Tommie Tech for All: Student Success Resource – St. Thomas E-Learning And Research
Best Practices, Tips, and Tricks, Student Systems of Support

Tommie Tech for All: Student Success Resource

As faculty prepare and launch courses for upcoming semesters, here are reminders about the Tommie Tech technology resource for students...

All St. Thomas students are enrolled in either the undergraduate or graduate student version of the Tommie Tech technology resource introducing St. Thomas technology. Whether in an online or blended course, Tommie Tech guides students to:

  • find technology help available to St. Thomas students
  • set up your own device(s) such as testing your browser
  • use Canvas basic features
  • locate St. Thomas apps and digital tools
  • be aware of online etiquette, and
  • learn about digital security practices

All first-year undergraduate students are required to earn the Tommie Tech Certificate and upload into their First Year Experience course; other professors or programs may invite students to review or refresh themselves on St. Thomas technology.

Tommie Tech reinforces what you put into your courses, and is there for students throughout their time at St. Thomas for those who want to come back to this.

Security note: All course URLs in this article are password protected and only accessible to St. Thomas students using their username and password.

Suggestions to help students get the most out of Tommie Tech:

  • Mention the Tommie Tech Undergraduate or Tommie Tech Graduate site in an early course announcement or letter before or during the first week of class.
  • Encourage students to visit the Tommie Tech site by the end of the first week of class and spend time on what is unfamiliar. There are Tommie Tech Site Facilitators available in the discussion spaces and resources on doing a browser check, internet speed tester, tips on Canvas, free apps in the Microsoft word suite, and much more!
    • Sample Message: If you are new to St. Thomas or wanting to review some of the technology and technology support available for students, please explore the Tommie Tech site and suggested activities. <Faculty, insert in either the Undergraduate Student Tommie Tech or the Graduate Student Tommie Tech link into your communication>. New St. Thomas students find it especially helpful to complete the entire site but it is a resource for all students to keep current with St. Thomas technologies; if you have been at St. Thomas for awhile you may simply want to skim the resource. There is also an option to request a Certificate of Completion.
  • Include the student Tommie Tech course link in your course to make it easy for students to access Tommie Tech. Select the correct link here:
  • Use one of our university Canvas Course Templates (upload from the Canvas Commons) which includes a Tommie Tech site url.

Where did Tommie Tech come from?   

The Tommie Tech sites combine ideas from several previous student tech sites. The earlier sites had a lot of student, faculty, and staff input that guided us on what to include in this current site. We continue to learn from students (and you!) and make edits to further guide all of our students.

Faculty are welcome to enroll in the faculty version of the site. 

There is also a faculty version of this site so you can see what students are experiencing.

One St. Thomas, nobody left behind…Advancing the Common Good is about All of Us!  

If there are additional resources or activities you would like to see for your students especially accessing learning in the online or digital space (whether in a fully online class or other classes that access technology), please reach out to Jo Montie jkmontie@stthomas.edu to explore some ways to creatively work together on this!

This post was written by Jo Montie, Online Learning Student Success Facilitator (jkmontie@stthomas.edu) with the St. Thomas E-Learning and Research (STELAR) Center at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. To learn more about this topic, please visit our website at www.stthomas.edu/stelar or email us at stelar@stthomas.edu

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