Global Link Instructor Guide

1. Welcome to the Instructor

1.1 Overview of the Overall Academic Experience

Welcome to the Global Link Program! One of the most distinctive academic pathways in international higher education today. As a faculty member teaching a Global Link course, you are not simply delivering course content; you are actively shaping the academic trajectory of students who are simultaneously enrolled in two-degree programs at once: one at your home institution and one at Arizona State University (ASU).

Global Link programs are, at their core, connected programs. They are designed so that the courses your students take at your institution are academically recognized and transferred to ASU as part of an approved Plan of Study. Depending on the pathway, students may pursue an Undergraduate Dual Degree, earning two bachelor's degrees, one from your institution and one from ASU, or a Graduate Dual Degree, in which they can transfer up to twelve graduate credits toward an accelerated master's degree at ASU. In some cases, students may even complete up to 40% of their master's degree while still enrolled as undergraduates.

Global Link has the following pathway types:

• Undergraduate Dual Degree: Students from Partner Institutions will be able to obtain TWO undergraduate degrees, one from the partner institution and one from ASU.
• Graduate Dual Degree: Students from Partner Institutions will have the choice to transfer up to 12 credits (4 courses) towards an accelerated master's pathway or a graduate dual degree program.
• Students from Partner Institution will be able to accelerate 30-40% of their master's degree during their undergraduate study at the local institution. Students will receive an undergraduate degree from the partner institution and a Master's degree from ASU, which can be completed in an accelerated fashion.

This means that the academic experience you provide in your classroom has direct implications for your students' futures at ASU, including their credit transfers, academic standing, and readiness to succeed in a US-based university environment. Every lecture, every assignment, and every discussion contributes to a larger educational journey that may take students across continents.

"These programs are a great differentiator, a very positive contribution to their employability, to the development of their global mindset, and hopefully to their future professional careers."

The Global Link experience is Powered by ASU, which means it is grounded in ASU's New American University principles, a commitment to access, excellence, and impact. Your course exists within this broader ecosystem, and as an instructor, you are entrusted with upholding both the academic standards and the transformative spirit that define the ASU experience.

1.2 Your Role as a Global Link Ambassador

Your role in this program extends well beyond that of a course instructor. You are a Global Link Ambassador, a key figure in your students' transition from your home institution to ASU and to careers that may unfold on a global stage.

What Does It Mean to Be a Global Link Ambassador? A Global Link Ambassador is an educator who understands that their course is one part of a larger international academic experience. You hold responsibility not only for the quality of what you teach, but also for the integrity, continuity, and global relevance of your students' academic journey.

As a Global Link Ambassador, your responsibilities include the following:

• Protecting the transferability of credits. The learning outcomes and assessment criteria in your course must reflect those approved by ASU. Modifications that impact core learning objectives may not be implemented without written agreement.
• Upholding academic standards. Your course must adhere to ASU's academic integrity standards, design principles, and syllabus requirements. These are not optional guidelines; they are the backbone of what makes credit transfer possible.
• Fostering a global mindset. You are helping students develop the intellectual and professional competencies they will need at ASU and beyond. This means designing learning experiences that are rigorous, culturally responsive, and forward-looking.
• Serving as a bridge. You represent the link between your institution's academic culture and ASU's. In many ways, you are the first ASU experience your students will have, and that experience matters.
• Supporting student continuity. Your course is not an endpoint. Students will carry what they learn with them into their ASU coursework. Your investment in their success here is an investment in their success there.

This guide has been designed to support you in all of these responsibilities. It is a practical tool, but also a statement of purpose: to help you teach not just a course but a chapter in your students' lives.

1.3 A Message on Academic Excellence, Integrity, and Commitment

Arizona State University places immense value on the research and scholarship of its students and faculty and is deeply committed to a culture of academic integrity and scholarly ethics. As a partner institution and a faculty member in a Global Link pathway, you are welcomed into that culture and asked to help foster it.

Academic integrity is not merely a policy requirement. It is a foundational value that makes the Global Link credential meaningful. When your students transfer to ASU, they join a community where integrity is expected at every level. If your course and the habits of mind it cultivates reflect that same standard, your students will arrive prepared to thrive.

