Faculty Guidebook
Whether you are new to teaching with DEN or returning for the semester, please browse the sections below to review essential exam policies and technical guidelines. Reach out to our team anytime for assistance.
Director, Instructional Design & Support Services: Jairo Delgado
Instructional Designer: Cherie Vinopal
- Location: Olin Hall (OHE), Room 142
- Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00AM-7:00PM
- Telephone: (213) 740-9356
- Faculty Support: denisc@usc.edu
- Exams: denexam@usc.edu
For technical assistance outside of ISC hours, 24/7 support is available through the USC ITS Help Desk:
- Phone: 213-740-5555
- Website: https://itservices.usc.edu/about/contact/
General Policies & Guidelines
Management of Course Materials
Posting Policies and Guidelines
Please turn in your notes and/or handouts to the Technical Support Center office (OHE 142) before or after your class. Please sign in with the front staff in OHE 142 with your instructions regarding scanning and posting. If you have digital notes please post them directly to your course page on Brightspace.
You may also email the file to denisc@usc.edu at least 24 hours before expected post time, if it must be converted to SMART Board or PDF prior to posting. If you are emailing a file, please provide specific instructions along with the course number and the file name.
Lecture notes will be posted in your respective weekly course module on your course page.
SMART Board Electronic Notes
To facilitate the posting process, after your class please save your SMART Board notes in your course folder (ex. EE-555) located in My Documents folder on the desktop of the classroom computer. The Technical Support Center will convert your SMART Board file into a universally readable Adobe Acrobat PDF document. The PDF document will be posted in the appropriate weekly module of your Brightspace course page on the same business day.
Course Material Conversion
Instructors often need support converting older notes into modern, digital formats. The Instructional Support Center is prepared to assist online teachers with this process. Simply visit our offices in OHE 142 with your materials for a consultation on how we can help you.
Homework and Grading Procedures for DEN Students
Incoming Homework
Incoming homework is directly submitted in the Assignments area in the Brightspace system. Assignments are created by faculty or course administrators/teaching team. In order to minimize paper waste, the office does not automatically print homework. Instructors and TAs can find electronic copies of DEN student's submitted homework online by logging in to their course on D2L Brightspace and clicking on the DEN@Viterbi Students module.
Electronic Grading Options Available to Faculty, Teaching Assistance, and Graders
Faculty are able to use the Brightspace system to grade student homework submissions electronically and return them immediately to students. The grade will tie in with Brightspace's gradebook. Please contact the DEN Instructional Support Center office at denisc@usc.edu to receive more information and training on using Brightspace Annotations.
Returning Graded Homework
- Electronically-submitted homework: The DEN Instructional Support Center office (OHE 142) can provide resources and training for instructors and TAs on how to grade electronically-submitted homework. Devices, such as Tablet PCs and iPads, are available for faculty who are interested in grading electronically-submitted homework.
Homework and Grading Best Practices
- In Brightspace, create an Assignment folder for each homework assignment. This will maintain an organized collection and grading of each student's submission.
- Take advantage of using the electronic annotations feature of Brightspace assignments. If you require additional assistance please don't hesitate to contact us.
Remote Assessments & Exam Operations
Overview
As we maintain academic integrity and standard assessment practices across our online engineering graduate programs, DEN@Viterbi provides centralized support for proctored midterms and final exams.
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Mid-term and final examination dates and times are established by the course instructor and must be published in the course syllabus. Proctored examinations for remote students must be held at the exact same time that the examination is taken by students on campus.
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Off-campus students are held to the exact same rigorous academic and professional standards as on-campus students.
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Students are responsible for taking their examinations at the exact time scheduled. No unauthorized exceptions or personal rescheduling are permitted. Unforeseen, documented emergencies that cause a student to miss a scheduled exam are reviewed strictly on a case-by-case basis.
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To accommodate distance students residing in international or distant time zones, examinations may be scheduled at an alternate time from the on-campus exam when necessary. In these cases, the examination will take place as close to the actual on-campus examination time as operationally possible.
