This help file is written with faculty teaching in the NMSU-A computer classrooms in mind. It attempts to answer many of the questions you may have when preparing for teaching a class in one of the computer classrooms. We, the staff of the computer center, encourage faculty to visit the classroom and ask questions before the class starts. We also encourage faculty to try things out on the computers in the labs, as things often don't work the same as on someone's home system. Some of the differences are that the NMSU at Alamogordo system is networked, we have disabled some functions like changing the display properties and printer settings, and there are many different options available when installing software. These things can and do cause problems when an instructor lays out his/her course plan on his/her home computer and then expects everything to work the same in class.
The Computer Center maintains two systems that students, faculty, and staff may use. A network account is required to use most computers on campus. This account allows the use of networked software, networked printers, email, and dial up access.
The second system is used for web pages, Unix programming, learning Unix, etc. An account on the Unix system is only necessary if you plan to publish web pages or if you have some other need to access a Unix operating system.
All student network accounts are deleted the day before each new semester begins. Registered NMSU-A students may get a new network account for the semester beginning on the first day of each semester. Each student needs only one account, not one for each class the student is taking. If a student has already been to the Computer Center and received an account or received an account in another class, he/she does not need another one (with the exception of students taking a Windows class which requires an additional special account that allows access to the setup functions on the computer).
The easiest method for the computer center personnel and the student is to pass out the login request forms in class on the first day your class meets. Please explain what a login name and a password is for; many students will become confused between the two. Have the students fill out the forms, then collect them and take them to the lab assistants on duty in SC104. The lab assistants will enter the students into the system and notify you when they are completed. The lab assistants may have to interrupt briefly to get clarification or to ask a student to select a different login name in cases where the student did not write legibly or has chosen a login name that is already in use. Once the new accounts are created, follow the procedure listed on the "Logging into the network for the first time" handouts available in the Computer Center. The process of logging in for the first time can go smoothly if you will help by explaining things.
Some instructors prefer to send the students over to the Computer Center to obtain their accounts. We don't mind, but it does create long lines causing the students to stand and wait while each account is set up. Another problem with sending the students to the Computer Center is that the lab assistants are instructed to require proof of registration before creating an account. Often, the student must go back to the classroom (or even out to thier car) to get his/her registration document. If you are going to send your students to the Computer Center, be sure to remind them that they will need proof of registration (current semester student ID card or registration document). Verification by the instructor is also accepted as proof of registration; when the instructor brings a stack of forms to the Computer Center, instructor verification is assumed thus saving time. Please assure that the student is actually registered before verifying thier status.
Because of the location, neither of the above methods work well for getting login names in TE132. Someone will be available on the first day your class meets to create accounts for your students in the classroom. Explain to your students what a login name and password is, pass out the login forms, have your students fill them out, then give them to the person who comes to create the accounts. The person creating the accounts will stay in your class long enough to get all of the accounts created and to get your students logged into the network. Once all the students are successfully logged into the network, this person must leave to attend to other duties. It is helpful if you will contact us to let us know when your first class begins.
A student missing the first day of class will need to go to the Computer Center to get his/her account.
Registered students, faculty, and staff may also publish their own web pages by electronically submitting an application for a Unix account. You must first have a current network account as the Unix account is verified using your email address that consists of your network login name followed by @nmsua.nmsu.edu. If you require your students to publish web pages and want your students to get Unix accounts on the first day of class, make arrangements ahead of time with Stan McCann. We will then be expecting the requests and can expedite the account setup process.
Often, students have difficulty logging onto the network. When a student cannot login, read the error message to determine the reason. Write the error message down if need be. If you are going to call for help, we cannot help without knowing the exact error. The most common reasons for login failure are:
All of the computer classrooms are currently using the Windows XP operating system and have the following software installed:
Some software is purchased in limited quantities and is installed only in the location where it is needed.
