This blog will examine online learning and technology resources and professional development resources at Western Washington University. I am not currently teaching at WWU; however, I was formerly a student and teaching assistant over twenty years ago, and would love to return to make a contribution to online teaching at WWU. I have gleaned insight about their resources from a review of their website (WWU, 2015).

WWU has a wireless network available throughout the campus complex, with strong signals inside all buildings and in out door as well. Faculty, staff and students are granted access to the WWU wireless network with a personal network username and password. If you are currently enrolled in at least a one-credit course, you will have access to Wi-Fi. WCC provides wireless access for our all members of the college community; they do not provide support for personal electronic devices.
WWU technology supports online learning and traditional learning through Blackboard and Canvas Learning Management Systems. Most faculty members make course materials available online through the LMS System so that students can access class discussions, assignments and exams by signing into their myWestern account

The myWestern account hosts email with 10GB of space and provides access to Microsoft Web Apps and 25GB of online storage on their Microsoft-hosted SkyDrive; the university also provides and additional 500MB of network storage for each campus community member.

WWU offers Multimedia Classrooms and 88% of all general classrooms are equipped with modern technology. Technology will include, computer, projector, document camera, media control panel, DVD player, laptop computer connection, audio amplifier & speakers as well as wireless microphone and voice reinforcement in the larger spaces and Smart boards in many classrooms. WWU has classroom response clickers and audio recording of faculty lectures and presentations; WWU also boats four collaborative classrooms on campus which have all the technology listed above as well as multiple interactive smart boards for use by student collaborators.

Each faculty member and student is provided space on WWU’s web servers to create a personal web site. Licensing and professional software tools such as Adobe and Photoshop are available in various departments and the computer labs WWU also offers Microsoft Office 365, connections from Outlook and support for learning with mobile devices.

WWU has an extensive technology help department that provides assistance, support, and training to faculty, staff and students on campus and online. The support includes Microsoft office 356 workshops and tutorials. The WWU technology center offers free web design classes to develop or further skills in web building. The WWU Tech help center has training and support for Canvas LMS and hosts a special web page with instructional links and access to support (WWU, Academic Technology , n.d.).

The Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment (WWU CIIA, n.d.) is a web portal with many helpful links to workshops, focus groups and support for instructors teaching with technology. This is the go to section on the WWU for so many helpful resources as WWU is committed to provide ongoing support and believes faculty as well as students need ongoing education (WWU,CIIA, n.d.).

The Faculty GUR Group at WWU also supports and is affiliated with Faculty Learning Groups and provides external links to resources where instructors can seek additional support. One external link I would access for resources is the Faculty Learning Communities Handbook which hosts the The FLC Program Director’s and FLC Facilitator’s Handbook, Sixth Edition (FLC, n.d.). I have only begun to explore the links and connections to resources at WWU and sites external to WWU; I am encouraged by the support for teaching with technology at Western, it has changed a great deal in the past 20 years.

References

Faculty Learning Communities, FLC (n.d.). The FLC Program Director’s and FLC Facilitator’s Handbook, Sixth Edition. Retrieved from http://www.units.miamioh.edu/flc/handbook.php

Western Washington University, Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment WWU CIIA (n.d.). Retrieved from http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/cii/default.asp

Western Washington University, Faculty GUR Group, WWU FGG (n.d.). Faculty Learning Community Resources. Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/depts/facultygur/resources.shtml

Western Washington University (2015). Retrieved from http://www.wwu.edu/

Western Washington University , Academic Technology (2015). Canvas: WWU Instructor Quick Start Guide. Retrieved from http://west.wwu.edu/atus/canvas/index.shtml