E-Learning Operations
D2L Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty
Who do I contact for help?
How do I get started (building Content) with D2L?
How do I set up Discussions?
How do I set up Dropboxes?
How do I tie a Grade Item to a quiz or dropbox?
How do I tie a Grade Item to a discussion?
How do I re-order my grade book by students' last names?
How do I send e-mail in Desire2Learn?
Where do I tell my students that they need to go into Content to access the course materials?
Who do I contact for help?
E-Learning Operations has staff available to assist you as well. To contact IT Media Services call (406) 657-2192 or better yet, send an E-mail to msubonline@msubillings.edu.
In each college, there is a set of fellow faculty members, called "Mentors", that are ready to be of assistance to you. Contact your Department Chair or E-Learning Operations to get a list of "Mentors" for your department.
For issues logging into the system, please contact the IT HelpDesk at (406) 247-5700 or helpdesk@msubillings.edu.
How do I get started (build Content) with D2L?
Most people start with building their content. Content in Desire2Learn is organizated into Modules and Topics. Modules are the equivent to Units or Weeks. Topics are individual content items. It seems easiest to "roughout" the course by creating all the Modules and then filling them in using Topics.
For more infomation, see the "Content Users' Guide".
How do I set up Discussions?
Well, first off, discussions are organized into Forums and Topics. The Forum is the container to put the discussion in; the Topic is the actual discussion itself. Topics go into a Forum.
The first step then is to decide how you are going to want to organize your "Discussions" area. Some people create one (1) Forum and put all their Topics under it. Some people prefer to make a Forum for each unit of content. Yet others make a Forum for each group (if they use groups).
Once that is figured out, click on Create Forum to start creating Forums. When that is done, click on "Create Topic" to create your Topics.
For more information, see the "Discussions User Guide".
How do I set up Dropboxes?
Dropboxes are created under "Dropbox". When you are in "Dropbox", click on "New Folder" to create a new dropbox folder. Put in a name and anything else you wish and save it. Then click on "Folder List" to return to create another one.
Unless you are using the "Groups" tool in Desire2Learn, your Dropboxes should be "Individual Dropbox Folders".
For more information, please see the "Dropbox User Guide".
How do I tie a Grade Item to a quiz or dropbox?
To tie a Grade Item to a quiz or dropbox, edit the quiz or dropbox you wish to tie. On the "Properties" tab, you should see a drop-down that corresponds to "Grade Item". Select the grade item you wish to tie to and in case of a dropbox, put in the number of points the assignment is worth in the "Out of:" box. Be sure to save your quiz or dropbox!
How do I tie a Grade Item to a discussion?
Edit the discussion topic you wish to edit and click on the "Assessment" tab. Select the grade item you wish to tie this discussion to using the "Grade Item" drop-down. Then put the number of points the discussion is worth in the box below. Be sure the save the discussion!
How do I re-order my grade book by students' last names?
This is possible by clicking on the "Last Name" in the grade book heading.
How do I send e-mail in Desire2Learn?
The best place to send an e-mail in Desire2Learn is from the "Classlist". To send an e-mail using the "Classlist":
-
Check the box beside the name(s) of the people you want to email.
-
Click the envelope icon at the top or bottom of the classlist.
-
Type your subject and message in the appropriate areas, and click send.
Where do I tell my students that they need to go into Content to access the course materials?
A good place to do this would be a "News" item. News is an area (widget) on the "Course Home" (first page students see entering your course) page. Click the green plus sign to add a news item.
For more information on "News", please see the "News User Guide".
