Faculty & Staff Questions

Talk with your supervisor about telecommuting options for you.

Step 1: To host a Zoom meeting, request a free Zoom account through ISU.

Fill out this form. When submitted, Zoom will send you an activation email to your ISU email address with instructions to activate your account.

Step 2: Check your email from Zoom and click the link to activate your Zoom account, then sign in using your ISU email address and create a new account.

Step 3: Review resources for getting started with Zoom.

Zoom help center

Zoom training webinars

• Getting started with Zoom
• Zoom meetings training
• Zoom meetings for education training
• Zoom rooms training
• Zoom webinar training
• Zoom administrator training

Web conferencing using Zoom (via ITRC at ISU)

Download the Zoom App for mobile use

Audio, video and sharing details

Questions? Contact Lance Roe, instructional technologist, Instructional Technology Resource Center, roelanc@isu.edu, (208) 282-5880.

Please consult with your HR representative to discuss your leave options under the Family Medical Leave Act, in coordination with using sick leave, short-term disability, and/or telecommuting options.

If you exhaust your accrued leave, Human Resources will work with you on other leave options, such as Shared Leave, Family and Medical Leave, and ADA accommodations as needed in consultation with Disability Services.

Any time you believe you have acquired an illness at work, either you or your supervisor should complete and submit the Supervisor’s Accident Report form.  Additional details can be found on the ISU worker’s compensation web page.The State Insurance Fund will review your claim and determine whether worker’s compensation applies.

In some circumstances, employees have a right to refuse to perform their work if they believe it is not safe to do so.  Employees should discuss their concerns with their supervisor and/or a human resources representative.

Employees with certain medical conditions and qualifying disabilities may also have additional considerations under the Americans with Disabilities Act that may provide other options.

ISU has not been closed. All managers are being asked to actively identify and assign work in a manner that supports safety on campus with mandatory social distancing for essential personnel and/or remote work from home. All hourly employees will continue to be paid for all hours worked.

All employees will continue to report hours worked and/or leaves of absence as normal through Bengal Web.

All managers are being asked to consider ways in which work can be done safely remotely from home, or on campus for essential personnel. Student employees should speak with their supervisor about work schedules and/or changes to work assignments or locations.

Additionally, ISU has been authorized to provide 80 hours of advanced sick leave for student and/or temporary employees in the event the employee is sick and/or at home in self-isolation, or unable to work remotely from home.

ISU has been authorized to provide 80 hours of advanced sick leave for employees that have depleted sick leave accruals. Advanced sick leave will be repaid through the employee’s future sick leave accruals. 

We have created planning guides to help you  make the transition to a remote working environment.

Remote Work Planning Guide

No changes in compensation are anticipated for 9-month employees during the summer.  No changes are anticipated for the standard ISU Payroll calendar.

Although you are under quarantine, the expectation is that you contact your supervisor and notify them of your status and anticipated release to work. In this scenario, an employee may use sick leave and FMLA, or another form of accrued leave, or complete work remotely if access to appropriate technology is possible.

Faculty are expected to use this time to prepare their courses for distance-based instruction. 

Your goal is to create a viable option to allow students to receive information they would have received in the classroom and provide an alternative means of submitting work. 

See the ISU Teaching Effectively  During Times of Disruption, COVID-19 guidance document for some helpful tips. 

Watch the "PIE Workshop: Moving your Face to Face Class Online" webinar. 

The most important thing to remember is that you are part of a community. Stay in contact with colleagues and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help.

• Call: 208-282-5880 (ITRC Faculty Help Line)
• Email: itrc@isu.edu
• Schedule an appointment with an ITRC staff member (one on one)
• Message the ITRC via chat
• Come down to the basement of the Library and use the drop-in lab (Library B17)
• Consult the Help documentation
• Visit the ITRC Video Training Library
• Watch: Learn Moodle Basics 3.7

Step 1: To host a Zoom meeting, request a free Zoom account through ISU.

Fill out this form. When submitted, Zoom will send you an activation email to your ISU email address with instructions to activate your account.

Step 2: Check your email from Zoom and click the link to activate your Zoom account, then sign in using your ISU email address and create a new account.

Step 3: Review resources for getting started with Zoom.

Zoom help center

Zoom training webinars

• Getting started with Zoom
• Zoom meetings training
• Zoom meetings for education training
• Zoom rooms training
• Zoom webinar training
• Zoom administrator training

Web conferencing using Zoom (via ITRC at ISU)

Download the Zoom App for mobile use

Audio, video and sharing details

Questions? Contact Lance Roe, instructional technologist, Instructional Technology Resource Center, roelanc@isu.edu, (208) 282-5880.

• The computer labs on campus will remain open and students can access computers and the internet there.
• A limited number of laptops are available for checkout at the IT Service Desk in Rendezvous. 
• Phones and Tablets, with the Moodle App, can access Moodle courses (Discussion Forums, Moodle Quizzes, Zoom, Gradebook, Access Videos, Access .pdf files, upload or turn in assignments, Moodle Messaging, etc.).

