Faculty Resources

To have a GBS student join your lab, you must first get Graduate Faculty Status and GBS Affiliation (see instructions in later sections). Then you have students rotate in your lab (read about lab rotations here). To attract rotation students you can:

• Update your profile in the faculty directory (see instructions in later section).
• Get added to the list of faculty seeking rotation students by completing this form.
• Present a poster for new GBS students at the GBS Symposium in August.
• Interview prospective students at recruitment weekends in January and February.
• Present a poster for prospective students at recruitment weekends in January and February.

To participate in the Symposium or recruitment weekends, watch for instructions in the GBS Faculty Newsletter (sent to all faculty with GBS Affiliation). For further details, contact the Admissions, Events, and Communications Manager.

To learn more about gaining a UAB Graduate School Faculty appointment, please see the UAB Graduate School website.

Participating GBS faculty are expected to be full-time UAB faculty with a current UAB Graduate School Faculty appointment. You are expected to be scientifically productive and possess expertise in the themes in which you request membership. You are also expected to be, or become, actively involved in one or more GBS themes. Evidence of such current or planned active involvement in GBS theme(s) includes:

• Mentoring a GBS student,
• Teaching in GBS courses,
• Service on student thesis or examination committees,
• Judging GBS rotation talks or posters,
• Teaching in advanced courses in GBS programs,
• Serving as a preceptor for a rotation student, or
• Interviewing prospective students.

Funding to support students' stipends and research projects is expected but not essential for GBS participation. However, to accept thesis students—and in most cases rotation students—into your laboratory, you will need to provide evidence of adequate funding.

Application materials for GBS faculty status review include:

• A completed GBS Faculty Requested Information Form,
• A current NIH SF424 (R&R) Biosketch,
• An NIH Other Support or similar document with both current and pending research support,
• And information on past and current trainees.

The application form is available by contacting Savitha Memula, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (205) 996-9798. Participating faculty will be reviewed on a three year cycle.

Current and prospective students use the School of Medicine faculty directory to find labs. To update your profile in the directory, follow these steps:

• Go to the SOM Faculty Directory.
• Find yourself using the search feature.
• Click on the yellow key in the upper right hand corner.
• Login using your BlazerID and password.
• Click the add/edit link.
• Edit as appropriate.
• Don't forget to select your theme(s) under “Graduate Biomedical Sciences Affiliations”. Without this, the directory will not include you in the list of faculty affiliated with each theme.
• Submit.

Grades open approximately one month prior to the deadline.

See the UAB Academic Calendar for each academic year's deadline.

Faculty will receive reminders through emails from the GBS Curriculum Manager and the GBS Faculty Newsletter.

If grades are not submitted on time, the student will receive a grade of "N". To change, faculty must complete the Change of Grade process. Faculty will have until the end of the next term to submit a grade or change of grade. Any grade that has not been entered will result to an F.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

• Log into BlazerNet.
• Click on Final Grades; you will see a drop-down menu for the semester(s).
• Select the correct semester and submit.
• This should bring up a drop-down menu of your courses. Click on the one you want to submit for first.
• You must then enter a grade for each student.
• Submit.
• A box should appear at the top of the screen. Click Yes.
• Return to the Main Menu.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

• From the Faculty Profile page in Blazernet, select "Grade Changes" in the green ribbon area.
• Select "Term Code" from the drop-down menu, then press "Submit".
• Select the class from the drop-down menu for which the change of grade is needed.
• The class roster will appear. The system will allow you to submit an individual change of grade for a student or a change for the entire class.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

• Log into BlazerNet.
• Click on "Grade Changes"
• Select the correct semester and submit.
• Click on the correct course and select Batch Grade Changes.
• You must then enter a grade for each student, AND you will have to use the drop-down menu to the right and select Reason NS, no grade submitted. You must do this for each student.
• Submit.
• A box should appear at the top of the screen. Click Yes.
• Return to the Main Menu.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

Please submit your course proposal using the GBS Course Proposal Form. Please be advised that this submission is a proposal for a new GBS course. The course is not guaranteed until the final approval confirmation is received.

New courses in GBS are reviewed and approved by the theme directors within two weeks of the electronic submission of the GBS Course Proposal Form. If the course is approved through the theme directors, the GBS Program Director will provide an approval within one week. Once the final approval is reached, the GBS Curriculum Manager will list the course and send further details of confirmation.

