Proctor Responsibilities

Opening Your Shift

If you are on the first shift of the day, follow the procedures for unlocking the rooms and deactivating the alarm.

All Proctors starting their shifts should go through the following checklist:

1. If opening the lab/room for the day, deactivate the alarm and turn on the projector.
2. Check the computers to see if there are any obvious problems with them.
3. Log into a computer and check intranet.cwrl.utexas.edu to see if there are any messages about problems in your room(s) that Hampton is attempting to fix. Send any new concerns to support@support.cwrl.utexas.edu.
4. Check the OTRS system to see if there are any problems you need to address under the Proctor Queue. If you need help, please consult our guide to the OTRS system.
5. Make a sweep of the room (and the classrooms, if you are proctoring in one of the Classroom Stations) for garbage, lost items, and general disarray. Put the chairs back under the tables or workstations where they belong. Erase whiteboards if they have old messages or notes on them.

Monitoring Computer Use

These instructions are primarily for Proctors in the Parlin 104a Multimedia Lab, since the other rooms seldom have open hours that fill. For the multimedia station in Parlin 104a, see multimedia station reservations. For all other computers, see below:

1. If there are people waiting for computers, or if students seem to be coming into the room and leaving because there are no free machines, be sure to start a waiting list. Include the user's name, reason for needing the computer, which platform s/he needs, and time arrived. When a computer becomes available, call for the person with the highest priority who has been waiting the longest. Priorities for Parlin 102 Computers are:
1. Officially scheduled events (scheduled workshops, demos, or meetings)
2. CWRL staffers currently proctoring
3. Students in CWRL courses doing work that requires Multimedia Lab equipment (e.g., digitizing video, sound editing, desktop publishing)
4. CWRL instructors preparing for classes within next hour
5. CWRL staff working on CWRL Projects
6. CWRL instructors preparing classes
7. Students in CWRL courses
8. CWRL, DRW, and English faculty and staff
2. Check to see whether users on the waiting list have a higher priority for using the computers than people who are already logged in. This may involve going around to users and asking them what they are working on, and asking them to allow someone to use their computer if they are lower on the priority list.
3. If users are generating excessive noise (either in conversation or on their machines), politely ask them to mute their speakers or keep their voices down so that other users can concentrate.

Assisting Users in the Lab

If a user is having a problem with a specific machine in the lab, check the Intranet to see whether someone has already discovered the same problem. If you don't find anything on this problem, and you cannot fix it yourself, please send an e-mail to Hampton via the OTRS at support@support.cwrl.utexas.edu. The OTRS is the main vehicle for recording problems with Lab equipment--please keep Hampton up to date! (Note: for proctors with previous experience in the CWRL, this system replaces the tech log.)

In general, Proctors will find themselves in one of two basic situations, each requiring a different emphasis:

• Proctors in Classroom Stations (FAC 9a and PAR 102/104a): Your primary responsibility is to assist the instructors teaching in the adjoining classrooms. They may need help with malfunctioning computers, projector problems, and the like. They may also ask you to help students with technical issues, so that they may devote their attention to helping students with other problems and questions. Issues frequently needing attention are: damaged diskettes, lost files, computer malfunctions, email clients, and file conversion. Instructors may ask you to help students with certain basic computer tasks they are teaching (e.g., basic HTML, navigating the Web, using Word, etc.); you should be prepared to do so.
• Proctors in Open Labs (PAR 102/104a): Your primary responsibility is to supervise the use of the computers in the lab (see above). Users will alert you to problems they are experiencing, and you will need to do general troubleshooting as much as you can. However, you may also be called upon to help users with various tasks they are working on. Here are some general guidelines for what you should and should not help them with:
• DO help users with features of applications they do not know about. One of our primary goals in the CWRL is to teach users to use the technology better so that they may in turn use the technology to do other work, be it in composition, literature, or some other field. Even if you don't know exactly how to do what they need, you can walk them through the steps you would take. They will probbaly find that process instructive.
• DO talk with students in the terms their courses are using. If the student is in an RHE306K class using the Learning Record Online, for instance, discuss the student's problems with the project by emphasizing the purpose of the document and the medium in which it is written. Thus, you will be able to teach the student about hypertext as well as HTML coding while reinforcing the language the course is using, all without having to make content decisions for the student.
• DON'T take over the keyboard for a user who is asking for assistance with a program. Instead, talk the user through the steps, pointing at the screen when necessary. It is helpful if you don't hover over a user while you offer assistance. Instead, pull up a chair, or at least kneel or bend down next to the user while you talk. Students will feel less intimidated by the experience if they feel as if they are being assisted, not lectured.
• DON'T feel pressured into doing the work for a student who nags you about it. You are not a composition or technology tutor; you are a consultant on technical problems. Sometimes helping a student by showing your knowledge of the course's content is essential to being an effective consultant. But don't allow students to get you to cross the line between consulting on a task and doing a task for them. For example, if a student's HTML file continues not to look the way s/he wants it to, it is not your obligation to troubleshoot the document's tagging. Once you determine that the program in which it is being written is working fine (Macromedia Dreamweaver, for instance), you should refer the student to his/her instructor for help. If the assignment deadline is less than an hour away, that is the student's problem, not yours.

