This site is intended to be a resource for faculty and staff as we migrate to online courses. If there are ICT questions about topics not listed, please reach out to College-IT(coas-it@nmsu.edu). If there are general questions related to migrating courses, please reach out to Amanda Barrier ( abarrier@nmsu.edu ) or Joseph Lakey ( jlakey@nmsu.edu ).
NMSU has created a website to provide tips and resources for continuation of teaching when moving face-to-face courses to online during a prolonged NMSU campus closure. It can be accessed here .
In the toolbar of Powerpoint, you can select insert — then the Audio prompt. You will notice a record button, and you speak, then stop it. When you stop it a little microphone icon shows up on the slide, which you can position where you want. This might be a little tedious but it is a start and doesn’t involve multiple technologies. It also allows you to do one slide at a time and not mess up a long narrative that you have to start over from the beginning. Youtube tutorial
Adobe products are available for full-time faculty and staff to download on their personal computers. If you have not been authorized to use these products please send an email to software@nmsu.edu.
As for students currently there is no news for Adobe extending Free-Trials for students. Currently Adobe is $19.99 a month for students. Of course, we understand the students may not have the machine to use the suite.
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/buy/students.html.
There are some free alternatives to the most popular products:
1. Adobe Photoshop – https://www.gimp.org/
2. Adobe Illustrator – https://inkscape.org/
3. Adobe Acrobat – https://formswift.com/edit-pdf
4. Adobe Audition – https://www.audacityteam.org/
5. Adobe Premiere – https://kdenlive.org/en/
As for students currently there is no news for Adobe extending Free-Trials for students. Currently Adobe is $19.99 a month for students. Of course, we understand the students may not have the machine to use the suite.
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/buy/students.html.
There are some free alternatives to the most popular products:
1. Adobe Photoshop – https://www.gimp.org/
2. Adobe Illustrator – https://inkscape.org/
3. Adobe Acrobat – https://formswift.com/edit-pdf
4. Adobe Audition – https://www.audacityteam.org/
5. Adobe Premiere – https://kdenlive.org/en/
Thank you to Dr. Cooper for providing an alternative to utilizing Lockdown Browsers for student assessment.
For students who do not have a web cam, there are APPS that allow their computer to use their smart phone as a web cam. I have not yet had to deal with a student who has no web cam and has no smart phone.
1) During exam, they start up ZOOM, enable camera, disable microphone.
2) They can use the chat method to do a private chat. If they need to speak with me, I will place them in a breakout room and speak with them there.
3) I will have my TAs help me monitor students to make sure they are focused on taking the test and not using other resources.
4) My exam is a CANVAS quiz with some T/F some multiple guess, and a lot of essays. For things that require them to write equations or make drawings, there is the option to do file upload. I will have the students take a picture with their phone and upload to that particular question.
For students who do not have a web cam, there are APPS that allow their computer to use their smart phone as a web cam. I have not yet had to deal with a student who has no web cam and has no smart phone.
1) During exam, they start up ZOOM, enable camera, disable microphone.
2) They can use the chat method to do a private chat. If they need to speak with me, I will place them in a breakout room and speak with them there.
3) I will have my TAs help me monitor students to make sure they are focused on taking the test and not using other resources.
4) My exam is a CANVAS quiz with some T/F some multiple guess, and a lot of essays. For things that require them to write equations or make drawings, there is the option to do file upload. I will have the students take a picture with their phone and upload to that particular question.
NMSU utilizes Canvas and Adobe Connect for its primary distance/online course delivery. Canvas can be reached directly by visiting this link/.
Academic Technology has created a short video that shows the very basics of what you need to do to get your Canvas course populated with content for your students. This video is not designed to show fully developed online pedagogy (our OCIP folks are GREAT at that!) but is designed to show you how to get content up quickly. Please access the video here .
Resources on how to use Adobe Connect within Canvas can be found at:
Academic Technology has created a short video that shows the very basics of what you need to do to get your Canvas course populated with content for your students. This video is not designed to show fully developed online pedagogy (our OCIP folks are GREAT at that!) but is designed to show you how to get content up quickly. Please access the video here .