All new courses will be added as a special topics course, indicating a non-permanent course number. Once attendance and continual course offering is confirmed, the course may be given a permanent course number.

Proposals are due by the following dates:

• Spring: October 1
• Summer: March 1
• Fall: June 1

If you have any additional questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

Canvas is a very helpful tool for students and course directors. Here are a few pointers that I believe will be helpful:

• Most important rule- PUBLISH YOUR COURSE! Often times, we assume the course is live, but students will not be able to view any course details on Canvas until the course is published. I would suggest setting up the course then setting the publish date when the course is set up correctly.
• If you would like students to have access to files before the class starts, you must set the start/end dates in the settings section and publish the course. I would suggest that all course directors set their course dates for the entire semester.
• Video Tutorials- You will find UAB created Canvas video guides that range from assisting with files, communication, settings, and basic instructor training.
• Recording System- Canvas has a recording system through the Kaltura program. This recording method is utilized in the core courses. The recordings are initiated through Canvas and automatically uploaded to Canvas for student access. You may access the attached Intro to Kaltura guide for further assistance.
• Importing course data from a previous course- For those of you that have ran your course through Canvas before, you have the opportunity to transfer all course materials into a new semester. This may be very useful, but please remember to change the dates! You may access the attached the Canvas Course Import Tutorial for more assistance.
• If you would like to add TA’s to your course, you may request the addition through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• If you need additional training, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

See the Introduction to Kaltura User Guide.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

GBS offers the Lecture Evaluations and Course Evaluations on the GBS website. The responses will be saved and distributed to the course directors at the end of the term. If you are in need of evaluations and often experience low response rates, I would suggest requiring the evaluations as part of their grade. If this is the case, please outline clearly in the syllabus.

You may also utilize IDEA Evaluations. You may find more information here and detailed Faculty Dashboard instructions. As you will notice in the article, faculty members will have access to a faculty dashboard. In this dashboard, you may select objectives, see response rates in real time, and access your responses when released.

If you have any additional questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager.

The first course of action between the mentor and student should be allowing open and honest communication with each other about the issue. Both individuals should actively listen to the other through a face-to-face discussion.

What conditions should be in place to allow for effective discussions of difficult issues?

• A feeling of mutual trust and respect.
• Past experience with open and frequent communication between mentee and mentor.
• An understanding that everyone makes mistakes.
• An ability to see each other as individuals.
• An ability to admit that one doesn't know everything.
• An understanding that there may be a completely unrelated issue that is the underlying cause of the problem.
• A willingness to entertain different ways of handling the issue.
• Sensitivity to cultural, gender, and personality differences that may influence perceptions.
• Attention to the development of communication and problem-solving skills.

What steps should be taken to discuss the issue?

• Identify an appropriate space for discussion.
• Agree to ground rules.
• Specify needs clearly.
• Be flexible in ways of handling the problem.
• Develop a solution that works for both the mentor and the mentee.

What should be done if the issue is not resolved?
Allow an objective and neutral mediator to discuss the case with the mentor and student. The mediator could be a supervisor or administrator within the department or program, such as theme department chair, theme director, or GBS Program Director.

What can be gained following a dispute?
Allow time for personal reflection- how the individuals involved felt, the situations leading up to the situation, signs of disagreement, etc. This will provide guidance and coping tools for avoiding a similar situation in the future.

Source: Adapted from the Practical Communication Tips for Resolving Conflict, OHSU Medicine

Faculty to login to Faculty Enlight and submit the course materials.

Effective Fall 2010, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) requires all institutions receiving federal financial aid to "publish," in time for registration, a list of all required and recommended books and other course materials for all classes offered at the institution. This includes all schools—undergraduate, graduate and professional.

The items we must display are:

• Book title, including edition
• Book author
• ISBN number
• Retail price

This is an effort to make more transparent the cost of education, as indicated in the following statement from the HEOA:

PURPOSE AND INTENT—The purpose of this section is to ensure that students have access to affordable course materials by decreasing costs to students and enhancing transparency and disclosure with respect to the selection, purchase, sale, and use of course materials. It is the intent of this section to encourage all of the involved parties, including faculty, students, administrators, institutions of higher education, bookstores, distributors, and publishers, to work together to identify ways to decrease the cost of college textbooks and supplemental materials for students while supporting the academic freedom of faculty members to select high quality course materials for students.

If you have any further questions, please contact the GBS Curriculum Manager