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PLEASE share with your students! Introducing the IQ Center Mini-Grants for BIG Ideas!

IQ Center Mini Grants for BIG Ideas flyer. Have a project idea and need funding to bring your idea to life? Apply for anIQ Center Mini Grant for Big Ideas! Each term, two grants of up to $500 will be awarded to support a project using IQ Center equipment and resources. For more information, visit go.wlu.edu/iqcenterminigrants

The IQ Center awards funds for novel and innovative student projects that utilize IQ Center equipment and resources.

There are no limits on the subject – History, Art, Architecture, whatever! Recipients will be chosen by an IQ Center panel of students and staff. Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Utilization of the IQ Center: The project should take advantage of the resources in the IQ Center.
  • Innovation: The project should not simply re-create someone else’s design.
  • Difficulty: The project should be challenging, but possible to complete by the end of the semester.

Eligibility
All undergraduate students are eligible to apply.

Grant Funds
Two grants of up to $500 will be awarded per term. Funds are purely for prototyping and experimenting, not for buying materials to create products for sale. No funds will be released directly to award recipients; all necessary supplies will be purchased by the IQ Center.

Project Requirements
The project must be completed within the term in which funding is granted.

Grant Requirements
Award recipients must share their experience and discuss their project, process, and the ways in which the IQ Center was used with the W&L community.

Questions? Contact Dave Pfaff, IQ Center Academic Technologist, at dpfaff@wlu.edu, 540.458.8044.

 
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Join us for Technology and Tacos: Focus on ChatGPT and AI

Robot seated at a table, writing with a pen. Thursday, Jan 26 @ 12 PM | Leyburn 119. In this session, Associate Professor Jeffrey Schatten will give an introduction to the topic, participants will have a brief opportunity to explore the software, and the session will end with a discussion of the implications of AI and ChatGPT. Sign up at go.wlu.edu/techandtacos.

Gray human brain situated against a background with mathematical concepts on the left (logic) and a tangle of colorful swirling lines on the right (creativity) Tuesday, Jan 31 @ 12 PM | Leyburm 119. A good defense is the best offense and grounding your teaching in good pedagogical practice can help to ensure that ChatGPT's disruption of our students' learning is minimal. Join Dr. Paul Hanstedt, Director of the Harte Center for Teaching and Learning, for a discussion of effective practices in the age of AI. Sign up at go.wlu.edu/techandtacos.

ITS Academic Technologies and the Harte Center for Teaching and Learning cordially invites all W&L faculty and staff to our Technology and Tacos series. For the Winter Term, we’ll talk about how AI tech developments could affect our classrooms. How do we teach now that it exists? How can we use it?

ChatGPT, which stands for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer,” is a cutting-edge AI model developed by OpenAI. It has the ability to generate human-like text and has shown remarkable performance in tasks such as language translation, question answering, and even creative writing.

As a “disruptor,” ChatGPT has the potential to change the way we interact with technology and how we process information; in fact, it already is! However, it also presents a great opportunity for us to explore new and innovative ways to use AI.

Interested? Sign up online at go.wlu.edu/techandtacos.

We look forward to seeing you there and discussing the exciting (and admittedly worrisome) possibilities of ChatGPT and AI with you.

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How to Avoid Technology Disasters During Exams!

It’s the LAST week of classes! Correct me if I’m wrong, but there is no time for any tech-related mishaps/fails/malfunctions of any kind. 

ITS Academic Technologies recently hosted a workshop for students about very important technology tips that can potentially prevent unnecessary disasters during this extremely stressful time leading up to finals week.

If you missed it, fear not! We recorded the session. Log in to YuJa above with your W&L credentials above to watch!

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Print Your Own Winter Academy Schedule

Who needs a PDF copy of the full Winter Academy schedule? Look no further!

Remember, the latest and greatest schedule is always available online at go.wlu.edu/winteracademy, but in case you’d like to print a copy, here you go:

Winter Academy begins NEXT Monday, December 12! Hope we see you there!

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A Great NEW Space to Record and Edit Podcasts: WLUR Studios

chat bubble heart, microphone icon, female mouth open, headphones icon, podcast in speech bubble

Podcasting continues to skyrocket – with over 2 million active podcasts  and 71,548,284 episodes (as of September 2022) to choose from,  140 million US podcast listeners can’t be wrong!

Creating audio narratives in the form of storytelling, interviewing, and podcasting also continues to be popular assignments for W&L students. Why? Students have to contend with a new medium and the challenge of sharing information in their own voice. It brings together familiar patterns of research with a less familiar medium.

If you’re interested in encouraging creativity, fostering collaboration, and providing a sense of community in your course while giving students opportunities to practice both writing and presentation skills and expressing themselves through multimedia, consider adding podcasting to your classroom!  ITS Academic Technologies can support your class by offering in-class training about interviewing techniques, workflows for recording and editing, as well as assistance/troubleshooting outside of class.

