Support Services

UTK's faculty participating in Distance Education - by CODEC interactive technology or videotape recording - are special... and so are the tools available to help present their ideas and interests.

The UTK's University Outreach assists University faculty in making their courses and seminars available statewide by two-way interactive live video and/or nationwide by class videotape services. Utilizing the latest in high technology tools and providing unique personnel resources and services, the UTK faculty can help make teaching students at diverse geographic locations a pleasure, not a chore.

Through the University of Tennessee's Knoxville TeleClassrooms and partnering sites across Tennessee, your students can finish work on the outskirts of Memphis, join you for your interactive class in Knoxville, - and you all can be home in time to catch the late network news. Let UTK's Division of Outreach and Continuing Education take you there through video distance learning services.

Faculty briefings and tours of the TeleClassroom
Group faculty development sessions each semester help familiarize you with both the opportunities and your colleagues in distance education. Private tours of facilities can be arranged convenient to your schedule.

A specific producer is assigned to each teaching faculty member for the semester Assigned producers provide a convenient single point of contact for technical and video needs throughout your course.

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Electronic Presentation Support
If you have to put up with televisions in your classroom, why not take advantage of what they can do to encourage your students to learn?

Due to limited resource availability, services in italics require special arrangements in advance.

• Computer-assisted presentations
  UTK's TeleClassrooms are fully equipped to feed video from IBM PC  personal computers to the video network.

• Portable equipment for checkout

• Converters to take your computer screen to the television screen.
  Maybe you'd like to bring your own computer with you. Let us see if we can team your computer with our cameras.

• Software training
  So much to know, so little time to learn! Let us arrange personalized instruction for you in computer software designed for your lecture material.

• In-class support for campus Ethernet connections
  Convenient instructor connections to the campus networking backbone allow access to file servers, UTCC's mainframes, and the Internet wide area networking system.

• Modem connections to let your computer reach out to the world
  If you have off-campus computing facilities you want to show your class, bring them on-screen by phone modem.

• Telephone and video bridges to bring guest speakers to your class by phone
  Bring in a colleague from St. Petersburg, Russia - by phone. Or visit with students in the Netherlands - and let them share the local newspaper headlines with you by interactive video!

• Videotape playback facilities
  Bring your own video to the video classroom; use prerecorded tapes as supplements to your lecture material.

• In-studio fax to allow last minute notes to reach selected remote classrooms.
  Students' questions getting involved? Have them fax their written questions to you during break. Fax back your notes to them after class.

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Class-at-a-Distance Operations Support
When your classrooms span the state, how can you keep up with student needs - much less assure that each student has the materials needed at exactly the right time? University Outreach eases those chores with special services for classrooms-at-a-distance.

• 800 number access to Distance Education's student support services
  Off campus students have busy schedules - they may be doing homework in Chicago's airport and need to ask a question. Assure them that the help they need is just a free phone call away with Distance Education's 800 number. 1-800-653-8657

• Fax receipt of homework
  Many students in your statewide classroom work during the day and have access to a fax. We provide a dedicated receiving fax number to allow those students to submit their homework electronically. The number is (423) 974-4727

• Computerized tracking of homework submissions, by student Library Reserve videotape services
  Want to help courses for students who can't make it to class or want to review lectures for a test? Let us maintain a short-term video collection of your course at the UTK library for checkout at the students' convenience during the semester.

• Instructor materials mailout services

• Videotape mailout services

• Electronic office hours
  Let your off-campus students ask face-to-face questions during your Knoxville office hours - even if they work in Nashville! Consider holding office hours in the classrooms to allow on-campus and off-campus students equal access to your assistance.

• Course Marketing Support
  Sometimes good courses get canceled due to low student turnout. DUO can help locate students for your special offerings. Contact us for details on special flyers, computerized mailing lists, and targeted marketing ideas.

• Remote access to Library Services
  Off-campus students may not have the resources of UTK's library available for their research. We can help bring the library to them through computer access at various sites statewide.

• Access to Email accounts for class members
  Use the power of email to meet your students at times convenient for both them AND you. Electronic mail accounts for your class can be established through UT's Computing Center at your request.

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