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Instructional Technology

With facilities in Jesup Hall and The Center for Educational Technology (CET) located on the 2nd floor of Sawyer Library, support is provided by ITech’s three working groups:

Please explore our primary services list below for supported technologies that may be appropriate in your teaching and research.  If you have questions about ITech services, please contact your departmental liaison, email ITech or call Jonathan Leamon at 413-597-4468.

    • Located on level 2 of Sawyer Library, the CET’s makerspace facilitates innovation and creativity through experimentation, prototyping, and hands-on learning. Learn more about what you can make:

      • Make the digital world real in the 3D Makerspace.

        What's in the 3D Makerspace?

        • 3D printer
        • 3D scanner
        • Laser etcher
        • A variety of software and hardware tools
        • Students who can assist with printing, or help you learn how to develop your own models and projects.

        cet-makerspace

        Who can use it?

        The makerspace and equipment are available to any member of the Williams community. If you'd like your class to incorporate 3D printing into your course, please contact your ITech liaison in advance so we can schedule the equipment.

        How do I access it?

        If you are unfamiliar with the technology, the best way to start a project is to stop by when the room is open and talk to one of the student staff. Faculty and staff can also contact Jonathan Leamon with any questions.

        How do I get help?

        There are FAQs and other help documentation available on the makerspace’s website, or stop by the room when it’s open. You can also contact Jonathan Leamon.

      • What's in the Paper/Print Fabrication Makerspace?

        • Binding, drawing, and collage supplies
        • Sticker maker
        • Screen printing kit
        • Cricut Maker® machine.
        • Button makers and supplies.
        • Movable tables and chairs and storage shelves/bins for equipment and materials.
        • Students who can assist you. (See calendar for schedule)

        Who can use it?

        The makerspace and equipment are available to any member of the Williams community. If you'd like to incorporate paper fabrication or zine making into your course, contact [email protected].

        How do I access it?

        Stop by during open hours and talk to one of the student staff, or attend one of our workshops. If you'd like to book the space for your student organization or staff department, contact [email protected].

        How do I get help?

        Stop by during open hours to pick up patterns, watch tutorials, or get one-on-one help.

      • What's in the Textile/Fiber Fabrication Makerspace?

        • Sewing machines, cutters, mats, and materials for creating with fabrics and other textiles.
        • Supplies for spinning, knitting, crochet, embroidery, and other fiber arts.
        • Cricut Maker® machine
        • Button makers and supplies.
        • Movable tables and chairs and storage shelves/bins for equipment and materials.
        • Students who can assist you. (See calendar for schedule)

        Fabrication open houseWho can use it?

        The makerspace and equipment are available to any member of the Williams community. If you'd like to incorporate textile fabrication into your course, contact [email protected].

        How do I access it?

        Stop by during open hours and talk to one of the student staff, or attend one of our workshops. If you'd like to book the space for your student organization or staff department, contact [email protected].

        How do I get help?

        Stop by during open hours to pick up patterns, watch tutorials, or get one-on-one help.

      Fabrication Makerspace Calendar

       

    • Posters and flyers may be printed for academic or non-academic purposes. Academic posters and flyers may be printed at no cost, but non-academic posters and flyers may incur a charge. Posters may only be printed by professional staff, but flyers may be printed by anyone with a Papercut account. Please see the sections below for more information.

      • Anything larger than 11″x17″ is considered a poster. Posters are printed using large format plotters that require the services of trained professionals (the College does not offer self-service poster printing).

        Both academic and non-academic poster printing are available to the campus, with some conditions and limitations.

        • Academic posters are specific to conference presentations, departmental thesis poster sessions, research poster sessions, or specific course assignments.

          There are no fees for academic poster printing.

          NOTE: Personal images, decorative posters or posters to promote events are not academic, but can be printed at the Print & Mail Office on campus, or using commercial print services from online businesses. Please refer to the Resources section for more information.

          Academic posters can be submitted using the Academic Poster Request form.

        • Academic Poster Sessions may be related to a specific course, program, or Summer Science / Summer Humanities experience. These sessions are planned and coordinated between specific faculty and their department ITech Liaison, with some assistance from department administrative assistants as needed.

          For this reason, Academic Poster Sessions will likely have unique submission requirements and so will not use the non-session submission form.

          • Poster design sessions for large groups of students can be arranged with at least two weeks notice (four weeks ideally).
          • Design/layout tools and tool tutorials are available for students, and may be tailored for specific faculty objectives. Please refer students to the Resources section for more information.
          • Poster sessions should set clear expectations for the following:
            • Poster Deadlines
              • poster file submission date/time
              • poster pickup date/time
              • poster session setup date/time
              • poster session date/time
              • Please allow a minimum of two business days between a poster submission deadline and poster pick up deadline (this will provide enough turn around time for poster printing)
              • It’s recommended that the poster pick up deadline be at least one business day prior to the poster session setup deadline.
            • Poster Layout Design & Content
              • Effective communication or data visualization methods.
              • Required content such as context, sources, methods, further research, etc.
            • Poster Size
              • Typically 36”x48” or 36”x36” unless a prior arrangement has been made with ITech.
              • Please notify your students if you have a preferred size.­­­­
            • Poster Material
              • Posters will be printed on double weight matte paper only.
            • Poster Review/Proof
              • Students should print an 11”x17” proof for instructor review and/or have the PDF approved by the instructor prior to student submission for printing.
              • Only one copy of each poster will be printed.
              • Typos & mistakes do not qualify for a reprint.
            • Poster Submissions
              • ITech will provide a submission form for students to submit their poster files.
              • Posters should be submitted for printing as PDF files by the announced submission date/time.
            • Poster Pickup
          • Your course instructor or adviser will provide specific expectations about poster design and content, as well as specific deadlines.
          • Poster Design
            • Except by prior arrangement with faculty, all posters for campus poster sessions will be limited to 36"x48” or 36”x36”.
            • Occasionally, faculty will have a layout template that they want you to use.
          • Poster Design Assistance
            • Check to see if a poster design session has been scheduled.
            • Design/layout tools and tool tutorials are available. Unless faculty have stated otherwise, please refer to the Resources section for more information.
            • If you have specific questions or require assistance please make time to visit one of the following:
            • Poster Review/Proof
              • Students should print an 11”x17” proof for instructor review and/or have the PDF approved by the instructor prior to student submission for printing.
              • Keep in mind that low resolution images (<300dpi) will not print well as a poster.
              • Resolve all typos/mistakes prior to submission.
            • Poster Submission
              • ITech will provide a submission form for students to submit their poster files.
              • Posters must be submitted for printing as PDF files by the announced submission date/time.
              • ITech will review your poster submission. You’ll be contacted if there’s an issue so please don't wait until the last minute to submit!
              • Only one poster will be printed per student.
              • Typos & mistakes do not qualify for a reprint.
            • Poster Pickup

        • Non-academic posters may include personal images, decorative posters or posters to promote events. Non-academic posters may be printed at the Print & Mail Office on campus, or using commercial print services from online businesses.

          NOTE: Fees apply for non-academic poster printing.

          Non-academic posters can be submitted to [email protected].

          Copyright / Fair Use

          Be aware that both the Print & Mail Office and commercial printers may refuse to print copyrighted materials. In those cases you must provide proof of a copyright holder’s permission to print their creative works. Please refer to the College’s Research Guides for more information.

      • Printing vs. Copying

        For large batches, consider having copies made by the Print & Mail Office – it’s far less expensive than printing directly.

        Printing Flyers

        All print jobs are routed through PaperCut so you will need sufficient funds on your account.

        Black and white printers using 8.5” x 11” paper may be found in several locations throughout campus.

        Color printers may be found in the following locations:

        Tips for Flyer Printing

        • Go to the location to print! The CET and Jesup color printers are managed by a release station so you must be physically present to print from them.
        • Check your print settings! Be sure to set the correct paper size in the Page Set Up of the document as well as in the printer dialog box.
        • Print a proof! You should print a single copy first to check that the formatting and the colors are as expected before printing a large batch.

        Assistance is available from the CET and Jesup Student Help Desks.

        • Requirements

          • Ready to Print – Files submitted for poster printing must be ready to print. This means:
            • Layout dimensions match the desired output size
            • Image resolution is high enough for large format printing (minimum 300dpi)
          • Pick Up – Posters may be picked up at the Print & Mail Office during normal business hours only.

