Web for Faculty & Advisors Support

Web for Faculty & Advisors provides an interactive interface to the administrative database for grading and academic advising. Web for Faculty & Advisors is a completely self-service, web-based solution that provides academic staff with secure access, on campus or at home, to the information they need to manage course information and advise students. Faculty can grade and advise on their own schedules - anytime, any place, with any browser.

To access Web for Faculty, proceed directly to https://infobear.bridgew.edu/afhomepg.htm or follow the steps below:

  1. Open your browser and proceed to the Bridgewater State University home page: http://www.bridgew.edu
  2. Click on the Faculty and Staff button
  3. Under the General Links heading, click the Web for Faculty link
  4. Add this link to your browser Favorites so that the next time you need to access Web for Faculty you can use a single click to get to the Web for Faculty home page

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Logging In for the First Time

  1. From the Web for Faculty home page, click the Click Here to Enter link
  2. Type your Banner ID or your Social Security Number in the User ID: field
    (NOTE: Web for Faculty is a secure site)
  3. Type your PIN (personal identification number) in the PIN: field
  4. You will be prompted to change your PIN to a new six-digit (all numbers) password. Since Web for Faculty provides access to highly sensitive student data, including grades, be sure to choose a PIN that is not obvious to others and keep your PIN strictly confidential
  5. You will also be prompted to enter a security question and the answer to that question. In the event that you forget your PIN, you will be asked this question as a security measure. It should be a question to which only you are likely to know the answer
  6. If you encounter an error message, simply return to the Web for Faculty home page and try to log in using your new PIN

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The Main Menu

After you log in to Web for Faculty, you will arrive at the main menu. There are two main options available:

  1. Personal Information: Displays the employee information that BSU has on file for you. The options include:
    • Change security question: You may change your current security question and answer.
    • View addresses and phones: Displays the address and phone Human Resources has on file for you.
    • View email and addresses: Displays the e-mail address Human Resources has on file for you.
    • View emergency contacts: Displays the emergency contacts on file with Human Resources; this is an item that you may want to check for accuracy if you have not done so recently.
    • Name change information: Displays instructions for changing this information.
    • Social security number change information: Displays instructions for changing this information.
    • Change your PIN: Only click on this option if you intend on changing your PIN. You will be required to create a new PIN that is different from your old PIN.
  2. Faculty and Advisors: Provides you with access to information including class schedule, rosters, student contact information, and online grading. The options include but are not limited to:
    • Student Information Menu: Provides access to student information, including contact information and current student schedules. An important option is ID Selection, which enables you to find a student's Banner ID number by entering the student's name. Using this Banner ID number is a convenient way to identify other information about the student.
    • Term selection: Allows you to select the term for which you need information (options are currently limited to Fall 2004 and Spring 2005).
    • CRN selection: Displays by Course Record Number (CRN) the courses you are teaching. If you select a course and click the Submit button, you will see a menu of options related to this course. These options include the roster and schedule for the course.
    • Final grades: Provides the option of entering grades via the Web rather than on paper grade sheets. Using this grading feature eliminates the need for you to deliver grade sheets to the Registrar's Office. Once students are able to access their transcripts via InfoBear (see Data availability below), the student will be able to see the grade almost as soon as you have posted it, eliminating the need for you to communicate grades to anxious students. For security reasons, the grading option for each course is only available for a short period of time at the end of the semester. If you teach a course that has a non-conventional ending date, the Registrar's Office should be alerted of the date that you will need access to the grading tool.
    • Advisee listing: Provides a list of your current advisees. NOTE: This list includes only those advisees who are registered for classes in the current semester. If a student is not currently enrolled in at least one course, you will need to go back to the last semester in which that student was enrolled.

