Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Listed below are some frequently asked questions on research, teaching, and technology along with related topics and answers or links for those questions. The information provided is for referral purposes only. Contact the appropriate campus unit for detailed information on the topics. If you have additional questions, please email them to facdev@niu.edu.
Research
Where to find information on or support for:
- Collaborative research opportunities
- Conflict of interest policy
- Commercializing research
- Data analysis
- Finding sponsored funding sources
- Intellectual property policies
- Institutional research
- Patents and copyrights
- Proposal preparation
- Proposal submission
- Research awards at NIU
- Research policies
- Research grants at NIU
- Research mentoring
- Statistical consulting assistance
- Surveys and opinions
- Travel support for conferences
Collaborative research opportunities
Contact the Office of Sponsored Projects for possible sources of collaboration on particular research areas. They may be able to refer you to particular faculty or groups at NIU conducting research on specific topics. Your Dean's office may be another place to contact for discipline specific collaborative research.
Conflict of interest policy
Check the Academic Policies and Procedures Manual online for policies on conflict of interest.
Commercializing research
Contact the Technology Transfer Office for information on commercializing research, licensing opportunities, and related resources.
Data analysis
For analyzing surveys and research data, contact the Testing Services
Finding sponsored funding sources
Contact the Office of Sponsored Projects for funding information on external funding sources on your particular area of research. For funding sources internal to NIU, check the Grants and Fellowships page of the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center website.
Intellectual property policies
Check the Academic Policies and Procedures Manual online for policies on Intellectual Property. Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies is the Intellectual Property Officer for NIU.
Institutional research
For data on NIU students and other institutional information, contact the Office of Institutional Research for further assistance.
Patents and copyrights
Contact the Technology Transfer Office for information on patents, copyrights, and related resources. The Office of the General Counsel is also a source of information on copyrights and contracts and the office can be reached at (815)752-1774.
Proposal preparation and submission
Contact the Office of Sponsored Projects for assistance on proposal preparation and submission to external funding agencies. Their website also has some useful links on proposal preparation.
Research awards at NIU
Check http://www.niu.edu/president/prp/prplist/index.shtml for the recipients of Presidential Research Professor awards. Check http://www.niu.edu/provost/awards/prp-nomination.shtml for the Call for Nominations and Application for the Presidential Research Professors award.
Research policies
For various policies on research, check with the Office of Research Compliance.
Research grants at NIU
Check the Division of Research and Graduate Studies website for research grants.
Statistical consulting assistance
For assistance on statistical issues related to research projects, contact the Statistical Consulting Services (SCS).
Surveys and opinions
For assistance with surveys and opinion polls, contact the Public Opinion Laboratory.
Travel support for conferences
The Division of Research and Graduate School provides some support for travel to present research at conferences. Contact your academic department chair or the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies for more information.
Teaching
Where to find information on or support for:
- Academic dishonesty
- Audio/Video equipment
- Blackboard - web-based course management system
- Classroom observation and feedback
- Copying videos or producing CD's
- Copying course materials
- Cheating and plagiarism (see also Academic dishonesty above)
- Difficult students
- Disabilities accommodation (see also Exam accommodations for students with disabilities)
- Electronic reserves at the Library
- Exam accommodations for students with disabilities
- Finding sponsored funding sources on teaching-related topics
- Grading mass exams
- Intellectual property policies
- Instructional design assistance
- Instructional videos
- Integrating technology into teaching
- Multimedia production
- Online resources on teaching
- Online teaching
- Reserves at the Library (see also electronic reserves)
- Smart classrooms
- Syllabus tutorial
- Teaching-related grants at NIU
- Teaching-related policies at NIU
- Videotaping lectures
Academic dishonesty
Contact the Office of Community Standards & Student Conduct for assistance on dealing with academic dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism, etc.
Audio/Video equipment
Contact Media Services for audio-video equipment for teaching.
Blackboard - the web-based course managment system
Check http://webcourses.niu.edu to access the Blackboard web-based course management system. Contact Information Technology services (753-8100) for accounts and other help information on Blackboard and related issues. Online resources are available at http://www.niu.edu/blackboard/.
Classroom observation and feedback
Contact the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center for classroom observation services.
Copying videos or producing CDs
Contact Media Services for duplicating videos, producing CDs, etc.
Copying course materials
Contact Document Services or Village Commons Bookstore (815-758-0613) for duplicating course materials.
Cheating and plagiarism
See also Academic Dishonesty listed above.
