AUT - Staff FAQ'S

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Staff FAQ'S

  1. How can I get an AUTonline course created?
  2. How can I find out more about AUTonline?
  3. What help is available for developing an online course for teaching?
  4. Where can I see examples of how other people are using AUTonline?
  5. Does it cost anything to use AUTonline?
  6. Can AUTonline courses be accessed from off-campus?
  7. What technology is required by students to be able to use AUTonline?
  8. How do I make sure that my students are added to my AUTonline course?
  9. What does 'Unavailable' next to my course indicate?
  10. What help is there for my students in the use of AUTonline?
  11. What’s the difference between AUTonline and Blackboard?
  12. What is my login name and password for AUTonline?
  13. How can I change my AUTonline password?
  14. My students say they can’t log in to AUTonline. Why not?
  15. My students can log in to AUTonline, but can’t see my course in their list. Why not?
  16. How do I get other lecturers/instructors added to my course?
  17. Can I remove lecturers/Instructors from my own course?
  18. Can I have non-AUT people participate in team-teaching a course?
  19. What are the hours of support for AUTonline?
  20. What sort of activity statistics can I get for the students’ use of my course?
  21. My students say they don’t receive the emails I send from within AUTonline. Why not?
  22. I can see some of my students’ email addresses but not others. Does this mean I can’t send emails to them?
  23. What size should the pictures in the Staff Information and Student Home Pages be?
  24. How do I see the Home Pages my students have set up in my course?
  25. What does the Course Map do?
  26. What sort of content can I put in my AUTonline course?
  27. Can I link my AUTonline course to CD-ROM based content?
  28. Can I have an AUTonline course that is accessible by students from many different classes?
  29. How does a student use the Digital Drop Box.

Answers


Q. How can I get an AUTonline course created?

In AUTonline the Course Request utility allows lecturers to copy a course/organisation OR create a new course/organisation in AUTonline.

Lecturers can do the following in the Course Requests utility:

  • request a new blank course with no content
  • copy their course from a previous semester to a new semester version
  • enrol a class/occurrence of students to an online course
  • add any other lecturers who should have access to a course

Alternatively, ring Michele Bioletti (ext 8360) or Charlie Aitken (ext 6655). If you are already a user of AUTonline, you can submit an online request by going to the Course Requests tab in AUTonline.


Q. How can I find out more about AUTonline?

Each faculty has a designated Flexible Learning Advisor

  • Julia Hallas (ext 5785) in the Faculty of Business (Acting)
  • Peter Maclaren (ext 8518) in the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies and School of Applied Sciences
  • Peter Mellow (ext 7149) in the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences
  • Jennie Swann (ext 8361) in the Faculty of Applied Humanities and Te Ara Poutama and Te Tari Awhina

Call them for a discussion of your possible use of AUTonline.

Also, Julia Hallas has resources posted in AUTonline under a training workshop, which can be found my loggining in to AUTonline with the username of juliahallas and password workshops. Access the CEPD booklet with workshop times with this link. Workshops


Q. What help is available for developing an online course for teaching?

The Flexible Learning Advisors (Peter Maclaren, Julia Hallas, Peter Mellow and Jennie Swann) are the best source of course development advice and support. They can also advise on the appropriate development or use of multimedia materials, such as video, animations and computer-based simulations.
 


Q. Where can I see examples of how other people are using AUTonline?

Periodically seminars and showcases are organised at either faculty or university level. Watch out for the promotion of these events, or contact the Flexible Learnign Advisor for your Faculty for more information.
 


Q. Does it cost anything to use AUTonline?

No, there is no charge to individual programmes, lecturers or students for the use of AUTonline. All associated costs are covered by a central flexible learning budget.


Q. Can AUTonline courses be accessed from off-campus?

Yes, AUTonline can be accessed via an Internet connection from anywhere in the world.


Q. What technology is required by students to be able to use AUTonline?

Students require a standard modem connection to the Internet (preferably a 56k modem or broadband). They require a PC with Windows 2000 or later, or a Macintosh with 9.2 or later. They also require a standard Internet browser that is at least MS Internet Explorer 5 or above or Mozilla Firefox. To fully access the Virtual Classroom, students should be using at least Windows 2000, or MacOS10.1. Browsers should have 'Cookies enabled' and 'Java enabled'.

Optional extra plugins include Acrobat Reader, Flash Player, Quicktime Player and Real Player. The setup of plugins etc can be tested at this Seneca College utility page.

Q. How do I make sure that my students are added to my AUTonline course?

Classes (occurrences) of students are enrolled into  ARION, and these classes can be associated with a Blackboard/ AUTonline class. Select the classes(occurrences) you want through the Course Request utility. To check on this process and the class mappings you have, contact Michele (ext 8360)Shen (ext 7917) or Charlie (ext 6655).

Students will be enrolled into AUTonline once they are registered as 'Approved' for their course in ARION. The enrolment is processed overnight in most cases.


Q. What does 'Unavailable' next to my course indicate?

New courses are sometimes set to 'Unavailable' when they are first created. This means that lecturers can access the course for development, but any enrolled students will not be able to access it until you make it available. When you are ready for students to use the course, go to Control Panel> Settings> Course Availability and change availability to 'Yes'. This setting can be changed whenever you wish.


Q. What help is there for my students in the use of AUTonline?

The most direct help for students is on the AUT website. There are animated tutorials on using certain Blackboard functions, as well as access to helpful articles in the IT Support knowledge base. Students should also be able to contact their lecturer for help and guidance in the online activities they are required to complete.