• All ISU locations will remain open with Internet services
• Local Internet Service Providers are offering “promotions” during this time of crisis.  Feel free to refer students to these opportunities.
• Century Link
• Sparklight

If you have recorded lectures from previous years/semesters you can absolutely repurpose those for this emergency effort. You should have those in a Google Folder or somewhere else.  You can work with an Instructional Designer from the ITRC to help get those linked into your current course.

ISU will supply headphones to any student that needs it. Headphones are available at the open computer labs.

You can schedule time in the Distance Learning classrooms when they are not being used.  Schedule through Jim Dalley (208) 282-4871. You can also use Zoom on any computer you have access to and record yourself. You can also come to the ITRC drop-in lab and use the computers there with headphones to create lectures, add audio to Powerpoint and prepare classes. 

Instructors can hold office hours using Zoom. How to Use Zoom.

Students cannot be required to come to campus.

The ITRC will provide specific guidance to faculty who need to access a distance learning room. Reach out directly to ITRC for additional guidance and confirm scheduling.

Please refer to Web Conferencing using Zoom

• Holding class via Zoom at a time and day the class does not meet.
• Extending class beyond the time the class usually meets.
• Increasing the amount of work students are expected to do.
• Teaching via individual consultation and tutorial (unless you were going to do that anyway).
• Increasing the weight of any graded assignment.
• Adding a class session during finals week.
• Extending the course so that it ends after finals week.
• Rescheduling finals.

Yes. Employees are encouraged to find alternate arrangements.

The University is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control related to travel and self isolation. We recommend that you follow these guidelines as well. 

Contact the Grant Accounting Office for help on this matter. Grant sponsors have different requirements. If the grant does not allow the expenses, talk to your department head to resolve the matter.

The Governor's state-at-home order asks all non-essential travel to cease. Employees should carefully consider all travel plans and determine if it is, in fact, essential to operations. As much as possible, utilize video conferencing or telecommunication platforms.

All University-sponsored travel has been suspended until May 9, 2020. This includes international, out-of-state, and in-state business travel. Please note that in some cases essential business travel will be allowed. Essential business travel is meant to maintain academic programs and mission-critical operations of the University.

If you have prepaid expenses, immediately request reimbursement from the conference organizer, airline, etc.

• Personal Card:

• File expense report to claim all expenses not reimbursed by the conference and/or airline.

• In the business purpose, state the trip was cancelled by ISU.

• If the airline or conference organizer provides a voucher in lieu of a refund, please state that fact in Chrome River.  The traveler and travel approver are responsible to make sure to use vouchers for future ISU business travel. Be aware of voucher expiration dates.

• Traveler may elect to use airline voucher for personal use, and not request reimbursement from ISU.

• Trip Advance:

• Record the advance in the expense report to offset any requested expense reimbursement.

• If your advance for the trip is more than your expense reimbursement, please contact the Travel Office for guidance on returning the advanced funds.

• If you have a travel advance and no expenses to report, please contact the Travel Office for guidance on returning the advance funds.

• Travel advances not yet processed will be cancelled by the Travel Office.

• ISU Travel Card

• Complete the Chrome River expense report ONLY after the conference organizer or airline has credited the card.

• Make sure you enter credits and charges in the Chrome River expense report so they offset each other.

• In the business purpose, state the trip was cancelled by ISU.

• If the airline or conference organizer provides a voucher in lieu of refund, please state that fact in the comments.  The traveler and department approver are responsible to make sure to use vouchers for future ISU travel. Be aware of voucher expiration dates.

• Traveler may elect to use airline voucher for personal use, and reimburse ISU for the cost of the flight.

Expire the existing Travel Pre-Approval in Chrome River.

Your username is the same as the first part of your email address. For example, if your ISU email is doejane@isu.edu, your username is doejane. The password for Moodle ISU is the same as the password for your ISU email. If you have forgotten your password, use the Identity management portal to access your account.   

Phones and Tablets, with the Moodle App, can access Moodle courses.

STEM courses:

A list of online science simulations and lab resources divided by discipline and course type is being gathered in the Google spreadsheet: Online Resources for Migration. This is an evolving list as contributors post available resources.

Merlot has virtual labs available for open source use.

University of Colorado-Boulder’s PHET site provides access to simulation-specific tips and resources for teaching with simulations, and activities shared by their teacher community.

Harvard’s LabXchange provides open source resources for teaching biotechnology.

For more information and resources see pages 13-15 of the ISU Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption Document 

Art, PE, Theater, etc.:

Article: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Teaching Art Online

Article: How Do You Teach Art, Music and PE Online? In China, They’re Figuring It Out

For more information and resources see pages 13-15 of the ISU Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption Document 

Technical Programs:

For more information and resources see pages 13-15 of the ISU Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption Document

If you are experiencing technical/computer issues contact the IT Help Desk: (208) 282 4357.

If you need further assistance or explanation contact the ITRC (208) 282 5880 or email itrc@isu.edu

For more general questions about Moodle ISU for faculty, visit the Moodle ISU faculty FAQ.

A good article from thewirecutter.com with helpful tips on fixing slow internet wifi.

Contact your internet service provider. With the increased demand we are all going to be putting on our local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) starting on Monday, we know that many users (faculty and students) may have slow access from home.  ISU is planning to make the parking lot in the PSUB as well as the parking lot around Holt Arena WIFI hotspots available for drive up Internet/WIFI.