"No matter what stage of your educational or professional career pursuits, acting with integrity is a cornerstone of leadership and good citizenship." (ASU Academic Integrity Principles)

We ask for your commitment to the following principles throughout the term:

• Teach with purpose. Every element of your course should be designed to help students genuinely learn, not merely to complete requirements.
• Set clear expectations. Use the syllabus, the Academic Integrity Agreement, and the Syllabus Quiz as tools to establish a shared understanding of standards from day one.
• Proactively address integrity. Do not wait for a violation to discuss academic honesty. Integrate it into your course culture from the first week.
• Stay aligned. Do not modify core learning objectives or assessment criteria without following the Global Link Modification Notification Process and receiving written approval.
• Reach out for support. The Global Link team and your institution's program director are here to help. When in doubt, ask, do not assume.

1.4 Connecting Your Course to the Powered by ASU Experience

The phrase "Powered by ASU" is more than just a branding slogan. It represents a meaningful academic and institutional connection: your institution's programs and the courses they contain are aligned with and academically associated with Arizona State University's curricula, standards, and values.

This connection has practical implications for how your course is designed and delivered:

• Your syllabus must reflect ASU-approved learning outcomes. The institution may enrich and contextualize these outcomes, but the core ASU learning objectives must be preserved and demonstrably met.
• Your assessments must align with those learning outcomes. Modifications to assessments are permitted only when they continue to measure the same competencies ASU has defined for the course.
• Your course content and materials are part of the ASU intellectual ecosystem. Materials derived from ASU content are subject to copyright protections and derivative work policies outlined in the agreement between your institution and ASU.
• Your students' performance in your course will be evaluated for transfer credit to ASU. Consistency, rigor, and transparency in your grading practices are essential.

Think of your course not as a standalone unit, but as Chapter One of your student's ASU journey. What you teach today is the foundation they will build upon at ASU tomorrow.

3. Course Overview

3.1 Suggested Course Design Pathway

3.2 Course-Level Learning Outcomes, Course Map, and Calendar

Course-Level Learning Outcomes

Course-level Learning Outcomes are approved by ASU and displayed on your Home Page (see the "Course Learning Outcomes" list). You may add contextual framing around them, for example, a sentence connecting them to local industry needs or examples relevant to your institution, but you cannot edit, narrow, or reword the outcomes themselves. They must stay exactly as approved, since this is what's checked for transfer credit eligibility. (A similar logic applies to module-level Learning Objectives, see the Guiding Principle for working within Canvas.)

Course Map

Your Home Page already includes a course map, built as a row of module cards (Module 1 through the final module), each showing the module title and a short description. Each card has a date field, shown as a placeholder like "[Insert Week Dates Here]", that you're expected to fill in with your term's actual schedule. The card titles and descriptions are locked; the dates are yours to complete.

In other words: you don't need to build a separate course map from scratch, it's this same module card layout on your Home Page. Your only action item is filling in the date range for each module.

Calendar

A simple week-by-week table, built from the same dates you enter on the module cards, is the easiest way to give students a single reference point. Example structure:

This is a template, not a fixed format, adapt the number of rows to your course's actual module count and term length.

3.3 Key Policies to Display

These are already built into Module 0 of your course, ready for you to review and adapt:

• Academic Integrity Agreement (Module 0): includes an editable instructor callout box where you can add your own institution's policy alongside ASU's, see the Editable vs. Locked breakdown for the Home Page and Module 0.
• ASU Honor Code, linked directly from that same page (provost.asu.edu/academic-integrity/honor-code), along with references to the Sun Devil Way (eoss.asu.edu/sundevilway).

Attendance and late-work policies are not currently built into the course shell, those remain entirely up to each institution's own syllabus, per the Grading Workflow guidance.

5. Working Within Canvas: What You Can and Cannot Edit

5.1 Editing Rules

5.1.1 Guiding Principle

Before making any change inside your Canvas course shell, ask yourself this question:

Does this change affect what the student sees or reads as context/guidance (editable), or does it affect what the student is required to learn, do, or how they will be assessed (locked)?

In other words:

• If you change something and the student still learns exactly the same thing and is assessed the same way → it's likely editable.
• If you change something and it alters what the student learns, how they're assessed, or how much that assessment is worth → it's locked, and you'll need to follow the Modification Notification Process described in the Academic Excellence, Integrity, and Commitment section before touching it.

