- Administration
- Distance Education Program Development, Courses & Program Offerings
- Online Course Development and Delivery
- Support and Resources for Faculty
- Academic Advisor, Banner IDs, and Pin Numbers
- Student Registration
- Support and Resources for Students
- Policies and Processes
- Why A&T ONLINE
- Online Learning
- Getting Started
- Contact Us
- Request Information
Distance Education Faculty FAQs
Find answers to your questions regarding online education through A&T Online. These are a few of the common questions that faculty ask. If you don’t find an answer to your question, contact us.
Administration
The Distance Education Policy sets N.C. A&T’s standards governing distance education, and establishes the criteria and process for the delivery of distance education programs and courses. The Distance Education Policy can be found on the Academic Affairs Policy page.
The Extended Campus is the administrative unit for A&T online. The Extended Campus provides services and educational programming focused on the needs of a variety of traditional and post-traditional learners year round. The unit works proactively with the N.C. A&T community and external collaborators to create online, professional, and lifelong learning opportunities, helping ensure A&T’s preeminence within a changing higher education landscape.
Distance Education Program Development, Courses & Program Offerings
Follow these steps to establish a distance education program. For more information, please contact Extended Campus at extendedcampus@ncat.edu or 336-285-3810.
View the complete listing of distance education courses available at North Carolina A&T State University.
View the complete listing of distance education degree and certificate programs available at N.C. A&T.
- Distance Education Certificate Programs
- Distance Education Degree Programs
Minimal enrollment for undergraduate distance education courses other than support courses offered to students in all degree completion programs is 12 students and 10 students for graduate courses. The maximum course enrollment for distance education courses is determined by the department. The departmental chairperson or dean can elect to increase the course enrollment. When an increase in the maximum course enrollment is made, chairpersons should inform faculty as soon as possible.
Online Course Development and Delivery
Requests for online course development or redesign must be submitted to the Extended Campus by the dean or chairperson. For more information, please contact Extended Campus at extendedcampus@ncat.edu or 336-285-3810.
All courses that will be offered through distance education delivery modes (online or face-to-face through off-campus programs) must be done in collaboration with the Extended Campus. Follow these steps to deliver a distance education course. For more information, please contact Extended Campus at extendedcampus@ncat.edu or 336-285-3810.
Information about the Distance Education Faculty Development Certificate can be found here. For more information, please contact Extended Campus at extendedcampus@ncat.edu or 336-285-3810.
No, all online courses must be delivered by using Blackboard Learn, which is the official LMS for the University. If you need assistance with using Blackboard Learn, please contact Instructional Technology Training and Development (ITTD) for training or Blackboard Support for technical issues at 336-285-4496 or bbsupprt@ncat.edu. The hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
It is the responsibility of the department to hire faculty, provide compensation for delivery, and process all employment packets. College Deans should speak with the Provost about available funding for distance education course delivery. The Extended Campus does not provide financial support for the delivery of distance education courses.
The department enters distance education courses into the Banner System.
Please Note: Notification of all courses that will be offered through distance education delivery modes (online or face-to-face through off-campus programs) must be made to the Extended Campus by the department. ALL online courses must be previously developed for online course delivery through the Extended Campus before submitting to be offered online.
In order to transfer information to an online course delivery shell in Blackboard, the faculty member copies the materials from an existing shell into the destination shell. If you are teaching an online course for the first time, the chairperson or faculty member must make a transfer request in writing to the Instructional Technology Training and Development (ITTD) Learning Management Systems personnel, (Bessie Nkonge, Ph.D. at 336-285-4496 or bessien@ncat.edu or Tracie Lewis, Ph.D. at 336-285-4491 or tolewis@ncat.edu). The following information is needed:
- Name of the instructor
- Source course (last time course was offered or the distance education delivery shell for first time offering)
- Destination course information (the shell where the information will be transferred)
Academic standards for all programs and courses offered via distance education are the same as those for other courses and programs delivered on campus. Professors are expected to communicate with departmental chairpersons regarding course content and material used. Departmental examinations will be used whenever appropriate.
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Student learning outcomes are identified by faculty and assessed during the course approval process. Learning competencies of online courses must be comparable to those of identical courses taught via traditional pedagogy. These competencies are also listed in the course syllabi.
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The Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (OSPIE) is responsible for conducting student evaluation of distance education courses each term and for disseminating the results to faculty and administration. The evaluation instrument mirrors the instrument used for traditional evaluations, with the inclusion of questions relating to distance education, other support service areas, and the course management system, and meets the same privacy standards. Results of the student evaluation of distance education and all traditional instruction are distributed to faculty members, department chairs, and deans and used as one element of faculty evaluations.
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The Academic Departments collaborate with OSPIE to compare the effectiveness of distance education courses to campus-based courses in regard to student learning, student retention, and student satisfaction.
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The Extended Campus collaborates with the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (OSPIE) to assist with evaluations and to compare the effectiveness of distance education courses to campus-based courses in regard to student satisfaction.