Remote Proctoring Ecosystem & Modalities
To combat modern academic integrity challenges—including the proliferation of generative AI tools—DEN@Viterbi supports standardized remote proctoring pathways alongside traditional off-campus in-person proctoring options.
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The default remote assessment pathway provides a secure online environment that restricts unauthorized browser navigation, blocks copy/paste functionality, and prevents secondary tabs or unapproved AI extensions during exams.
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Configured specifically for traditional engineering problem-solving, the remote platform allows students to view PDF exam prompts securely on-screen, complete solutions by hand on physical paper under continuous webcam and room-scan monitoring, and scan and upload their completed work before ending the session.
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If a remote student elects or requires an off-campus physical testing facility, DEN Exams manages proctor vetting, exam package delivery, and coordination directly with the student and their proctor, subject to strict lead-time requirements.
Honorlock & Virtual Proctoring for Faculty
Honorlock serves as Viterbi's standardized remote proctoring solution tailored to meet the unique operational and academic needs of distance engineering education.
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Pre-installed directly within Brightspace course shells, requiring minimal setup by faculty or TAs beyond unhiding the LTI link and configuring examination parameters.
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Accommodates traditional, complex handwritten engineering problem-solving rather than restricting assessments to multiple-choice formats. Students view secure PDFs on their screens, work out derivations on physical paper, and scan and upload their problem sets before ending their exam session.
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Certified live proctors actively supervise exams and filter out innocent environmental distractions, ensuring faculty only review substantive anomalies.
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Standardizing on Honorlock ensures that all distance students across Viterbi graduate courses adhere to consistent, verifiable academic integrity standards without placing undue administrative overhead on instructional departments.
- For more information please click on the "Honorlock FAQs" section.
Instructor Requirements & Responsibilities
Instructor requirements are streamlined and designed to minimize technical friction. Faculty and TAs manage course-level setup and academic evaluation, while the DEN Exams team manages backend security, central tracking, and off-campus proctoring logistics.
Instructional Teams (Faculty, TAs, or Course Producers) are responsible for:
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Complete the course intake form before the semester deadline to log your scheduled exam dates, time windows, and permitted resources, such as specific scientific calculators or allowed scratch paper. This gives our office the official parameters needed to coordinate directly with external proctors if any students elect in-person testing.
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Unhide the pre-installed proctoring tool link in your course Content Area (hidden by default) and toggle your exam rules to match your submitted course form.
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Remind remote students to complete the system practice check well ahead of Exam 1 to verify their webcam, hardware, and document scanning setup.
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Access the post-exam dashboard to review timestamped video clips if an academic integrity flag occurs.
What the DEN Exams Office handles for you:
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Maintaining the master database tracking exam dates and parameters across all graduate courses.
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Reviewing, vetting, and dispatching physical exam packages to approved testing facilities for students opting out of online proctoring.
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Managing course group enrollments and removing approved in-person test-takers to revoke digital access to exam PDF prompts and prevent online leaks.
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Partnering with faculty to integrate solutions like Gradescope to digitize paper-and-pencil exams and streamline the grading interface.
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Co-hosting setup workshops for TAs and course producers and managing vendor escalations.
Training, Support & Best Practices
Training and Setup Support
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We co-host short drop-in setup workshops to walk TAs and course staff through unhiding proctoring links, matching exam rules to course policies, and reviewing post-exam integrity flags.
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Reliable live-chat technical support is provided directly to students during active exam windows, ensuring technical troubleshooting stays off the plates of faculty and TAs.
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For specific logistical questions, scheduling, or proctor coordination, your instructional team can reach out directly to our office at denexam@usc.edu or call (213) 821-3136.
Best Practices for Exam Management
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Clearly outline allowed resources, time limits, and exam rules in your pre-exam announcements. Additionally, instruct students that they can and should write out any assumptions if a test question is unclear or open to interpretation. Encourage them to explicitly state their reasoning (e.g., "I am assuming X refers to Y in this context, and therefore I will approach the problem by..."). Giving partial credit during grading for well-reasoned logic greatly reduces student anxiety.
