Technology that Supports Classroom Teaching

ITS MONTHLY TALKIN' TECH

TECHNOLOGY SERVICES for Faculty & Students

Click on any word in red to see more information on that topic!

There have been many recent changes in technology that impact faculty and students in the classroom. This month's Talkin' Tech reviews these changes and provides links to further information to help you get a grip on all these details.
Peruse this page to get the latest news and helps on Academic Email (for faculty and students), Academic Web Publishing, Blackboard and NetID, and CCAC Central. This page was developed collaboratively by the ITS and Distance Learning and Instructional Technology (Distance Learning Center) Departments.

Academic Email

STUDENTS: All current students at CCAC have access to our academic email system. In order to access academic email, you must have a NetID account. Your academic email account will be available the day AFTER your NetID account is obtained. Student academic email boxes are limited to 10mb.

FACULTY: If you are a current faculty member, you also may use Academic Email, in addition to your Outlook email account. If you choose to provide your students with your academic email address, you can then segregate student correspondence from regular College correspondence in Outlook; do not forget to check both your email accounts. Faculty academic email boxes are limited to 100mb.

To log into academic email, go to http://webmail.acd.ccac.edu/

Your email address will be username@acd.ccac.edu (faculty) or NetIDusername@acd.ccac.edu (students).

IMPORTANT NOTE: All Distance Learning students (with Blackboard accounts) must use Academic Email for their coursework. See Distance Learning Center web pages for more information.

For further instructions on how to use academic email, click here to go to the Academic Email Talkin' Tech page.

Need help? Faculty can call the ITS Help Desk at 412.237.3275; students should contact the ITS Campus Computer Lab staff.

Academic Web Publishing

As a faculty member at CCAC, you may create a web page on our academic publishing server. Faculty may upload files up to a maximum of 100 MB. Students with a NetID account may also create a student web page. Students may upload files up to a maximum of 10 MB.

NOTE: You will use Frontpage (Microsoft Office software) to create and edit content on your web page (or html or other web programming if you want to do it the hard way!)

Want to see some examples of web pages created by CCAC faculty? Check out these links:

http://web.acd.ccac.edu/~mblobner/ (partial page shown above)

http://web.acd.ccac.edu/~jdvorak

http://web.acd.ccac.edu/~tworek/

http://web.acd.ccac.edu/~dference

http://web.acd.ccac.edu/~ewrigley

http://web.acd.ccac.edu/~bfranus

For further instructions on academic web publishing, click here to go to the ITS Academic Web Publishing page.

FACULTY: Need some help to get you started with this? The Distance Learning Center staff is available to help you design your web page. Contact Justin Busch 412.237.2240 or Ross Donehue 412.237.3119.

If you encounter problems in uploading content, faculty should call the Helpdesk at 412.237.3275. Students should contact the ITS Campus Computer Lab staff.

Blackboard

The Blackboard software is used by CCAC to support Distance Learning.
If you have not used Blackboard, you should know you have the following options:

Teach an INTERNET course. Generally, all teaching and learning takes place via the Internet. Students interact with the instructor and classmates through a course website. Learning activities and assignments are completed according to the instructions and schedule posted by the instructor. Some instructors required students to take their exams at CCAC testing sites or with an approved proctor.

Teach a WEB-ENHANCED course. Web-enhanced courses combine traditional classroom instruction with online collaboration and learning. Students attend class at a CCAC campus or college center on a regular but less frequent schedule (60% minimum of standard class time + final exam time + class breaks if the class exceeds 100 minutes at a time). The balance of the course time is dedicated to self-directed and scheduled online collaboration and learning activities such as email, threaded discussion, and chat.

Use Blackboard to supplement your traditional classroom-based course, via TECHNOLOGY-SUPPORTED courses. Technology Supported courses are traditional classroom courses that are enhanced with online materials, resources, and communication options (i.e. Blackboard course site). Instructors may utilize online technology and tools but will not require online participation outside of regular classroom time.

For more information on how you can use Blackboard, click here to view the Distance Learning Center's About Blackboard page.

For more information on the new Blackboard version 6.0, including tips and tutorials and other resources, click here to view the Distance Learning Center's Blackboard Resources page.

Need help? The Distance Learning Center staff is available to help you. Contact Justin Busch at 412.237.2240 or Tawanda Wright at 412.237.2237 or Ross Donehue 412.237.3119 for assistance.

NetID for Students

All students must obtain a NetID account if you are to use any computer at the College. Your CCAC Network Identifier (NetID) and password identify you to the CCAC network and allow you to access a variety of resources and services.
All Distance Learning students must have a NetID in order to utilize the Blackboard site. This includes Internet courses, Web-Enhanced courses and Technology-Supported classes.

NOTE: If you are a faculty member, you are to use your Employee Network Account (Outlook) to log into the campus network. You will not obtain a NetID. NetID is restricted for student use only.

For further information on how students can obtain a NetID account, click here to go to the ITS Network Accounts information page.

Have students who need help obtaining a NetID? They should contact the ITS Campus Computer Lab staff. New students will be able to obtain a NetID account on the day AFTER they register for classes.

CCAC Central

CCAC Central is the online web service for faculty to:

Search for classes and check enrollment

View your schedule

View your roster(s) and student profiles

Submit attendance information (census rosters and financial aid rosters)

Submit midterm and final grades

View your stipends (overages and adjunct payments)

For more information and instructions for using CCAC Central, review the CCAC Central webpage.

Need help? Faculty needing help with CCAC Central can call or email the ITS Help Desk at 412.237.3275.
Have students who need help with CCAC Central? They should contact the ITS Campus Computer Lab staff.

Some additional Helpful Links for Faculty and Students:

CCAC Online Services

CCAC Spam Filter

Security and Your PC

Computing on the Go (includes information on teaching in different classrooms, using laptops)

Choose your Media Wisely (storing files using CDs, DVDs, flash drives, etc.)

PowerPoint Pointers

Have a great semester!!

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