Ending Your Shift

All Proctors ending their shifts should go through the following checklist:

1. Check the computers to see if there are any obvious problems with them. If anyone has left a computer and is not obviously returning, log the user out.
2. Post any problems you find to support@support.cwrl.utexas.edu.
3. Make a sweep of the room (and the classrooms, if you are proctoring in one of the Classroom Stations) for garbage, lost items, and general disarray. Put unused chairs back under the tables or workstations where they belong. Erase whiteboards if they have old messages or notes on them. Make sure the printers have paper in them.

If you are proctoring the last shift of the day, PLEASE make sure the projectors are turned off in each classroom, and make sure you follow the procedures for alarming the classrooms and labs before you leave.

Proctor Schedules

Lab Proctors are assigned for six hours per week, divided usually into two blocks. Proctors are assigned to the open lab in PAR 102 or to classroom proctor stations (PAR 102/104a or FAC 9a). Lab Proctors working the first shift on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays (i.e., opening the classrooms at 7:45 am) are usually allowed to specify their other shift. During the first two weeks of classes in the Fall, all staffers will serve as Lab Proctors while we sort out Developer roles for the term.

Proctor schedules will accommodate class schedules and other unavoidable scheduling conflicts. Unavoidable conflicts do NOT include dissertation writing, office hours, or any other more flexible obligations.

Meeting Maker Software

Proctor and Developer scheduling is coordinated using Meeting Maker software. Prior to the first day of class each semester, CWRL staffers must enter the classes they are both taking and teaching into Meeting Maker so that those developing the schedule can determine a provisional schedule. Class changes should be entered into Meeting Maker as soon as possible. After the first two weeks of classes, permanent proctor shifts will be assigned based upon staff availability.

Meeting Maker is available on all CWRL computers and is also available for download. Please talk to or email the systems administrator for specific details and directions about where to get our installer files.

Using Meeting Maker

Proctors are able to view and modify their schedules upon logging in to Meeting Maker. The schedules of other staffers and the schedules of specific rooms are available by using the "Proxy" function of the software.

Security and Alarm FAQ

General Questions and Problems

1. Locking and Unlocking Labs and Classrooms
2. Where are the alarm key pads?
3. How do I set the alarm?
4. How do I unlock the classrooms and labs?
5. What do I do if the alarm has gone off?
6. What do I do if there's a fire in the lab?
7. What do I do if a threatening person comes into the lab?

1. Locking and Unlocking Labs and Classrooms

If you are the last person to leave one of the CWRL classrooms, open labs or proctor stations, you must activate the alarms and lock the door before you leave.

2. Where are the alarm key pads?

Always near the door, but not every room has one:

• PAR 6: activates/deactivates the alarm for that room only.
• PAR 102, 104 and 104a: each pad activates/deactivates the alarms for all three rooms: PAR 102, 104, and 104a.
• FAC 7: activates/deactivates the alarm for that room only.
• FAC 8: activates/deactivates the alarm for that room only.
• FAC 9a: activates/deactivates the alarm for FAC 9, 9a and 10.

When people are moving in the room the keypad will say "System Not Ready."