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While you cannot monitor a live stream for every student, you can set up a temporary discussion board or a monitored chat channel specifically for the exam window where students can post clarification questions, which you or your TAs can check periodically.
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Let students know ahead of time that live proctors are present solely to monitor security protocols, verify browser locking, and assist with technical issues, such as webcam or hardware glitches. Proctors are not subject-matter experts and cannot answer questions regarding exam content or test questions.
Honorlock is an online proctoring service designed to maintain academic integrity during remote exams. It uses a combination of AI and live proctors to monitor students, detect potential cheating behaviors, and ensure a fair testing environment. The platform integrates with our Brightspace learning management system, offering flexibility for students and faculty by allowing written exams to be taken from any location while upholding testing standards.
Honorlock is USC Viterbi’s required remote proctoring standard for DEN graduate engineering courses, selected to address critical academic integrity, pedagogical, and operational needs:
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Protects Against Generative AI & Unapproved Tools: Honorlock locks the student's browser environment to prevent access to unauthorized websites, browser extensions, and AI tools (such as ChatGPT) during exams.
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Supports Handwritten Engineering Assessments: Configured specifically for traditional problem-solving, Honorlock allows students to view PDF exam prompts securely on-screen, complete solutions by hand on paper under webcam and room-scan monitoring, and scan/upload their completed work before ending the session.
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Accessible and Free for Remote Students: Honorlock provides distance students with a secure, 24/7 online testing option at no cost, removing the need to schedule appointments or pay out-of-pocket fees at physical testing centers.
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Filtered Incidents & Direct Support: Certified live proctors review automated flags in real time to filter out false positives before escalating genuine incidents to instructional teams. Honorlock also provides 24/7 live-chat technical support directly to students, taking technical troubleshooting off the plates of faculty and TAs.
Honorlock combines automated browser controls, artificial intelligence, and certified human proctors to maintain a secure and fair testing environment:
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Browser Lockdown & AI Prevention: Honorlock restricts browser navigation, blocks copy/paste functionality, and prevents students from opening secondary tabs, external websites, or unapproved AI extensions during the exam.
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Secondary Device & Search Detection: Multi-device monitoring technology detects attempts to search for exam prompts or answers using secondary devices (such as smartphones or tablets) on the same network.
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AI Monitoring with Live Proctor Intervention: AI continually monitors webcam, audio, and screen activity. If a potential violation occurs (e.g., secondary people in the room or off-screen distraction), a certified live proctor pops into the session in real time to address the issue and guide the student.
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Identity Verification & Environment Checks: Students present a photo ID and complete a 360-degree room scan to verify their identity and ensure their testing area is free of unauthorized materials before the exam begins.
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Secure Written Exam Workflow: For traditional handwritten engineering assessments, Honorlock locks down the browser while students view PDF prompts, monitor handwritten problem-solving on paper, and require students to scan and upload their completed solution sheets directly within the active session.
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Filtered Post-Exam Reports: Live proctors review automated flags to filter out false positives (such as ambient noise or sneezing). Instructional teams receive timestamped video clips and incident logs only when genuine anomalies occur, allowing faculty to make final pedagogical evaluations.
The DEN Instructional Support team provides direct onboarding and technical support:
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TA & Course Producer Workshops: We co-host short, 20-minute drop-in setup workshops with Honorlock specialists. These sessions walk TAs and course staff through unhiding the LTI link in Brightspace, matching exam rules to course policies, and reviewing post-exam integrity flags.
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Direct Vendor Support: Honorlock provides reliable, 24/7 live-chat technical support directly to students during active exam windows, ensuring technical troubleshooting stays off the plates of faculty and TAs.
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Dedicated DEN Assistance: For specific logistical questions, scheduling, or proctor coordination, your instructional team can reach out directly to our office at denexam@usc.edu .
