Author: John Jones

Writing appropriate ALT text for images can be a challenge — knowing how much or how little to say, what details are important and what details can be left out is often as much art as science. The new guide from the Media Resources Center will help you master the art of good ALT text for images on web pages, in PDFs, PowerPoints and other documents.

PDF files, often designed to provide a print-like experience with a document, can create accessibility and usability challenges for end users. To help individual contributors master the skills and tools, the web development and accessibility teams have prepared a comprehensive guide for making PDFs accessible, as well as a video series for those who prefer a training video.

• PDF Remediation for Accessibility 
• PDF Remediation Video Series

Learn how you can become an ability ally during a training forum from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17 in 257 Rhatigan Student Center, Ashton/Bridges Room.

Ability allies are a network of faculty, staff and students who take a visible role in promoting disability awareness, supporting persons with disabilities and maintaining resources for working and interacting with people with disabilities. The training is designed to shape perspectives on ability versus disability and provide an open forum for questions and concerns for those interacting with individuals with disabilities.

This course will satisfy one core requirement of the “Diversity in Action” program. A box lunch will be provided. To enroll, go to “myTraining” via myWSU and type in “ability ally.”

To ensure ease of use and the best experience for both faculty and students, Wichita State will offer two proctoring options for online exams in Blackboard this fall.

• Honorlock (automatic AI proctoring) – Honorlock will provide a proctoring and browser security option handled by an AI. The university is providing Honorlock proctoring at no charge to students.
• Examity (human proctoring) – Examity will provide a human proctoring experience. Students will be charged for Examity-proctored exams.

It is recommend to use online proctoring only when the faculty believes it is necessary. Human proctoring, via Examity, is best used to provide an option for students who may not be able to make it to campus to take an exam in person and not as a requirement to take an exam, since Examity exam fees will be charged to the student.

To find out more about proctoring solutions at Wichita State, review the recording of the August ARC Session on proctoring.

To explore more options for assessments and practices that promote academic honesty, contact the Office of Instructional Design at oir@wichita.edu.

Due to significant increases in the cost of Zoom licenses, Wichita State’s Zoom pro accounts will need to transition to a paid service in the new fiscal year starting July 1.

Microsoft Teams provides an equivalent videoconferencing service that is available to all faculty, staff and students. For most purposes, we encourage faculty and staff to transition from Zoom to Teams. Teams is available through the university’s Office 365 enterprise service at no additional cost to faculty, staff and students.

Zoom basic accounts can be used to hold meetings or classes for up to 40 minutes, and two-person meetings (one-on-one) without a time limit.

For those who need to continue Zoom pro service, the cost will be $35 per year per account to be paid by the department or unit requesting the account.

Next steps:

If a Zoom account needs to remain a pro account, please use the link below to provide the user ID and an org and fund number. At the start of the new fiscal year, all other accounts will be reduced to basic accounts.

• Zoom Pro Account Information form

In addition, all new pro accounts will require the org and fund to request an account.

For Teams training and support:

• If you need immediate assistance with a Teams issue, contact the Help Desk at 316-978-4357, option 1.
• Training is available in myTraining (provided by ITS look for “Virtual Meetings in Teams”) and in the LinkedIn Learning library (Microsoft Teams Essential Training).
• Get started with the Microsoft Teams Meetings Quick Start Guide.
• Instructors can get started with Using Teams for Class Meetings.
• Will be available at the August Academic Resources Conference (ARC).

The AI Interest Group is hosting its initial meeting from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12 in 264 Rhatigan Student Center, Spencer Room. The meeting is open to any and all faculty and staff interested in conversations about AI and its impact on instruction. This will be the first in a series of sessions.

The topic for the first session will be “Talking to students about AI” and will discuss syllabus recommendations, assignment and exercise ideas, and more.

Future topics for this group will include AI and the instructor’s work, AI and creativity, AI and intellectual property, and more.

Learn how you can become an ability ally during a training forum from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29 in RSC 142 (Harvest Room).

Ability allies are a network of faculty, staff, and students who take a visible role in promoting disability awareness, supporting persons with disabilities, and maintaining resources for working and interacting with people with disabilities. This training is designed to shape perspectives on ability versus disability and provide an open forum for questions and concerns for those interacting with individuals with disabilities.

This course will satisfy one core requirement of the Diversity in Action program. A box lunch will be provided.

To enroll, go to “Mytraining” via mywsu and type in “ability ally.”

Faculty and staff are invited to join the National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation (NIRDT) at a Campus Invent 8:15 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Woolsey Hall. During the event, participants will learn how Amazon Web Services (AWS) can help transform teaching, learning and research at Wichita State.

The event will also explore and demystify applications and tools delivered through the AWS cloud computing platform in an interactive classroom setting through conversation and hands-on labs. This training will help participants gain a better understanding of digital transformation through exploring opportunities to leverage AWS services (available free to educators) and access to ongoing guidance through AWS office hours.

The AWS Campus Invent is a free, one-day educational event that brings the experience of an AWS conference to WSU.

Please come and help the Media Resources Center (MRC) and Wichita State thank Randall Fooshee for 23 years of service at a ceremony 3-5 p.m. Thursday, May 26 at the MRC lobby. Fooshee worked as the media classroom coordinator at the MRC.

Do you know a Wichita State colleague making important contributions to our Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) efforts? If so, submit a nomination form now until Jan. 28.

The President’s Distinguished SEM Award is given to an employee–either a faculty member or university staff–who has made a dramatic contribution to one of the strategic enrollment management goal areas. Nominations will be evaluated based on the impact made by the employee.

For more information or to make a nomination, visit the President’s Distinguished SEM Award website.