DOCUMENT by: ESC Training
Subject: READ THIS DOCUMENT: A few other things you should know
The information below was designed primarily for Center for Distance Learning (CDL) faculty using the SLN course management system. If you are a CourseSpace instructor, please check with the Help Desk or your program to see if any of the SLN-specific details below apply to you.
Necessary
Your SLN/CourseSpace Mail Account
SUNY Learning Network assigns every teaching faculty member an e-mail account (you can opt to have this mail forwarded, see below). This account is used to send out messages to instructors. Examples of the messages you will get in this account are notices from the SLN helpdesk if your student has reported a problem, announcements about server down time, change in help desk hours, etc.). Also SLN's instructions to students tell them to e-mail instructors at their SLN address (First.Lastname@sln.suny.edu). So even if you tell your students to use a different e-mail address, some communications are liable to end up in your SLN e-mail account.
Note: you can opt to have your SLN/CourseSpace e-mail automatically forwarded to a different account if desired (so you do not have to check a separate account for messages). To do so, go to the Faculty Center on the web (SLN: http://sln.suny.edu/faculty), click on the "My Faculty Account" link in the lower right and then click on "2. change e-mail forwarding address."
If you elect to retain your SLN e-mail account, you should check it regularly while you are teaching. You can access your e-mail from the link in the upper left corner of the SLN Faculty Center.
Be familiar with the Center for Distance Learning Faculty Center
You will submit your course outcomes and report student participation problems (attendance) on the CDL Faculty Center. This requires an Empire State College username and password (this is different from the SLN password; however, you may want to request the same password in both places.
Refer your students to the Empire State College online library.
Your Course Map and other parts of the SUNY Learning Network website refer students to SUNYConnect, a SUNY-wide library site. However, Empire State College has a much more extensive set of online resources and also offers reference assistance to students. Do not refer students to SUNY Connect, but rather to the Empire State College library site. You may also want to refer them specifically to the library document titled Research Tips for Distance Learning Students - this gives lots of helpful information for students doing research online. Also, all college students are informed that they will need access to a "brick and mortar" library to succeed in their studies. Except in limited situations (e.g. soldiers on active duty, you can expect your students to use resources other than online ones).
Take the SLN Faculty Orientation
Also on the SLN Faculty Center page is a link to the Faculty Orientation. This orientation is almost identical to the Student Orientation that students complete before taking an online course. You should review this Orientation to see what students are being told. It is important that you see from the student perspective how they are being told to participate in your course.
Optional
Participate in the SLN All Faculty Conference
The SUNY Learning Network conducts an All Faculty Conference each term for faculty developing new courses. Although you are not developing a new course, you might still find some of the discussion interesting. Also the All Faculty Conference provides access to a large number of courses for review, each term, generally close to the end of the term. Access the All Faculty Conference from a link on the left-hand side of the SLN Faculty Developer home page.
Read the SLN Getting Started documents