Instructor requirements are straightforward and designed to minimize technical friction. Faculty and TAs manage course-level setup and academic evaluation, while the DEN Exams team manages backend security, central tracking, and off-campus proctoring logistics.
Instructional teams (Faculty, TAs, or Course Producers) are responsible for:
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Submitting Exam Logistics: Complete the single Faculty Exam Discovery Form (Fillout) before the semester deadline to log your scheduled exam dates, time windows, and permitted resources (e.g., scientific calculators, allowed scratch paper). This gives DEN Exams the official parameters needed to coordinate directly with external proctors if any of your students elect in-person testing.
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Enabling Honorlock in Brightspace: Unhide the pre-installed Honorlock LTI link in your Brightspace course Content Area (hidden by default) and toggle your exam rules to match your submitted Discovery Form.
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Directing Students to the Practice Quiz: Remind remote students to complete the Honorlock Practice Quiz located in the "DEN@Viterbi students" module in Brightspace well ahead of Exam 1 to verify their webcam and document scanning setup.
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Reviewing Escalated Incident Flags: Access the post-exam Honorlock dashboard to review timestamped video clips if an academic integrity flag occurs. (Honorlock’s certified live proctors filter out false positives—such as ambient noise or sneezing—before escalating genuine anomalies to the course dashboard).
What the DEN Exams Office handles for you:
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Central Exam Management: Maintaining the master database tracking exam dates and parameters across all graduate courses.
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In-Person Proctor Coordination: Reviewing, vetting, and dispatching physical exam packages to approved testing facilities for students who opt out of Honorlock.
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LMS Access & Security Control: Managing Brightspace Honorlock group enrollments and removing approved in-person test-takers to revoke digital access to exam PDF prompts and prevent online leaks.
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Support & Training: Co-hosting 20-minute setup workshops for TAs/CPs and managing vendor escalations.
If students have questions during an Honorlock-proctored exam, the system does not facilitate direct real-time communication between students and instructors. However, there are several strategies to address this:
1. Clear Instructions Before the Exam:
Ensure that all relevant details, such as allowed resources, time limits, and exam rules, are clearly outlined in the exam instructions. This will minimize the chances of confusion during the exam.
Writing out assumptions:
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Include Clear Instructions: In the exam instructions, tell students they can and should write out any assumptions if a question is unclear or open to interpretation. Make sure they know this is an acceptable practice.
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Encourage Structured Responses: Encourage students to explicitly state their assumptions, especially if a question seems ambiguous. For example: “I am assuming that X refers to Y in this context, and therefore I will approach the problem by…”
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Provide a Sample Question: During exam prep or in class, you could give a sample question with multiple interpretations and demonstrate how writing out assumptions can help clarify the approach.
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Reward Logical Thinking: When grading, consider giving partial credit for well-reasoned assumptions and approaches, even if the final answer is incorrect, as long as their logic was sound based on the assumptions they made
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2. Set Up a Communication Channel:
- Email or Messaging: Encourage students to email or message you during the exam if they have questions. However, remind them that it may take some time to respond, depending on when you are available.
- Discussion Board or Chat: Some instructors set up a temporary discussion board or chat within Brightspace for students to post questions during the exam. You can monitor this while the exam is taking place.
3. Use Honorlock’s Chat Feature (Proctoring Support):
While Honorlock's live proctors primarily address technical issues or potential academic misconduct, they can notify students if they notice confusion. Honorlock proctors may pause the exam and communicate with students through chat if an issue arises. However, this is typically to address exam integrity, not content-related questions.
If a student requires exam accommodations (such as extended time or alternative formatting) verified by an official letter from the USC Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS), you can easily apply these adjustments directly within the LMS. Use the Special Access or user-override settings within your Brightspace quiz container to customize time limits, availability windows, or attempt settings specific to that individual student. When remote proctoring is enabled, Honorlock automatically recognizes these LMS time extensions, ensuring the student has their approved testing window without requiring separate administrative paperwork. The two information guides below will show you how to create an accommodation at the student level (for all quizzes) or at the quiz level.
