IT Telecommuting Resources

Device & Network Recommendations for Instructors

With technology, you can teach, learn, and work, whether you are on-site or online. The University provides the systems, services, and support that instructors need regardless of teaching modality. To be successful, however, instructors also need devices that operate well with these systems and that enable high-quality interactions remotely. For this reason, ITS created, with the approval of the Office of the Provost, recommendations for instructors, including equipment recommendations and internet performance information.

In addition to evaluating your own technology, you can direct student to review device requirements.

Review the IT Guide to Telecommuting

University ITS provides a guide on telecommuting that covers accessing UConn resources remotely, including:

• Access to Email
• File Storage and Sharing
• Hosting and Attending Meetings
• Checking Office Telephones
• UConn Software

Educational Technology Resources

Getting Started with HuskyCT

Perform the following basic HuskyCT-related tasks to get started:

1. Familiarize yourself with your new HuskyCT site or request a HuskyCT course site: The instructor of record can request a site in StudentAdmin. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for the site to be available. Once it is available, you can find it here. All students registered for your class will be automatically enrolled.
2. Upload your syllabus to your HuskyCT course site.
3. Enroll your teaching assistants into HuskyCT. Although your students will be auto-enrolled, your teaching assistants will not unless they are listed in StudentAdmin as an instructor in the course.
4. Post announcements to members of your course.
5. Upload and manage digital course materials
6. Review guides on other HuskyCT functions.

Using HuskyCT Features

HuskyCT offers a variety of feature and tools that may prove useful during a disruption. For extensive information on any of the following HuskyCT tools, visit EdTech’s website, in particular the HuskyCT how-to resources.

 

Tool	Description
Assignments	If you are grading student submitted files, the assignments tool saves time. When you create an assignment using the assignments tool, a Grade Center column is created automatically. From the Grade Center or Needs Grading page, you can see who has submitted their work. You can use the inline viewer and grade submissions directly. You can also download submissions for offline viewing.
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra	Blackboard Collaborate Ultra™ is a simple, convenient, and reliable online collaborative learning solution. Collaborate has unique in-session tools, such as breakout rooms, an interactive whiteboard, application sharing, polling, and a hand-raising feature, that enhance engagement and the face-to-face feel of synchronous virtual classes. See: Collaborate User’s Guide
Blogs	Instructors create and manage blogs, and only enrolled users can view and create entries and comments in them.
Course Calendar	Course calendar events appear to all members of the course. Common entries include upcoming tests, due dates for assignments, or special lectures. Course items with due dates automatically appear in the course calendar. Only instructors may create course calendar events.
Discussion Board	Building a sense of community among students is crucial for a successful course experience. With the discussion board tool, course members can replicate or expand the robust discussions that take place in the traditional classroom.
Glossary	Each course can have its own glossary of terms. Each entry consists of a term and an accompanying definition.
Grade Center	In the Grade Center, you can provide and manage your students’ grades for assignments, tests, discussion posts, journals, blogs, and wikis, and for ungraded items, such as surveys or self-tests. You can also create grade columns for any activities or requirements you want to grade, such as special projects, participation, or attendance.
Journals	Journals are a personal space for students to communicate privately with you. Students can also use journals as a self-reflective tool to post their opinions, ideas, and concerns about the course, or discuss and analyze course-related materials.
Kaltura	With Kaltura, faculty can create, edit, and share videos with their students. Faculty can also embed quiz questions throughout the video to assess student learning. See: Tips & Tricks on using Kaltura
SafeAssign	Use SafeAssign to review assignment submissions for plagiarism potential and create opportunities to help students identify how to properly attribute sources rather than paraphrase. SafeAssign is effective as both a deterrent and an educational tool.
Tasks	You can use the tasks tool to organize projects or activities—referred to as tasks—by defining task priority and tracking task status.
Tests, Surveys, and Pools	You can use tests and surveys to measure student knowledge, gauge progress, and gather information from students.