Desire2Learn FAQs
Course Administration FAQs
- How will I get my online courses in Desire2Learn?
- When will I see my new courses in Desire2Learn?
- What are the advantages of creating a new course before each term?
- What are the disadvantages of creating a new course before each term?
- How will I copy course materials into a new course shell?
- How do I change the dates for the new term?
- How will my students get to my online course in Desire2Learn?
- What if I teach multiple course sections within the same course shell?
- What happens if my course is cross-listed?
- If my course is cross-listed, when do I need to notify the DL department?
- How do I remove a No-Show student from Desire2Learn?
- How do I handle incomplete students?
- What do I do if I still have questions?
How will I get my online courses in
Desire2Learn?
For online courses, you’ll get a new “course offering” before the start of
each new term. For campus-based courses, instructors must use the online request form to use Desire2Learn each term.
When will I see my new course in
Desire2Learn?
When the schedule of classes is released in Banner (around Oct 29, 2010 for winter term 2011), Desire2Learn will create a new “course offering” for each
online course. You’ll then see the online course in the “My Courses” area of
your home page in Desire2Learn. The new course shells are empty, so instructors must copy content into it.
What are the advantages of creating a new course
before each term?
You’ll never have to reset your old course; all of your
students’ work from a term will be saved in its regular course shell. For this
reason it will also be easier to handle “incompletes.” Also your students will
always be put into the right course, and Banner will add and remove students
automatically. The burden on the DL admin staff will be much reduced.
You can copy content into the new term shell as soon as it appears in your course list. This allows for early changes or modifications for next term to be made without affecting your current class.
What are the disadvantages of creating a new
course before each term?
You as the instructor will need to remember to
copy your course materials into the new course shell before the start of the new
term.
How will I copy course materials into my new
course shell?
First, you must be in your new empty course shell. Use a link called “Import / Export / Copy
Course Components” under the “Edit Course” link.
Here's the video or the instructions to Copy Content to your new course.
How do I change the dates for the new
term?
After you have copied your course content into your new online
course shell, you can use the “Manage Dates” link (under “Edit Course”) to
update all of the dates contained in folders (assignments), discussions,
quizzes, and other integrated tools within D2L (any date on an HTML page or PDF
document will still need to be updated manually, by you). Here's the instructions to Manage Dates (see step 3).
How will my students get to my online course in
Desire2Learn?
Banner will add students to the online course they
registered for. Because courses in D2L have “start” and “end” dates, students
will see the title of the course in their “My Courses” widget on their home page
in D2L as soon as they are registered for the course. The course title will not
be an active link until midnight on the first day of the new term, so students
won’t be able to get into your course until then. The start date will be listed
with the title, which should reduce student questions about when they can access
the course. Likewise, after midnight on the “end” date for the course, students
will no longer have access, though you can use the “Add students” link in the
Online Faculty Resource Center to give access for incompletes.
Note: There is currently a bug that adjusts the course access dates and time by 3 hours. This means that your course will be available at 9pm on the day prior to the start of the term, not at midnight on the first day of the term. We have identified this as a high-priority item with Desire2Learn’s Development folks.
What if I teach multiple course sections within
the same course shell?
Teaching multiple course sections within the same
course shell is called cross-listing. For example, an instructor who teaches
three sections of BA 101 (CRNS 12345, 12346, 12347) might combine all sections
into one course shell. Another example is cross-listing a course from different
departments - such as PS 211 & SOC 211. In both cases, an instructor should
fill out the online cross-listing request form as soon as
possible before the start of term to request that courses be cross-listed.
What happens if my course is
cross-listed?
For the instructor who teaches three sections of BA 101, DL
admin will simply redirect all CRNs to one course shell. For cross-listing PS
211 & SOC 211, DL admin will create a new course shell and ask that
instructors move materials from different shells into the new shell.
If my course is cross-listed, when do I need to
notify the DL department?
As early as possible! We need time to create
the course shells, and we want them available early so you can work in them and
have them ready for the start of term.
How do I remove a No-Show student from Desire2Learn?
You’ll access your roster in MyPCC and submit a No-Show grade. The student will be un-enrolled overnight by a registration process in Banner. For more information on the No-Show process, please check out the link in the Online Faculty Resource Center… The link is Un-enroll No-Show Students
How do I handle incomplete students?
If
you have a student who needs to complete a course, you can use the “Add New
or Incomplete Student” form located in the Online Faculty
Resource Center inside Desire2Learn.
What do I do if I still have
questions?
Call the help desk (971-722-8227) or make an appointment to
meet with support staff listed here.