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Web for Faculty Grading Instructions

  1. Proceed to the Web for Faculty home page and log in with your User ID and PIN
  2. Click the Faculty and Advisors link
  3. Click the Final Grades link
  4. Select the current term from the Select a Term: drop-down menu and click the Submit button
  5. Highlight your course section from the CRN: drop-down menu and click the Submit button
  6. Under the Grade column, select grades from the drop-down menu next to each student's name. Do not leave the student's grade blank. Ignore "Last Date of Attendance" and "Attend Hours" columns
  7. When all grades on the current page are entered, click the Submit button at the bottom of the screen. You must click the Submit button for each individual page before going on to grade the next page
  8. Verify the grades entered and make any corrections (see To Correct a Grade Entry below)
  9. To continue to another page, click once on the range of records desired at the top or bottom of the page (i.e. 1-25; 26-39) and repeat the steps above
  10. To grade another course, click once on the CRN Selection at the bottom of the page; highlight course section from "Select A CRN" drop-down box and click once on "Submit". Click on Final Grades. Continue with step 6 above
  11. To exit, click the Exit button in the top right-hand corner of the page

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To Correct a Grade Entry

  1. Highlight your course section from the CRN: drop-down menu and click the Submit button
  2. Locate the student on the page
  3. Select the correct grade in the drop-down menu in the Enter Grade column and click the Submit button
  4. Verify the grade entry

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Mid-Semester Warning Grades

Web for Faculty provides the option of entering mid-semester warning grades via the Web rather than on paper grade sheets. Using this feature eliminates the need for you to deliver mid-semester warning grade sheets to the Registrar's Office. For security reasons, the mid-semester warning grading option for each course is only available for a short period of time.

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Web for Faculty Mid-Semester Warning Grading Instructions 

  1. Proceed to the Web for Faculty home page and log in with your User ID and PIN
  2. Click the Faculty and Advisors link
  3. Click the Midterm Grades link
  4. Select the current term from the Select a Term: drop-down menu and click the Submit button
  5. Highlight your course section from the CRN: drop-down menu and click the Submit button
  6. Under the Grade column, select from the drop-down menu next to each student's name either a "D" or an "F" for courses with standard grade modes, or a "U" or "N" respectively for courses with satisfactory/unsatisfactory or pass/no pass grade modes. Ignore "Last Date of Attendance" and "Attend Hours" columns
  7. When all mid-semester warning grades on the current page are entered, click the Submit button at the bottom of the screen. You must click the Submit button for each individual page before going on to enter mid-semester warning grades on the next page
  8. Verify the mid-semester warning grades entered and make any corrections (see To Correct a Mid-Semester Warning Grade Entry below)
  9.  To continue to another page, click once on the range of records desired at the top or bottom of the page (i.e. 1-25; 26-39) and repeat the steps above
  10. To enter mid-semester warning grades for another course, click once on the CRN Selection at the bottom of the page and repeat the steps above
  11. To exit, click the Exit button in the top right-hand corner of the page

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To Correct a Mid-Semester Warning Grade Entry 

  1. Highlight your course section from the CRN: drop-down menu and click the Submit button
  2. Locate the student on the page
  3. Select the correct the mid-semester warning grade in the drop-down menu in the Enter Grade column (use grades of "D" or "F". If the grade mode of the course is "Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory" or "Pass or No Pass" enter "U" or "N" respectively) and click the Submit button
  4. Verify the mid-semester warning grade entry

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To Print Class Rosters

Faculty can print their own up to the minute class rosters via Web for Faculty Self-Service.

  1. Login to Web for Faculty Self Service
  2. Open the Summary Class List
  3. Before you print your class list, set the paper orientation to Landscape
  4. Print the class list by clicking the Printer icon or going to the File menu and selecting Print

If you prefer not to print the entire page, select the section you want to print by holding down the left mouse button and sweeping over the area you want to print. This highlights the selected portion. With the selection highlighted, press the right mouse button inside the highlighted area and select print.

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E-Mailing Your Class Rosters

Faculty e-mail the students on their class rosters via Web for Faculty from on or off-campus. You will need to be using the full Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007 e-mail client in order to perform this function.

To set up your home computer so that you can access BSU e-mail from Outlook 2003/2007, follow the steps in the Instructions for Using Outlook From Home PDF document. Please contact IT Support Services at 508.531.2555 or itsupport@bridgew.edu if you have any questions on setting this up.

