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R. A. Hudson Theological Institute seal

R. A. HUDSON

Theological Institute

STAFF TRAINING CENTER

Everything you need to run the campus system.

A start-to-finish walkthrough for faculty and administration — accounts, grades, records, schedules and email. Share this page with anyone who needs it.

Full walkthrough · about 25 seconds · silent. The written lessons below carry every detail.

Download the printable PDF guide

LESSON 01 · EVERYONE

Set up your account & sign in

There are three doors into the campus system. Which one opens depends on the account you were given, not on the address you type.

  1. 1

    Know which door is yours

    Students use the Student Portal for grades, balances, receipts and transcripts. Instructors use the Faculty Center for their own sections. The Registrar and Administration use the Admin Console for records, terms, transcripts and email. One person can hold more than one of these.

  2. 2

    Open your invitation email

    New staff receive an invitation from the institute. Click the button inside it, choose a password, and you are signed in. The link is single-use — if it has already been opened, ask for a fresh invitation instead of clicking it again.

  3. 3

    Sign in from the website

    Go to the Sign In page from the top of the website, enter your email address and password. The Faculty Center and Admin Console open in a new tab so you can keep the public site open beside them.

  4. 4

    Use your institute address for staff tools

    Registrar and administration screens require an @rahudsoninstitute.org address. A personal address can hold faculty access, but not registrar access. Beginning Spring 2027, students also receive an institute address.

  5. 5

    If you forget your password

    Choose Forgot password on the Sign In page. A reset link arrives by email within a minute or two; check the junk folder before asking for another.

COMMON QUESTIONS

I signed in but I see "Access denied."
Your account exists but the role has not been added yet. Ask the Registrar to add Faculty or Registrar access to your account, then sign out and back in.
Can I share a login with another instructor?
No. Every grade change is recorded against the person signed in, so shared logins break the accreditation record.

Who to ask: Registrar's Office — 205-497-4454

LESSON 02 · FACULTY

Enter grades & take attendance

Everything an instructor needs lives in the Faculty Center: your sections, your gradebook, your attendance, and the button that submits final grades.

  1. 1

    Find your sections

    Open the Faculty Center. Every section assigned to you for the current term is listed with its course, section letter, meeting pattern and enrolled count. Choose one to open its roster.

  2. 2

    Enter assignment scores

    On the Gradebook tab, students are the rows and assignments are the columns — Participation, Reflections, Midterm, Research Paper and Final. Type the points earned in the box. Each entry saves on its own as you move to the next box; there is no separate save button.

  3. 3

    Take attendance

    On the Attendance tab, pick the meeting date, then mark each student Present, Absent, Excused or Tardy. Use the date picker to go back and correct an earlier session.

  4. 4

    Submit final grades

    When the term's work is complete, open the Final Grades tab, review each student's letter grade, and choose Submit Final Grades. The section then locks.

  5. 5

    Understand "locked"

    A locked section is read-only for the instructor — grades are official and flow onto transcripts. Only the Registrar can unlock a section, and the reason is recorded.

  6. 6

    Know that changes are recorded

    Every score, attendance mark and grade change is written to the audit log with the date, the person, and the old and new value. This is what our accreditor reviews; it is normal and nothing to work around.

COMMON QUESTIONS

I entered a score in the wrong row.
Just type over it. The correction saves the same way and both values stay in the audit log.
A student's name is missing from my roster.
They are not enrolled in that section yet. Ask the Registrar to enroll them — do not grade them on paper and add them later.
I submitted final grades too early.
Call the Registrar. They can unlock the section, and they will note the reason.

Who to ask: Registrar's Office — 205-497-4454

LESSON 03 · REGISTRAR & ADMINISTRATION

Student records, documents & transcripts

The Registrar Console holds every student file — new, current and legacy paper records — along with payments and official documents.

  1. 1

    Add a student record

    In the Registrar Console, choose Add Student Record. Enter the name, email, program and status. For an older paper file, set the record source to Legacy paper record so it is clear where the information came from.

  2. 2

    Upload documents to a file

    Open the student, then use the documents area to upload transcripts, certificates, identification or correspondence. Choose the document kind so it files correctly. You can open or remove a document from the same list.