Resources on how to use Adobe Connect within Canvas can be found at:
- https://learning.nmsu.edu/apps/adobe-connect/
- https://learning.nmsu.edu/adobe-connect-faq/
- https://learning.nmsu.edu/student-guidelines-for-adobe-connect-in-canvas/
- There is also a KB (Knowledge Base) with additional information if needed:
https://kb.nmsu.edu/search.php?offset=0&q=&cat=7813&aud=0&sort=0&advanced=0
Cisco VPN is a program which will allow you to connect to campus resources, just as if you were on campus, from any internet connection. This program is required to connect to on-premise resources such as some Banner, file server resources, and Remote Access Connection to office and lab computers.
NMSU Cisco VPN can be downloaded from:
Once downloaded to your computer, you will need to use your MyNMSU username and password to gain access to the software. Video and document walk through on how to use the software can be found at:
NMSU Cisco VPN can be downloaded from:
Once downloaded to your computer, you will need to use your MyNMSU username and password to gain access to the software. Video and document walk through on how to use the software can be found at:
Consider what parts of your lab your students can do online or remotely. Often online labs are created by providing students with raw data and having them create and then upload an analysis of such raw data. Video demonstrations and online simulations are also valuable approaches that can be used. Teaching and assessing labs in an online course can also be accomplished using the resources in the websites listed below:
- Resources provided by CCAS
- ACS, American Chemical Society: Virtual Chemistry and Simulations
- BEN, BioSciEdNet, National Science Digital Library Pathway for biological sciences education
- ChemCollective, The Virtual Lab is an online simulation of a chemistry lab. It is designed to help students link chemical computations with authentic laboratory chemistry. The lab allows students to select from hundreds of standard reagents (aqueous) and manipulate them in a manner resembling a real lab.
- Another resource is Chemistry Education Research from the Bretz Research Group and ChemTube3D, an interactive 3D animations site from the University of Liverpool.
- LabXChange, Curation and creation of open edX courses
- Learn. Genetics, University of Utah
- Virtual Labs for Merlot, an open education resource repository
- The National Science Digital Library (Links to an external site.) (labs)
- PHET, Interactive Simulations from CU Boulder, math and science
The Graduate School has compiled an FAQ for common questions. It can be accessed here .
The Graduate School is requesting that all students work closely with their advisor/chair in making decisions related to comprehensive/oral exams, dissertation defense or any other oral defense related to degree completion. The Graduate School will work with advisors and students regarding these decisions and possible timelines once these meetings have occurred with your advisors. An announcement will soon be made with new deadlines due to the current circumstances regarding exam forms and oral defenses.
The Graduate School is requesting that all students work closely with their advisor/chair in making decisions related to comprehensive/oral exams, dissertation defense or any other oral defense related to degree completion. The Graduate School will work with advisors and students regarding these decisions and possible timelines once these meetings have occurred with your advisors. An announcement will soon be made with new deadlines due to the current circumstances regarding exam forms and oral defenses.
- Zoom
- Currently, ICT is working on getting faculty and administrators’ access to Zoom. In the meantime, the Graduate School has access to the Zoom account and is happy to schedule your Zoom meeting, so that you will be able to meet with your student(s) for your meetings from your computer. Please email Luis A. Vázquez to schedule a Zoom meeting through the graduate school.
- Teams
- The other method is using TEAMS, which is good for as many as 4-5 people. Below are the steps to use teams from a browser.
1. Log into my.nmsu.edu and click on the email widget in the left hand column (a
short cut is to log directly into mail.nmsu.edu)
2. In the upper left hand corner you will see a grid of 9 dots in the maroon area. Click that and a list of applications will be display, click Teams (purple)
3. Once the Teams browser window is open click chat to go to the chat window.
4. Next, click the add people icon in the far right corner and enter names or username accounts to add those persons you with to chat with.
5. At this point you can have a text chatting experience with the participants, use the purple arrow at the end of the text box to send.
6. If you wish to add video to the mix, everyone will have to have a camera on their computer, click the video camera icon in the upper right corner.
7. If you need to share your screen there will be a bar in the middle of the video window that has a number of options including screen share, giving control of you computer etc. To allow someone else to control you screen you will have to grant permission when they ask
8. There is auto closed caption that is supposed to able to be turned on from the more icon from the video chat bar, but I was unable to find it. If you have the need you may have to google it.
- The other method is using TEAMS, which is good for as many as 4-5 people. Below are the steps to use teams from a browser.
