respondus Lockdown Browser & Monitor (Technical Issues)
How do I contact them?
Samford Online
For specific course design or pedagogical assistance, please contact your assigned Instructional Designer.
Whom do they support?
Faculty
What do they support?
- Online Course Quality Assurance
- Pedagogical Course Design
- Software Application Integration with the Canvas LMS*
* SAMOL is able to help integrate third-party applications with the Canvas LMS, but we are not able to provide training or support for how to use integrated technology. Faculty making use of third party integrated applications should contact the vendor/publisher for all training and support.
How do I contact them?
General Assistance
Instructional Designers
Katherine Jarnigan
- School of Nursing
- School of Public Health: Public Health
- School of Health Professions: Physical Therapy
- School of Health Professions: Physician Assistant Studies
Taylor Kendrick
- Business School
- Law School
- School of Public Health: Social Work
- School of Public Health: Nutrition and Dietetics
- School of Divinity
- Professional Studies
Joe Zellner
- School of the Arts
- College of Arts & Sciences
- School of Education
- School of Pharmacy
- School of Health Professions: Communication Sciences and Disorders
- School of Health Professions: Kinesiology
- School of Public Health: Health Informatics and Information Management
- School of Public Health: Healthcare Administration
Faculty Resources
Samford strives to equip our faculty with the resources and support they need to be successful.
- Absences: Medical and Disability Excuses
- Academic Grants
- Baccalaureate Goals for Samford Undergraduate Education
- Beeson Divinity School - Statement of Educational Philosophy and Theological Convictions Form
- Concerns & Crises Guide
- Copyright: Samford Library Guide
- Course Syllabus Inserts
- DegreeWorks Access and Training Manual
- "Don't Cancel Class" Initiative
- Emeritus Faculty List
- Faculty Awards
- Faculty Classroom Cell Phone Policy
- Faculty/Department Chair Search Process Packet
- Faculty Employment Opportunities
- Faculty Handbook
- Faculty Professional Development Calendar
- Faculty Senate
- Fair Use Checklist (University System of Georgia)
- Institutional Review Board
- International Travel Approval
- Part-Time Faculty Manual
- Samford Spotlight: Faculty Profiles
- Statement of Purpose: Undergraduate Education
Members