  3. 3

    Record a check or cash payment

    Use Record Check / Cash Payment on the student's Balances & Charges. Enter the amount, the date and the check number, and attach a photo of the check if you have one. The payment posts to the ledger the same as a card payment.

  4. 4

    Send or download a receipt

    Every recorded payment has Receipt PDF and Email copy buttons. The receipt itemizes what was paid and shows the remaining balance.

  5. 5

    Enter or correct a grade by hand

    Term Roster & Grades lets the Registrar set a letter grade directly, including for legacy records. A reason is required for any change to an already-submitted grade.

  6. 6

    Issue an official transcript

    On the Transcripts tab, search for the student and generate the document. It is produced as a signed PDF with courses, grades, credit hours and grade point average.

  7. 7

    Know why a term may be withheld

    A term with an unpaid balance prints as "Withheld for financial obligation." Post the payment first, then generate the transcript again — it will include the term.

COMMON QUESTIONS

A student appears twice.
Tell the Registrar before entering anything new. Duplicate files are merged so grades and payments stay on one record.
Can a student get their own transcript?
Yes. Students see their courses, grades and meeting dates on their portal Transcript page and can request an official copy from there.

Who to ask: Office of the Registrar

LESSON 04 · REGISTRAR & ADMINISTRATION

Class schedules & Google Classroom

Terms, courses and sections are built once at the start of a term; the Classroom code and Zoom details ride along with each section and reach students by email.

  1. 1

    Open the term

    In the Admin Console, create or edit the term — for example Fall 2026, August 4 through December 18 — and set it as current so new work lands in the right place.

  2. 2

    Add the courses

    Each course carries a code, a title and its credit hours. Add a course once; it can be offered in any number of terms.

  3. 3

    Create the sections

    A section is one course in one term: the section letter, the meeting pattern and time, and the enrollment limit. This is what students actually enroll in.

  4. 4

    Assign the instructor

    Choose the instructor on the section. That single choice is what makes the section appear in that person's Faculty Center — nothing else is needed.

  5. 5

    Store the Classroom code and Zoom details

    The Google Classroom join code and the Zoom meeting information are kept on the section itself, so they always travel with the correct class.

  6. 6

    Send students their schedules

    The Class Schedules screen lists every student with the classes they are enrolled in. Send a test copy to yourself first, read it, then send to the selected students. Each person receives only their own classes, dates, Classroom codes and Zoom details.

  7. 7

    Migrating an existing Classroom

    Keep the Google Classroom you already have. Copy its join code into the matching section here, then send the schedule emails. Students continue using the same Classroom; the institute record is what changes.

COMMON QUESTIONS

A student says they never got the schedule email.
Check the Email Log for their address. A missing address on the student record is the usual cause; add it and send again.
Two instructors share one class.
Create two sections, or assign the section to the instructor of record and give the second person a section of their own.

Who to ask: Office of the Registrar

LESSON 05 · REGISTRAR & ADMINISTRATION

Emailing from the campus system

Anything the institute sends — a single note, a bulk announcement, a receipt or a reminder — goes out under the institute's name and is logged.

  1. 1

    Send one message

    In the Email Studio, choose the template, pick the recipient, fill in the fields, and send. A copy of everything the system sends is archived to the institute mailbox.

  2. 2

    Send to a group

    Select several recipients to send the same message to a list. Always send yourself a test copy first and read it top to bottom before a bulk send.

  3. 3

    Let the automatic messages work

    Payment receipts, balance statements, payment-plan reminders five days and one day before a due date, and the Fall resource sheet after payment all send on their own. You do not need to send these by hand.

  4. 4

    Check the Email Log

    The Email Log shows what was sent, to whom, when, and whether it was delivered. Use it before telling a student that a message went out.

  5. 5

    Understand a bounce

    A bounce means the address does not accept mail — usually a typo or a closed account. Correct the address on the student record and send again. A complaint or unsubscribe stops future mail to that person until they opt back in.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Can I email from my personal account instead?
You can, but it will not be logged and the student's record will not show it. Use the campus system for anything official.
A message shows as sent but the student says nothing arrived.
Have them check junk mail, then confirm the address in the Email Log. If the log shows a bounce, the address is wrong.

Who to ask: Office of the Registrar — 205-497-4454