Office of Digital Teaching & Learning

An online course does not have scheduled on campus class meetings. It is an integrated learning program entirely accessed via a computer with an internet connection, except for proctored exams, if required. Shaw University uses Moodle as its course management system.

A blended (hybrid) course is taught partly in the classroom and partly online. Blended courses allow the student to benefit from both methods of teaching: online and face-to-face.

Students will be required to attend a certain number of on-campus class meetings. In addition, some of the required meetings will be held online. The online portion of the class allows students to attend “virtual” classrooms via the Internet.

The mission of the Shaw Bears Distance Education Network (DEN) is to ensure the integrity, rigor, and equality in all courses utilizing online, video-teleconference, and hybrid learning environments. In establishing this network, the Office of Digital Teaching and Learning aims to support Shaw University’s goal to increase student enrollment, retention, and satisfaction in distance education courses by

• Ensuring compliance of online and hybrid/blended courses in each department
• Facilitating ongoing communication about the Office of Digital Teaching and Learning and Distance Education

Moodle login credentials are the same as those on Bearsnet, with a secure username (Student ID number) & password (PIN). Once logged in, view your courses under My Courses on the left. Click on a course to access your course content.

For assistance with Moodle, contact the Moodle Helpdesk. For password assistance, contact IT at helpdesk@shawu.edu.

For technical issues, please contact the Moodle Help Desk via moodlehelp@shawu.edu.

Shaw University is the first Historically Black College/University with a mixed-use podcast studio. The Dillard Podcast Studio serves as an environment where student, faculty and staff create community by offering educational content delivered to the world beyond the walls of Shaw University. The university podcast studio utilizes emerging technology to deliver on topics such as current events and topics relevant to university academics, athletics, and other applicable areas.

Book the Podcast Studio

• Learner Orientation
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Moodle Assistance
• Turnitin Guide

• Introduction
• Accessing Moodle
• Viewing Profile Settings
• Setting Notifications/Sending Messages
• Submitting Assignments
• Taking Quizzes
• Participating in Discussion Forums
• Moodle for Students Video Playlist

• Adobe Reader (Free Download)
• Supported Browsers for Moodle: Firefox and Chrome
• Assistance for Students with Disabilities
• Academic Support
• Privacy Notice
• Office of Information Technology
• Shaw U Libraries

• How Students Develop Online Learning Skills
• 4 Time Management Tips for Online Students
• 10 Netiquette Tips For Online Discussions
• How to Survive Virtual Group Work
• Study Skills Needed for Success in Online or Hybrid Courses

Shaw University Student Network Usage Policy

I. AUTHORIZED USE

Use of the University computing resources is a privilege and must be treated with the highest standards of ethics and respect for others. Individuals using the Shaw University network from anywhere on campus, as well as individuals connected to the network remotely, must adhere to all of Shaw University’s ethical standards. All students are expected to review and follow the Shaw University Policy On Responsible and Ethical Use of Computer Technology (pp. 72-75) and the Social Media Policy (pp. 107-110) of the Student Handbook (2017-2020, revised November 2016). Students are also expected to immediately report any fraudulent/unauthorized use of their Shaw University credentials to the OIT; OIT will take necessary steps to rectify the situation and ensure the continued security of student data. The OIT strongly encourages students to report any spam or phishing received via email and to refrain from opening such emails and/or external links within them.

Academic and class related use takes priority over personal use. Authorized users recognize and accept the standard for appropriate use and will confine their activities to the established guidelines, which include but are not limited to:

1. Conducting the business of the institution;
2. Completing the assignment or other body of work directly related to a course in which the individual is enrolled;
3. Conducting research for educational purposes;
4. Communicating with other users, both within and outside the Shaw University network, in a reasonable manner;
5. Downloading files that do not violate International copyright agreements;
6. Accessing information resources at other institutions in a non-invasive manner; and
7. Developing technological skills.

II. UNAUTHORIZED USE

Unauthorized uses include but are not limited to:

1. Using computer resources for personal or financial gain, such as selling access to college computer resources, distributing advertisements, software, or copyrighted materials, or performing College work for personal profit;
2. Engaging in activity that might be harmful to system performance or access, such as flooding the system with e-mail traffic, introducing a virus to the network, running peer to peer file-sharing applications, hosting servers, or making unauthorized changes to University system’s settings;
3. Using computer resources to harass another person or entity;
4. Using computer resources to access or display copyrighted, illegal, or pornographic materials;
5. Attempting to circumvent resource limits or security measures;
6. Engaging in illegal activities, such as attempting to gain unauthorized access to any computing resources;
7. Violating license agreements or copyright laws, such as transferring copyrighted materials to/from a University computer;
8. Allowing any other users to access any Shaw University accounts, the Internet, or other computer/digital assets and resources with Shaw University authenticated credentials; and
9. Violating any University policies, regulations, rules, and procedures, such as lab and system regulations, and policies prohibiting discrimination and sexual harassment.