- A collection of resources organized by the national Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences
- Prepare to Move Online (in a Hurry)
- So You Want to Temporarily Teach Online
- Going Online in a Hurry: What to Do and Where to Start
Remote Desktop Protocol is available in Windows 7, 8.1, and Windows 10 computers. All on campus computers should be should be updated to a minimum of 8.1, but a preference of 10. If you still have a university computer running Windows 7, please contact coas-it@nmsu.edu to schedule a time to upgrade your computer. If you have a Windows 7 computer running a software or piece of equipment which cannot be run on Windows 10, the computer will have to be removed from the NMSU network.
Remote Desktop Protocol allows you to login to your office or a computer lab computer from a remote location and utilize the programs as if you were sitting in front of the computer.
Remote Desktop Protocol allows you to login to your office or a computer lab computer from a remote location and utilize the programs as if you were sitting in front of the computer.
- Resources for Music:
- Smart Music resources
- EdSurge article
- Resources for Studio Art:
- Facebook group dedicated to teaching art online
- EdSurge article
- Video and Media Arts
- Your home wireless router should be configured to require a strong (17 character minimum) password (passphrase) to connect. Check that it is running the latest firmware version and that the router administrative password has been changed from the default password to a strong password.
- NMSU portable computing devices are required by policy to be encrypted. This is due to the proclivity of such devices to grow legs and disappear. A stolen computer with encrypted storage does not divulge data or cause a cyber security incident. If you are using your own computer to perform NMSU work then it should also be encrypted. Any computer taken off campus should also be encrypted.
- Although I cannot imagine anyone using a public wireless resource in the near future, if you must use these services first connect to the NMSU VPN or chose to use your cell phone hotspot instead.
- Another thing to keep in mind is the Internet of things (IOT) you have connected to your network. These include anything from cameras, printers, appliances, baby monitors, TV’s…..the list is long. Every one of those devices has a default password that must be changed when installed and firmware that requires periodic updating. It is always a good idea to review the security of the home devices connected to your network.
- Make sure your computing device has automatic updates turned on for your operating system (Window, Mac, Linux) and your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and the applications you use (Office suite, Adobe, etc.). This is the number one deterrent to mischief. For many employees this may be configured and done by your department. If you are using your personally owned computer, please make sure these security precautions are in place and make sure you are running a support OS (not Windows 7 or Windows XP).
- Employ an up to date antivirus/malware software application on your computer.
- Logon as a non-administrative user to perform your normal computer work.
We have communicated with Dr. Jesse Haas, the Interim Director of Student Accessibility Services at NMSU and Director of Student Accessibility Services at DACC, and he shared some good tips on how to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students with disabilities during this time. He recommends:
1. Please respond to all student questions in a timely manner. The biggest barrier students with disabilities often find with online instruction is the lack of a timely response to their questions. Communication with all of our students is key. For students with disabilities, timely and clear communication is paramount. If video conferencing is not an option for some particular reason to answer a student’s question, then use the old-fashioned telephone as a quick stand-in. Students do like to text and it’s quick and easy. Using ‘Whatsapp’ might be another good option to keep in touch with your students by phone. Plus, it could be a useful tool for group meetings or student-to-student participation.
2. If you have any self-identifying hard of hearing or deaf students, please make sure that all videos and recorded lectures are closed captioned. ‘Zoom’ has some instructions on how to do this: . YouTube videos have a closed-caption button that students can click on.
3. Please ensure that all instructions listed within the course are as clear as possible. The instructions are clear to us because we wrote them. But that is not always the case with the reader/listener. So follow up with your students after you post an assignment and ask if there are any questions. If it’s a heavily weighted assignment then it wouldn’t hurt to follow up again a few days before it is due to make sure all is going well. If there are several questions that seem to be arising, then posting a “Q&A” for all students to see could be another helpful tool.
1. Please respond to all student questions in a timely manner. The biggest barrier students with disabilities often find with online instruction is the lack of a timely response to their questions. Communication with all of our students is key. For students with disabilities, timely and clear communication is paramount. If video conferencing is not an option for some particular reason to answer a student’s question, then use the old-fashioned telephone as a quick stand-in. Students do like to text and it’s quick and easy. Using ‘Whatsapp’ might be another good option to keep in touch with your students by phone. Plus, it could be a useful tool for group meetings or student-to-student participation.
