SETU and units

The technologies used to deliver the online content in this unit performed satisfactorily

Like the Library resources SETU item, this item primarily relates to aspects of the students' experience that are beyond the control of the academic staff member. However, also like the Library resources item, there are a number of things that academic staff can actively do to ensure that the students' experience with online technology infrastructure related to their unit studies is as positive as possible, including:

• ensuring students know where to locate important unit online resources;
• directing students to sources of assistance for problems with online technologies, such as the ITSD help desk and Deakin Studies Online (DSO) support web site;
• if you are using any special online technologies (such as eLive), provide students with the necessary instructions - both general technical instructions for access and information about the particular use(s) of the application(s) in your unit;
• advise students of any known IT technical issues, such as required versions of software, web browser compatibility issues, etc.; and
• keep students well informed about any known/planned IT outages that could affect their usage of key unit online resources - forewarned is forearmed, and students can take action to mitigate the impact (and subsequent negative perceptions) of IT outages if given sufficient warning.

Although student access to broadband Internet access is increasing, it is far from universal, particularly in Australia and some other areas internationally. Before placing large volumes of material online for students to download and/or requiring students to use third-party online resources that need broadband access for effective use, consider whether your students will have the required level of Internet access and what the likely download costs to then will be. In addition to basic IT infrastructure such as Internet access and DSO applications (learning management system, eLive, iLecture, etc.),'technology for delivering online content' can include any discipline- or unit-specific software packages that students are required to use. Student open ended comments will sometimes reveal that their dissatisfaction was not with IT infrastructure, but instead with unit software that is out dated, faulty or difficult to use outside of an on-campus computer lab.

Activity

For the unit(s) that you contribute to, what methods do you use to inform students of the IT resources available to them, and to help ensure that students have a trouble free experience using the IT associated with their learning? Are there additional things you could do in this regard?

Forward to: The online teaching and resources in this unit enhanced my learning experience