Introduction 
Please remember that you may often need to be patient with the shortcomings of the computer classrooms.  Hardware and software problems occur frequently enough that it is useful to instruct students to bring textbooks, as well as pens/pencils, every day.  In addition, you may be competing with non-instructional materials such as computer games, e-mail correspondence, and "unauthorized" surfing; it is a good idea to establish guidelines and repercussions from the start of the semester.  Finally, the range of computer skills may be broad.  Try to include "mini-lessons" on basic word processing, editing, and file management without simply turning the course into a computer course. 

Guidelines for English and Math Computer Lab, Room H-014

1.  New instructors can obtain a log-in when an account has been opened in their name; Carol  D'Avanzo, Division Secretary, will facilitate setting up the account. 

2.  Please keep the classroom locked unless an instructor is present or about to be present. 

3.  Please keep paper trays full with fresh supplies from copying room. 

4.  Please use care with the computer equipment, especially careful not to pull on wires.

5.  Please report computer problems to Carol D'Avanzo, Division Secretary.  If she is absent, fill in a trouble ticket--obtainable from HFCC web site www.hfcc.net: go to "Computer Resources," then "Academic Computing Services," and then "Computer Trouble Ticket."  Leave a note on the afflicted computer so that students do not try to use it. 

6.  Note that you can arrange to have a TV monitor hooked up to the instructor's computer for in-class demonstrations.  (This option is often especially helpful at the beginning of the semester when teaching students how to log on and access the word processing programs.)  To make this arrangement, call the Office of Instructional Technology; state the class's room number, as well as the day and time you need the monitor. 

7.  Note that instructions for logging on and accessing word processing programs are attached; you may want to distribute these to students as well. 

8.  Note that all students have e-mail accounts through HFCC's Email.  Student usernames can be found on the instructor's class list or by going to the Student Login Search.  The student's password is the two digit month and two digit day of his or her birth (no spaces in between).  For example, a student born on January 9th would type: 0109.  To send email to student HFCC Email accounts, use the following: username@hfcc.edu.

9.  Direct lost objects to appropriate boxes. 

English Division Computer Lab, Room L-125

Policies and Procedures  (Pending Division Approval)

1. Please keep the door locked at all times.  Tell students that because funding is in such short supply, we all must work extra hard to secure and maintain the equipment. Therefore, the door will be locked once a class session starts and they should be sure to come on time so that they don't disrupt others by knocking to be let in.  Also, inform them that the room will not be accessible outside class time.

2. Please instruct students to avoid touching monitors or knocking them over. Note that the equipment is delicate and requires extra TLC to maintain: be gentle in use of other parts; especially use care with cords and cables.

3. Please instruct students only to logoff and not power off the computers as a courtesy to the next class.  Tell students only to log off and NOT SHUTDOWN their computers.  Having to power on the computers at the start of class diminishes time for instruction.  With the new software (NetSupport), you can logout and power off all the computers from the instructor's computer station. Only the last instructor in L125 for the day should power off all the computers.  

4. Please show students how carefully to put in the floppy disk in the CORRECT disk drive (one drive is for floppies and one is for zip disks).

5. Encourage students to be frugal in the use of the printer.  Large documents from the Internet can jam the printer as well as waste valuable ink and paper.  Please inform students only to print approved jobs such as assignments for the course and not to print assignments for other classes; only the class scheduled in the room has the lab fee that is being used to maintain the printer and computers. 

6. Please use care in collecting jobs from the printer.  Try not allowing students to crowd around the printer waiting for jobs, which can potentially knock over equipment.  If possible, the instructor should collect and distribute print jobs.  Paper will be stored in the cabinet on the wall with the windows.  If the supply is running low, please notify the English Division secretary.

7. Please keep track of all computer equipment, especially the mouse, speakers, keyboard, and monitor.  If a sign from Data and Voice (DVC) is on a computer indicating that it is down or needs to be repaired, be sure students do not try to power on the computer or touch it in any way.

8. Please notify Data and Voice if a computer needs attention using a computer trouble ticket (http://www.hfcc.edu/acs/machinetrouble.htm) and giving the ticket to the English Division secretary, or, for more prompt response, hand deliver the trouble ticket to the Data and Voice office on the 2^nd floor of the Administration Building.

9. Please keep the window shades closed at all times to prevent sun damage to the monitors and to prevent outsiders seeing the equipment in the lab.

10. Please do not allow any beverages or food in the lab!  Crumbs and spilled liquid can damage the equipment.

11. It is the college’s policy not to allow students to download any software or unauthorized data onto the computer.  Downloading software such as “Real Player” or “AOL Instant Messenger” can bring viruses on campus as well as cause computers to lock or crash, not to mention allow non-educational use of the computers.  If students must save a document or image off the Internet, please be sure that he or she saves to a floppy disk (or zip disk) or to his or her H:/ drive.

12. Please instruct students to use only new preformatted floppy or zip disks that have been scanned for viruses.  New disks that have never been used are much safer than disks that have been used and so can have potential viruses.  Students can purchase new disks in the school store.  If students have multiple classes that use computers, recommend that students use a separate disk for L-125.  Each computer is equipped with a virus scan program that should scan the disk automatically, but not all viruses can be caught this way.

1.  Remind students of the "No food, no drink" policy; otherwise, disasters to computers are  inevitable. 

2.  Encourage students to learn their login name early or to write it down in an easily accessible place; login names are available on the College web site, www.hfcc.edu: go to "Computer Resources" and then to "Student Login Search."  Unless a student has changed it, his or her password is the two digit month and two digit date of his or her birthday.  For example, a student born on January 9th would write 0109.

3. Remind students to log-off before they leave; otherwise, they will not be able to log-on anywhere else on campus. 

4.  Encourage students to "Save as" immediately after beginning a document; otherwise, there may be problems retrieving documents in case of a shut down or power failure. 

5. Encourage students to save to their own drive ("H" drive) so that they can access their document elsewhere on campus--and/or to a floppy. 

6.  Encourage students to e-mail their documents to their home computers; remind that they may need to send in RTF (or similar) format. 

8.  Instruct students to report student user account problems to Data and Voice by completing a trouble ticket, accessible on the HFCC Web site, www.hfcc.edu: go to "Computer Resources," then to "Academic Computing Services," and then to "Account Trouble Ticket." 
 
 

Latest revision:  January 10, 2004