Your course was calibrated against ASU-approved Learning Outcomes. Cosmetic and contextual elements can be adapted to your institution's identity; structural and assessment elements cannot.

On Learning Objectives specifically: you may enrich and contextualize a module's stated Learning Objectives, for example, adding local examples, industry context, or supplementary framing that helps your students relate to them. What you cannot do is modify, narrow, or replace the original objective itself. The core Learning Objective, as approved by ASU, must remain intact and demonstrably met; this is what protects your students' credit transfer eligibility (see Connecting Your Course to the Powered by ASU Experience).

5.1.1.1 Two Areas, Two Logics

Every Global Link course is organized into two distinct areas, each with its own editing logic:

• Home Page & Module 0, onboarding and initial course setup. Includes the Home Page, Course Syllabus Page, Module Navigation Panel, Instructor Guide, PBA Complementary Resources, and Signature Courses, plus the Module 0 pages (Netiquette, Syllabus Quiz, Academic Integrity Agreement, Resources Guide).
• Content Modules (Module 1 onward), the standardized module pattern, the same across all Global Link courses (content varies, structure doesn't): Resources Guide → Overview → Learning Materials (Readings / Resources by Your Instructor / ASU Complementary Materials) → Assessments Guide → Assessments.

5.1.1.2 Editable vs. Locked: Home Page & Module 0

5.1.1.3 Editable vs. Locked: Content Modules (Standard Pattern, Module 1+)

5.1.1.4 On Modifying Learning Activities

Before editing an assessment, first check whether you and your students have access to the original course resources referenced in it, some are paywalled. If you don't have access, use one of the approved alternatives listed in that module's Resources Guide instead of skipping the activity.

You are free to edit or change a learning activity; this isn't limited to cases where the original resource is inaccessible. If you replace the originally recommended resource (textbook, case study, or recommended framework) with one of your own choosing, and that change affects the activity, you may edit or replace the activity accordingly. How you design the edited assessment is entirely up to you, but for your convenience, the Resources Guide already pairs each approved alternative with a suggested assessment, so you don't have to build one from scratch if you'd rather not.

The one requirement is curricular alignment: whatever you change it to must still cover the module's Learning Objectives. Where possible, though, we recommend keeping the ASU-recommended resource and activity as originally designed, to preserve the intended learning experience, think of using an alternative as an option available to you, not a default.

On quiz questions specifically: a graded quiz's question bank, timing, and point values are otherwise locked (see the Editable vs. Locked breakdown for Content Modules, and the What You Should Never Do list). The one exception is a question that directly references a reading or resource you've replaced with an approved alternative, in that case, you may edit that specific question so it reflects the change, the same way the Resources Guide flags which assessment a reading feeds into. This doesn't open up the rest of the quiz to editing.

5.1.2 The Three Standard "Instructor Note" Box Types

You'll recognize these right away because they repeat across every module. Here's exactly what each one means and what to do the first time you encounter it:

Example of the first type, as it appears in the course: "Important: If you choose to replace any assigned readings with an open-access alternative, use only the approved alternatives provided in the Resource Guide. Remove any readings you will not use and add the selected replacements, so this page accurately reflects the final assigned readings. Before publishing: Once all updates are complete, delete this note before publishing the course."

5.1.3 How to Make Common Edits in Canvas

1. Replacing the Course Syllabus PDF

1. Go to the Course Syllabus Page.

2. Click to open or download the current PDF. This is a reference example, you don't edit this file directly.

3. Read through it and note the relevant information (learning outcomes, course structure, policies) you'll need.

4. Build your own syllabus using that information, or use the version generated by your institution.

5. Save your institution's syllabus as a PDF.

6. Return to the Course Syllabus Page and click Edit.

7. Delete the placeholder PDF file.

8. Upload your finished syllabus PDF in its place.

9. Click Save.

10. Delete the "Instructor Action Required" box.

2. Uploading Overview videos

1. Open the Modules section.

2. Locate and open the Meet Your Professor page.

3. Record a short video introducing yourself (background, contact info, office hours), see the Video Script guidance for script structure and technical recommendations.