To allow students to work on homework using the specialized software, each of these packages is also installed on a limited number of computers in the Computer Center's open lab (SC104). Computers in the Computer Center with specialized installations will be marked. If a student needing to use specialized software enters the lab and no computers with that software are available, they should ask a lab assistant if it is possible to have someone move to free up a computer with the software installed. This may or may not be possible depending on how many computers are available in the lab and what software is being used. For example: There are 5 computers with WordPerfect 11. All 5 of those computers are in use by students when a student comes in needing to use WordPerfect 11. If other computers are available in the lab and one or more students using the computers with WP11 installed are not using WP11 (or other specialized software), then we will ask one of those students to use a different computer, freeing that one for the student needing to use WP11. If all of the specialized computers are in use using the specialized software or if there are no other computers available, the student will need to wait.
If you wish to use other software, keep in mind that we cannot install more copies of any software package than the university owns, and you cannot bring in your own software and install it on university computers. To arrange for new software to be purchased, begin with the program coordinator for the class you are teaching to determine if the software is appropriate for the particular class. As cost is also an issue, you may also want to have pricing information available before talking with your program coordinator. Many companies offer site licensing options and educational discounts. If contacting a software vendor, be sure to ask about these. At least 35 licenses should be purchased so that software can be installed in one classroom, and then some additional copies will be available for students to do their homework in the Computer Center.
Each classroom is equipped with a projector that will display the instructor's computer screen on the pull down screen to allow you to show students step-by-step instructions and presentations. As each room has a different model of projector, instructions for use are separated by room.
Except for the first class of the day, the projector should be powered on already. If not, the AC Switch is located on the side of the projector. When switched on, the buttons on top of the projector will light up.
To begin using the projector, press the power button on the top of the projector or on the remote. The projector's cooling fan will begin to run and the image should display on the screen.
The remote is not set up to be used as a mouse since most instructors prefer the mouse to the remote. The remote has a blank button that toggles the video display on and off.
To turn the projector off, press and hold the power button on the projector or the remote for a few seconds. The display will turn off while the cooling fan continues to run and the power button will begin to flash. If your class is the last class of the day, after the cooling fan stops and the power button stops flashing, then the unit may be powered down using the AC switch on the side of the projector.
WARNING: Powering down without waiting for the cool down period will damage the bulb.
Press and hold down the power button on top of the projector or on the remote. The cooling fan will begin to run, and the display will take a few seconds before projecting onto the screen.
The remote is not set up to be used as a mouse since most instructors prefer the mouse to the remote. The remote has a blank button that toggles the video display on and off. The remote also has a laser pointer that can be used.
To turn the projector off, press and hold the power button on the projector or the remote for a few seconds. The display will turn off while the cooling fan continues to run, and the power button will begin to flash. If your class is the last class of the day, after the cooling fan stops and the power button stops flashing, then the unit may be powered down using the AC switch on the side of the projector.
WARNING: Powering down without waiting for the cool down period will damage the bulb.
Press and hold down the standby/on button on the remote. The cooling fan will begin to run, and the display will be projected onto the screen.
The remote is not set up to be used as a mouse since most instructors prefer the mouse to the remote. The remote has a blank button that toggles the video display on and off. Pressing the blank button once will turn off the display. To turn the display on again, press and hold the blank button until the display is fully restored. The remote also has a laser pointer that can be used.
To turn off the projector, press and hold the standby/on button on the remote. The display will turn off while the cooling fan continues to run for a short time. The projector will power itself down after the cool down period is complete.
Turning a computer on and off frequently wears out some of the mechanical mechanisms in the computer such as the power switch and hard drive. Therefore, we prefer the computers be left on between classes. Students should, however, log off of the computers before leaving the classroom. Please encourage your students to log off by clicking on the Start button, then selecting log off username. If you expect another class to occupy the classroom within the next couple of hours, please leave the computers on. Generally, only the last class meeting in the classroom for the day should shut down the computers. To shut down the computers, follow the steps for the appropriate situation:
This room does not have separate heating/cooling from the rest of the building. If the temperature is uncomfortable, please contact maintenance by email to problem@nmsua.nmsu.edu or by phone at 3611 weekdays or Ken Beasley at 430-4670 evenings and weekends.