III. CONSEQUENCES OF NETWORK USAGE POLICY VIOLATIONS

Users who violate Shaw University policies are affected in the following ways:

1. Any computer infected with a virus will be disconnected from the Internet until the virus is removed. If the student cannot remove it, they are required to contact the Information Technology help desk at (919) 546-8587 or helpdesk@shawu.edu. The help desk will remove the virus and restore Internet access. The disconnection will not affect access to Shaw University network resources, such as the Shaw University Website.
2. Any computer or user that violates a network usage policy regarding access of pornographic or copyrighted materials will lose their Internet connection for a short period of time. Accessing pornographic materials results in, but is not limited to, a 60-minute ban from the network. Computers found to be distributing copyrighted materials, or accessing peer-to-peer networks will result in, but not limited to, a 60-minute ban from the network.
3. Any computer or user that violates network usage policy will be reported to Student Affairs, Human Resources, and campus police. Violations of State or Federal laws will be reported to the proper authorities.

If you have any questions about this policy, or need to report an Internet/network outage or any policy violation, please contact the IT helpdesk at helpdesk@shawu.edu. Please note that you are entitled to a free shawbears.com e-mail account with authorized usage. All Shaw University e-mail is scanned for viruses, fraud, hoaxes, and spam.

Originally Approved August 2004
Reviewed Annually by OIT
Revised February 2011
Revised November 2017

Student Data Protection Policy

I. BACKGROUND

Students and their parents entrust Shaw University with their personal information with the expectation that this information will be used by the University to serve the needs of the students effectively and efficiently. Shaw University’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) appreciates the importance of protecting student personal information and is engaged in a number of on-going initiatives in the area of data security. Student record data contained in our administrative databases (Jenzabar and PoweFaids) are maintained strictly on Shaw University owned-and-operated computers and experiences the same high degree of safeguarding as does all of our institutional data.

II. REGULATORY GUIDELINES

Shaw University follows federal, state and the University’s information security guidelines to protect the integrity, security, and confidentiality of data and/or information stored on University computing systems. All students are expected to review and follow the Shaw University Policy On Responsible and Ethical Use of Computer Technology (pp. 72-75) and the Social Media Policy (pp. 107-110) of the Student Handbook (2017-2020, revised November 2016.

III. OPERATING SYSTEMS & DATABASE ACCESS CONTROLS

All security-related events impacting Shaw University’s mission-critical servers are logged, and Operating System privileges are carefully administered and granted to as few people as necessary to support/maintain the system. The OIT staff is authorized to manage the implementation of Identification Controls, Authentication Controls, Access Controls, and Secure Configurations and Authorized Services (i.e. web, portals, email). Shaw University´s current Student Information System (SIS) offers layered security through a combination of in-house and vendor applications with access restrictions based strictly on administrative/academic need. Only authorized users have access to sensitive data in Jenzabar, which is the primary SIS, based on their assigned role.

Jenzabar runs on SQL server, which provides industry-leading security including role based-and-row level security, fine-grained auditing, and transparent data encryption.

Additionally, the university has implemented several security measures such as firewall and intrusion-detection systems, including in-house security systems, to protect the University’s digital assets. User IDs, passwords, and access restrictions will only be assigned to appropriate individuals who need to access student data on Jenzabar and Powerfaids.

IV. PASSWORD PROTECTION

Another security initiative undertaken was to require that students, faculty, and staff present proper identification in order to have their password reset when required. This policy was put in place for two reasons: (1) recent internal/external control audits were requiring improved password security procedures. The second, and overriding reason, was the firm belief that passwords protect the security of our work and prevent unauthorized access to our accounts. All passwords granting access to Shaw University´s networks and systems, including Jenzabar, are required to be changed every 60 days. The University´s security policy requires training for anyone such as Jenzabar Module Manages, and Module Users who accesses student records. These trainings are provided by OIT staff, Jenzabar System Administrator, PowerFaids system Administrator and outside consultants.

In order to protect student data and digital identity, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) strongly promotes and communicates to all users the importance of two-step authentication and creation of strong passwords for accessing any Google/cloud-computing applications. Students are expected to immediately report any fraudulent use of their Shaw University credentials to the OIT; OIT will take necessary steps to rectify the situation and ensure the continued security of student data. The OIT strongly encourages students to report any spam or phishing received via email and to refrain from opening such emails and/or external links within them.

V. DISASTER RECOVERY/BACKUP

Administrative databases containing student records are backed up nightly by Information Technology services (ITS) the backup data are stored on-campus and off-site for disaster recovery purposes. To further help reduce IT vulnerabilities, Information Technology Services (ITS) staff has been engaged in updating the department´s Contingency Recovery Plan. The plan provides a blueprint for the continuation of IT critical functions in the event of disruptions, the protection of sensitive data, and the restoration of normal operations.

VI. NETWORK SECURITY

A secure network provides the foundation for an overwhelming amount of the work of Shaw University’s faculty, students, and staff. A secure network is also a critical link among alumni, parents, and other constituents. OIT, Campus Network Security Administrator, and other IT staff have forged a strong partnership to help stem the rising tide of digital security problems through well-targeted educational/awareness efforts, trainings, streamlined remediation of compromised machines, and leading-edge network applications that provide technical barriers. Projects including firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, vulnerability and application scanning, endpoint compliance, access control lists, access control, and encrypted wireless have been implemented and are continuously maintained in order to reduce security problems and enhance the protection and reliability of the University´s network.

VII. POLICY REVISIONS

This policy is reviewed annually and revised as needed in order to comply with federal and state regulations and ensure that all user data is protected adequately.

Originally approved August 2004
Reviewed annually by OIT
Revised February 2011
Revised November 2017