4. Click Edit on the page.

5. Delete the previous placeholder content.

6. Upload your video, either directly to Canvas Studio, or host it elsewhere (e.g., YouTube) and paste the embed code or link.

7. In the same edit, update the Name / Profession / Email / Office Hours / Expertise fields.

8. Click Save.

Note: The process for replacing the introductory video on a module's Overview page is identical to the steps above — only the location differs. Instead of the "Meet Your Professor" section, go to the Modules section, open the Overview page for the relevant module, and follow the same procedure. The one addition: leave the overview text and Learning Objectives below the video untouched, aside from minor contextual enrichment per the Guiding Principle.

3. Uploading Resources by Your Instructor

1. Open the module's Resources by Your Instructor page; it should currently be unpublished.

2. Click Edit.

3. Upload your file(s), adding whatever information students need to know what to expect from each one.

4. If your resources are downloadable documents (PDF, Word, e-books): either upload them directly to the course's Files/resource page and embed them, or paste a link with the correct reference and citation so students can access them online.

5. Delete the internal "NOTES FOR THE INSTRUCTORS" box.

6. Click Save.

7. Publish the page, but only once at least one resource is uploaded.

4. Replacing a Reading

1. First, check whether you and your students can access the original reading. If you can, keep it as-is, you don't need to change anything.

2. If you don't have access, open the module's Resources Guide and find the approved alternative listed for that reading.

3. Go to Learning Materials → Readings.

4. Click Edit.

5. Delete the original reading, remove the text, citation, or file link.

6. Add the approved alternative in its place: paste the link, upload the file, or copy in the citation, whichever applies to that resource.

7. Click Save.

8. Delete the "NOTES FOR THE INSTRUCTORS" box once the page reflects the final reading list.

5. Editing the Institution Logo

There are two different workflows depending on where the logo space lives:

Home Page: edited directly in Canvas

1. Go to Pages → Home Page.

2. Click Edit.

3. Locate the institution logo placeholder in the page footer, next to "Powered by ASU."

4. Click on the placeholder logo box.

5. Use the Rich Content Editor's image tool and select Upload.

6. Choose your institution's logo file from your computer or Course Files.

7. Click Save.

Module Banners: edited in Canva, then re-uploaded to Canvas

Important: make your own copy first. The Canva file we give you access to is the master template, it's shared with every institution. Never edit or modify that master file directly. Duplicate it into your own Canva account first, and make all your edits on your copy.

1. Open the banner file in Canva (using the link/access we provide).

2. Duplicate the file into your own Canva account (e.g., "Make a copy" or "Copy to my projects"), do not edit the master file itself.

3. In your own copy, locate the space marked "Insert your logo here."

4. Delete that placeholder element.

5. Insert your institution's logo in its place.

6. Important: do not move or reposition the ASU logo, leave it exactly where it is.

7. Export the finished banner as an image.

8. Go to the corresponding module page in Canvas and click Edit.

9. Delete the existing banner image.

10. Upload the new banner image you exported from Canva.

11. Click Save.

7. What You Should Never Do

• Publish "Resources by Your Instructor" while it's still empty.
• Edit a timed, graded quiz's question bank, timing, or point values, except to update a specific question tied to a reading you've replaced with an approved alternative (see Modifying Learning Activities).
• Replace a Resources Guide, Overview, or ASU Complementary Materials page.
• Leave an "Instructor Action Required" or "NOTES FOR THE INSTRUCTORS" box visible to students after publishing.
• Move, resize, or reposition the ASU logo in the module banner, it must stay exactly where it is.
• Resize, distort, or change the color of your institution's logo when uploading it, whether in the Home Page footer or the module banner.
• Edit or modify the master Canva banner file directly, always work on your own duplicated copy.

5.1.4 A Note on Videos Specifically

Your course includes several types of video content, each with its own editing rule.

• Course Introduction Video (Home Page) and each module's introductory video (Overview section): these are ASU-curated videos, provided as part of the course, whether produced centrally or recorded by the original course creator. You may replace either one with your own recorded video, following the script guidance in the Video Script section, or you can simply keep the existing ASU-curated version if you'd rather not record. Neither is mandatory: the ASU-curated video exists precisely so you aren't forced to record a new one. Either way, the overview text and Learning Objectives beneath the module video stay locked (see the Editable vs. Locked breakdown for Content Modules).
• Meet Your Professor: the one video you are required to record yourself, there's no ASU-curated fallback for this one. Replace the placeholder with your own introduction.
• Specialized instructional videos embedded within Learning Materials (e.g., software walkthroughs): these cannot be edited or replaced, locked, same as readings.

