RESOURCES | New Faculty Orientation
Welcome to Wentworth Institute of Technology. Please refer to this list of resources as a guide to the technology resources available to you.
Active Directory Accounts
Active directory is the application that stores information for all network, users, groups, and assets. When you sign onto your laptop or any networked computer, you use your Active Directory user name and password (also referred to as a domain account). Active Directory accounts are created by the Division of Technology Services (DTS) Help Desk and use your LConnect username with an initial password of Hello123 which you can change as soon as you log in. In addition to allowing you access to networked printers, your Active Directory account also connects you to a variety of file sharing and storage drives at Wentworth. These drives include:
- Personal (P) drive - a private storage space of up to 500 mg. provided for you to store files. This drive is visible under the My Computer icon for Windows users and on the desktop for Mac users as soon as you log in and may be accessed from on or off campus. To reach this storage space from off campus you would use WebDAV to connect to: https://access.wit.edu/staff/username where username is your LConnect username.
- Departmental (I) drive - Each faculty member is automatically attached to their department's shared drive that allows them to not only store files but share them with their colleagues. The departmental drives are only available to faculty members within a department and can be accessed on campus or from off campus using WebDAV to: https://access.wit.edu/idrive.
- Campus Shared (S) drive - The S drive is open to all students and faculty to store and share files, especially helpful for student collaboration and group documents. Keep in mind that everyone can see all files posted on this drive so it is not recommended for any type of sensitive material.Connect to this drive at: https://access.wit.edu/sdrive
- Course (T) drive - The course drive allows faculty and students to store course-related files such as syllabi, handouts, PowerPoint presentations, graphics, assignments, etc. for their students. Only students registered for a faculty member's course have access to these files.The content on the course drive is removed at the end of each semester. This drive can be accessed from on campus or from off campus using WebDAV at: https://access.wit.edu/tdrive.
- Myweb drive - Myweb is a web server intended to hold faculty web pages. To log in to your faculty web space and begin creating your web site, go to: http://myweb.wit.edu and log in as wit\username (where username is your Active Directory user name) and your Active Directory password. Wentworth uses either Adobe Dreamweaver (Windows) or GoLive (Mac).
For more information on connecting to these drives from off campus please refer to: Connecting to Your Drives using WebDAV.
Blackboard Vista Course Management System (CMS)
Wentworth uses Blackboard Vista 8 course management system (formerly known as WebCT) as an application to facilitate the creation of sophisticated web-based instructional materials. It can be used to create everything from fully online courses to web-supplementation for on-campus courses featuring online documentation, electronic assessments, grade books, student progress tracking, electronic surveys, course calendars, chat rooms or discussion boards.
Please follow these instructions to create a Blackboard section for your course.
You can access Blackboard from the Academic Resources tab on LConnect, or by going directly to http://bb.wit.edu and clicking on the link to Wentworth Institute of Technology in your browser.
To log into Blackboard Vista 8, use your e-mail name (e.g. smithj15) and the initial password 654321. After logging in for the first time, you may change your password to whatever you like.
Content may be copied to new course shells from previous courses so that faculty may continue to build their courses from semester to semester.
Resources for using Blackboard include an interactive course "Blackboard Tutorials" which all faculty should see listed in their course listings. In addition, the Training and Development team have provided a series of step-by-step tutorials for every tool at: http://www.wit.edu/td/bb/. There will also be workshop sessions on using Blackboard during Faculty Opening Week as well as during Fall semester. Announcements on these sessions will be sent out to all faculty or check the TD schedule.
E-Mail
Microsoft Exchange powers the e-mail system for Wentworth faculty, staff and students. In addition to e-mail, Exchange also provide calendars and scheduling, contacts, notes, task lists and access to public folders. It interfaces with the global e-mail address list that lists all WIT employees and students.
Exchange can be accessed by Mac and Windows systems using either the Microsoft Outlook e-mail software installed on your computer or a Web browser using Microsoft Web Access. It can also be accessed by mobile devices like the Blackberry and smart cell phones. Exchange also supports third party e-mail programs like Entourage.
Faculty may access their e-mail via the web through LConnect or directly at: http://email.wit.edu. E-mail accounts are created and maintained at the Help Desk and should be the same as your active directory account. For more information on using Microsoft Outlook on your computer or MS Web Access see these resources:
LConnect
LConnect is a Luminis web portal software platform that integrates with Wentworth's administrative Banner system (LeopardWeb). Department of Human Resources staff creates LConnect accounts during the initial hiring phase for Wentworth faculty and staff. Your LConnect user name is made up of your last name, your first initial, and sometimes, numerals in a case of duplication, for example: smithj or possibly smithj2. Your LConnect password will consist of six numbers that are randomly assigned.
LConnect can be accessed through any web browser on an Internet-connected computer at the address: http://lconnect.wit.edu. It allows students, faculty and staff an entrance point to campus-wide announcements, personal announcements, e-mail, electronic calendars, institutional groups and College resources. In addition, Wentworth employees may even download software, schedule events and put in work orders using this system. Faculty can also use LConnect to access the LeopardWeb for administrative services. For more information please see Getting Started with LConnect.
