Survey Response
Online Faculty Survey Response
Each year we survey online faculty at the end of the fall and spring semesters, and
the feedback we receive is both helpful and informative. Many of your questions and
concerns are echoed by other faculty members. With this page we have tried to address
those common concerns and let you know where we are and where we are headed with these
important issues.
These topics are listed below under their respective categories. Click on any topic
to see our comments. If you have any specific questions about these responses please
contact us and we will be happy to help.
Resources
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Is there a Video Conferencing tool or some other way to communication with audio/video to live students?
Yes, this is something we have in place now. ETSU is transitioning from Adobe Connect and Wimba to a single system: WebEx, which you can use to conference with one student or a large group. All you need is a computer with a microphone. Call us or sign up for one of our workshops to get started. -
Do we have a lecture capture system?
Panopto Video Management is a lecture capture system that is in place now. Integrated with D2L, it is very easy to begin recording your video in the classroom or from an office or personal computer. Being integrated with D2L also makes it very easy for students to access recordings without signing into multiple systems. Call us or sign up for one of our workshops to learn more. -
My online course is supposed to be oral, written or technology intensive, what do I do?
This can be a head-scratcher, especially the oral piece. Rob Russell, ETSUs Director of Learning Services, is a great resource when dealing with what can be considered meeting the requirements of an intensive course. Daniel Gibson in eLearning has also collected some audio/video options that are available freely to students. Contact him to learn how you can use them to craft oral intensive assignments. -
Are there any workshops or resources on best practices for online teaching?
Yes! We have a series of Teaching Online workshops through the semester. These workshops cover a range of subjects and are intended to promote discussion and consideration of best-practices. These arent lectures on what button to push, they are discussions on best-practices, common issues online instructors face and hopefully creative solutions. Interaction is encouraged. You can register for upcoming workshops on the calendar (eLearning category) or on our website. -
Is there a D2L tips and tricks page?
This is a great idea. We are currently designing a brand new support website for the technology we support and this will make a great addition. This site will make its debut after the transition to D2L version 10.
Technology
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Integrating video into courses can be cumbersome, is there an easier way?
We completely agree and are working to add speed and flexibility to our current media server. If you are using public videos already on the web (such as YouTube,) then D2L has made it much easier to integrate these. By creating a new topic in the D2L content area, you can select the add stuff button in the WYSIWYG editor and directly embed an online video. This cuts out many of the annoying additions you get when you send students directly to that video online (such as other videos you might like). -
Are there any video conferencing tools built into D2L?
While we have a conferencing system supported at ETSU (see question 1) there currently is not a tool directly integrated into D2L. -
Is there a survey tool in D2L?
Yes! Its not enabled by default so you have to add it to your nav bar. (See this guide for help.) After you have added it to your course you can build a variety of surveys. The tool is similar to the assessment tool but has a few different options. Give us a call if you need help!
Training
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Is there anyone to assist us with course design?
Absolutely, we would be happy to help with your course. Contact Anthony Kiech (Kiech@etsu.edu) for an appointment. -
Workshops are great, but can I get one-on-one consultation?
Absolutely, give us a call and well find the best person for your needs. -
What training opportunities do you offer?
We offer a wide range of training on different software and systems, everything from iPads to D2L to synchronous tools. You can register for upcoming workshops on the calendar (eLearning category) or on our website -
I teach online and am rarely on campus, do you offer workshops online?
While we have many resources on our site we do not currently offer any full workshops online. We are moving in this direction however and have a new video series on D2L ready to go. Online training will be a focus of the new training and resource webpage being developed. D2L Video Series: Intro - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE2FF36370EF10A4C D2L Video Series: Advanced - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4F44FAA93BA28AD0 -
I want to create audio and video material for my online course. What can I do?
There are a number of options you have, each with its own pros and cons. You can contact Anthony Kiech (Kiech@etsu.edu) or Daniel Gibson (gibsondv@etsu.edu) and schedule an appointment to talk about your needs. -
What would happen to our D2L material and records if a major disaster happened on campus?
D2L is managed by a Canadian company which stores the material and all D2L backups off-campus. Provided we all survive the earthquake/flood/etc. then your D2L material would be safe.
Students
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Are there any online workshops for students new to online, covering subjects such as time-management?
Presently no, but this would be a great resource that online faculty could direct students to or insert into their online courses. If anyone knows of any resources like this or would be willing to help us create some, please let us know. -
Can you monitor/control the growing class sizes for online courses?
Unfortunately we do not have any control over enrollments or the size of your individual courses. -
D2L should do X
We completely agree. Yes, yes it should. The non-sarcastic answer is that there is a lot we wish D2L would add or improve. While we have little direct control over what they add, we are happy to pass along suggestions. D2L is constantly updating and refining the software. There are times when we receive an update and hold back a tool for one semester while we test it and build resources for it.