This room has a heating/cooling unit in the room. Unfortunately, it is not thermostatically controlled and can be quite distracting due to its noisiness. Most instructors find it difficult to talk over the noise so leave it off during lecture portions of class. To turn the unit on and off, use the green button labeled "system" that is furthest to the left of the row of buttons on the unit. If pressing that button does not turn it on, someone may have turned off the main switch (it should be left on) located below the system button. If the main switch is off, rotate it to the on position.
This room has four cooling units (two on each side of the room) mounted in the ceiling that are controlled by the two remote controls mounted on the walls on either side of the room. In order to function properly, the remotes must be in their mountings. To raise or lower the set temperature, remove the remote and stand near the front of the classroom aiming at the center between the two units on that side of the room and press the "increase/decrease" button. The set temperature on the remote control's display should change 2° for each push of the button. Replace the remote control to its mounting bracket.
All faculty, staff, and students have space available on the file server mapped to the drive letter H:. This space is used for email, roving profiles, and limited storage of personal files. For most files, students should use a floppy disk (A:); some classes, however, have very large files that will not fit on a floppy disk. Students may use the H: drive to store their work for these classes (bookkeeping, C++, Access, etc.). Students should be discouraged from saving their files to the C: drives since other students have access to the C: drive, and they may delete or modify files. Quite often when a computer has problems, we simply re-image the computer from a master image. Everything on the C: drive is lost when the computer is re-imaged.
When experiencing a problem with computer software, first try restarting the computer using the Start button, shutdown, select restart, and then click OK. This will often clear problems that occur due to memory fragmentation. This also helps with printing problems as the computers will sometimes lose communication with the network printer and restarting the computer will re-establish the communications.
If restarting the computer does not solve the problem, then have the student move to another computer, place a sign on the computer identifying the problem, make note of the computer name/number on the label placed on the front (like alamo-sc135-13), then let us know so we can fix it. The best way is to use the Computer Work Order Form available on the web site at http://alamo.nmsu.edu/computer/cwo.html since submitting the form emails the information to David Sanders, Jim Heaton, and Stan McCann. If your class is full and there is not another computer available at that time, you may have to have the student work with someone else. It is not usually possible to attempt repairs while a class is in progress. Often, due to classroom schedules, we have a hard time finding a good time to work on a computer for a day or two.
One of the most common hardware related problems is "The computer won't turn on." This can be a bad switch or power supply, but, most likely, it is a very strange problem that we have experienced on numerous occasions. We do not know why the very simple fix for this problem works; we just know that in most cases it does even though it makes no sense electrically speaking. The fix? Unplug the power cord from the back of the monitor; unplug the power cord from the back of the computer. Plug the power cord that you unplugged from the computer into the back of the monitor, then plug the power cord that you unplugged from the monitor into the back of the computer. This is one for the strange but true files; it just works, and we don't know why.
These problems can be a bad drive, a bad disk, or in the case of not being able to save, a full disk. Try another disk in the drive and see if the problem still exists. Try the disk you can't read in another computer's drive. These methods can help determine if the drive or the disk is bad. If it turns out that the drive is bad, follow the procedure outlined above in the Software section to place a sign and report the problem.
The University provides Internet Service for students, faculty, and staff via dial up access. Keep in mind that we have 10 modems for the 100+ people who use them each semester. Because of the limited number of modems, you may expect busy signals frequently, especially during the Fall and Spring semesters. Instructions for setting up dial up access at home can be found on the carousel in the Computer Center or on the web at http://alamo.nmsu.edu/computer/reference.html.
The Computer Center has two options available for computer demonstrations outside of the regular computer classrooms. Either of these options can be requested through our work order, which is available on the web at http://alamo.nmsu.edu/computer/cwo.html. The more advance notice you give us, the better the chance that the equipment will be available when you need to use it.
In classrooms in the Science Center or Classroom Building, we have what we affectionately call the COW (Computer On Wheels). This is a computer on a cart with a large monitor and an overhead display device that can be rolled into a classroom for demonstrations and/or presentations. It is too difficult to move this to other areas of the campus.
Most areas have a laptop and projector that can be used in that area. Occasionally, the area's equipment is already scheduled for use by one class when needed by another, so we have one laptop and projector available from Computer Support that can be used anywhere on campus.
If you have suggestions or comments about this page, they will be welcomed and appreciated.