3. How do I set the alarm?

1. Make sure that the doors to all rooms connected with the alarm are closed and the lights are turned off.
2. Enter the room where the alarm key pad is housed and close the door.
3. The alarms in each room are motion-sensitive. Hold still for 4-5 seconds until the green ready light comes on, and the message changes to "System Ready."
4. Enter the alarm code. The red "active" light should come on.
5. Exit room and lock door.
6. WAIT outside the door until you hear the loud beep indicating that the alarm has been properly set.

4. How do I unlock the classrooms and labs?

Once you open the door to one of the labs or classrooms, you have 30 seconds to deactivate the alarm.

First, make sure that you open a room that has an alarm key pad. If you are opening the FAC classrooms, open 9a first (9 and 10 have no key pads). If you are opening the PAR classrooms, open PAR 102 or 104 first--104a has two key pads, which may be confusing. You will always use the pad with the green LED display. Any of these pads deactivates the alarm for all three rooms.

After unlocking and opening the door the alarm will go off as a warning. Immediately key in the alarm code on the keypad. If you do so correctly, the alarm will turn off, as will all the lights on the keypad except the bottom one (labeled "AC").

If the alarm continues to beep after keying in the code, try pressing the # (pound) key twice and reentering the code.

If you fail to deactivate the alarm within 30 seconds, there will be a loud noise and campus security will automatically be contacted. First, try again to disarm the alarm by pressing the # (pound) key twice and reentering the code. After the alarm is off, call campus security (471-4441) to report the incident. Identify yourself by name as a member of the CWRL staff and provide your personalized identification code, which you received at orientation.

5. What do I do if the alarm has gone off?

1. First and foremost, remain calm.
2. Then call the UT Police Department (471-4441), if they have not already called you, and give them your name and personal identification code.
3. Since the alarm is probably making a good deal of noise, see if you can deactivate the alarm. Press the pound key (#) twice and enter the alarm code.
4. If you have managed to turn the alarm off, you might take a quick look around the room to make sure everything looks the way it should. If the alarm goes off while you are out of the room, it's possible that someone has tried to break into the room. If anything looks amiss, leave the room and wait for the police to arrive. If you are in Parlin 6, a good place to go is the DRW Office, PAR 3; if in the Parlin classroom labs, step down to the English Office, PAR 108. You'll still be able to see the police when they arrive at the rooms.

6. What do I do if there's a fire in the lab?

1. Get everyone out of the room, as quickly and calmly as possible.
2. Call the UT Fire Department at 911.
3. Call the Austin Fire Department 9-911.

7. What do I do if a threatening person comes into the lab?

Many people go in and out of the labs all day, so you need not be suspicious of any particular person in a room. However, someone may pose an immediate threat to you or someone else in the room, or you may be alone in a room with someone and feel uncomfortable about being there alone. Here are some steps you might take:

If others are present:

• If the person has already become violent, agitated, or vocal, you should ask the person to leave the room immediately. If the person does not comply, call the UT Police Department immediately at 911.
• If the person is a serious threat to you or to others (e.g., carrying a weapon, acts disturbed and irrational), leave the room immediately. Call the police from the nearest safe phone.
• You can also use the panic button feature of the alarm system. Pressing # and * at the same time will send a silent alarm to UTPD.

If you are alone:

• If you are in immediate danger, leave the room as quickly as possible and call the UT Police at 911.
• If you feel threatened and/or uncomfortable to be alone with the other person, you might announce that you have to close the lab, and that everyone needs to leave so that you may lock up. Stand near the door while you do this. If the person leaves, you can lock the door and stay in the room until the coast is clear, calling for help if necessary. If the person is reluctant to leave and/or to let you leave, you will be near the door and can get to a safe place if necessary.
• You can also use the panic button feature of the alarm system. Pressing # and * at the same time will send a silent alarm to UTPD.

Multimedia Station Reservations

Instructors can reserve the multimedia station during Parlin 104a open hours for up to three hours per day. Reservations will expire after ten minutes of non-use if a second party wants to use the multimedia station, unless the proctor is informed that reservation holders will soon arrive or return. Instructors may not reserve the station for scholarly or personal use, only for use by, with, or for their students. However, if the station is free, they can drop in during open hours to use it for these purposes. Students who drop in without a reservation must ask the proctor to make a reservation for them. Instructor and proctor reservations will take priority over instructors using the station without a reservation.