How to adjust accommodations in a Brighspace course at the student level
How to adjust accommodations in a Brighspace course at the exam/quiz level
Studio Classroom Overview
The operation of each DEN classroom studio is very much like a standard classroom with the addition of considerable technology. Depending on the required level of interactivity and support, you may be assigned a control room operator to assist you. Our goal is to be flexible in accommodating different teaching styles and needs.
Studio classrooms are managed by our Instructional Operations group. For any inquiries, please contact them at denoperations@usc.edu or (213) 740-0130
Your class may have a student control room operator. They are supervised by one of our Instructional Operations staff supervisors. Your operator will post their name on the control room window and introduce him or herself to you before the first class session. Your operator will need to know your preferences (e.g. if you prefer to take live phone calls at any point in the class or just at certain times).
Your control room operator performs the following duties:
- Controls cameras and instructional presentation sources
- Adjusts audio levels as needed
- Alerts you of incoming phone calls
- Alerts you of end times (5 minute warning) for class and recordings
Note - control room operator assignments depend on course and instructor needs. If you have any questions, please inform an Instructional Operations supervisor or manager.
DEN students can participate live via Zoom and ask questions during class. You will hear the student through the in-studio audio system. Multiple students can participate synchronously with the class via video/audio conference, online chat, and desktop sharing applications.
Live Class Access: The classroom support team generates recurring Zoom links for DEN live access. These will appear in the DEN@Viterbi Students module within the course content section of your Brightspace course page. To avoid confusion, the standard USC Zoom link has been removed from the Navigation Bar so students know to look in that module instead.
Remove/Delete Auto-created Zoom meeting links: Separately, USC ITS automatically generates a recurring Zoom meeting for your course in your personal Zoom account. We highly recommend deleting this recurring meeting from your personal Zoom account, since it can conflict with or be mistaken for the official DEN Zoom link in the course module.
Virtual Office Hours: We encourage you to use your own Zoom account (accessible via USC Zoom) for virtual office hours by creating a recurring meeting and sharing that specific link with your students through an announcement or email.
Updates to In-Person Attendance Policies
Updated 3/2025
To ensure that students comply with F-1 in-person regulations, Viterbi has been advised by OIS that students, during the Fall and Spring semesters (and during Summer if that is the student's first term on an initial I-20), may not:
- Participate in internships away from the USC area (defined as Los Angeles County, Ventura County and Orange County)
- Take online DEN@Viterbi courses.
- Be granted special online accommodations by faculty to participate remotely in on-campus course sections.
For the full memo released by Viterbi Senior Administration, please click here.
Remote DEN Student Attendance
DEN@Viterbi recognizes the need for flexibility for remote DEN students. A DEN student is any student enrolled in a DEN Section of a course.
- Attendance requirements are set by individual instructors.
- Attendance policies are to be disclosed in the course syllabus or at the beginning of the semester.
- Instructors understand the unique challenges remote students face and typically offer reasonable accommodations.
- If live attendance is mandatory, students unable to attend required live sessions should contact their instructor directly to discuss alternatives.
- If attendance conflicts cannot be resolved with the instructor, students should consult with the VASE advisor team to explore additional options.
If you would like guidance on providing DEN students with alternative accommodations due to live attendance requirements, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.
Adding TAs, Graders, or Course Producers: Course enrollment in Brightspace is automatically synced with the university's student information system (SIS), including teaching assistants and graders. Because of this, we can no longer manually add TAs or Graders for you. If you notice someone is missing from your roster, you'll need to reach out to your department's Course Scheduling Coordinator. You can find more details here: Brightspace Help – Adding People to Your Course.
Course Builders: When you look at your Classlist, you'll likely see a few "course builders" listed. These are just members of the DEN team who help out with video posting and exam-related settings, so don't worry about those extra names.
Brightspace Training: If you need a refresher or have questions about specific features, the "Brightspace Guided Training for Instructors" link on the landing page is a great resource.