Difficult students
Contact the Counseling & Student Development Center for assistance on dealing with difficult students.
Disabilities accommodation (See also Exam accommodations for students with disabilities)
Contact the Center for Access-Ability Resources for information on accommodation students with disabilities.
Electronic reserves at the library
Contact the University Libraries for information on placing course materials on electronic and other forms of reserves.
Exam accommodations for students with disabilities
See disabilties accommodation listed above.
Finding sponsored funding sources on teaching-related topics
Contact the Office of Sponsored Projects for funding information on external funding sources on your particular area of interest. for funding sources internal to NIU, check the Grants and Fellowships website at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center.
Grading mass exams
Contact Testing Services for assistance with grading mass exams using Scantron forms.
Intellectual property policies
Check the online Academic Policies and Procedures Manual for intellectual property-related policies.
Instructional design assistance
Contact the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center for instructional design assistance.
Instructional videos
Check the videos page at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center website.
Integrating technology into teaching
Check the list of upcoming programs and handouts pages at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center website.
Multimedia production
Contact the Media Service for multimedia production (video,CD,DVD, etc.) services.
Online resources on teaching
Check the referral links page at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center website.
Online teaching
Visit NIUonline for online credit courses. Contact Professional and Continuing Education for online non-credit courses.
Reserves at the library
See electronic reserves above.
Smart classrooms
Contact Media Services for smart classrooms related information.
Syllabus tutorial
Check the Syllabus Tutorial at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center's website.
Teaching-related grants at NIU
Check the Grants and Fellowships web page at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center.
Teaching-related policies at NIU
Check the online Academic Policies and Procedures Manual for teaching-related policies.
Videotaping lectures
Contact Media Services on videotaping lectures for teaching improvement purposes.
Technology
Where to find information on or support for:
- Abuse
- Accessible Web Design
- Acceptable use policy
- Blackboard - the web-based course management system
- Copying videos or producing CDs
- Electronic reserves at the Library
- Finding sponsored funding sources on technology-related topics
- Intellectual property policies
- Instructional design assistance
- Multimedia production
- Network login id
- Online resources on teaching
- Online teaching
- Reserves at the Library (see also Electronic reserves)
- Smart classrooms
- Software services
- Technology-related grants at NIU
- Technology-related policies at NIU
- Telecommunications
- Viruses
Abuse
To report email abuse or harassment, contact ITS' Information Security division.
Accessible Web Design
For information on accessible web design, check the Web Accessibility Initiative website at http://www.w3.org/WAI/Resources/
Acceptable use policy
For policies on acceptable use of computing equipment and resources at NIU, check http://www.its.niu.edu/its/policies/policies_index.shtml
Blackboard - the web-based course management system
Check http://webcourses.niu.edu to access the Blackboard web-based course management system. Contact Information Technology Services (815-753-8100) for accounts and other help information on Blackboard and related issues. Online documentation and tutorials are available at http://www.niu.edu/blackboard/.
Copying videos or producing CDs
Contact Media Services for duplicating videos, producing CDs, etc.
Electronic reserves at the Library
Contact the University Libraries for information on placing course materials on electronic and other forms of reserves.
Finding sponsored funding sources on technology-related topics
Contact the Office of Sponsored Projects for finding information on external funding sources on your particular area of interest. For funding sources internal to NIU, check the Grants and Fellowships page at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center website.
Intellectual property policies
Check the online Academic Policies and Procedures Manual for intellectual property-related policies.
Instructional design assistance
Contact the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center for instructional design assistance.
Multimedia production
Contact Media Services on multimedia production (video, CD, DVD, etc.) services.
Network Login ID
To obtain a network login ID, contact the ITS Help Desk.
Online resources on teaching
Check the links page at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center website.
Online teaching
Visit NIUonline for online credit courses. Contact Professional and Continuing Education for online non-credit courses.
Reserves at the Library
See electronic reserves above.
Smart classrooms
Contact Media Services on smart classrooms related information.
Software services
For software pricing and distribution, check http://www.its.niu.edu/its/software/index.shtml.
Technology-related grants at NIU
Check the Grants and Fellowships web page at the Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center.
Technology-related policies at NIU
Check the online Academic Policies and Procedures Manual for teaching-related policies.
Telecommunications
For telecommunications needs (phones, cell phone, pagers, voice mail, etc.,) contact the ITS Help Desk.
Viruses
To report about viruses or find out more about anti-virus measures, contact the ITS Help Desk.
Last Updated: 1/6/2012