          Restrictions

          • Turn-around Time – A minimum of 24 hours is required to process requests from the time of submission, and processing will only occur during normal business hours (refer to the Print & Mail Office). This means that a request submitted on a Friday at 2pm will not be ready until 2pm the next business day.
          • Pick Up – Posters may be picked up at the Print & Mail Office during normal business hours.
          • Business Hours – There is no printing outside of normal business hours (refer to the Print & Mail Office).
          • Materials - Printing is done using matte paper and standard CMYK colors only. Other more durable or professional print materials are not available (e.g. glossy/photo, polypropylene, PVC, canvas, etc.). Fluorescent or other specialized inks are also not available.
          • Services – Materials or services related to mounting, framing, packing, or shipping are not available. Please use Commercial Design & Printing Services.

        • Williams offers several software products that are available in computer classrooms and spaces across campus. In addition, Williams is a Google school and so offers the full G Suite of Google’s creative products.

          Layouts for academic posters are often created using Microsoft Powerpoint or Google Slides. Layouts for non-academic posters may be created using professional design software such as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape. Images may be edited using software such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP.

          Help

          LinkedIn Learning is an excellent resource for design tips or software tutorials.

          If you have specific questions or require assistance please visit:

        • There are many businesses that offer design and printing services. A simple online search for “print services” or “graphic design services” will typically yield a wide range of results. You will need to choose a commercial service that best fits your needs.

          For in-person experiences (or rush jobs) there are several local and regional businesses available. Most other businesses will be located throughout the country and world, so please be sure to check their submission and delivery options carefully.

          TIP: If you’ll be travelling to a conference and won’t be able to pick up your poster, you may be able to request that the commercial printer deliver it directly to the conference location. This gives the business more time to complete your request yet your poster will arrive when you do.

          Be sure that you obtain a specific delivery address and contact person ahead of time – otherwise the poster may be delivered to the conference location but not be easy for you to find!

    • Media Services provides limited support to academic and student group events. This includes operating or consulting for live sound and projection for lectures, panel discussions, screenings, and performances.

    • Please contact your ITS liaison to schedule a meeting.

    • The Center for Educational Technology (CET)

      The CET is Williams new facility designed to enhance the relationship between learning and technology. It houses a number of new and exciting facilities and resources, the student help desk, most of the staff of the Instructional Technology group and several from Desktop Systems. By juxtaposing resources for faculty and students with instructional technologists and librarians, the facility provides a new depth of support and collaboration for technology in education.

      Read an article on the CET from the Williams website.

      Hours

      The CET is open during regular building hours. Check the library website for details.

      Location

      26 Hopkins Hall Drive

      The CET takes up the south side of the second floor of Sawyer library. Click the image below to see the locations of specific resources & facilities.

      CET Map

      • classroom polling hardware and software.
        Classroom Polling using PowerPoint and “clickers.”

        Allowing students to anonymously answer questions can facilitate discussion or provide feedback in larger classes, test content mastery, and allow for the exploration of sensitive topics anonymously. A useful bibliography of papers on the discipline specific use of clickers in teaching can be found here:

        http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/docs/classroom-response-system-clickers-bibliography/.

        The way it works is you install software that adds toolbars to PowerPoint so that you can add interactive polling slides. Installation instructions can be found on the tabs above or at https://oit.williams.edu/software/entry/889/.

        When you present your slideshow and arrive at an interactive polling slide, students use polling devices to vote. The radio signals from the polling devices are collected by the computer through a USB shaped radio receiver. The radio signals travel every direction so no pointing of the clickers is necessary. A green light on the polling device indicates that the vote was received. While polling is open, the last button pressed on the clicker will be the vote that counts. The slide toolbar has a count of how many clicker responses have been registered. Regular PowerPoint slides can be mixed in with the special interactive polling slides.

        Where can I get clickers?

        Three Day Loans:

        The Equipment Loan Center in Sawyer Library room 247 has a set of 30 clickers that may be borrowed for 3 days. Contact the Equipment Loan Center at 413-597-4091 and check the office hours at:

        http://oit.williams.edu/itech/resources/elc/.

        Semester Long Loans:

        Sets of clickers can be borrowed for the durration of the semester by contacting Trevor Murphy at [email protected] Demand often exceeds supply, so advanced notice is required. In some cases, clickers are shared by several faculty members who have a classroom in common.

        Alternatives

        We have also been trying polling using cell phones: http://www.polleverywhere.com/.

      • 1. Click to open the TurningPoint Cloud application on the PC.
        Do not open PowerPoint first or double click on your PowerPoint file.

        2. Create an account or sign in with your existing account.
        Use your Williams email as your id. The password can be anything you want. You will have to verify the account via email.

        Sign in for TurningPoint
        Sign in or create an account for TurningPoint

        3. Make Sure PowerPoint is closed. Open the TurningPoint app. (It will open PowerPoint for you with the TurningPoint tool bars.)

        TurningPoint Desktop Installer
        TurningPoint Desktop Installer

        4. Plug in your USB receiver (looks like a thumb drive) and select PowerPoint polling.

        Select PowerPoint Polling.
        Select PowerPoint Polling.

        5. Find the TurningPoint tab in PowerPoint.

        TurningPoint Tab in PowerPoint.
        TurningPoint Tab in PowerPoint.

        6. Select new multiple choice slide.Replace the text in the title area with your question and replace the list items with the answers. Do not cut and paste.

        Select new multiple choice slide.
        Select new multiple choice slide.

        7. Mix regular PowerPoint slides in with the interactive polling slides. Save the slideshow just as you would save a regular PowerPoint slideshow. Also, try to avoid too many interactive slides. 5 is a good number. 10 can be repetitive and uninteresting.

        Save your slideshow with the PowerPoint menu option: File: Save As. Remember: The save button in the TurningPoint tool bar is only for the clicker response data, not your presentation.

        8. Start your slide show. Just start the PowerPoint slide show the way you normally would.

        9. Manage Polling: When you arrive at a polling question, the slide is open for polling. One more slide advance and the polling closes; the resulting graph is displayed. Another slide advance, and the next slide is displayed. A useful feature to be aware of is the ability to re-poll a question.

        During the slide show, there is a toolbar present.
        During the slide show, there is a toolbar present.

        10. Assess how it went and consider more advanced features. 

        Contact your ITech Liaison about changing the way you use clickers in your teaching.

      • 1. Click to open the TurningPoint Cloud application on the PC.
        Do not open PowerPoint first or double click on your PowerPoint file.

        2. Create an account or sign in with your existing account.
        Use your Williams email as your id. The password can be anything you want. You will have to verify the account from your email.

        Sign in for TurningPoint
        Sign in or create an account for TurningPoint

        3. Make sure PowerPoint is closed and open the Turning Point application. 

        4. Plug in your USB receiver (looks like a thumb drive) and select PowerPoint polling.

        Select PowerPoint Polling.
        Select PowerPoint Polling.

        5. You will see PowerPoint open with a floating TurningPoint toolbar.

        Floating TurningPoint Toolbar for Mac.
        Floating TurningPoint Toolbar for Mac.

        6. Select New Multiple Choice Slide.

        Replace the text in the title area with your question and replace the list items with the answers.

        Create a new polling slide on the mac.
        Create a new polling slide on the mac.

        7. Mix regular PowerPoint slides in with the interactive polling slides. Save the slideshow just as you would save a regular PowerPoint slideshow. Also, try not to have too many interactive polling slides. 5 is a good number. 10 is too many.

        Save your slideshow with the PowerPoint menu option: File: Save As. Remember: The save button in the TurningPoint tool bar is only for the clicker response data, not your presentation.

        8. Start your slide show using ONLY the special TurningPoint Toolbar slide show start button on the floating toolbar. That is the only way to get the polling software to function.

        9. Manage Polling: When you arrive at a polling question, the slide is NOT open for polling. Use the show bar on the upper right hand side of the slide to Start and Stop polling. Once the polling is stopped, the resulting graph is displayed. A useful feature to be aware of is the ability to re-poll a question. The showbar is displayed below:

        During the slide show this toolbar will be open.
        During the slide show this toolbar will be open.