As you hopefully already know, The Harte Center is home to three state-of-the-art video/audio editing suites — Leyburn 123, 124, and 125, reservable by students, faculty, and staff in 25Live — that are ideal spaces to record and/or edit video or audio projects. Towards the end of the term, it can be difficult to reserve these very in-demand rooms. That’s why, we are especially excited about a newly configured space for podcasting located within W&L’s student-run radio station, WLUR 91.5 FM, in Elrod Commons.

This morning, ITS Academic Technologies met with WLUR General Manager and Program Director, Steve Cross, to get a quick tour. The podcast “studio” features professional, high-end audio and video equipment with the ability to record — up to six different microphones! — and edit prerecorded audio content. The studio is available for use by W&L students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Contact Steve directly at scross [at] wlu [dot] com to ask about availability. You can also reach out to Steve to explore the world of broadcast, too.

Interested in podcasting but not sure how to get started? Contact ITS Academic Technologies. We’re here to help.

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WANTED: Your Winter Academy session proposals!

cute cartoon deer behind blue and white colored leaves and branches of holly against a snowy background

Mark your calendars! The 2022 Winter Academy will take place during Exam Week on Monday, December 12 through Thursday, December 15. 

Winter Academy is just as awesome as Fall Academy — full of panel discussions, pedagogy workshops, technology tutorials, information sessions, guest speakers, and more, all specifically designed to support your success as a teacher, scholar, and mentor at W&L — but, alas, shorter in duration.

If you have an idea for a session, please visit go.wlu.edu/wa-request and complete the form. (Completion of the form does not guarantee your proposal will be accepted.)  Requests will be considered in the order in which they are submitted. 

You will be asked for:

  • Session title
  • Session description
  • Presenter(s) name and department
  • Session type
  • If you’d care to offer catering
  • Session duration
  • Preferred days and times from Monday, December 12 – Thursday, December 15

Thank you! Registration will open in late November/early December at go.wlu.edu/winteracademy.

Questions? Email Julie Knudson (jmknudson@wlu.edu) or Helen MacDermott (hmacdermott@wlu.edu).

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How do I share a YuJa video with another W&L user?

Sharing your YuJa content with a direct link is a great way to allow other W&L users to view your video. Whether it’s a classroom lecture, tutorial, or Zoom meeting that you need share, here’s how you go about it:

1. Go to myapps.wlu.edu and type in your W&L credentials. Click on the YuJa tile.

2. Hover over the media you would like to share.

3. Click on More… to open the Media Details pane:
Hovering over the desired YuJa video

4. Click on the Links tab:
clicking on the Links tab in the Media Details pane of a YuJa video

5. Click the Copy to Clipboard button next to the Direct Link field.

6. Share the Direct Link with any user that you wish!

7. Pat yourself on the back!

Note that the default security setting is set to platform authentication which means that only those who can log in to YuJa with W&L credentials can view the shared video. If you need to share media with someone outside of W&L, on the Links tab,  click on the Security Settings button, uncheck Password or Authentication Restriction, and click the Save button.

The above steps also work if you have a folder of media you want to share! Hover over the folder, click on More…, then click on the Links tab.

Need help with or have questions about using Digication? Contact the ITS Information Desk at help@wlu.edu, 540.458.4357 (HELP), or stop by the ITS Information Desk, located on the Main Level of Leyburn Library.

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Annnnndddd … that’s a wrap!

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Wow! That was a pretty incredible two weeks of professional development and delicious snacks and meals, no?

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who presented (you rock!) and many, many thanks to everyone who made time during this very busy time of year to attend 60 different information sessions, tutorials, demonstrations, open houses, workshops, and panel discussions!

If you’ve not already done so, could you please fill out evaluations for any sessions that really stood out for you, for better or for worse? Go to https://go.wlu.edu/FallAcademy, and every past session should have a green Evaluate this Session button. We take your comments seriously and we consider all recommendations to improve our offerings. 

Though Fall Academy is over (sniff sniff), the learning and dialogue continues. The Harte Center and Academic Technologies is excited to partner with you to help amplify your teaching practice.

Come visit us on Level 1 of Leyburn Library. Our doors are always open. We are here to help.

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How to print your own copy of the 2022 Fall Academy schedule

You can always find the latest and greatest version of the Fall Academy schedule at go.wlu.edu/fallacademy, but for those of you who’d like a printed copy, these instructions are for you!

To print the Fall Academy schedule as a foldable booklet:
 
  1. Download the .PDF above.
  2. Open the .PDF in Adobe Acrobat DC.
  3. Choose File > Print and select the desired printer.
  4. Under Pages to Print, select All.
  5. Under Page Sizing & Handling:
    • Select Booklet.
    • Select Both sides for Booklet subset.
    • Select Left for Binding.
    • Select Portrait for Orientation.
  6. Click the Print button. If you’re a Mac user, your screen will look something like this:
    Print Setting options for Adobe Acrobat DC on a Mac to print the Fall Academy schedule as a booklet
  7. Fold in half and enjoy!

There’s still time to sign up for Fall Academy sessions, but space is filling up fast, so don’t delay!