General Distance Education Questions

What is a LMS, and what is it used for? LMS is short for Learning Management System. The LMS is the application used to deliver a course or portions of a course to students online. This may include course information, documents, multi-media, assignments, tests, grades and more. The advantage of using a LMS is that students will have access to the material 24/7.
What are the recommended browsers for the LMS? Newer versions of Firefox and Chrome are the recommended browsers for the LMS. Edge and Safari are not recommended, as they do not work consistently with all features and functions of the LMS. Internet Explorer (IE) is no longer a support browser and should not be used.
How do I get certified to teach online? To be certified to teach online, instructors must complete the Online Teaching Certification training. To register for the training, instructors will need to contact their dean or chair. Their supervisor can register them for the certification through the Distance Education office. For more information, go to the Online Teaching Certification Information Website.
What Instructional Technology tools are available to faculty at Santa Ana College? Faculty have access to a variety of hardware and software tools through the Distance Education office. Available software includes Lynda.com, TurnItIn.com, Intelecom videos, Screencast-O-Matic screen capture and video recorder, YouTube, Articulate Storyline 2, Articulate Studio '13, and others. Available hardware include limited numbers of hot spots, headsets/microphones, and webcams. Contact the Distance Education office if you are interested in using any of the instructional technology tools for more information and availability.
How do I get access to instructional technology tools? Faculty interested in available instructional technology should contact the Distance Education Office at (714) 564-6725 or DistEd@sac.edu for more information about how to obtain access the instructional technology.
Is there any training available for instructional technology? The Distance Education Office does offer on most of the available instructional technology. Training includes Flex Week sessions, step-by-step instructions or "how to" documents, video tutorials, and online workshops. Additional training on selected instructional technology can be found on Lynda.com.
I need a headset and/or webcam, where can I get them? The Distance Education Office has headsets and webcams available for check out for Faculty. Contact the Distance Education Office at DistEd@sac.edu or (714) 564-6725 to check out a headset or webcam. Headsets and webcams can also be purchased at office supply stores and online for around $30.
What are Open Educational Resources (OER)? Open Educational Resources (OER) are course materials that can be used and reused freely at no cost. Unlike conventional copyrighted course material, OER material creators retain few, if any, ownership rights. Why is that important? The premise of OER is to provide "free and unfettered access, and perpetual, irrevocable 5R permissions" that allow instructors and students to "retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute" the course material. (Dr. David Wiley, October 2016). For more information on OER, go to the OER website at www.sac.edu/oer.
How can I get started using Open Educational Resources (OER) in my courses? Faculty are invited to use Open Educational Resources (OER) in their courses at Santa Ana College. Stipends are available for adopting faculty. To be eligible for a stipend, participating faculty must complete a professional development training course on OER, and implement OER in their course(s). For more information about adopting OER, contact Cherylee Kushida at OER@sac.edu.
How do my students receive tutoring? Tutoring is available for the same subjects for both classroom and online/hybrid students.
Tutoring is available at the Learning Center for the following subjects on a drop-in basis:
- All Communications Studies courses
- All Foreign Languages courses
- All English, Reading and EMLS courses
- Writing for any topic/class
Tutoring is available at the Learning Center for the following subjects by appointment:
- Human Development: 107, 205,220
- Math (all, except for MATH219)
- Physics: 109, 117, 210, 211, 217, 227, 237, 279, 289
- Engineering: 235, 250
- Physical Science: 117
- Sociology: 100
- Anthropology: 100
- Political Science: 100
- Biology: 109, 139, 149, 217, 229, 239, 249
- Medical Assisting: 051A, 052B
For Online students:
- Tutoring Requests: Have your students call or email the Learning Center (LearningCenter@sac.edu) with their tutoring subject/course request. They will need to arrange for a call back tutoring time.
- Writing Tutoring: Students can complete this form: Learning Center Conferencing Intake and Evaluation Form. Then, attach it in an email to the Learning Center (LearningCenter@sac.edu)
For information regarding the Learning Center location, hours and phone number, please visit their website: http://sac.edu/AcademicProgs/HSS/LearningCenter/Pages/default.aspx
Net Tutor is an online tutoring sering service, which is free to students, that is being offered by the Distance Education Department in an effort to better serve our online students. NetTutor is currently being offered in all online Math, Economics, and Accounting courses, as well as select online English courses. Online instructors interested in using Net Tutor in their online courses can contact the Distance Education Office.
How do my students complete a Directed Learning Activity (DLA)? If you would like to use DLA(s) in your course the procedures with the Learning Center are as follows:
- Submit your DLA to the Learning Center
- Instruct your students to email the Learning Center (LearningCenter@sac.edu) with the DLA number.
Your student will be emailed the DLA with instructions to return it back via email.
A Learning Center instructor will review the submitted work and will send a feedback to the student.