        10. Asses how it went.

        Contact your ITech liaison about changing the way you use clickers in your teaching.

      • 1. Go to https://account.turningtechnologies.com/account/ and create an account.

        Sign in for TurningPoint
        Sign in or create an account for TurningPoint

        2. Verify the account.

        3. Download the software.
        For the Mac, use the “TurningPoint desktop (Mac)”
        For the PC, use the “TurningPoint desktop (PC)”

        TurningPoint Desktop Installer
        TurningPoint Desktop Installer

        You will be presented with a screen that has a check box that asks if you want to open polling every time you open PowerPoint. I recommend checking the box.
        Check out the Classroom PC or Classroom Mac instructions to see how to use the software and hardware to create polling slides in PowerPoint.

         

       

    • Lab Information

      Williams has computer labs in several buildings on campus. During the term, these are typically available whenever the building is open.  Most computers require a Williams College username and password to use.  Certain specialty labs are limited to students enrolled in particular courses.

      Computer Labs

      (During the term, labs in Jesup can be accessed 24/7 using the ID card reader on the front door of Jesup.)

      Jesup Hall – Room 201 – 3 Mac and 1 Windows

      Jesup Hall – Room 204 – 4 Windows

      Clark Hall – Room 201 – 9 Mac and 2 Windows

      Sawyer CET – Several Spaces – 20+ Mac, 2 Windows

      Sawyer Research Commons – 18 Mac, 18 Windows, 7 Public Kiosks

      Schow Science Library – Atrium – 9 Mac, 8 Windows, 5 Public Kioks

      Specialty Labs

      Specialty labs have additional software & hardware to support specific academic topics.

      Bernhard Music Center – Room 044* – 8 Mac – Music Students Only

      Hollander Hall – Room 147 – 16 Mac –  Language Students Priority

      Spencer Art Studio – Room 116* – 5 Mac – Photography Students Only

      *: access restricted to specific users.

      Computer Classrooms

      These classrooms are often scheduled for classes or other course-related events.  When there isn’t a scheduled class session, they are available for general use. In addition to the computers listed, they also have a lectern computer system and a full set of classroom presentation equipment.

      Jesup Hall – Room 203 – 24 “Dual-boot” Mac or Windows (Windows Default)

      Jesup Hall – Room 205 – 24 Windows

      Jesup Hall – Room 207 – 12 Mac

      ’62 Center for Theater and Dance – Room 181 – 8 Mac

      Thompson Physics – Room 207 – 15 Mac

      Sawyer CET Instruction – Room 269 – 20 Mac – (contact [email protected] to reserve)

      Schow Science Library –  Room 027- 18 Mac

      Spencer Art Studio – Room 216 – 16 Mac

      Collaboration Stations

      Collaboration Stations are available for use. These spaces provide a large screen with multiple video inputs.

      Sawyer Library – CET Project Rooms

      South Science Building – All floors

      Thompson Chemistry – 2nd Floor – Bridge to Morley

      Thompson Biology – 3rd Floor

    • Streaming Video: Information

      Williams is using a video streaming platform called Panopto for delivering video and audio content in GLOW, Williams’ course management system. With Panopto, you can also create engaging course videos for your students by recording your computer screen with audio.

      Panopto Highlights:

    • Photo of Cheryl P. Handsaker
      Cheryl P. Handsaker
      Instructional Technology Developer/Project Manager
      Office for Information Technology
      Sawyer CET
      413-597-4323
      Photo of David W. Keiser-Clark
      David W. Keiser-Clark
      Academic Application Developer
      Office for Information Technology
      Sawyer CET
      413-597-3071

      The Project Group – a subgroup of Instructional Technology – plans, manages, implements, supports, and consults on a wide variety of software solutions and information technology projects. Our primary mission is in support of faculty in their academic work (both research and teaching), but our work frequently bears on the administrative realm as well. We work with established technologies and explore new ones. Our projects range from collaboration with individual faculty to development of campus-wide programs. We offer assistance to individuals and departments in researching software as a solution and we also do custom programming when there is a need but no available market solution.

      Completed and on-going projects:

      • Unbound: Williams Digital Collections – our digital repository is a place to store, organize, present and disseminate the products of the intellectual life of the College, and to preserve the history of the institution
      • Data Collection Systems – a number of systems for which we automatically collect, store and publish data. The active data collection systems are: HMF weather, Shepherds Well Wind Station, Morley PV (photovoltaic), Library Offsite PV, Building Energy Use, All-Campus Energy Use, ’66 Center PV, ’66 Center Building Camera, and ’66 Center Water.
      • Digital Field Notebooks – virtual botanical field notebooks
      • Equipment Reservations – a system for scheduling equipment reservations that enables dependencies to exist between parts and systems that require certain parts
      • Glow LMS – we support Glow with custom applications that integrate via LTI
        • Signup Sheets – provides signup sheets (with notifications) for labs, office hours, study sessions, etc.
        • Course Mail – enables sending email via GAE using Glow LMS rosters
        • Presenter View – enables full screen sharing for lecture presentation
        • People Learning Mode – offers a visual Face Book tool to learn students names
        • Dashboard – provides 24/7/365 monitoring of critical systems that support data exchange between Williams College and Instructure Canvas
        • Custom Glow Theme (UI)
      • Russian Sisters – collaborated with a faculty member to create input tools and finely detailed data visualization using charts, graphs and statistics for a century of monastic data transcribed from Cyrillic ledgers
      • Virtualization: Docker and Vagrant – Docker and Vagrant offer the ability to run software on your laptop using a virtual server. For example, we enabled the Art Department to demo the Getty Scholars Workspace using Docker installed on a portable WindowsToGo thumbdrive. Docker and Vagrant are quick, creative solutions that facilitates testing a product locally on a virtual machine without requiring a full server installation.
      • WCMA – collaborated with curators and CS department on exhibition gallery projects
        • Accession Number Exhibit kiosk – collaborated with the CS department to enable guests to curate selected images from an iPad and instantly display them on any number of display monitors mounted in an exhibition gallery
        • Kidspace: Artistic Curiosity kiosk – built web application for curators using Opera to enable users to photograph and view results of various emotional states
      • Older projects include:
        • HMF Vegetation Survey – data management and web site
        • GeoShear – a Java program to simulate and explore deformation of stone cross sections and the SeaFloor Spreading Simulator downloadable program to simulate and explore magnetic striping on the sea floor


      Unless otherwise noted, these projects are released under the Williams College Software License, Version 1
      .

    • Media Services team provides support to all classrooms, auditoriums and electronic classrooms. The Media Services team is available for immediate A/V help during the semester from 8 AM to 8 PM, Monday through Thursday, and 8 AM to 5 PM on Fridays.  Normal hours outside of the semester are 8-5, M-F.

    • To find out about the equipment available to faculty, staff and students, please follow this link to the Equipment Loan Center.

    • new-glow-banner

      What is GLOW?

      GLOW is Williams’ Course Management System. (glow.williams.edu) It’s a web-based and easy to use platform that supports instructors in their teaching and communication with students. GLOW provides a suite of tools that makes it easy to put course materials online, including video and audio. It can also help faculty engage with students in a variety of ways including discussion forums, the online scheduling (Signup Sheets) of office hours and lab experiments, and the assignment collection and grading of quizzes and homework to name a few.

      • Faculty

        • Course Publish Button
          The home page of your course will indicate that it is unpublished and have a button for publishing to make the course available for students.

          Click the Publish button under “Course Status”  in the upper right hand corner of the page. Students cannot see your course and content until you publish it.

           

           

          •  

            filelevel
            The file repository indicates that files are locked (unavailable to students) when the icon for the file has a padlock on it. There is a lock icon in the settings that can toggle the lock status of the file.

            Content areas in Glow can be made to be available or unavailable to students even after a course is published. To the right of modules, pages, or other content will be an icon in the shape of a cloud. If the cloud is a light grey color, then the content is unavailable to students. You can click on the cloud to toggle the availability. When the cloud is green, the content item will be available to students. In the case of modules, you will want to make sure that the parent module is available to students as well as the content items listed in that module. Both the cloud for the parent module and the content items in the module will need to be the color green.

            modulehide
            Green clouds indicate that course items are visible to students. Grey clouds indicate that content is not visible to students.

