By Anna McFadden, Director of the Coulter Faculty Center (CFC)
WCU recently upgraded its Wimba voice tools within WebCat to Wimba Classroom 6.0. Faculty now have access to this live, virtual classroom with features such as audio, video, application sharing, content display, and MP4 capabilities.
Wimba Classroom now allows faculty to meet their students face-to-face in the online environment, adding a personal element to the course. In addition, they may use the tool to poll their classes, access the whiteboard, and even record the class and administer tests for those who miss a session. Also, if a student is unable to access a session due to being away from a computer, the student may call into the class.
Faculty and students can enjoy the public and private text chat features as well as the ability to work in groups and give presentations. Faculty also will benefit from being able to load their content in advance.
How to access Wimba
Students and faculty may access Wimba through WebCat. Staff members are currently working to implement access outside of WebCat, which will be useful for meetings so as to avoid the expense of travel.
Support for Wimba
Support is provided 24 hours/7 days a week and can be accessed by calling the Help Desk at extension 2487 and pressing option 1. In the Coulter Faculty Center, staff member John Hawes (pictured) conducts workshops and assists faculty who wish to implement the tool in their courses.