FACULTY FAQ
1. I need more time with my students, is it possible to allow my class to run
long on any given day?
In general, we cannot allow a class to run long. The schedule for our classrooms
is pretty tight and we need the time between classes to prepare for the next class
coming in. That being said, we would be happy to work with you to arrange a
time for a review session or extra office hours for you and your remote students.
2. My remote students say they’ve turned their homework in, but I have not
received it. Where do I go to pick up these materials?
All professors have a mailbox in our Distribution Office, 2105 Martin Hall. They
are labeled according to course and most of your course materials will be placed
there for you, the only exception is completed exams, which we place in a secure
location and leave a notice in your mailbox.
3. I am having an exam next week, how do I get copies of this exam to the
remote students in time for the exam?
You may either bring us a copy, email us a copy or fax us a copy of the exam at
least one day prior to the date of the exam. If we receive it at least 2 days in
advance we will ship the exam via UPS or Fed Ex. If we do not have enough
time to ship the exam we will then either email a copy or fax a copy depending on
how we receive it. We always like to keep a copy for ourselves, stored in a secure
location, just in case a shipped exam does not make it in time, this allows us to
fax the exam.
4. I would like to hold a review session before the final, is there a way to include
the remote students?
Yes, we would be more than happy to help you schedule a review session in our
rooms so that your remote students can take part as well. Please stop by our
Distribution Office and we will work with you to determine the best time.
5. What is the best way to get course materials to the remote students?
The best way to disseminate course materials to all of your students is to upload
the documents to Blackboard. This way each of your students has access to the
information immediately and we don’t have to wait for the materials to ship, etc.
If you prefer not to place course notes on Blackboard, we will be more than happy
to distribute the materials for you. We ask that you bring any material to us at
least 2 days prior to when you want the students to have them, we will then ship it
to the appropriate sites.
6. Will there be someone at the remote site to proctor my exam?
For the most part the remote sites do provide proctors at your request. However,
1 site does not, Shady Grove. You can handle the proctoring of exams at this site
several ways:
 You can request that the remote student come to College Park for all
exams
 You can proctor the exam yourself by keeping these particular students on
the monitor in the classroom
 If it is imperative that a proctor be physically there, please let us know and
we can try to arrange for someone to go to this site for the exam
7. We lost contact with the remote students part way through the class, is there
any way those students can still view the class or are they on their own for
that material?
All lectures taught through DETS are captured and placed on Blackboard for the
remote students to view at a later date. The videos are up within 24 hours of the
class and will remain there for the entire semester. If there is a problem with a
link to one of the videos please report it to dets-support@umd.edu.
8. I have never taught a DETS course before, is there someone who can explain
how things work?
We would be happy to set up a training session with you to go over the details of
how to teach with us. Please contact Katie Truedson, 301-405-0031 or
ktruedso@umd.edu and she will work with you to schedule a training session.
9. I will be out of town for one of my lectures, is there a way I can hold a make
up lecture with my students?
There is one of two ways we can assist you with this. We can either arrange a
time for you to pre-tape your class and then play it back for the students at their
regularly scheduled class time. Or, if time does not allow for a pre-tape, we can
set up a time for you to come in and hold a make up lecture. Like all of our
classes, we will place the video of the class on Blackboard for any students who
are not able to attend the actual make up lecture. To schedule a time please
contact the Distribution Office at 301-405-4907.
10. What equipment is available to me in a DETS classroom?
DETS operates 5 technology classrooms. In each classroom we have a computer,
projector, and a VCR/DVD player. We also have Tablet PCs available for your
use. You may bring your own laptop as well and we will display it on the screen
for you. We also have video teleconferencing equipment which is the primary
mode of delivering classes to our remote students. If you are interested in using
any of this equipment, please just let us know and we will set it up for you.