LeopardWeb Information System (Banner Student, Finance, Financial Aid
LeopardWeb is Wentworth's Banner information system covering student, finance and financial aid administration. LeopardWeb accounts are also created by Department of Human Resources staff with the same username and password as LConnect for new employees. Faculty can connect to LeopardWeb by logging in to LConnect which then allows them confidential access to student information regarding addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, class schedules, academic transcripts, placement test scores, holds and even degree audits. Faculty also utilize LeopardWeb to enter midterm and final grades, view class rosters, send class e-mail, post announcements in LConnect, view/print their own course schedules and download software. For more information please see Introduction to LeopardWeb.
Division of Technology Services
The Division of Technology Services (DTS) coordinates all information technology on campus including user support services encompassing desktop support and help desk, management information services, classroom and lab technology support, faculty training and development, card-entry, networking and phone systems. For more information, please see the DTS homepage.
Help Desk
The Help Desk provides technology support for all students, faculty and staff. Help Desk staff are available by calling ext. 4500 from on-campus or 617-989-4500 from off-campus. Users may also e-mail the Help Desk at: helpdesk@wit.edu or walk-in to their office on the third floor in Beatty Hall. For more information and to view their hours of operation please see their web site.
Davis Center
The Davis Center is an on-campus training and development center for faculty that houses a variety of hardware such as scanners, color printers and high-end color plotters, as well as targeted software. Faculty are welcome to use this center at any time to produce content for their courses. Help is also available by contacting a member of the DTS Training and Development team. The Davis Center is located in Annex Central Room 207.
Laptop Program
Wentworth began a laptop initiative in 2004 with the goal of providing all faculty and students with laptops by 2009. All faculty receive a laptop from the Help Desk using the operating system chosen by their department (i.e. Windows or Macintosh) and loaded with all the software utilized by their department. Laptop survival guides may be accessed on the Training and Development documentation web page.
This year all incoming freshmen will also receive a laptop outfitted with the complete suite of software used in their academic programs with the operating system dictated by their major department. Wentworth is a totally wireless campus so all laptops are also equipped with wireless network cards for Internet access anywhere.
Students will keep their assigned laptop as they progress through the program from year-to-year (a scheduled period to receive a new laptop and turn in the originally assigned laptop generally occurs during a student's junior year). The implementation of the laptop program represents a shift from WIT's centralized model based on computer labs to a decentralized mobile computing environment that can be closely integrated with each individual's work in the studio, classroom, workshop, library, and many other areas on campus. For more information please see the Laptop Program web page.
Classroom Support
Classroom support for technology is provided by the Help Desk. There are instructions for using the technology posted on the wall in each classroom. If you are having difficulty with the equipment in a classroom please call ext. 4500. If you would like some training on a particular type of equipment please complete the online form for a Mediated Classroom Orientation.
Classrooms with Technology
The majority of Wentworth classrooms are mediated classrooms, that is they have a ceiling-mounted LCD projector and a wall-mounted screen. The Help Desk maintains an inventory of the technology in each classroom that can be viewed on the Mediated Classroom web page. If you have been scheduled for a classroom that does not contain the technology you need, you may complete the online Media Request form. Please allow 48 hours advance notice to make sure that your needs are met.
Beatty Computer Lab
Information on the Beatty Open lab including the schedule, available software, and printing and plotting access can be found on the Lab and Mediated Classroom web page.
Interactive Video Conferencing
The Department of Civil, Construction and Environment (CCE) has developed an interactive video conferencing room that duplicates facilities currently available in the industry. Currently this facility is only available for reservation by faculty members of this department.
Microsoft Campus Agreement
Wentworth has a Microsoft Campus Agreement that allows full-time faculty to install the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio on home computers. If you would like to install any of these applications on your home computer please go to the Help Desk to borrow the installation CDs.
Online Documentation
The Help Desk in collaboration with the Training and Development team provide online documentation for supported software for students, faculty and staff. Please refer to the Documentation web page for current listings.
Supported Campus Software
Wentworth supports the Microsoft Office suite along with Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio. Other software, such as the Adobe Design Suite CS 3, is provided on departmental images depending on course requirements. See a complete listing of all specialized software in the Beatty Open lab that is available to faculty and students in that room as well.
Supported Campus Hardware
Currently WIT is distributing IBM T61 or Macbook Pro laptops to faculty, depending on departmental dictates. The College is standardized on Hewlett-Packard printers. Maintenance and repair questions can be referred to the Help Desk.
Phone and Voice Mail
Wentworth is transitioning to Voice Over Internet (VOIP) for their phone system so faculty may have either one of the new VOIP phones or a regular analog phone. The Help Desk assigns the phone number and can assist users in operating some of the phone functions and utilizing voice mail. Documentation on using a campus phone can be viewed on the Phone and Voicemail web page.
Technology Training and Development
The Training and Development unit (TD) is part of the Division of Technology Services. Our primary focus is to provide faculty development activities and initiatives to the faculty body campus-wide ranging from more formal offerings such as workshops, small group facilitation, and one-on-one consultations to informal offerings such as our faculty technology mentoring program, faculty showcases, roundtables, and many more.
Our goal is to provide the best possible service to support the integration of technology in the classroom, in blended and online scenarios through the employment of sound pedagogy and instructional design. Our team strives to be part of building an effective and engaging teaching and learning environment at Wentworth.
For more information and to view workshop schedules please refer to the Training and Development web site. If you have questions or would like to get in contact with us, please do not hesitate to call or email the Training and Development team.
|
