HelioCampus Support Resources

Summer 2023 Update: AEFIS was acquired by HelioCampus in 2022. In June of 2023, HelioCampus branding and logos were applied to the Assessment Tool. Minor functional improvements have been applied, it is mostly branding updates. Rensselaer has gone through most of the materials and made the name change, however some documentation and tutorials may still use the AEFIS terminology and screens. We are in the process of updating. The older material is still valid and accurate for learning as the updates are minor.

HelioCampus Login Information

All instructors can login into HelioCampus using their RCS ID and password. There is a direct link to access HelioCampus on our RPInfo page under the Faculty and Staff Resources section. Instructors will automatically have accounts created once they are added in our RPI Banner system and assigned a course. 

If you are new to Rensselaer and do not have an HelioCampus account or experience problems logging in, please contact Maureen Fodera.

HelioCampus Assessment Resources

This HelioCampus solution can be used by departments for Program Review. It is also used by Programs in the Schools of Engineering, Management and Architecture for external accreditation.

There are three ways for assignments to appear in HelioCampus in order to be linked.

  1. You use the LMS to collect assignments and assessments. Assignments and assessments collected in Blackboard automatically populate in HelioCampus. The next step is to link assignments to relevant program outcomes (instructions below). Note: If you use Gradescope, there is an automatic LMS connection feature so that you can have your Gradescope grades appear in HelioCampus from the LMS.
     
  2. You collect your students' assignments and assessments through some other means besides the LMS and keep a grading sheet in excel. You can import grades from an excel spread sheet into HelioCampus in order to link those assignments/assessment. It is a two-step process. First you would create an assignment in HelioCampus and then you would link the assignment to the relevant program outcome. Here is a link to an HelioCampus tutorial on How to Import Grades from Excel Spreadsheet into HelioCampus. Here is a link to step by step instructions with screen shots.
     
  3. You can create assignments/assessment directly in HelioCampus, score them and have students submit their work directly into HelioCampus. How to Create Assignments for a Course (with Rubric Criteria).

HelioCampus Syllabus Support Resources

Course syllabi must be completed and published by the faculty member/instructor two weeks after the first day of classes for the term. HelioCampus will automatically publish all syllabi 3 weeks after the first day of classes for the term. Once courses are published, students will be able to review the syllabus in the HelioCampus interface. In addition, the public URL that is available will display all syllabus contents. The URL for the syllabus in HelioCampus can be copied and shared in any tool (LMS, email, or websites).

Course Syllabi will be in a Faculty Pending status initially which means faculty can go in and create or apply changes for the current terms syllabus. Course or section learning outcomes must be entered when in the Faculty Pending status and before the course syllabus is Published. As mentioned above, syllabi should be published two weeks after the first day of classes. *Note: Once the course syllabus is published, faculty can still edit items in their course syllabus with the exception of learning outcomes.

Syllabi will automatically copy over from a prior fall or spring term (whichever was the last term the course was taught and the syllabi was uploaded for) as long as all of the section instructors are exactly the same. If different instructors were listed then the instructor can use the Copy From feature instead to save time and copy a syllabus from a prior term. Summer syllabi will only copy from summer syllabi terms. However, if you wanted to copy a syllabus that you created in HelioCampus from a spring or fall term, an instructor can certainly do so using the Copy From feature.

To verify what courses have not been published for the current term, view the Course Sections widget from the HelioCampus Dashboard. For the current term listed, click the Faculty Pending link or the number above. A list of courses display that have not yet been published.

Running the Syllabus Faculty Pending Report

Review the resources below to run the faculty pending syllabus report prior to the syllabi automatically publishing. As a reminder, syllabi will automatically publish in HelioCampus three weeks after the first day of classes. Syllabi in Faculty Pending status indicates the course syllabus has not been completed and/or published. 

Exporting Syllabi from HelioCampus and Importing into a Box Folder (Middle States Initiative)

Review the resources below to view the steps on how to export syllabi from HelioCampus and then upload to an RPI box folder.  Departments will be asked to take these specific steps during Fall 2023 for the Middle States Accreditation coming up in 2025. 