            In addition, there is a files repository. You can use Settings > Navigation to hide menu items from students including the Files menu item. When students view the course, the Files menu item would not be present. This effectively hides all the files in the file repository. You could then selectively share files by linking to files from a page or module.

            However, there is also the option of keeping the Files menu item accessible to students, but controlling what students can see or access. When you hover over an item you can see icons for a padlock, pencil, and trash can. Clicking on the padlock icon will allow you to lock the file and make it unavailable to students. You can also make the file invisible to students. The file icon will appear to have a lock on it if you select either of these options.

            studentview
            In the settings area, you can click on the student view icon in the upper right hand corner. This will allow you to see the course with a student view and verify if students can or cannot see various course items and components.

            Once you have uploaded content and made it available or unavailable to students, you can check on your work but going to Settings and using the Student View button in the upper right hand corner. This will allow you to explore the course and see the course as it will appear to students. Click on the File menu item and test the accessibility of the files there. Also look at any modules or pages you have added and see if you can see them. To exit student view, there is a blue button in the lower right hand corner that says "leave student view."

           

        • Modules

          glow-modules-new-2018
          Click to view full size.

          Modules (default course Home Page) are used to organize course content by topics, weeks, units, or a different organizational structure. Modules essentially create a one-directional linear flow of what students should do in a course.

          Each module can contain files, Discussions, Assignments, Quizzes, links and other learning materials. You can add existing content (e.g. Assignments) or create a new entry (e.g. Page or Discussion forum) within the modules. Modules can be easily organized using the drag and drop feature. Elements within the modules can also be reorganized by dragging and dropping.

          Here is how to post your syllabus file as a Module item.

          Also read:

          spacer-white text

          You can also use the Syllabus Page or a Page to post your syllabus as shown below.

          Syllabus Page

          Screenshot of Syllabus Page
          Click to view full size.

          When you use the Syllabus Page, “Course Summary” is automatically generated based on Assignments and Events within a course. The “Course Summary” can only be changed by editing or deleting the Assignments or Events. All Assignments (unpublished and published) are listed in the Syllabus Page for instructors, but students can only see published items. The Syllabus Page makes it easy to communicate to your students what will be required of them throughout the course in chronological order.

          In addition, you can insert text, links, images, videos and audio above the “Course Summary” section.

          Here is how to upload your syllabus to the Syllabus Page.

          Also read:

          Front Page

          Screenshot of the Front Page as Home Page
          Click to view full size.

          You can design your course home page (Front Page) with text, images, media, and links. The links can be to files (e.g. syllabus in PDF or PowerPoint lecture), other Glow Pages, Discussions, Quizzes, and external content.

          Here is how to upload your syllabus to a Glow Page.

          Also read:

        • If you teach a course with multiple sections of the same course content/assignments, and don’t want to duplicate them in each section you teach, there is a way to consolidate and merge your sections into a single course on Glow. This is called “cross-listing” which allows you to move all enrollment in one course (section) to another course (section).

          For example, if you teach two sections of Economics 110 (15F-ECON-110-01 and  15F-ECON-110-02) and would like to use 15F-ECON-110-01 as the parent course of the two sections, you go to the settings of 15F-ECON-110-02 to cross list it to 15F-ECON-110-01.

          Click “How” here to learn how to cross-list sections. You can also watch a short video on Cross-listing.

        • Enrolling non-Williams Users to Your Course

          If you want to enroll non-Williams user(s) into your course, you will need to request an auditor (guest) account. Please fill out this form at:

          http://hr.williams.edu/forms/williams-affiliation-request-form/

          You will need their full name including middle initial, address and phone number.  If you know that they ever had a Williams account, select “Renewal” for Affiliation Status on the request form instead of “New.”

          After the auditor account is created (or renewed), you can enroll him/her the same way as you enroll those who have Williams username as described below.

          Adding auditor flowchart

          Enrolling/Removing Students, TAs & Auditors to/from Your Course

          Officially registered students are automatically enrolled into your corresponding Glow course and you do not need to add any students. However, you can invite other students to join your course via People link.
          Use Unix ID or Williams short-style email addresses (e.g. jfs1@williams.edu, not [email protected]) to find the student in the system .
          – How do I add students and TAs to my course?
          – How do I remove a student from my course?
               A: Please email [email protected] with the name of the student

          There are six predefined roles:

          • Teacher: Teacher can add content items, grade students, add users and change some course default settings.
          • TA: TA has almost the same rights as a Teacher, but can NOT view nor edit grades.
          • Grading TA: Special TA who has access to the Gradebook, Assignments, and Discussions, but NO editing rights.
          • Grader-Homework: Special TA who only have access to the Gradebook and Assignments. NO editing rights.
          • Student: That’s self-explanatory, they generally have fewer privileges within a course.
          • Designer: By default, the Designer cannot edit grades, nor add/remove users. They can edit course content. Generally speaking, the Designer Role is best suited for the instructional designers or curriculum writers who write and manage course content.
          • Observer:  The Observer role can be used to enroll auditors and guests who would like to participate in a Glow course but do not need to earn course credit. Observers have limited permissions that allow them to see what is going on in a course without interrupting the flow of daily course communication.

           

        • To copy course content, assignments, and quizzes from previous semesters, use the Course Import Tool from the Course Settings.

          1. Go to your new course, then in the course navigation menu on the left, click the Settings link.

          2. Click the Import Content Content button on the right.

          glow-import-course tool

          3. Select Content Type
          glow-import-content-type

          4. Search for a Course
          glow-import-search-course

          5. Select Migration Content
          glow-import-select-content
          To import all content from the course, select the All Content radio button.
          If you want to select specific content, click the Select specific content radio button.

           

          6. (optional) Adjust Events and Due Dates
          glow-import-adjust-dates

          7. Click the Import button.
          glow-import-import-button

        • Using an iPad is great for screen recording due to the touchscreen capabilities and easy to use Quicktime recording features, and recording on iMac/MacBook is also very convenient. The recordings can then be published to Panopto for use in Glow, however there is one thing you may need to do before publishing to Panopto is possible.

          Problem: By default, newer iOS’s record videos using High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC a.k.a H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2), but Panopto cannot currently work with this compression method and the result is audio that does not play back correctly. 

          Solution: To ensure that your videos will playback correctly through Panopto in Glow, you will need to Turn Off High Efficiency Mode for Recording in iOS prior to recording. This means your recordings will be encoded for H.264, which will also generally perform better for users with limited internet bandwidth. 

           

          NOTE: If you have already created videos using HEVC, then you can convert those files using Handbrake or VLC. 

          Handbrake

          VLC

            • Download and install VLC.

           

        Students

        • Not all courses on Glow are published. Your professor may have decided NOT to use Glow this semester. Please contact your instructor first. If the course is published and available, but you still don’t see it, please contact Instructional Technology at [email protected]

           

        • Write Reply

          Write Reply

          Create a new discussion entry by clicking the Reply text field.

          Open Image

          Open Image

          Click the Image icon.

          Select Canvas Tab

          Select Canvas Tab

          Click the Canvas tab.

          Select My files

          embed-image-reply-student

           

          Upload Image

          Upload Image

          To upload an image to embed, click the Upload File button.

          Select File

          Select File

          In the dialogue box, select a file to upload [1]. Then click the Open button [2].

          View File

          View File

          View your uploaded file.

          Insert Alt Text

          Insert Alt Text

          The Attributes field will populate the Alt text field [1], which is the name of the image. For better accessibility, type a description of the image contents. To add the image as decorative, click the Decorative image checkbox [2]. If the Decorative Image checkbox is selected, the alternative text field is grayed out.

          Note: If you want to include an image title, which will appear when a user hovers over the image, embed the image and then switch to the HTML Editor. Title tags must be manually added to the HTML code.

          Change Attributes Image Dimensions

          Change Atteributes Image Dimensions

          The image’s default dimensions will also populate automatically. Dimensions are referenced in pixels defined by width then height.

          To change the image dimensions, type in the number of pixels you would like for the new image width [1]. Then press the Tab key on your computer keyboard. Since Canvas maintains the aspect ratio of your image, the entry for the image height will be changed automatically [2].

          Embed Image

          Embed Image

          Click the Update button.

