COVID-19 Updates
General
Questions
Cleaning your PawPrint Ricoh Printer
With concerns over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces is imperative. Please adhere to these best practices for cleaning PawPrint printer screens and operation panels. For more information on cleaning and disinfecting, consult...
Fall 2020 Instructional Plan
Inspired by those we serve Western Carolina University provides our students with a high quality education and preparationfor responsible citizenship in a changing world. Our core values embrace excellent teaching,scholarship, and service; collaboration with and...
Did you take your WCU computer home?
We realize during this time that many of us are using our WCU computers from home, as we work remotely. While this is great for productivity, we want to ensure assets are updated with their correct locations. If you have taken your WCU Computer home or to another...
Coronavirus Cyber-Scams on the Rise
Cybercriminals are continuing to find ways to lure people into their scams, building on fear and emotion about the current pandemic. We anticipate this will continue to increase as the stimulus checks from the government move forward. You may see promotions for...
Technology Commons Support by Appointment
Effective March 25 until further notice, access to Technology Commons services will be by appointment only. Our hours will be 8am-5pm, M-F and closed on weekends. The Technology Commons doors will be locked, but we will still be providing students, faculty and staff...
Disinfectant Guidance for Electronic Devices
You’re already washing your hands, using hand sanitizer when necessary, practicing social distancing, and not touching your face, but you may also want to take the time to disinfect those phones, tablets, keyboards, mice, and laptops that you handle every day. Viruses...
Off-campus Phone Planning
In preparing for a potential coronavirus response, many departments have inquired about making and receiving calls if staff are not able to occupy their normal office spaces. The WCU phone system offers the following six features for handling phone calls in remote...
Working Safely Away from Campus
During crisis situations, cybercriminals use social engineering techniques to exploit their target: you. They rely on the user's emotions, trustworthiness, and willingness to help, and use it against them. Please follow these basic security protocols. Be aware of...
Teaching and Working Remotely
Fall 2020 Classrooms with Enhanced Audio Connectivity for Hybrid Sections
As part of the preparations for hybrid teaching in WCU classrooms, additional audio connectivity was installed to allow for the use of a personal microphone, as well as to assist in the use of common software tools using the classroom audio system. Read more......
Q&A Sessions Scheduled for Fall 2020 Classroom Technology
The Coulter Faculty Commons and the Division of IT will be hosting virtual panel sessions to answer your questions and offer information on Fall 2020 classroom technology along with some general guidelines for use, adoption, and support. Sign-up for a session today!...
Fall 2020 Audio Enhancements for Hybrid Sections
As part of the preparations for hybrid teaching in WCU classrooms, additional audio connectivity was installed to allow for the use of a personal microphone, as well as to assist in the use of common software tools using the classroom audio system. Below are a few...
Policy Considerations of Classroom Tech Use
The recording of any student’s personally identifiable information is subject to University Policy 122, which identifies specific requirements that must be met in order to use video capture in a classroom environment. These policies apply to both in-person courses and...
Guidelines for Technology Adoption
Download the chart F20_WCU Approved Tools to review the approved tools, their use cases, and various advantages and disadvantages. Introduction There was a time before COVID-19. In Spring 2019, a national survey from EDUCAUSE found that the majority of...
In the News: Zoom Security
You may have seen Zoom Video in the news lately for a variety of reasons. At WCU, we take your security and privacy seriously, and we assure you that our IT leadership, IT security, and Zoom teams are monitoring our Zoom environment. Zoom has experienced tremendous...
Receiving and Sending Fax Documents from Off-campus
Receive a Fax If you or your department regularly receive faxes, you may want to have your fax number set up so that future faxes can be automatically received, either in a departmental email or a share drive (Secure or Mercury Share). You can request this...
Accessing Vault (Student Cloud Storage) from Off-campus
Students have two options for accessing Vault storage from off-campus: Option 1: Login to VCAT and access as you normally would from any classroom on-campus Option 2: Navigate to https://vault.wcu.edu and enter your WCUid (everything before the @ symbol) and...
Accessing Resources from Off-campus using Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
The sudden change to online education and telework for faculty, staff, and students comes with the need to use MFA more often than usual for most of us. If you have had issues using text messaging with MFA, or if you would simply prefer an easier alternative, you may...
Closing the Door on “Zoom Crashers”
As more people use Zoom for video conferencing, online meetings, and mobile collaboration for course delivery and working from home, we wanted to offer up tips to ensure everyone joining an event does so with good intentions. Like most other public forums, it’s...