7. Assessment & Grading

7.1 Rubrics

Not every learning activity, or every course, needs a rubric. If your institution considers a rubric important for a given activity, here's how to approach it:

1. If you keep the original learning activities (no alternative readings or exercises): you can use ASU's provided rubrics directly, as long as you have the resources needed to run the activities as designed.

2. If you use an alternative activity, or your institution doesn't already have a rubric for it: you can build your own. Best-practice recommendation, which applies either way:

• Use 3 to 5 criteria (no more, an overloaded rubric is hard to apply consistently).
• Clearly define 3-4 performance levels per criterion (e.g., Excellent / Proficient / Developing / Insufficient).
• Each criterion should tie directly to a module Learning Objective, if a criterion doesn't connect to any LO, it probably doesn't belong.

7.2 Grading Workflow

This depends entirely on each institution's own policy (submission windows, regrade requests, etc.), not prescribed here. The only recommendation is that instructors document their own workflow and communicate it to students in the syllabus.

7.3 Academic Integrity & Plagiarism

As an instructor, you should always follow both ASU's academic integrity policies and your own institution's, whichever standard is stricter applies when the two differ. This keeps your course consistent with the same standards your students will be held to once their credits transfer to ASU.

7.4 Gradebook: Grading Systems and Conversion

ASU typically uses a letter-grade scale on a 4.0 GPA basis (A/A-/B+/B/B-/C+/C/D/E). Many international institutions use different scales (0-10, 0-20, 0-100, or the European ECTS A-F system). General best practices for conversion:

• Use percentages as the common base within Canvas; they translate cleanly to any institutional scale.
• Publish an equivalency table between your institutional scale and ASU's in the syllabus (this should already be defined at the institutional-agreement level, not something the instructor decides case by case).
• Avoid mixing two scales within the same Canvas gradebook, pick one (percentage recommended) and convert only when reporting the final grade.

How to set your grading scheme directly in Canvas:

1. Go to your course's Settings.

2. Under the Course Details tab, check Enable course grading scheme.

3. Click view grading scheme.

4. Select an existing scheme that matches your institution's scale, or click New Grading Scheme to build one from scratch.

5. Enter your grade ranges (e.g., percentage cutoffs for each letter grade or equivalent).

6. Click Save.

Example (illustrative only, not an official ASU table):

Instructor note: the table above is only an illustrative example, one possible way your grading section could end up looking. If your institution's agreement with ASU (or any other governing contract) already establishes a specific grading scale or conversion table, use that instead. Where nothing has been formally agreed, treat this example as a starting point, not a fixed standard.

9. Accessibility & Technology

9.1 Accessibility: Best Practices

These are recommended practices for any content you add yourself, not a commitment that every existing piece of course content has been audited against them.

• Every video you add should include captions or a transcript.
• Every image you add should have descriptive alt text.
• Use sufficient color contrast in any additional material you upload.

9.2 Technology & Troubleshooting

• For technical issues within Canvas (broken links, content not loading, platform errors), contact your institution's IT support.
• For issues related to the source content of the Global Link course (errors in provided materials, questions about what's approved as an alternative), contact Cintana at globallink@asu.edu.

11. A Final Note: You Are Not Teaching Alone

The Global Link program is a collaborative endeavor. You are supported by your institution's program leadership, by the Cintana Alliance team, and by ASU's Global Link office. The standards in this guide exist not to constrain you, but to protect your students, to ensure that the work they do in your classroom counts, carries forward, and opens doors.

As a Global Link Ambassador, you carry a unique responsibility. But you also carry a unique privilege: the opportunity to be part of your students' international academic journey from its very first steps. We thank you for your commitment, your time, and your excellence.

Need Help? For questions about course modifications, credit transfer eligibility, or Global Link program standards, contact: globallink@asu.edu. Your institution's designated ACI Program Director for Global Link is also available for consultation before and during the term.

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