The following information is relevant for both face-to-face and online students before classes start!
Technology Course Recommendations
Course information will be available to students in three formats: text, audio (podcasting), and video. To enjoy the utmost flexibility with accessing course information, students need to be familiar with the following e-concepts and obtain the following software and hardware for their PCs. If you are a Mac user, please contact the HelpDesk for advice on equivalent applications.
E-Concepts: blog, wiki, e-portfolio, e-book, downloadable audiobook, podcasting, vodcasting, video chat
Software: MS Office including MS Word , Internet Explorer 7, Adobe (Macromedia) Flash Player 9, Adobe Acrobat Reader 8, iTunes, QuickTime, Yahoo Messenger, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, Skype, Audacity, Norton AntiVirus or McAfee Antivirus program
Hardware: Reliable Internet access with broadband connection speed, flashdrive, webcam, iPod or MP3
Skills and Knowledge: Blackboard 7, Webmail, Topnet, Tegrity, Tegrity Campus 2.0, Blogger, Wikipedia, Wikispaces, Google Video, YouTube
Recommended: Digital Library in association with Overdrive Media available online at Bowling Green Public Library, NetLibrary, online texts, Gmail, Firefox, iTunesU, MP4
Technical Support
Blackboard is an online class manager system that many instructors use to deliver course material and to communicate with students. For assistance with Blackboard, call the HelpDesk at (270) 745-7000, check out BBHelp, or email bbhelp@wku.edu.
For assistance with your WKU Email account, you can go to the WKU Account Manager Website. You must know your WKU ID number and PIN to access your WKU Email Username and Password. You can also call the Helpdesk at (270) 745-7000 or email a consultant by filling out Request Form about any computer-related issue.
Tegrity is a multimedia platform which was used by instructors to create video/audio content for online delivery. tegrity Campus 2.0 has made the old Tegrity system obsolete. However, your instructor has a variety of recordings with this old system that that are relevant for your class. Test your computer and see if you are able to watch Tegrity videos. Copy and paste the following link into your browser's address line: http://sessions.tegrityonline.com/_wizard/?Build=2713&liveTest=0
For technical assistance call (270) 745-7000.
Tegrity Campus 2.0 is now embedded in all WKU web classes. For further, check out the Tegrity Campus site. For video tutorials on how to use the new system, check out WKU's TSOnline page.
In conclusion, your best bet to fix technical problems is to call the HelpDesk, and not your instructor. Let your instructor focus on course content and not on technical issues. The HelpDesk can "do a remote" with you and fix your computer problems from a distance. It is also helpful to locate some computer guru friends and relatives who can help you out when you have questions.
Video Tutorials
Video Tutorials will help you learn how to use various applications: Blackboard 7, other popular applications, Tegrity.
Additional Guidelines for Using Computers
WKU Email Account
When to Email the Professor?
How to Send Email Messages?
The QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? Forum on Blackboard's Discussion Board
Viruses
Netiquette