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To Produce a Grade Book from the Class Roster

  1. Open the Summary Class List in Web for Faculty Self Service
  2. Highlight the table of names by clicking the left mouse button while selecting the area you want to export
  3. Go to the Edit menu and select Copy.
  4. Open Excel and go to the Edit menu and select Paste.
  5. Format as needed
  6. Save the excel worksheet

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To Assign a Web Advising Code to Students for Web Registration

Complete the following step-by-step instructions provided by the registrar's office to walk advisors through this process: Click here for instructions.

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Why is my class list / advising list showing in the Bcc field?

There has been a major change in the way Banner Self-Service version 7 (Installed at BSU on October 9, 2006) functions when you send email to your class and/or advisees. When you click on ‘Email your advisees’ or ‘Email class’ – the list of email addresses will now appear in the Bcc line of a new message instead of appearing in the To: line as in the past. This change was put in place based on FERPA guidelines and the need to protect the identifies of students. The message will be delivered to the list despite having nothing in the To field.

Important Notes and Tips

  • New ID numbers: In Banner, a student Banner ID number has replaced the student Social Security Number as the access point for student records. This was required to comply with federal student privacy laws.
  • Macintosh Logins: If you are using a computer with the Macintosh operating system, you may receive a Security Failure - Data decryption error message if you are accessing Web for Faculty via the Internet Explorer browser. You will want to use Apple's Safari browser as an alternative for accessing Web for Faculty on a Macintosh operating system (i.e. OS X). You can download Safari at http://www.apple.com/safari/download/
  • E-mailing from Web for Faculty: It is possible to e-mail your students from Web for Faculty; however, the e-mail will go to the e-mail address listed for the student in the Banner system. The default e-mail is the student’s BSU e-mail address, so if the student is using Hotmail, AOL, Comcast or any other service and ignoring his/her BSU e-mail account, the student will not receive your message. It is the student’s responsibility to maintain the BSU account.
  • Data availability: Student data, e.g. complete transcripts, is available to faculty via Web for Faculty. However, the corresponding data is not yet available to students via InfoBear. This means that students are not able to access or print out their unofficial transcripts at this time.
  • Grade Changes: Grade changes can be made on Web for Faculty only during the on-line grading period. Change of grade forms must be completed and returned to the Registrar's Office if a change of grade is made after this period.
  • Navigation: Do not double-click or use your Back or Forward browser buttons while navigating through Web for Faculty. Doing so will end your session. Also, do not use the scroll wheel on your mouse to move up and down the roster. Doing so will change student grades.
  • FERPA: To learn more about student record confidentiality rights in regards to the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), visit the following resources found via the Human Resources web site:
  • Timed Out: You will be logged out of Web for Faculty after 10 minutes of inactivity. To stay active in grading click once on the Submit button.
  • Logging Out: To avoid unauthorized access, be sure to always click once on the Exit button before leaving your PC.

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Web for Faculty & Advisors Availability

Web for Faculty is available 24/7 with the following exceptions:

  • Mornings from 3:00 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. and Friday night from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

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Need Help?

If you have any questions regarding your Web for Faculty & Advisors User ID or PIN, please contact Janet Taylor at the Registrar's Office at 508.531.2494 or e-mail jtaylor@bridgew.edu.

If you discover any record-keeping errors when using Web for Faculty & Advisors, please contact the Registrar's Office at 508.531.1231.

If you encounter any technical problems when using Web for Faculty & Advisors, please e-mail Banner Support at banner@bridgew.edu.

If you are interested in a one-on-one training session on using Web for Faculty & Advisors, please contact the Teaching and Technology Center at 508.531.2634 or e-mail ttc@bridgew.edu.

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User ID and PIN Support

Janet Taylor
Registrar's Office
Boyden Hall, Rm 003
508.531.2494
jtaylor@bridgew.edu

Record-Keeping Issues

Registrar Office
Boyden Hall, Rm 131
508.531.1231

Technical Issues

Banner Support
banner@bridgew.edu

Training

Teaching and Technology Center
Registrar's Office
Moakley Center, Rm 200
508.531.2634
ttc@bridgew.edu