        • 1. Click the Signup Sheets link.signup-button

          2. Click the Available Openings link.

          signup-sheet-how-to-signup

          3.  Select the correct signup sheet.  You will see a calendar showing all openings for the sheet. Hover over an openings icon and click  Signup to add yourself.  (You can remove yourself by clicking on the red X later if you needed.)

          signup-sheet-select-slot

          To see all the openings for this sheet in a text-based list, click the “List Openings” tab.

          signup-sheet-select-slot-listview

        • Using an iPad is great for screen recording due to the touchscreen capabilities and easy to use Quicktime recording features, and recording on iMac/MacBook is also very convenient. The recordings can then be published to Panopto for use in Glow, however there is one thing you may need to do before publishing to Panopto is possible.

          Problem: By default, newer iOS’s record videos using High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC a.k.a H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2), but Panopto cannot currently work with this compression method and the result is audio that does not play back correctly. 

          Solution: To ensure that your videos will playback correctly through Panopto in Glow, you will need to Turn Off High Efficiency Mode for Recording in iOS prior to recording. This means your recordings will be encoded for H.264, which will also generally perform better for users with limited internet bandwidth. 

           

          NOTE: If you have already created videos using HEVC, then you can convert those files using Handbrake or VLC. 

          Handbrake

          VLC

            • Download and install VLC.

           

         

         

        • This page provides a how-to guide and an introduction to the key concepts of Glow to help instructors get started.

          The same content is also available as a downloadable pdf file getting-started.

          Log in

          You can login to the Glow service at http://glow.williams.edu. You should use your regular Williams username (e.g. abc1)  and password.

          Dashboard

          The Dashboard is the first thing you will see when you log into Glow.

          Introduction to the GLOW Interface

          Your course(s) is under “Courses” [1]

          1. Global Navigation: The links of the global navigation menu at the top of the page access features that are shared by all the courses on Glow you are enrolled in. This menu stays the same no matter what page you are looking at.

          2. Course Navigation: The course navigation links provide access to features within the current course.When each course is first created on Glow, by default it will have fourteen areas linked to in the course navigation (Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Grades, People, Pages, Files, Syllabus, Outcomes, Quizzes, Modules, Conferences, Collaborations, Settings). As an instructor, you can customize what links are shown in your course and hide from students those that you don’t need in your course.

          3. Course Content Area: This is where your course content is displayed

          4. Sidebar (context sensitive): The sidebar shows the features available on the page you are currently looking at. The sidebar will change as you go to different pages within your course.

          GLOW Course Settings

           

          The “Settings” button within the course navigation menu on the left of the screen is where you can view or update the details of your course settings and its sections. You can also configure what will be available to students in the course navigation menu.

          1. Course Details: The details of the course, including its name. These should generally be left as the default, although this is also the place to set your course interface to use a non-English language.

          2. Sections: You can manage the different sections of your course and their enrollments, and the people associated with your course and their role. It also has a tool that allows you to consolidate enrollments of cross-listed courses into one. Please consult with your Itech Liaison if this is the first time you’re making changes to the sections of a course.

          3. Navigation: You can modify the Course Navigation menu listed of your course. You can hide specific links from students, and drag and drop links to change their order. Links that appear to the instructor as greyed out will be hidden to students.

          4. Apps: The Apps tab allows you to view and activate a list of additional tools that are available for use in Glow. Additional documentation of these tools will be coming soon.

          5. Feature Options: The Feature Options tab allows you to enable and disable Glow features within a particular course.

          GLOW Personal Account Settings

          1. Profile: Where you can change your profile picture (Avatar) and your display name.

          2. Notifications: You can configure how you will receive notifications from Glow, e.g. do you want to be notified when a student submits an assignement, how frequently, etc?

          3. Files: Files can be uploaded to a specific course, or to your personal file repository where they will be available to use in multiple courses. The files link is where you upload and manage your files in your personal file repository.

          4. Settings: You can tie Glow in with other web tools that you already use (e.g. Google Docs, Facebook etc). Click any of the services in “Other Services” for detail.

          5. ePortfolios: This is a seldom used tool at Williams.




        • This page will walk you through recording a session in Panopto, which is available in GLOW, for your course using a laptop computer.  (Panopto is GLOW’s Course Medial Gallery.)

          Before Start Recording

          • Make sure that your Web camera and microphone are working
          • Login to GLOW and go to your course.

          Step-by-Step

          • 1. Click "Course Media Gallery" link on the left.

            2. Click the "Create" button and choose "Record a new session".

            Create Button Panopto

            3. Click the "Launch Panopto" button. If your computer does not have the Panopto Recorder App installed, it will ask you to install it first. Please download the installer for your OS, and install the App to continue.

            Panopto Launch image

            The first time you launch the Recorder, it will show the window below.  If you check the box at the bottom to "Remember your choice...",  it will not display again.  To proceed, click “Open Link” to open the Recorder.

            Launch Panopto OK Window

            4.  Make sure that your course name appears for the "Folder".

            User-added image


            By default, the name of the session is the date and time you record the session, but you can rename the session in the Session text box.

            User-added image

             

            Primary Audio: Under Primary Sources, select the drop-down under Audio. Select a microphone that is connected to your computer. You must select a primary audio source for a successful recording.

            User-added image


             Volume bar: After selecting your audio, test your audio by talking in a normal voice to test the volume. You should see a few green bars appear as you talk.

            User-added image


            Primary Video Source (optional): You can select a primary video source under the Video drop-down to include yourself speaking . But you do not need to include this if you just want to record audio .

            User-added image


            Quality Settings: In Panopto -> Preferences you will find the quality settings for both your primary and secondary video streams. These settings will help you determine what will be best to record a high-quality video. Please note: the list below applies to both Primary and Secondary Video Quality.

            Video Quality

            Resolution

            		 Frame Rate

            Bit Rate
            Basic (motion) 360x288 15 FPS 300 KBPS
            Basic (resolution) 1280x1024 4 FPS 340 KBPS
            Standard (motion) 720x576 30 FPS 600 KBPS
            Standard (resolution) 1280x1024 8 FPS 500 KBPS
            High (motion) 1280x600 30 FPS 1000 KBPS
            High (resolution) 1280x1024 12 FPS 750 KBPS
            Ultra (motion) 1280x720 30 FPS 1500 KBPS
            Ultra (resolution) 1920x1080 15 FPS 1500 KBPS


            User-added image

             

            Additional Sources: You can also add up to two additional video sources here if you want to record your screen or an additional camera.

             User-added image


             PowerPoint or Keynote:  You can choose to record PowerPoint or Keynote slides along with your video. After starting the recording, you must put your slides into presentation mode in order for them to be recorded. Note: If your PowerPoint contains any motion on the slide, animations, embedded video in the slide or someone is annotating over the slide, then screen capture must be selected to be able to capture that content.

            User-added image

            Starting, Stopping, and Pausing

            You can now begin recording. Click on the red RECORD icon. Once your recording has started, that icon will change into PAUSE and STOP.

            User-added imageUser-added image


            Click STOP to stop the recording. You will have the option to upload the recording or delete it and start again.

            Click the PAUSE button to have a section of your recording automatically edited out. When the recording is paused, Panopto is continuing to record, but that section will be edited out of the final version. You can always get this content back by using the editor.

            Manage Recordings

            Once everything has been recorded and you have stopped your recording, you will be taken to the Manage Recordings window. 

             User-added image


            The Manage Recordings window displays the recordings stored on your computer as well as the processing status of your recording. You can also watch a preview of your video in the bottom right-hand corner, even while it is uploading. You may notice the following terms under the Status column:

            • Offline Recording is a recording that does not have a folder selected in Panopto, so it is only stored on your computer. You can select Upload to Server to select a folder and add them to your video library.
            • Uploaded - Processing is a recording that was just completed and is currently processing.
            • Completed is a recording that was already recorded, with a selected folder location, and uploaded to the server. If you have access to the video in the library, you can open the video settings using view, edit, or share. You can also continue recording to the same session by selecting resume. And if you need to make space on your computer, you can delete local files, provided they are no longer needed.


            Note: It is possible to delete recordings. If they have been uploaded already, you can delete the local copy and the recording will still be located on the server. If you delete a recording that has not yet been uploaded, that recording will be lost.

          • 1. Click "Course Media Gallery" link on the left.

