Professors at NCC not utilizing D2L as much as they could

By Stacey Battenberg

Desire2Learn, also known as D2L or NCC Online, is an online learning device used by many NCC students and faculty members. Despite the system’s growing popularity among students, there are still numerous professors on campus who are not using it for their classes.

NCC has been using D2L since the fall of 2004. With a login name and password, students are able to access class information posted by their professors. They can check grades, find class assignments and updates, take quizzes, contact fellow students and much more.

Yet, some teachers are still not using this convenient and resourceful tool.

Last year’s Digital Resource Center (DRC) coordinator, Mark Plenke, said, “It’s difficult to figure out why more instructors don’t use D2L. For some, it’s probably because it’s extra work for what they see as very little benefit to student learning. And part of that is that they would have to spend time to learn and then use the web site when they could devote the time, instead, to developing new materials and activities for their classrooms.”

Administrators cannot require anyone in the school to use NCC online. Faculty, along with students, is granted academic freedom and the choice of whether or not to use D2L falls into that category.

If professors do not use the system, but would like to, they can learn the basic components fairly easily. However, some of the more complex functions take more time to learn.

The current DRC coordinator Linda Armstrong trains staff members on how to use D2L. The Center for Teaching and Learning leader, Erin Daly, also helps out in this area. Workshops, group sessions, as well as one-on-one training are some of the learning options available to staff.

How long it takes any given professor to learn how to use D2L varies. Some instructors may master the system in a matter of weeks while others could take several years. It largely depends on computer experience and willingness to learn, as much of the system in self-taught.

Although online learning is increasing at NCC, a substantial percentage of staff has remained out of the loop in this regard. Linda Armstrong said that there is no real way to tell how many faculty members are using D2L.

“At one point last spring, I know that 50 percent of the courses were active. But, how much each faculty member used it varies,” said Armstrong.

So far this semester, Armstrong estimates 80 to 90 faculty members have had some D2L training and people are gradually expressing an interest in learning how to use the system as time goes on.

Although it is difficult for many of us to see, a reasonable amount of progress is being made on campus. For now, students will simply have to find a way to deal with classes that do not offer D2L. All we can do is suggest that more professors use it.

Linda Armstrong puts it, “What students say to their instructors and when they ask for their instructors to use NCC online, it makes an impact.”