Questions about access or technical problems should be addressed to the IT Service Desk – 921 9888, or http://ithelp.aut.ac.nz

 

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Q. What’s the difference between AUTonline and Blackboard?

They are the same thing. Blackboard is the software (Learning Management System) we use, and AUTonline is the label we have used for the implementation here.


Q. What is my login name and password for AUTonline?

Your login and password for AUTonline are the same as they are for the normal AUT network. While you currently do have to login separately, they are using the same login details. The same applies for students – all login details are supplied to students by IT Services, and can be checked with the IT Service Desk ph 921 9888 or http://ithelp.aut.ac.nz


Q. How can I change my AUTonline password?

Your password to access AUTonline can only be changed by changing your Novell password. This is done through the Internet login page, or by contacting the IT Service Desk ph 921 9888 or http://ithelp.aut.ac.nz who will be able to do it on your behalf.


Q. My students can log in to AUTonline, but can’t see my course in their list. Why not?

This is most likely because they are enrolled in a course that is 'Not Available'. This is often the default setting for a course while it is being developed, and can be changed by you when you are ready. See Question and Answer above. Sometimes students are in approved status in Arion for one of their papers so this means that they cannot see this paper in AUTonline.


Q. How do I get other lecturers/Instructors added to my course?

Through the Course Request utility you can add extra lecturers. Lecturers who do not yet have an AUTonline account will need to be added by the AUTonline system administrators, i.e. Michele (ext 8360). To arrange this, contact them by phone, or email a request to the help desk.


Q. Can I remove Lecturers/Instructors from my own course?

To remove a Lecturer/Instructor go to the Course Request utility, and select the paper/course you wish to remove the lecturer from. Then click the remove button to the left of their name.


Q. Can I have non-AUT people participate in team-teaching a course?

Yes, so long as they are requested by an AUT staff member. The AUTonline team will have to create accounts for them – contact Michele Bioletti about the most suitable format to provide this information. They will have usernames and passwords created specifically for Blackboard. For non-AUT users to be able to send email from within the system, they must have accounts set up by IT Services within the webmail system – Michele or Mark can arrange this.


Q. What are the hours of support for AUTonline?

While every effort is made to ensure 24-hour access to AUTonline this cannot be 100% guaranteed.

The AUT IT helpdesk tel: 921 9888 is available for direct enquiries during the following hours in semester time:

Weekdays: 7am-10pm Weekends: 9am-6pm

These hours may change during semester breaks and public holidays.


Q. What sort of activity statistics can I get for the students’ use of my course?

Using the Control Panel> Course Statistics you can see the levels of activity for all of your students within the last 30 days. Activity can be broken down into activity per discussion forum or per group if you wish. For reports for periods longer than 30 days, contact Mark Northover (ext 8688) to discuss your requirements.

To track access to specific documents within your course turn 'Tracking' on within the 'Add item' or 'Modify Item' screen. These reports are generated within the Modify area page.
 
 
Q. My students say they don’t receive the emails I send from within AUTonline. Why not?

Most likely they have not set up a redirection of their preferred email address within the Identity Management System. This can be created on-campus through the Internet login screen, as an alternate webmail account. Contact IT Helpdesk for their assistance in setting up an alternate email address.


Q. I can see some of my students’ email addresses but not others. Does this mean I can’t send emails to them?

No, you should still be able to email them. A default privacy setting means than an actual address is not shown unless the student chooses it to. Only the student can change this, through their Personal Information link.

 
Q. What size should the pictures in the Staff Information and Student Home Pages be?

Ideally, pictures on staff and student home pages should be approximately 150x150 pixels. A picture should be resized in a proper digital editor (e.g. PhotoShop, PaintShop Pro, etc) before placing it on a web page; otherwise it might still be a very large file and take a long time for students to download.


Q. How do I see the Home Pages my students have set up in my course?

If students have entered information into their Home Page (Tools>Edit Homepage), this can only be accessed thorough the Roster (Communication > Roster). In this screen, list the student’s account and click on the username – this will take you to their Home Page.
 
 
Q. What does the Course Map do?

The Course Map provides an overview of all the contents of your course. You can expand or contract the various content areas to view and access folders and documents, or forums within the Discussion Board, The Course Map is used when creating links to other parts of your course.


Q. What sort of content can I put in my AUTonline course?

You can use any digital content you wish. This is either entered directly as web content or as attached digital files such as Word, Excel etc. Students downloading files must have the right application software to be able to open those files.

For other types of media files, e.g. audio, video etc, be very aware of file sizes. Students without Broadband may have problems accessing large media files.


Q. Can I link my AUTonline course to CD-ROM based content?

Yes. This is called 'off-line content'. When adding items of content you can include a link to a specific file on a CD. Students must have a copy of that CD, and must have specified their CD-ROM drive correctly in the personal information settings.


Q. Can I have an AUTonline course that is accessible by students from many different classes?

Yes. Students from different classes can be enrolled in your course according to your direction. Through the Course Request utility you can specify as many class coccurrences as you want.


Q. How does a student use the Digital Drop Box

If a student adds a file to their drop box this only deposits the file into their own Drop Box. No one else has access to it.

The student then needs to send their file from the drop box to the specified recipient of the file. The file will still remain in the student's own Drop Box and there will be a copy in the Drop Box of the recipient.

Note: Once a file is sent, the file cannot be removed from the recipient's Drop Box.
Last updated: 30 Nov 2009 10:15am

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