            2. Click the "Create" button and choose "Record a new session".

            Create Button Panopto

            3. Click the "Launch Panopto" button. If your computer does not have the Panopto Recorder App installed, it will ask you to install it first. Please download the installer for your OS, and install the App to continue.

            Panopto Launch image

            The first time you launch the Recorder, it will show the window below.  If you check the box at the bottom to "Remember your choice...",  it will not display again.  To proceed, click “Open Link” to open the Recorder.

            Launch Panopto OK Window

            4. The first tour will go over the 3 steps to recording: (Fig. 3)

            • Step 1: Name your recording
            • Step 2: Choose your sources
            • Step 3: Start recording

            User-added image Figure 3

            The second tour will go over the Primary source settings: (Fig. 4)

            • Capture computer audio: Use this setting to capture audio from your PC applications
            • Audio volume: The color bar shows the volume of the audio being captured. Note: a user can use the slider to adjust the volume if the audio is too quiet or loud.

            User-added image Figure 4

            The third tour will go over the Secondary source settings: (Fig. 5)

            • Video resolution: Controls the size of the video that is captured.
            • Framerate: A higher number of frames per second (fps) captures results in a smoother motion.
            • Bitrate: Controls the file size of the resulting video. Note: larger files are able to capture more detail.

            User-added image Figure 5

            You can skip the tours and always go back and click on the blue info buttons, located next to Primary Sources, Session Settings, and to the far right of the Resolution toolbar to get the tours again (Fig. 6).

            User-added image Figure 6

            5. Recording Folder and Session Name

            Under Session Settings, select the drop-down arrow to select the folder where your recording will be saved (Fig. 7).

            User-added image Figure 7

            Users can name their video here under Session Settings. If unnamed by the user, Panopto will automatically assign the date and time the video was recorded as its name (Fig. 8).

            User-added image Figure 8

            6. Primary Input

            Primary Audio: Under Primary Sources, select the Audio drop-down menu. Select your preferred, connected microphone. For a successful recording, a primary audio source must be selected (Fig. 9).

            User-added image Figure 9

            Volume bar: After selecting your audio source, test your audio volume by talking in a normal voice. As you talk, a few green bars should appear. If the green bars don't appear, or if the red and yellow bars are highlighted, adjust the volume by using the slider located to the right of the bars (Fig. 10).

            User-added image Figure 10

            Primary Video Source: To record video of a presenter, select a primary video source from the Video drop-down menu (Fig. 11). Note: select None if you only want to record a presenter's audio.

            User-added image Figure 11

            Quality Setting: There are three different quality settings available to help you record a high-quality video (Fig. 12). To learn more about capture resolutions for Windows, visit Learn about Panopto for Windows Capture Resolutions. 

            Standard Quality:
            Audio Only - 64 kbps
            Primary Video Resolution - Up to 640x480
            Primary Video and Audio - 600 kbps
            Primary Video, Audio, and Secondary Video (640x480, 10 FPS, 340 kbps) - 1240 kbps

            High Quality:
            Audio Only - 96 kbps
            Primary Video Resolution - Up to 1024x600
            Primary Video and Audio - 1000 kbps
            Primary Video, Audio, and Secondary Video (1024x768, 15 FPS, 1000 kbps) - 3031 kbps

            Ultra Quality:

            Audio Only - 128 kbps
            Primary Video Resolution - Up to 1280x800 (typically 720p)
            Primary Video and Audio - 1500 kbps 

            Secondary Video (1920x1080, 19 FPS, 1500 kbps) - 4664 kbps

            Note: Higher resolutions (1080p) are available when using the custom quality options. Enable custom quality settings under Settings > Advanced Settings; then, select the desired options from the quality menu.

            User-added image Figure 12

            Custom Quality Setting: To control your own quality settings, visit How to Specify Custom Primary Stream Quality Settings Using Panopto for Windows.

            7. Screen Capture, Additional Video, and PowerPoint

            Screen Capture: After you have selected your video and audio inputs, you can choose to capture what is displayed on your screen. To preview your screen before recording, select the checkbox Enable screen capture preview (Fig. 13).

            User-added image Figure 13

            If you have more than one camera plugged into your computer, you can add an additional video source(s) under Secondary Sources (Fig. 14).

            User-added image Figure 14

            To adjust screen capture resolution, select the Resolution drop-down menu (Fig. 15). Note: If you select a smaller resolution, items on the screen will appear larger in the final recording.

            User-added image Figure 15

            You can also adjust the fps (frames per second) by dragging the sliders (Fig. 16). If there is a lot of movement on the screen, an fps of 15 is recommended.  For showing a video during screen capture, an fps of 30 is recommended. Note: a secondary video may appear choppy without a high enough fps selected.

            User-added image Figure 16

            The kbps (kilobytes per second) will adjust automatically based on the settings for resolution and fps (Fig. 17).

            User-added image Figure 17

            Select Apply to save changes.

            PowerPoint: A presenter may include a PowerPoint presentation. Note: If the PowerPoint contains any motion on the slide, an embedded video in the slide, or someone annotating over the slide, then screen capture must be selected in order to capture that content (Fig. 18).

            User-added image Figure 18

            You can also open a presentation from the recorder. Select the PowerPoint tab in the secondary sources viewer, then select Open a Presentation to launch PowerPoint (Fig. 19).

            User-added image Figure 19

            If you want to have the PowerPoint launch as soon as you select Record, select the checkbox Start presenting when recording starts, located in the PowerPoint tab on the Secondary Sources viewer screen (Fig. 20).  Note: In order to properly record PowerPoint presentations, after you have launched PowerPoint, you must have it in full-screen presentation mode.

            User-added image Figure 20

            8. Starting, Stopping, and Pausing

            You can now begin recording. Select the Record icon (Fig. 21). Once your recording has started, the Record icon will change into Stop and Pause (Fig. 22).

            User-added image Figure 21

            User-added image Figure 22

            When you are done recording, select Stop. You will have the option to either upload the recording or delete it and start again.

            To have a section of your recording automatically edited out, select Pause. When the recording is paused, Panopto will continue to record, but that section will be edited out of the final version. You can always get this content back by using the editor.

            Hotkeys: You can use Panopto for Windows hotkeys to record, pause and stop, so you don't need to minimize the content you're recording to select the buttons.

            • Record: F8 Key
            • Pause: F9 Key
            • Stop: F10 Key

            9. Recording Status

            Once you have stopped recording, you will be taken to the Manage Recordings tab in the Recorder (Fig. 23).

            User-added image Figure 23

            Offline Recordings do not have a folder selected in Panopto, so they are only stored to your computer. You can select Upload to Server to select a folder and add the video to your library.

            Currently Uploading Recordings will show the video that was just recorded and its upload status.

            Uploaded Recordings will show previous recordings and their assigned folder. If you have access to the video in the library, you can open the video or settings using View, Edit, or Share. You can also continue recording to the same session by selecting Resume.

            Note: if you need to make space on your computer, you can select Delete Local, as long as you no longer need the recording to be stored on your computer. If you delete a recording that has not yet been uploaded to the server, that recording will be lost.

            10. Warnings

            There are two different warnings that may appear while you are recording: low audio and low disk space. These notifications are to help you resolve the problem so you can go back to recording a high quality video. For example, if your audio isn't working properly, you will see a banner at the top of the recorder (Fig. 24) and a pop-up on the desktop (Fig.25). 

            User-added image Figure 24


            User-added image Figure 25

         

         

         

      • This page provides a quick guide and list of FAQs to help students get started with Glow

        Log in

        You can login to the Glow service at http://glow.williams.edu. You should use your regular Williams username and password. If you can’t login and/or need to reset your password, you can either call student help desk at (413) 597-3088, or visit the student help desk for more help.

        Glow FAQs for Students

        First time using Glow
        Q: What’s my username & password?
        Q: How do I reset my password [passphrase] if I have forgotten it?
        Q: How can I customize the Notifications?
                  * Notes on Notifications for Discussions.

        Calendar
        Q: How do I use the Glow Calendar?
        Q: How do I access my course Calendar?
        Q: How do I filter my Calendar view by course?

        Conferences
        Q: How do I join a conference in a course as a student?
        Q: How do I use the Conferences? [link to video tutorial]

        Course Media Gallery
        Q: I’m trying to access streaming media in Glow, but I see a blank screen. Help.
        Q: How do I prepare my iMac/MacBook/iPad videos for Panopto?

