Exam Schedule and Checking Final Grades

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Nicholas Bingham

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The semester is already almost over and finals are creeping up. Classes officially end on December 12^th. Exams begin December 13^th and end on December 21^st. Click the link below to review the final examination and policy schedule for the 2017 Fall term.

Final Examination and Policy Schedule

Fall term grades are due December 22^nd and will be available to students by December 28^th. To check your grades after they are finalized complete the following steps:

Login to WINS
Open the “Main Menu” dropdown and select “Student Center”
In the “Academics” section in the upper left select the drop down arrow and click “Grades”
Select “2017 Fall Terms” and “Continue”

Winterim classes begin on January 2^nd and Spring classes begin on January 22^nd. Have a great break and good luck on Finals!

Virtual Lab

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Ethan Rausch

Did you know that you can access many of software packages offered in the General Access Labs remotely from your own computer? With a VPN connection to the UWW network, you can even access the software off-campus! All that’s required is access to a Windows or Mac computer, and a high-speed internet connection.

Some of the software available to you through Virtual Lab includes:

Adobe Creative Suite
Audacity
Autodesk (Mac)
Blender (Mac)
IBM SPSS Statistics
JAWS 7 (Windows)
Microsoft Office 2016
Respondus Lockdown Browser
Wacom (Mac)
…and more!

For more information regarding Virtual Lab, check out the following link: http://www.uww.edu/icit/services/virtual-lab

Register for the Saturday LTC Instructional Development Event

Posted on November 30, 2017 by

The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is offering an all day Saturday event on December 9^th, focusing on instructional development! This event is a great opportunity for instructors who are not able to contact the LTC during our standard operating hours to receive D2L assistance.

Join us at the LTC office, in McGraw 120, as early as 8:00am for D2L one-on-one support that is focused on your specific D2L needs. We are also offering two sessions of D2L basics, which may include information such as how to set up LockDown Browser, upload test questions, transfer grades to WINS, and much more!

If you are not able to make it to campus, no problem! You can schedule a one-on-one WebEx meeting during the 1:1 appointment times listed below. To schedule a 1:1 appointment, contact the LTC after you register.

Please stop by to get your questions answered, stay until your problems are solved, and close out the semester successfully!

Saturday Event Schedule

*sessions subject to change based on instructor needs.

8:00 – 10:00am Staff available for 1:1 appointments with instructors

10:00 – Noon D2L basics help

1:00 – 2:00pm Staff available for 1:1 appointments with instructors

2:00 – 3:00pm D2L basics help

3:00 – 4:00pm Staff available for 1:1 appointments with instructors

For further questions about the Saturday LTC Instructional Development Event please contact the LTC at ltc@uww.edu. To sign up, go to https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/15325 (and log in with your Net-ID and password). Registration closes on Wednesday, December 6th!

Access UW-Whitewater’s secure network while off Campus

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Aaron Kuenstler

If you want to access the secure network while off campus, you can use Cisco AnyConnect. AnyConnect is a Virtual Private Network or VPN that allows you to remotely access the campus’s network. Since the campus’ network infrastructure is protected from internet viruses and worm attacks by a firewall, VPN solution is necessary to gain access to specific campus resources, such as network storage, while maintaining the security of the system for both users and the network. UW-Whitewater enables VPN access using the Cisco AnyConnect VPN Software. VPN securely encrypts data transmissions from your computer to the campus network. A valid campus net-id and password are required to gain access.

If you use a University owned laptop, AnyConnect should already be installed.

If you do not have AnyConnect installed follow the steps below:

Go to vpn.uww.edu
Login with your UW-Whitewater Net-ID and password.
Select the ‘AnyConnect’ item from the menu on the left.
Click the link to ‘Start AnyConnect’.
If you have not been through this process, or you do not have the correct version of the Java Runtime Environment installed, a pop-up window will appear and direct you to download Java Runtime Environment.
When prompted, install the AnyConnect software.
When the install is complete, the webpage will refresh to show that you are successfully connected.

Accessing most campus enterprise technology services, such as Email, calendar, the UW-Whitewater web site, WINS, and other web-based services does not require the use of the VPN.

If you have questions or issues setting up the VPN, please contact the UW-W Helpdesk.

Copying and Cleaning Content into your New Course

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Shane Degen

Now that Winter 2018 and Spring 2018 course requests are available, you are likely looking to populate your new courses with materials you have already created and compiled. The Copy Components feature in D2L allows instructors to replicate the course components from one course offering to another. These include all commonly used components such as — news, content, files, gradebook structure, quizzes/question library, discussion group structure, and more. You can use this tool to easily re-use relevant content from one D2L course offering to another.

For written instructions to help copy, please visit the D2L Copy Components documentation we have available. Alternately, you can also watch a video walkthrough of the process.

After copying materials into your new course, you may be interested in cleaning up some unnecessary things. Some areas have a habit of bulking up over time, and we recommend checking them for unused items.

Content, Dropbox, Grades, and Discussions areas are things you probably clean up every semester.
The Groups tool will transfer over course sections from previous semesters. Clean out Groups from previous years to make your relevant Groups easier to find.
News items often include specific dates, time sensitive information, or mention of Content items that may or may not be around anymore. Keep the ones that are still relevant, but delete the expired ones that you don’t intend on reworking each semester.
In the Quizzes area, the Question Library is a great resource to house questions you think you might use again in the future. It is also a chronic hiding place of questions instructors deemed unsuitable for use in their classes.
It is not uncommon for Instructors to build Surveys for a specific purpose, and only use them one semester.
The Manage Files area houses everything you have ever uploaded to content. If there are old documents, PDFs, PowerPoints that you don’t need you can remove them by going through the Manage Files area.