Running the Course Section Learning Outcomes Audit Report

The information below is for Department Administrators that are looking to verify if course syllabi are in compliance. When looking at compliance for the syllabi in departments, ensure that there are either course learning outcomes or section learning outcomes defined. Learning outcomes at the course level or section level must be defined before a faculty member publishes their syllabus. To check on this compliance, run the Course Section Learning Outcomes Audit Report. Below is a link to a video tutorial on how to run the Course Section Learning Outcomes Audit report:

Step-by-Step Documentation for Running the Syllabus Learning Outcomes Compliance Report: Course Section Learning Outcomes Audit Report

Video Tutorial for Running the Syllabus Learning Outcomes Compliance Report: Course Section Objectives Audit Report (7:53)

  • If the outcomes have not been defined and the syllabus is in Faculty Pending status, administrators can reach out to the instructor and let them know they need to add the learning outcomes before they publish their syllabus.
  • If the outcomes have not been defined and the syllabus is in Published status, contact the HelioCampus Rensselaer Support Team to see if it can be possible to open up the course again to allow the course learning outcomes to be entered for the current term. Otherwise, it may need to wait until the next term.

The video tutorials below are focused specifically on the Rensselaer template in HelioCampus.

Course Coordinator Role

Instructor Role

Below is a link to a series of general videos produced by HelioCampus on creating course content for a syllabus. A description of each video is noted below along with what roles are for each video:

  • How to Create a Syllabus Template (Institute Administrator Role) - this video is for the HelioCampus Administrator in creating the institute wide syllabus. This video would not need to be reviewed by Course Coordinators or Instructors.
  • How to Add CLOs & Syllabus Default Content to Courses (Course Coordinator Role) - this video is for Course Coordinators to review to understand how to add CLOs and Syllabus Default content to courses. This video would not need to be reviewed by instructors.
  • How to Add Syllabus Content from the Instructor Role - this video shows the process for instructors to add syllabus content each term.

HelioCampus Training Video Link for Described Videos Above: HelioCampus Adding Content to Course Syllabus Training Videos

Additional Support:

HelioCampus Course Evaluations Support Resources

Two weeks before a Survey Collection Period begins, faculty receive an email notifying them that the survey will be opening soon for the students and that they have time to now add additional questions to their course surveys. This is an optional feature. Several question types are available: multiple choice (single or multiple answer), text/memo, true/false, and drop down select. Questions must be added the day before the survey opens otherwise, they will not be included in the survey.

Important Notes

** When creating an additional question the instructor will need to select the course evaluation for this question to display. For all schools except the School of Engineering the selection will always be End of Term. For those instructors in the School of Engineering, when creating additional questions, choose if this question is for Mid-Term or End of Term course evaluations. The question can display for both but be sure to make the correct choice so the question displays as expected.

**In addition, please be aware that if a course has more than one instructor, it is considered a team taught course and the instructors would collaborate on the questions they would like to ask the students. The added questions in a team taught course would show on each instructors report. In team taught courses, these questions would not be specific to them as an instructor.

While a survey is open, faculty and administrators can view the current response rates of their school, department, or course depending on their role. Below is a video tutorial on how to view the response rates:

Faculty & Administrators

The institute minimum response rule in HelioCampus to protect students is for a course that has an enrollment of 5 or more, the course will have a minimum set to show responses of 10%. If a course has an enrollment of 4 or less, then the instructor will be unable to view those evaluations and must reach out to the Department Head of that course to request and receive the evaluation report. If the Department Head approves, the Department Head or their administrator is responsible for sending the instructor the report(s). One of the recommended reports to run in this situation is the Student Course Evaluation Results by Instructor which can be found in the Report Widget or Report Dashboard of the HelioCampus Dashboard. Steps or a video tutorial on how to run this report can be found below the Faculty & Administrators - Running Reports from the Report Widget/Dashboard section.

Below you will find specific reporting information that is beneficial to our Rensselaer community. Please be aware there is an HelioCampus Analytics Guide available which offers more information on reporting depending on user role. 

Administrators Only

Faculty and Teaching Assistants Only

Faculty & Administrators - Running Reports from the Report Widget/Dashboard

Student Course Evaluation Results by Instructor Report - this report displays a course summary of the responses for each question in the survey.

Course Section Trend Analysis Report - the strength of this report is that it allows for comparison across schools and departments. Depending on the user role, various aggregate summaries can be reviewed. This report only compares numerical data and does not work with open ended questions.

Student Course Evaluation Metric Trend Analysis Report - this report will display only the metric questions (overall instructor and course) results for course(s) selected.

Please click the link for training opportunities on course evaluations in HelioCampus:

HelioCampus Course Evaluation Training Opportunities

HelioCampus Training Opportunities

Office of the Provost

110 8th Street - Troy Building

518-276-6487

Staff Directory

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