        File Management
        Q: What are Files?
        Q: Where are my user Files?
        Q: Where are my course Files?
        Q: How do I upload ZIP files?
        Q: How do I create a folder in Files?
        Q: How do I move and organize my files?
        Q: How do I delete a file?

        People / Face Book
        Q:         How do I access People?
        Q: How do I access the Face Book?

        Rich Content Editor
        Q:         What is the Rich Content Editor?
        Q: How do I embed images?
        Q: How do I record a video using the Rich Content Editor?
        Q: How do I record audio using the Rich Content Editor?
        Q: How do I use the Math Editor?

        Signup Sheets

        Q: How do I sign up for openings?

        Complete Student Guide

        Q: Where can I get more information?

         

      • If you need further help using Glow, setting up a new course, or copying your old course, please contact your Instructional Technology Liaison.

        Department ITech Liaison
        Africana Studies Tamra Hjermstad
        American Studies Tamra Hjermstad
        Anthropology and Sociology Tamra Hjermstad
        Arabic Studies Mika Hirai
        Art / Art History Mika Hirai
        Asian Studies – Chinese Adam Wang
        Asian Studies – Japanese Mika Hirai
        Astronomy Trevor Murphy
        Athletics Trevor Murphy
        Biology Cory Campbell
        Comparative Literature Program Mika Hirai
        Computer Science Cory Campbell
        Chemistry Cory Campbell
        Classics Mika Hirai
        Dance Trevor Murphy
        Economics / CDE Adam Wang
        English Tamra Hjermstad
        Environmental Studies Cory Campbell
        Geosciences Cory Campbell
        German and Russian Mika Hirai
        History Trevor Murphy
        History of Science Trevor Murphy
        Humanities Mika Hirai
        Jewish Studies Mika Hirai
        Latina/o Studies Mika Hirai
        Leadership Studies Mika Hirai
        Justice and Law Studies Mika Hirai
        Linguistics Mika Hirai
        Mathematics and Statistics Adam Wang
        Music Trevor Murphy
        Philosophy Trevor Murphy
        Physics Trevor Murphy
        Political Economy Adam Wang
        Political Science Mika Hirai
        Psychology Adam Wang
        Religion Trevor Murphy
        Romance Languages Mika Hirai
        Theatre Trevor Murphy
        WCMA Mika Hirai
        Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Mika Hirai
        Williams in Africa Cory Campbell
        Williams-Mystic/Maritime Studies Cory Campbell
        Williams-Oxford Jonathan Morgan-Leamon

         

    • A Geographic Information System is like other business intelligence systems, and is comprised of technologies that support the collection, analysis and management of spatial data (i.e. geographic locations, distributions, or areas). Spatial data are information about all aspects of space, and can be connected to other business information that is routinely collected.

      Spatial relations tell us about distributions, connections, correlations, and sometimes causations between spatial data. These relationships can be compared over time to better understand changes and patterns. ​This means that GIS doesn’t just answer the question ‘where’, it can also answer the questions ‘what’, ‘who’, and ‘when’ – but most importantly it has the potential to answer the questions ‘how’ and even ‘why’.

      A Geographic Information System makes possible the creation of one or more scale models of the world that allow you to understand spatial relationships, patterns/anomalies, or phenomena not otherwise visible through direct observation alone. Refer to Wiki GIS f​or more information.​

      At Williams, GIS is supported in a dedicated lab, through the use of software, in classes, and by Instructional Technology staff.

      Who can use GIS resources? All Williams GIS resources are available to faculty, staff and students.

      Where are GIS resources located? To the degree possible, GIS resources are distributed throughout campus.

      • Jesup Hall, Room 201
      • Jesup Hall, Room 205 (GIS Lab)
      • Jesup Hall, Room 207*
      • Clark Hall, Room 001 (Geosciences Lab)
      • Sawyer Library, Room 269* (CET Instruction Room)
      • Sawyer Library, open space near Room 269 (handful of PC and Mac workstations)

      PCs have ArcGIS and other GIS software installed.

      *Macs have QGIS installed.

      How do I access GIS resources? Esri ArcGIS and other GIS software are licensed by the College and installed on all the computer lab PCs campus wide. In addition, QGIS is available on computer lab Macs (while ArcGIS is only available for the PC, it can be run on a Mac by creating a Windows partition with Bootcamp). *Note that Mac computers (even with dual-boot Mac or PC) may not have hardware that is compatible with some commercially available GPS and field data collection devices.

      Faculty and staff may request to have the software installed on their Williams owned machines.  Senior thesis and independent study students may have their adviser request they be allowed to have ArcGIS licensed on their PC for the academic year (Mac users may install QGIS as needed).

      How do I get GIS assistance? For assistance please email Cory Campbell or call 413-597-4318.

      Other GIS Resources:

      Courses using GIS or GIS Modules

      Local Data Resources (on campus or VPN only)

      • \\files1\ESRIData – Data from ESRI (ArcGIS), including national and global datasets for basemaps, demographics, infrastructure, etc.
      • \\files1\StateData – Data specific to New England, MA, NY, CT, RI, VT, etc.

      Refer to Mapping a Network Drive for instructions to access this data.

      Ready-Made Maps

       GIS Job Announcements!

    • Williams HPC cluster is a shared Linux computing resource supporting research and teaching. It is available for all faculty, staff and students who need high performance computing in their work and study at Williams. To request an account please email us at [email protected].

      Hardware

      1 Head Node
      4 Compute Nodes – Total of 256 Cores and 896 GB RAM
      64 Cores w/ 128 GB RAM (1)
      64 Cores w/ 256 GB RAM (3)

      Queues and Scheduler

      The cluster uses TORQUE for resources management and MAUI to schedule jobs. The policy has a fair-share component and backfill implementation to provide all users fair access to cluster resources. The current setup:

      name max nodes/cores max walltime base priority description
      hpcc 4 / 256 up to 720 hours normal for all normal jobs
      matlab 4 / 96 up to 720 hours normal dedicated for Matlab MDCS
      debug 2 / 32 1 hour highest for debugging

      Software

      • Mathematica
      • Matlab MDCS
      • R
      • Stata/MP
      • MrBayes, Topcom, Macaulay2, Polymake, IMa3, SageMath and more ……
      • Multipe versions of a particular software are managed through Modules
        • To see a list of modules that are available to be loaded, type “module avail”
        • To load a module, type “module load ”

      Feel free to install things for yourself. If you would prefer we take care of things for you, contact [email protected].

      Request an Account

      The first step in gaining access to our clusters is requesting an account. Please email [email protected] for more information.

      Guidelines

      Before you begin using the cluster, here are some important guidelines:

      • Do not run jobs or do real work on the head node (aka login node). Always allocate a compute node and run programs there
      • Never give your password or ssh key to anyone else.
      • Clean up after yourself by releasing unused jobs and removing unneeded files.

      Log in

      hpcc.williams.edu is accessed via a protocol called secure shell (ssh). You can use ssh directly. From a Mac, use Mac Terminal. On Windows, you can use Putty. If you want to access the cluster from outside Williams, you must use the Williams VPN. For more information on ssh and how to connect to the cluster with your application and operating system of choice, please see getting-started for more information.

      Transfer Your Files

      You will likely find it necessary to copy files between your local machines and the clusters. Just as with logging in, there are different ways to do this, depending on your local operating system. We support SFTP, SSHFS, SCP and SMP protocol. Please see getting-started for more information.

      Use Software

      To best serve the diverse needs of all the software that you need in your work in an HPCC environment, we use a module system to manage software. This allows you to swap between different application and versions of those applications with relative ease and focus on getting your work done, not compiling software. Please see Software Guide for more information. If you find software that you’d like to use that isn’t available, feel free to contact [email protected]

      Schedule a Job

      You control your jobs using a job scheduling system that dedicates and manages compute resources for you. Basically this is done in one of two ways. For testing and debugging you may want to run your job interactively. This way you can directly interact with the compute node(s) in real time to make sure your code works and your jobs will run as expected. The other way, which is the preferred way for large and long-running jobs, involves writing your job commands in a script and submitting that to the job scheduler. Please see Getting-started for more information.

