New Faculty Information Technology FAQs
How do I know who's enrolled in my classes?
How do I contact students in my sections?
I'm interested in online teaching. How do I get started?
I want my class to use special software for an assignment. What do I need to do?
I've been assigned to a Smart classroom. What do I have to do to use the equipment?
My classroom has audio/visual equipment that isn't familiar to me. How do I find out how to use it?
I'd like to show a movie to my class. How do I get equipment for that day?
I want to have my own web page. How do I get one?
How do I connect my laptop or handheld device to campus wireless?
How do I access my files when I'm working from home?
I need to use a supercomputer for my research. How do I get an account?
How do I know who's enrolled in my classes?
Log in to Howdy and click the Instructor/Advisor tab. In the Instructor Self-Service channel, click Class Roster. Choose the term and you will see all the classes you are scheduled to teach. Select View under the Roster column for the class you wish to view.
If your class is online in eLearning, log in to Blackboard Vista and select your course. Click the Teach tab and then select Grade Book from the Instructor Tools menu.
How do I contact students in my sections?
Log in to Howdy and click the Instructor/Advisor tab. In the Instructor Self-Service channel, click Class Roster. Choose the term. Click in the selection box for the sections you wish to email. A link to "Email Selected Sections" appears. Click the link to open a new email message.
If your class is online in eLearning, log in to Blackboard Vista and select your course. Click the Teach tab and find the Mail Tool link on the Course Tools menu. The Mail Tool allows you to send email only to students enrolled in the course section.
I'm interested in online teaching. How do I get started?
Instructional Technology Services (ITS) supports and maintains Blackboard Vista, the university's learning management system. The ITS web site has information to help faculty with their online teaching and technology needs.
I want my class to use special software for an assignment. What do I need to do?
The software can be installed on Open Access Labs computers that students can readily use. You will need to review the Software Request Guidelines in the labs and fill out a Software Install Request form.
I've been assigned to teach in a Smart classroom. What do I do to use the equipment?
You'll need to activate your Open Access Labs account that allows you to use campus computing resources. Then you'll be able to log in to the classroom computer with your NetID and password. Also, contact Instructional Media Services to have the equipment turned on when you want to use it.
My classroom has audio/visual equipment that isn't familiar to me. How do I find out how to use it?
Quick Guides are available on the Instructional Media Services web site to help you get you started on using classroom technology. For a quick walk-through on using the equipment, contact Instructional Media Services to set up an appointment.
Also, Instructional Technology Services provides training classes for equipment such as SMART Boards, Sympodiums, and the Centra webconferencing system.
The classroom I've been assigned doesn't have a projector for my PowerPoint slides. How do I get one?
You can reserve equipment for the semester at the Instructional Media Services web site. They'll deliver and set up the equipment for your class.
I'd like to show a movie to my class. How do I get equipment for that day?
You can reserve equipment for a particular day at the Instructional Media Services web site. They'll deliver and set up the equipment for you.
Using MediaMatrix to handle internet media streaming content is another option. Contact Internet Media Services for more information.
I want to have my own web page. How do I get one?
Go to the Aggie Computing Gateway and click Manage OAL Account. Activate your Open Access Labs account and select Setup My Web Page. See "Creating Your TAMU Personal Web Site" for more information.
Also, some departments provide resources that allow you to have your own web page. Please contact your departmental IT personnel for assistance.
If you would like to attend training classes on web page creation and other software applications, the Center for Employee Education Technology Training offers classes free of charge to faculty.
How do I connect my laptop or handheld device to campus wireless?
Go to the TAMULink web site and click Set-Up for instructions. You can also bring your laptop to Help Desk Central or an Open Access Lab to have us set it up for you.
How do I access my files when I'm working from home?
You can use the Home or H: drive provided by CIS. For instructions on connecting to this drive from home, see Introduction to WinSCP. You'll also need to have Virtual Private Network software installed on your home computer.
Also, some departments provide resources that allow you to work from home. Please contact your departmental IT personnel for assistance.
I'd like to have a videoconference with a research colleague at another university. Who sets this up?
Contact the TTVN scheduling staff, who can arrange to connect to most other videoconference sites worldwide. TTVN can also provide a live streaming video webcast of a videoconference for participants at non-videoconference-equipped sites.
A Centra webconference or eMeeting are other options. Visit the TTVN web site for more information.
I need to use a supercomputer for my research. How do I get an account?
Go to the Supercomputing Facility web site and read the Supercomputer Account Allocation Policy, then fill out the form to request an account.
