COVID-19 Information

Faculty and Staff FAQ

This page is designed to answer common questions shared by faculty and staff members that relate to changes made to college operations regarding to COVID-19. Note: See the student FAQ for additional information. 

General Questions

How will the college communicate with students online?

We will be utilizing online platforms like D2L and WebEx, along with other communication channels to continue to serve our current and prospective students. We encourage students to download the brightspace pulse app for D2L. See the connectivity section for details. 
 

How will the college provide updates to faculty, staff and students if there are changes?

We will be working hard to keep students, faculty, staff and the community informed via the website and social media. We are also committed to providing a high level of instruction and customer service throughout this difficult time. 

How will faculty members set up one-on-one appointments with students?

Faculty will need to set up virtual office hours to share with students, and communicate with increased frequency. Many of the students impacted by these changes did not sign up for online courses and will need increased support. See the connectivity section for more details. 

Can faculty and staff members bring their children to work?

No. The college will not be allowing children on campus during this time. 

What should I do if I need something from my office?

In our current capacity please contact Campus Police and Security when you come on any campus to disarm the alarms and also to report you are on campus.  Please also call back as you leave so we can rearm the alarm and also to let the officer know to log you out. keep all doors locked after you enter the facility.  This is for your protection and the well being of our facilities.

Connectivity

How do I request technical support?

For the quickest response to technical support requests, please submit a ticket through the online work order system.

Submit a Ticket

How do I access Voicemail from external phones?

To access your voicemail from an external phone please follow the below instructions.

  • Dial into your phone number, and wait for the voicemail prompt.
  • During the prompt hit the * button.  This will prompt you for an ID followed by #.
  • Your ID is the last 4 digits of your phone number.  Example if your phone number was 864-941-8300, your ID would be 8300
  • Once you put in your id followed by # you will be prompted for your Pin followed by #.  This is the pin that you have configured to access your voicemail. If you haven’t configured it, it should still be 4545.
  • Once you have put in your pin followed by #, you will be greeted by a prompt informing you if you
How do I forward my calls if I didn’t do so before leaving campus?

For employees that did not "forward all calls" before they left, this cannot be done by the end-user remotely.  You will need to enter a ticket in the helpdesk system.

How do I access my files and college web applications remotely?

Currently, you have two options for accessing your files and college applications.

  1. Connect.ptc.edu – Argos, Banner, ZogoTech, Scorecard, Workflow, Virtual Machine (Currently, only FT Employees have VMs)
  2. Remote Desktop – once you have logged in to connect.ptc.edu and launched your VM, you can begin work or remote desktop into your computer in your office. You will need to know your computer name

While VPN access has always been a go-to tool, connect.ptc.edu now has a virtual windows machine available to you via a web browser (Chrome), VPN is not as essential for most employees.

Can I check out a laptop?

We have a pool of laptops for check out. To receive a laptop, the following needs to apply:

  • Faculty: Need dean approval
  • Staff: You are considered a critical employee
  • You do not have a college issued laptop or iPad
  • You do not have a personal computer at home
How do I stay connected with other faculty and staff members?

There are a few options for staying in touch with faculty and staff while working remotely. 

  • Microsoft Teams Available as a download on your mobile device or personal computer

You can also continue to utilize email and phones to stay connected. See details on forwarding your office calls above.

How do I schedule meetings with students and advisees?

WebEx is a great application for employee to student collaboration.

  • Available as a download on your mobile device or personal computer.
  • Also available as a web application 
  • On your PTC computer – you can install it from “Software Center” located in the programs folder on your desktop
  • Webex Video Tutorials & Guide

Existing D2L Virtual Classroom resources are great for employee to student collaboration.

If I have access to Office 365 through another school or organization what should I do?

If you have accounts through other schools or organizations that also utilize Office 365 its best to browse inside of an incognito window for each entity. This would apply to any office 365 products like outlook, teams, etc. 

  • How to open an incognito window in Chrome
  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click the 3 dots and then choose “New Incognito Window”.
  3. A new window appears. In the top corner, check for the Incognito icon Incognito.
  4. You can also use a keyboard shortcut to open an Incognito window: Press Ctrl + Shift + N.
  5. Under the programs folder on your PTC computer’s desktop – there is a shortcut for a chrome incognito window
Where can I find more information about the technology above?

We have a created a number of self help articles.

Access The Knowledge Base