- N.C. A&T is a member of Quality Matters, a nationally recognized, faculty-driven peer-review process. The purpose of QM is to ensure the quality of online and blended course design. QM is nationally recognized and used by higher education institutions around the globe. N.C. A&T's membership to Quality Matters gives faculty access to QM resources.
To archive course materials, follow these 3 easy steps:
- Click Export Course from the Course Utilities page. The Export Course page will appear.
- Enter the Course ID of the course to be exported. Click Course List to browse a listing of courses for an ID.
- Destination course information (the shell where the information will be transferred)
In order to have archived course information placed in an online course delivery shell on Blackboard, the chairperson or faculty member must make this request in writing to the Instructional Technology Training and Development (ITTD) Learning Management Systems personnel, (Bessie Nkonge, Ph.D. at 336-285-4496 or bessien@ncat.edu or Tracie Lewis, Ph.D. at 336-285-4491 or tolewis@ncat.edu). The following information will be needed:
- Name of the instructor
- A disk containing the source course information
- Destination course information (the shell where the information will be transferred
Timely communication in the online classroom is critical to student retention and success. As a best practice,
- Faculty members are encouraged to provide feedback to students on assignments within 7-14 days after the due date for the assignments.
- Faculty should check their email and online course at least every 24 to 48-hours within the workweek in order to provide prompt feedback and alleviate any problems that students may be having.
- Online faculty members must provide students with optional means of communication in the event of technical difficulties or outages due to weather. These may include (a) phone numbers (b) email addresses (c) Aggie Helpdesk contact information for technological support. (This information should be addressed in the syllabus.)
- The following Quality Matters (QM) criteria related to timely and appropriate interaction are used to assess each distance education course.
- QM Standard 5: Learner Engagement - Meaningful interaction between the instructor and students, among students, and between students and course materials is employed to motivate students and foster intellectual commitment and personal development.
- 5.1 The learning activities promote the achievement of the stated learning objectives. (Note: in some institutions learning objectives may be called learning outcomes.)
- 5.2 Learning activities foster instructor-student, content-student, and if appropriate to the course, student-student interaction.
- 5.3 Clear standards are set for instructor responsiveness and availability (turn-around time for email, grade posting, etc.)
- 5.4 The requirements for student interaction are clearly articulated.
- All distance education faculty members are required to post student grades into the Learning Management System (LMS).
Information about A&T Online's policies relating to copyright of university course materials can be found here.
Yes, the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (OSPIE) and the Extended Campus conduct student opinion surveys for all distance education courses at the end of each term. Reports are disseminated to deans, chairpersons, and faculty.
For definitions and more information, please refer to Prerequisite and Co-requisite Checking on the Registrar's website.
It is the responsibility of the department to provide the Bookstore with proper textbook information for all distance education courses.
Information about the Grading System for A&T Online can be found by selecting the appropriate student level, below:
- Undergraduate Grades and Grade Point Averages
- Graduate Evaluation Grades and Grade Point Averages
Support and Resources for Faculty
The Extended Campus, the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and Instructional Technology Training and Development (ITTD) provide a number of support services for faculty.
The Online Faculty Commons is a space for faculty to find resources and guidance to teach online.
The Online Faculty Orientation defines institutional expectations for online teaching and
introduces faculty to university resources.
Each Wednesday, CTE offers Online Teaching Check-ins via Collaborate Ultra so online faculty have the opportunity to discuss online teaching strategies and address common issues.
ITTD offers Technology Training for faculty and staff.
Office 365 is available for free for all faculty and staff.
- Navigate to the School Website -> http://www.ncat.edu/.
- Click on the tab at the top labeled "Faculty & Staff."
- Click on "O365/iNotes Email."
- Click on the "Office 365 Login" option.
- Enter your email address and password.
- Click on "Signin." Once logged in, you can access the online version of Office 365. To install the desktop version, click on the "Install Office" button. You will be prompted to install Office on the computer you are using.
- Click "Install Now" to start the step-by-step installation process.
The Blackboard Learning Management System has been configured to integrate with Microsoft Active Directory. Students and faculty will access Blackboard using the same username and password that they use to log into campus workstations and to connect to campus wireless networks (i.e. Active Directory credentials). Your Active Directory account is assigned by NCAT at the time of admission. If you need your Active Directory login credentials, please contact Aggie Tech Support (336-334-7195). If you need instructions on how to use your Aggie Google Mail, please visit GMAIL - Aggie Hub.
A list of computer recommendations needed to access a course through A&T Online can be found at this website.
Academic Advisor, Banner IDs, and Pin Numbers
Academic Advisors are assigned by the department according to the student's program. For more information, select the appropriate program level below.
- Distance Education Certificate Programs
- Distance Education Degree Programs
- Students may find more information about OneID accounts by visiting the OneID User Account website. (Note: A current A&T email address is needed.)
