RECAST | Technology Needs to Support Remote Instruction

From: McAvity, David <mcavityd@evergreen.edu>
Date: Apr 20, 2020, 4:33 PM -0700

Dear Colleagues,

I hope you have adapted to the remote teaching environment well. I have heard some good things from colleagues.  I would also guess there have been some challenges — particularly with technology. I am writing with an update and a few reminders regarding technology requests.

Small Peripherals:
Normally I would direct folks requesting small peripherals, such as such as network cables, dongles, mice, keyboards, and webcams to the Help Desk, which stocks many of these items.  However, given the Stay Home order, the Help Desk is closed. For that reason, you may purchase peripherals costing less than $50, for remote instruction, with your program budget and request reimbursement from your program secretaries. You may still want to connect with our Help Desk remotely for advice about what to purchase.

New Technology and Software Requests:
You may request more expensive items, such as new computers, docking stations, monitors, document cameras, or new software applications by using the following form: https://www.evergreen.edu/technology/new-technology-request. Our computers operate on a 5-year replacement cycle, so if your computer is near end of life it may be time to upgrade. If you have used a desktop and would like to shift to a laptop, now would be a good time to do that.

Technology Support:
It may be that you are need support with current software or hardware that is not working seamlessly. The IT Help desk is working diligently to solve common problems, taking on a high number of tickets a day. They work most efficiently when they are receiving duplicate requests from the same source. Please submit only one help ticket at https://help.evergreen.edu/  Your request will be put in the queue. There is no need to follow up with email and phone calls – this will not expedite the request.

Other Technology Needs for Remote Instruction:
It may be that you have other new needs associated with teaching remotely, such as, for example, a stylus, drawing pad, or headset. You may be able to make such purchases on your program budget too. We are interested in doing an assessment of these needs, so that we can advise about technology. If you have such a need, please contact Tina Pearson (pearsont@evergreen.edu) in the Academic Budget Office, who will collate requests so that I can do a needs assessment. Please bear in mind that equipment purchased with college funds, belongs to the college and should not be used for personal activities.

Best wishes,

David

David McAvity |   Vice Provost and  Academic Dean

3801 Library Building  | Tel: 360.867.5490
Open Zoom Hours: Tuesdays 4-5: https://evergreen.zoom.us/j/2505083096