NB: it is the responsibility of the instructor, not of the proctor, to introduce students to the basic operations of the multimedia station--including how to log in.

Instructor Reservations

To reserve the station for your students or for course related activities:

1. Log in to Meeting Maker
2. Create Activity/Meeting
3. Type your name and the title of your course In the Title field of the Activity window
4. Type Parlin 104a in the Location field
5. Select the Date, Time, and Duration (up to 3 hours) of the reservation
6. (optional) In the Agenda textbox, type the name(s) of the student(s) who will be using the station and/or a short description of the apects of the assignment that require the multimedia station
7. Select Guests tab
8. Select Edit List
9. Add the "Computer Multimedia" icon to your guest list and click OK
10. If the station is available, Create Activity

Proctor Reservations

If a student wants to use the multimedia station for a CWRL assignment:

1. Log in to Meeting Maker
2. Select Proxy > More Proxies from the top menu
3. Select and open "Computer Multimedia"
4. View Computer Multimedia's schedule and see if there is an active reservation. If there is an active reservation with which the student is associated, allow the student to use the station and do not place a reservation
5. If there is no active reservation or the reservation has expired and the amount of time before the next reservation is deemed sufficient by the student, go to your own calendar and Create Activity/Meeting
6. Type the name of the student's instructor and the title of the course in the Title field of the Activity window
7. Type Parlin 104a in the Location field
8. Select the Date, Time, and Duration (up to 3 hours) of the reservation
9. (optional) In the Agenda textbox, type the name(s) of the student(s) who will be using the station and/or a short description of the apects of the assignment that require the multimedia station
10. Select Guests tab
11. Select Edit List
12. Add the icons for "Computer Multimedia" and the student's instructor to the guest list and hit OK. If the system informs you that the instructor or multimedia station is unavailable, add them anyway
13. Create Activity. If an expired reservation conflicts with your reservation, you will not be able to delete it, just go ahead and schedule the new reservation

Printing Policy

Printing Conservation

In the past, the CWRL maintained a liberal printing policy for the open lab which has resulted in excessive toner and paper waste. Without modification to our current policy, we anticipate this trend to continue. We have thus developed a more clearly articulated policy which aims to better manage our printing resources. Below are the new guidelines and procedures for printing in the CWRL open lab:

Limit Printing to CWRL Course Related Activities

Printing will be only provided to staff and students currently in the CWRL. Students may only print documents that are related to their CWRL coursework. Assignments, syllabi, and research materials all qualify with certain exceptions. Some guidelines include:

Users are limited in the number of pages they may print.

• There is only one printer in the open lab. Students should not indiscriminately print multiple copies of the same document; the printer is not a copier (e.g. fliers are expressly prohibited).
• Large documents should be printed in stages (i.e. Print pages 1-20, then print pages 21-40, then pages 41-60, etc.).
• Large print jobs must be cleared in advanced with the Proctor on duty and must be limited to one final copy.
• Students are responsible for being aware of the number of pages an Internet document contains before the print job is executed. If at all possible, printing should occur from printer friendly pages.
• Proctors have the right to delete any print job which violates lab printing policies or prevent others from receiving their printouts in a timely manner.

All Users must comply with the CWRL Printing Policy

• Users found violating the lab printing policy will have their printouts confiscated and may be asked to leave the lab.
• Proctors will document student abusers of the printing policy. After a verbal warning to the student for the first incident, future warnings will be communicated to the student and his/her respective instructor via e-mail.
• The CWRL explicitly reserves the right to suspend the lab accounts of repeat student abusers who have not heeded prior warnings.

Print Retrieval Procedure

The student will approach the printer located by the proctor station and wait for the proctor to examine the printed sheets and pass them over to him or her.

General Tips for Reducing Print Waste:

Print Preview:
This is an indispensable feature offered by many applications installed in our CWRL lab computers. Use this feature to view your pages prior to printing. Many mistakes can often be seen and corrected before ever printing out a single sheet.

Print Multiple Pages to a Single Sheet
Many applications allow you to print more than one page to a single sheet. This saves considerable amount of toner and paper. For example, a document that may normally require 20 sheets to print might only require 5 sheets, if 4 pages are printed on one sheet. This makes most sense when you are printing out class notes or a powerpoint presentation.