- All A&T students are issued a six-digit PIN Number that they will use to access the student system (Aggie Access). Students must meet with their academic advisors to receive the Alternate PIN. Please note that PIN numbers WILL NOT be issued from the Office of the Registrar, the Help Desk or the Blackboard staff. For more information, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 336-334-7595.
Student Registration
Access directions for registration. Yes, it can be done online and they can verify enrollment in a distance education course by viewing their schedule in Aggie Access Online.
Undergraduate students are allowed to enroll in 12 or more semester hours to be designated as full-time students. Graduate students are allowed to enroll in nine (9) hours to be designated as full-time students. We recommend that students consult with their Academic Advisor before enrolling in more than two (2) online courses per semester.
Yes, students can enroll in both distance education and on-campus courses during the course of a semester. All distance education sections are charged by the hourly rate, so students should consult our current distance education tuition and fee rates before enrolling in distance education courses.
Each term, distance education students must register by the specified registration deadline.
The process for withdrawing from a distance education course can be found here.
Support and Resources for Students
The following Support Services are available to Distance Education Students:
The Extended Campus will provide:
- Registration assistance, if needed
- Assistance with logging into Blackboard
- Online Blackboard Tutorial
- Withdrawal from a course(s) and University requests for distance education students who do not live in close proximity of the University, if needed (As long as your request includes a written approval from your Academic Advisor or department chairperson and is received before the published deadline.). Please consult the Academic Calendar for the published deadline dates.
Blackboard Support and Client Technology Services will provide the following for students:
- Blackboard Training (ITTD)
- Assistance with logging onto Blackboard (ITTD)
- Technology Training and Resources (Technology Training)
- Active Directory Credentials (Aggie Google Mail) (Client Technology Services)
Other Student Support Services for Distance Education Students
- Online Admissions
- (Office of Undergraduate Admissions & The Graduate College)
- Online Tuition and Fee Payment (Office of the Treasurer)
- Online Textbook purchasing (University Bookstore)
- Financial Aid (Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships)
- Academic Advising is conducted by the College/School for your program (Certificate, Undergraduate, Graduate)
- OneID Retrieval (OneID Retrieval System)
- Pin Numbers (Office of the Registrar)
- Counseling Services Online Screening (Counseling Services)
- Career Counseling (Office of Career Services)
- Veteran & Disability Services (Office of Veteran & Military Affairs)
- Library Services (Ferdinand D. Bluford Distance Education Library Resources)
- Transcripts (Official Transcript Requests)
As soon as a student knows that they will be deployed, they should immediately fax a copy of their orders to the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs at 336-256-2433 and email the following:
- Their faculty member(s)
- Their academic advisor
- The Office of Veteran and Military Affairs contacts
In the email, include:
- Full name
- Last six digits of their Banner ID number
- Course name(s) and number(s)
- Name(s) of faculty member(s)
- Name of academic advisor
If they have not received acknowledgement within a week, they should contact the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.
The Retention Center in Blackboard as well as the Performance Dashboard will help you identify students in your course who are at risk. Make sure tracking is enabled in all course activities to make full use of these services. Early intervention is important. You should communicate with struggling students quickly and often to help them take steps for improvement.
If you are not successful in reaching the student and the student has not withdrawn from the course by the end of the last drop period, you must give the student a failing grade.
- If a student is enrolled in distance education courses and his/her account has been validated and he/she experiences technical difficulties with Blackboard, he/she can contact A&T Online Office at 1-888-498-6752 (toll-free) or 336-256-0355. or the Blackboard System Administrators at 336-285-4496 or bbsupprt@ncat.edu. The hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- If a student has problems with his/her Aggie Google Mail account, he/she should contact the University Help Desk by phone (336-334-7195) or by email (helpdesk@ncat.edu). The hours of operation are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- If a student has questions about their Blackboard course content, he/she should contact their professor (from inside your Blackboard course, click on Communication and choose Send email). The Blackboard Student Manual is available online. To view it from inside their Blackboard course, click on Student Tools, and then click on Student Manual.
Enter all graded assignments and activities in the Blackboard gradebook so students can easily keep track of their grade in your course. Students can access all final grades via Aggie Access Online. Students must have their Banner ID Number and six-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) that they received from their advisor.
Policies and Processes
Students may find a copy of the Student Handbook by visiting the Dean of Students' website.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is committed to a policy of academic honesty for all students. Examples of Academic Dishonesty and more information can be found here.
FERPA is a Federal Law that protects the privacy of a student's educational records. All N.C. A&T faculty need to be familiar with FERPA policy. Please visit our FERPA website for more information.
A student may appeal the final grade earned in a course. Information about the process can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin or Graduate Catalog.
North Carolina A&T State University is committed to a policy of fair treatment of its students in their relationships with fellow students, faculty, staff and administrators. Students are encouraged to seek an informal resolution of the matter directly with the faculty or individual(s) involved when possible. For matters where a resolution is not feasible, a Student Complaint Form can be completed and filed online with the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Office.
See this document for an explanation on the steps for distance student complaints.