If you have any questions regarding the copy components tool or would like assistance cleaning up your course, please contact UW-W D2L Support.

Ingeniux Training for All

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Elaina Barr

It’s that time of year again, to bring out decorations, winter coats, and dusting off “the good plates” for company to use. While your home maybe getting messy, don’t let your webpages get cluttered!

The web content management system (CMS) used at UW-Whitewater is Ingeniux. Is there something that you want displayed on the page for next semester? Do you have information that you would like published where everyone will see? Sign up for Ingeniux training in the Signup Tool and learn how to use Ingeniux to update and modify UWW departmental webpages.

In this training you will learn to demonstrate the difference between parent and child pages, how to upload documents, media and images; and locate and edit pages. You will also learn how to preview and publish your changes to the UW-Whitewater site.

Website management is available to departments, colleges, business units and centers. The web management service includes web strategy, design, development, content production, analytics and support.

Make sure to contact the Helpdesk at helpdesk@uww.edu if you need access to edit the site, additional information can be found here: Website Management

If you have any additional questions about Ingeniux Training contact training@uww.edu

WINS Schedule Planner

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Alexander Johnson

Have you ever found it difficult lining up, and visualizing your schedule while enrolling for Final Schedule classes? Well the Schedule Planner is the tool for you!

The Schedule Planner allows you to input which classes you want to take, and then provides you with a calendar view of every possible weekly schedule. Here’s how to access Schedule Planner:

Log in at wins.uww.edu
Navigate to “Main Menu” — “Enrollment” — “Add a Class” — “Add Classes” and select your term.
Click on the “Schedule Planner” button

Once your on the Schedule Planner click the “Add Course” to start adding classes to your schedule. When you’ve chosen all of your classes, go back to the previous page and scroll down to the “Schedules” section and click on “Generate Schedules”.

Now you can see all of your possible schedules with whichever classes you have selected. You can also add breaks, or times of the day you don’t want a class. If it turns out there are any conflicts in your schedule, Schedule Planner will let you know.

For more a more detailed look at Schedule Planner, refer to this guide

Lynda Courses: Business Skills, Communication & Leadership

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Ethan Rausch

You may know that you have access to Lynda for free as a student here at UW-Whitewater, but did you know that they offer courses on topics beyond technology?

The Business Skills section covers topics such as:

Holding Yourself Accountable
Organization Design
Sales: Closing a Complex Sale
Creating a Positive Customer Experience

The Communication section includes courses on:

Communicating in Times of Change
Unconscious Bias
Writing Formal Business Letters and Emails
Anger Management

The Leadership section has video tutorials that can help you with:

Strategic Thinking
Acting Decisively
Delivering Bad News Effectively
Leading without Formal Authority

Lynda can teach you a whole lot more than you might have originally thought! Take advantage of this amazing resource by checking out Lynda.com!

LTC Institutes for Online/Blended Teaching

Posted on November 17, 2017 by Aaron Axelsen

The Learning Technology Center (LTC) hosts Winter and Summer Institutes for Online/Blended Teaching. These institutes serve as introductions to best practices in online and blended course design and facilitation. Though these institutes do address specific tools, inside and outside of the learning management system (LMS), the focus of the institute is on research and practices in online teaching and learning, rather than on learning to use specific tools. By completing the institute, instructors can receive a badge.

In the past, basic knowledge of using the tools in the LMS has been viewed as a prerequisite for enrolling in the institutes. Though this might change slightly during the transition to Canvas (Please see the Canvas Migration Portal here for more information on that transition: http://www.uww.edu/icit/ltc/canvas-portal), in general some previous knowledge and experience using online teaching tools, such as tools in a LMS, is viewed as necessary in order to successfully complete the institute.

Participation in these institutes is competitive, as more instructors typically apply than can be supported in a given offering. However, by offering the institute twice a year, the LTC tries to accommodate as many instructors teaching online and/or blended in this institute as possible.

If you are interested in applying for the institute, be on the lookout for calls for participants on this blog in the future. If you are in need of one-on-one help with your online or blended course to close out the current Fall 2017 semester, consider registering for the LTC’s Saturday Instructional Development Event in December.

What is Cisco Jabber? Why should I use it?

Posted on November 13, 2017 by

Cisco Jabber (or Jabber) is an instant messenger service used by and available for UW-Whitewater employees.

Jabber is synced with your work phone, which means you can make and receive calls, view your call history, and manage your voicemails all from your computer, or mobile device (by downloading the app).

Jabber also has the ability to be synced with your campus Outlook Calendar. If you are in a meeting, the instant messenger will automatically set your status as “Away” so others will know not to disturb you or expect an immediate reply to a message.

Jabber is already downloaded on all campus-owned computers. Which means, every employee on campus has the ability to instantly connect to each other.

Have a quick question about something? You can send a message without worrying about your important message being lost in someone’s inbox. Jabber also has the capability to take and send an image from your computer screen instantly, eliminating the need to upload an attachment.

Want to know more about Jabber?

The LTC will be hosting workshops this semester so you can get to know Cisco Jabber with hands on experience. You do not need to attend a workshop to learn more about Jabber. For those of you who are a little more adventurous, you can check out our Quick Start Guides, by clicking here, to get started on your computer or mobile device.

For questions about Cisco Jabber please contact the LTC at ltc@uww.edu. To sign up for a training session, go to https://my.uww.edu/signup/Registration/Details/15365 (and log in with your Net-ID and password).