Print What You Need
It is often more convenient to print out an entire document or a webpage when you only need a small section of it. Utilize the “Print Preview” feature of most applications to identify the pages containing the content you actually require and then selectively print only those pages.

Print Preventively
Before you print, make sure that you are printing the right version of the document in the correct orientation. Refrain from printing excessive numbers of drafts with minimal changes.

Common examples of how to conserve printing resources at the labs can be seen here. Feel free to ask lab proctors on duty for other ways to save printing resources or to elaborate on the methods, guidelines, or procedures mentioned above.

Staff Development

In addition to proctoring and developing, CWRL staffers are asked to participate in a CWRL work group. Staffers are also encouraged to attend the various workshops that Assistant Directors conduct throughout the semester.

Work Groups
All staffers sign up to participate in a work group. Work groups are led by at least one developer (sometimes two), and they meet for an hour a week to work on a project of the group's coosing.

By the end of the semester, each workgroup will produce an end product (or set of end products) such as a website, White Paper, or any other appropriate format for the project on which they have been collaborating. The primary goal for work groups is to explore the connections between their academic interests and the use of technology.

Workshops
Assistant Directors develop a number of workshops for staffers attempting to integrate technology into their pedagogy. For upcoming workshops, see the schedule of upcoming events. If you plan to attend a workshop, please sign-up via the calendar. To sign up, click on the event and then click on "sign up." You must be logged in to the CWRL site to sign up for a workshop.

Support System: OTRS

All staffers will soon have access to queues in the OTRS system and will be expected to check them, solving reported problems during their proctoring shifts.

What Is OTRS?
OTRS is the CWRL’s support system. When a problem is logged in the database, it is given a ticket number and assigned to an appropriate queue for someone to handle. As tasks are picked up and completed, the system logs a history of who has worked on the problem, how the problem was solved and allows users to comment on their solutions and or make future suggestions. To log into OTRS simply go to http://support.cwrl.utexas.edu while using a CWRL computer.

When should I use OTRS?
When you encounter any problem that you are unable to fix and that has not already been logged, you should submit a ticket to the system. This applies to Instructors, Proctors or any other CWRL users. You may create a ticket by sending an email to support@support.cwrl.utexas.edu or within the system itself by clicking on "email ticket." The subject line of the email should include a brief statement about the nature of the problem. In the body of the email, describe as thoroughly as you can the problem that needs attention. You should also use OTRS to find problems that have been assigned to your particular group and that you may be able to address.

How do I check to see if a problem has already been logged?
Before you submit a ticket, you should check within your particular queue to see if the problem has already been registered. You should also check your assigned queue regularly to see if there are any problems that you may be able to address. You will be assigned to at least one of several queues that include Administrator, Assistant Directors, Developers, and Proctors. If you are a proctor, you should look in the proctor queue at the beginning of your shift to see what problems have been logged and find those that you would be able to work on.

What happens to my ticket after I send it?
When you send a support ticket, it is automatically put into the system’s general mailbox. The mailbox is administered several times daily by assigning these tickets to particular queues, or groups, to which they are most relevant. When a ticket is taken by someone working within that queue group, the system sends a notification that the person is addressing the problem. Once the problem has been fixed, the ticket is closed with an explanation of the steps taken to address the situation.

How do I handle a task/ticket?

• Look for tasks that need addressing into the relevant queue, i.e. in the Proctor queue if you are a proctor.
• To start working on a task, you should first claim it as yours by clicking on the Lock link (see screenshot below). The task will disappear from the queue and move to the locked tickets queue in the top right corner of the window. The system will notify whoever reported the problem that you are working on it.
• To finish off a task, you need to close it by using the Close link or by using the Empty answer link to the right that allows you to compose an email message and/or write internal notes along with closing the task.

How do I check the status of a task/ticket?

• Look in the relevant queue, such as Proctors. The task will be there if it has not been completed or locked by someone. If you use the Zoom or History links above the ticket text, you will be able to see the history of internal notes and activities associated with it.
• In addition to the relevant queue that contains unclaimed tasks, the locked tickets queue on the top right of your screen will show you all tasks that have been claimed by people and are currently being dealt with.
• If you are looking for a specific task, you should use the Search function from the main menu. Once you get the search results and identify the task of your interest, you can see it by following the link off of the ticket id number.