2. If you have any self-identifying hard of hearing or deaf students, please make sure that all videos and recorded lectures are closed captioned. ‘Zoom’ has some instructions on how to do this: . YouTube videos have a closed-caption button that students can click on.
3. Please ensure that all instructions listed within the course are as clear as possible. The instructions are clear to us because we wrote them. But that is not always the case with the reader/listener. So follow up with your students after you post an assignment and ask if there are any questions. If it’s a heavily weighted assignment then it wouldn’t hurt to follow up again a few days before it is due to make sure all is going well. If there are several questions that seem to be arising, then posting a “Q&A” for all students to see could be another helpful tool.
For departments where students need access to SPSS, please have the students email software@nmsu.edu and they will provide download information which will be active until the end of June (students should indicate in the email whether they are running Windows or MacOs).
Click here for a Guide to Student Services.
If you would like the Dean’s Office to reach out to a student you feel may be struggling with the shift to online courses, connectivity, or other miscellaneous challenges, please submit via this form.
If you need to edit your syllabus, it could be wise to create a syllabus that looks and functions much like the FAQ. This is a great article that highlights why this could be beneficial and how to easily do it.
For information on discounted wireless internet services, please click here
For students who reside in Native Communities, information of wireless internet locations can be found here .
The NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is offering free WiFi access for students through its many Cooperative Extension Offices and Agricultural Experiment Stations throughout the state. Rural students who need access to a WiFi network for classes may visit CES and AES locations in their counties to access the WiFi signal on their devices from the parking lot while using recommended social distancing practices. Most locations already have WiFi access up and running, and more are expected to be online soon. The guest password for the network at each location is Aggies#1.
Devices that have already been registered on an NMSU campus should be able to connect to the network. Devices that haven’t previously been connected on campus will need to be registered at https://netreg.nmsu.edu/. For assistance with registering a device or accessing the WiFi network, contact aces_help@nmsu.edu or call 575-646-3305.
Extension/ASC Offices with Wi-Fi available:
• Bernalillo County Extension Service, 1510 Menaul Ext. Blvd NW, Albuquerque
• Chaves County Extension Service, 200 E. Chisum, Door #4, Roswell
• Cibola County Extension Service, 515 W. High St., Grants
• De Baca County Extension Service, 905 N. 1st Street, Fort Sumner
• Eddy County Extension Service, 1304 W. Stevens , Carlsbad
• Grant County Extension Service, 2610 N. Silver St., Grant County Office Complex, Silver City
• Guadalupe County Extension Service, 244 S. 4th, Suite 110, Santa Rosa
• Lea County Extension Service, 101 B South Commercial, Lovington
• Lincoln County Extension Service, 409 Central, Carrizozo
• McKinley County Extension Service, 5002 W. Hwy 66, Gallup
• Mora County Extension Service, Hwy 518 M.M. 29 #1 Court House Drive, Mora
• Northern District Office, 4001 Office Court, Suite 308, Santa Fe
• Otero County Extension Service, 401 Fairgrounds Road, Alamogordo
• Quay County Extension Service, 216 E Center Street, Terry Turner Building , Tucumcari
• Rio Arriba County Extension Service, Rural Event Center, State Rd. 554, House #122-A, Abiquiu
• Roosevelt County Extension Service, 705 East Lime Street, Portales
• San Juan County Extension Service, 213-A S. Oliver Drive , Aztec
• San Miguel County Extension Service, 20 Gallegos Road, Las Vegas
• Santa Fe County Extension Service, 3229 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe
• Sierra County Extension Service, 2101 S. Broadway, Sierra Conservation Plaza , T or C
• Socorro County Extension Service, 198 Neel Avenue, NW, Socorro
• Alcalde ASC, 371 County Rd. 40, Alcalde
• Artesia ASC, 67 E. Four Dinkus Road, Artesia
• Clayton ASC, 15 NMSU Lane, Clayton
• Clovis ASC, 2346 State Road 288, Clovis
• Farmington ASC, 300 Road 4063, Farmington
• Los Lunas ASC, 1036 Miller St. SW, Los Lunas
• Tucumcari ASC, 6502 Quay Road AM 5, Tucumcari
For students who reside in Native Communities, information of wireless internet locations can be found here .
The NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is offering free WiFi access for students through its many Cooperative Extension Offices and Agricultural Experiment Stations throughout the state. Rural students who need access to a WiFi network for classes may visit CES and AES locations in their counties to access the WiFi signal on their devices from the parking lot while using recommended social distancing practices. Most locations already have WiFi access up and running, and more are expected to be online soon. The guest password for the network at each location is Aggies#1.
Devices that have already been registered on an NMSU campus should be able to connect to the network. Devices that haven’t previously been connected on campus will need to be registered at https://netreg.nmsu.edu/. For assistance with registering a device or accessing the WiFi network, contact aces_help@nmsu.edu or call 575-646-3305.
Extension/ASC Offices with Wi-Fi available:
• Bernalillo County Extension Service, 1510 Menaul Ext. Blvd NW, Albuquerque
• Chaves County Extension Service, 200 E. Chisum, Door #4, Roswell
• Cibola County Extension Service, 515 W. High St., Grants
• De Baca County Extension Service, 905 N. 1st Street, Fort Sumner
• Eddy County Extension Service, 1304 W. Stevens , Carlsbad
• Grant County Extension Service, 2610 N. Silver St., Grant County Office Complex, Silver City
• Guadalupe County Extension Service, 244 S. 4th, Suite 110, Santa Rosa
• Lea County Extension Service, 101 B South Commercial, Lovington
• Lincoln County Extension Service, 409 Central, Carrizozo
• McKinley County Extension Service, 5002 W. Hwy 66, Gallup
• Mora County Extension Service, Hwy 518 M.M. 29 #1 Court House Drive, Mora
• Northern District Office, 4001 Office Court, Suite 308, Santa Fe
• Otero County Extension Service, 401 Fairgrounds Road, Alamogordo
• Quay County Extension Service, 216 E Center Street, Terry Turner Building , Tucumcari
• Rio Arriba County Extension Service, Rural Event Center, State Rd. 554, House #122-A, Abiquiu
• Roosevelt County Extension Service, 705 East Lime Street, Portales
• San Juan County Extension Service, 213-A S. Oliver Drive , Aztec
• San Miguel County Extension Service, 20 Gallegos Road, Las Vegas
• Santa Fe County Extension Service, 3229 Rodeo Road, Santa Fe
• Sierra County Extension Service, 2101 S. Broadway, Sierra Conservation Plaza , T or C
• Socorro County Extension Service, 198 Neel Avenue, NW, Socorro
• Alcalde ASC, 371 County Rd. 40, Alcalde
• Artesia ASC, 67 E. Four Dinkus Road, Artesia
• Clayton ASC, 15 NMSU Lane, Clayton
• Clovis ASC, 2346 State Road 288, Clovis
• Farmington ASC, 300 Road 4063, Farmington
• Los Lunas ASC, 1036 Miller St. SW, Los Lunas
• Tucumcari ASC, 6502 Quay Road AM 5, Tucumcari
Suggestions for Zoom in the Classroom
Other Resources
- Ask students to mute their microphone
- Ask Students to disable their web camera
- Utilize the CHAT feature on the bottom bar for write questions
- Ask students to enable their microphone whenever they have a question, but disable again once finished.
- Schedule all lectures and labs in ZOOM with RECORDING “on” so that one doesn’t have to remember to enable it each time.
Other Resources
- How do I setup ProctorU?
- Make an instructor’s account on ProctorU
- Once you have an account and are logged in as an instructor, click on “Add New” to create a new exam. Then you’ll need to fill in a bunch of options to set up your exam; attached are the settings I used for a previous exam of mine to give you an example. You are able to give the students a window of time during which the exam is available for them to take it (i.e. 2-3 days to take it (a “window”), in one 60-minute sitting).
- ProctorU Exam Setup Example article
- ProctorU Best Practices
- Create your exam in the ProctorU system as early as possible and advise students to schedule their exam as early as possible. This will ensure they get the time they desire and avoid any last-minute scheduling fees.
- Advise students to test their equipment, as well as see what to expect and FAQs here: https://www.proctoru.com/live-plus-resource-center. This is especially important for first-time test takers as they can sometimes see a higher rate of technical issues due to not knowing the best preparation practices.
- Advise students that, on average, it takes about 10 minutes to verify identity, secure the exam environment, and enter the exam. This does not impact their time in the exam.
