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Now Live: Faculty Opt In for Observers of Student Athletes

January 25, 2022


You are receiving this message because you are assigned to teach a course with student athlete(s) enrolled.


Interim Provost Timothy P. Scott convened a task force with members from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, the Division of Athletics, and academic support units to devise a faculty opt-in process for Scholastic Supervisors to use Canvas to track, monitor, and report requirements to ensure student athletes at TAMU meet NCAA eligibility standards. The Student Observer role access in Canvas has been designed to reduce the administrative burden for instructors who have student athletes in their course sections.
 
  The Task Force sought to ensure that not only standard academic integrity policies and practices already used by the Center for Student Athlete Services be maintained through this program in Canvas, but also that Student Observer access be restricted to only material that has been published and released by the instructor. Watch this video to learn the value of the Observer Program for Athletics and hear from a student-athlete.
 
 
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE OPT-IN PROCESS
You will need to OPT IN to have a Scholastic Supervisor enrolled as a Student Observer in your Canvas course.  
  • The Student Observer role opt in process for Athletics is now live in ORCA.
  • You will need to opt in by January 31.
  • Your preferences can be updated and modified until January 31 at 11:59 PM CT via ORCA.
  • Only the Instructor of Record assigned to the course can update their preferences in ORCA.
  • You will receive email confirmation once you have made your selection in ORCA.
  • If you choose to opt in to the Observer Program for Athletics, Scholastic Supervisors will be assigned the Student Observer role and have read-only access to view course content, syllabus, assignment details, and grades of the assigned student in Canvas.
  • Scholastic Supervisors will be enrolled in Canvas courses for instructors who opt in on February 1.
  • Detailed information on the role, how to opt in, and demos of what the Student Observer role can and cannot do in course Canvas can be viewed on the Student Observer page.
 
Watch this video to learn more about what a Scholastic Supervisor can and cannot view as a Student Observer in your Canvas course.

   Watch this video for a demo on how to opt in to the Observer Program for Athletics via ORCA, view your section(s) with student athletes enrolled, and update your opt-in preference.
 
 
IF YOU DO NOT CHOOSE TO OPT IN
If you do not follow the steps above to opt in, by default you will be considered opted out of the Observer Program for Athletics. As a result, you will need to take specific actions for NCAA reporting purposes for the student athlete(s) enrolled in your course(s). NCAA rules and regulations require student-athletes to meet certain academic benchmarks to be eligible for competition. Due to these requirements, the Center for Student-Athlete Services provides academic support and resources, as well as actively monitors their academic progress. If you choose to opt out of Student Observers in your class, the Center for Student-Athlete Services will request multiple updates throughout the semester on the academic status of all student-athletes in your class. These requests will be sent via progress reports and individual emails asking information such as class attendance, current grades, and remaining assignments. Please visit this link for more information on the Center for Student-Athlete Services’ responsibilities for student-athlete requirements.
 
OPT IN TIMELINE WITH ASSOCIATED COMMUNICATION
Below we have provided a timeline of key dates and communication you may receive throughout the opt-in process that will vary depending on the preferences you make.