      Current Status of the Cluster

      The cluster is monitored using Ganglia (cluster monitoring system). You can check the status of the cluster and the and its load live from this link.

      New to Linux?

      You don’t need to be a Linux expert to use the cluster but familiarity with Linux commands is required for interacting with the cluster. We have a Unix Commands Cheat Sheet that can help you get started.

       

    • Integrating Digital Literacies (IDL) Program

      ITech Specialists work with faculty to re-imagine existing text-based assignments or create unique curricular projects for students that integrate digital skills and methods in pursuit of media scholarship and digital publishing.  Specialists will create and deliver in-class instruction to suit specific assignments or learning goals unique to the course. Depending on the complexity, Specialists may also coordinate additional support sessions outside of class utilizing trained Student Technology Consultants (STC’s).

      IDL sessions are not just technology workshops. While often centered around a particular software or application, the sessions aim to dig deeper into the conceptual components of successful media scholarship.

      Do you have an idea you would like to discuss? Contact your ITech liaison!

      Examples or Modules to consider adopting:

      Multimedia narrative – a written script annotated in a video timeline by images audio and video.

      • Format 1: Research based, documentary -style
      • Format 2: Personal/reflective style

      Multimedia blog – a public publishing forum for text, image, audio and/or video

      Graphic Novel – understanding and creating narratives in graphic novel format

      Radio Journalism or Oral History – Audio only based research and publishing

      Recent IDeaL course project examples, student produced

    • Located on level 2 of Sawyer Library, the CET’s makerspace facilitates innovation and creativity through experimentation, prototyping, and hands-on learning. Learn more about what you can make:

      • Make the digital world real in the 3D Makerspace.

        What's in the 3D Makerspace?

        • 3D printer
        • 3D scanner
        • Laser etcher
        • A variety of software and hardware tools
        • Students who can assist with printing, or help you learn how to develop your own models and projects.

        cet-makerspace

        Who can use it?

        The makerspace and equipment are available to any member of the Williams community. If you'd like your class to incorporate 3D printing into your course, please contact your ITech liaison in advance so we can schedule the equipment.

        How do I access it?

        If you are unfamiliar with the technology, the best way to start a project is to stop by when the room is open and talk to one of the student staff. Faculty and staff can also contact Jonathan Leamon with any questions.

        How do I get help?

        There are FAQs and other help documentation available on the makerspace’s website, or stop by the room when it’s open. You can also contact Jonathan Leamon.

      • What's in the Paper/Print Fabrication Makerspace?

        • Binding, drawing, and collage supplies
        • Sticker maker
        • Screen printing kit
        • Cricut Maker® machine.
        • Button makers and supplies.
        • Movable tables and chairs and storage shelves/bins for equipment and materials.
        • Students who can assist you. (See calendar for schedule)

        Who can use it?

        The makerspace and equipment are available to any member of the Williams community. If you'd like to incorporate paper fabrication or zine making into your course, contact [email protected].

        How do I access it?

        Stop by during open hours and talk to one of the student staff, or attend one of our workshops. If you'd like to book the space for your student organization or staff department, contact [email protected].

        How do I get help?

        Stop by during open hours to pick up patterns, watch tutorials, or get one-on-one help.

      • What's in the Textile/Fiber Fabrication Makerspace?

        • Sewing machines, cutters, mats, and materials for creating with fabrics and other textiles.
        • Supplies for spinning, knitting, crochet, embroidery, and other fiber arts.
        • Cricut Maker® machine
        • Button makers and supplies.
        • Movable tables and chairs and storage shelves/bins for equipment and materials.
        • Students who can assist you. (See calendar for schedule)

        Fabrication open houseWho can use it?

        The makerspace and equipment are available to any member of the Williams community. If you'd like to incorporate textile fabrication into your course, contact [email protected].

        How do I access it?

        Stop by during open hours and talk to one of the student staff, or attend one of our workshops. If you'd like to book the space for your student organization or staff department, contact [email protected].

        How do I get help?

        Stop by during open hours to pick up patterns, watch tutorials, or get one-on-one help.

      Fabrication Makerspace Calendar

       

    • The primary mission of Media Services/Classroom Support is to develop, implement and support multimedia presentation systems in classrooms and in large presentation spaces such as Chapin Hall, Brooks Rogers Auditorium and Griffin 3. In addition, we assist with the planning and development of technology needs for a wide variety of campus events and aslo assist with the use of the CET recording studio.

      Photo of Philip Remillard
      Philip Remillard
      Media Services Manager
      Office for Information Technology
      Sawyer CET
      413-597-4519
      Photo of Michael S. Amann
      Michael S. Amann
      Classroom Technology Specialist
      Office for Information Technology
      Sawyer CET
      413-597-4294
      Photo of Patrick J. Gray Jr.
      Patrick J. Gray Jr.
      Events, Classroom, and Studio Support Specialist
      Office for Information Technology
      Sawyer CET
      413-597-3073
      Photo of Lynna Jackson
      Lynna Jackson
      Computer Labs and Software Administrator
      Office for Information Technology
      Jesup Hall
      413-597-2770
      Photo of Jim Lillie
      Jim Lillie
      Media Services Technician
      Office for Information Technology
      Sawyer Library
      413-597-3477

    • The Music Composition room is Sawyer 274.

      What is it?
      The room is equipped with a computer workstation with hardware and software for audio manipulation, synthesis, and sequencing. The software includes Studio One, ProTools, Komplete, Max, Ableton Live, and WaveLab Elements.

      Who can use it?
      Faculty, staff, and students can use the room during Sawyer Library hours.

      There is a piano in there, can I just play piano?
      No, the piano is a midi device without speakers. It sends data to the computer. With some training, you can learn to route the signals from the piano keyboard to software where sounds can be assigned to the notes and that output can be routed to the speakers or headphones. It is not as simple as turning it on and playing.

      Please do not unplug cables if the station is not working. Send an email to Trevor Murphy at the address below and he will set up the station to work properly. Get training to learn how the station works.

      How do I access it?
      Ask for the key for 274 from the Library Circulation Desk.

      How do I get help?
      Request help from Trevor Murphy. Several student workers who are trained as Student Technology Consultants will also be able to support the space.

      • tricast-green-screenStudio 275 is a high-end recording facility for video, audio and music recording. Amenities include a three camera video studio complete with lighting, blue/green screen and live editing capabilities, lightboard technology for complex diagram instruction, Professional Digital Audio Workstation (PreSonus Studio One),  32 channel audio Mixer, headphone stations and high end microphones for music recording. In addition to the main studio recording space we have an Isolation booth for voice overs/narration.

        Studio 275 is located in the “Production Zone” area of the CET, level 2 of  Sawyer Library.

        Advance reservation is required for using Studio 275 and scheduling preference is given to curricular projects. Please complete this form to begin your request.

        Follow these links for more information on Studio 275 technology:

      • What is it?

        Lightboard is a piece of transparent glass illuminated with LED lights. Instructors facing the camera while also writing on the board are recorded at the same time. We started this project to experiment new ways of lecture recording. More examples of Lightboard at Williams are on Youtube. More about Lightboard at Educause.

        Preparing for Your Lightboard Recording Session

        Script & Dialogue:

        All filmed projects should start with a script. The script writing process helps you hone your ideas and focus on the primary message of your piece. Here are tips and techniques to help you with your scriptwriting.

        Due to lighting limitations for lightboard filming (to prevent reflections on the lightboard glass) a teleprompter can not be used. Practice reading your script.  Remove/change any words or phrases that trip you up. Then try ad-libbing the script.  Since you will be writing/interacting with the lightboard itself it is awkward to work from notes or index cards, so you really should concentrate on memorizing your overall outline and then talking through it without notes. You should also be timing each practice to know if you are going overtime.

        Other Visuals:

        Consider creating intro and exit images/slides in Powerpoint or Google Slides.  The intro slide should contain the title of the piece, & WHO is presenting the piece, at minimum. The exit slide should contain references/biblio for any of the content that requires it (copyrighted images or ideas) and any other acknowledgments/information for further research.

        You can include images on the intro & exit slides as well.  We can also cut to an image in the middle of a lightboard session if it is required.  The image needs to be placed on a slide as well (to maintain aspect ratio)

        Consider that it takes real time to draw complex diagrams and that it might be more efficient and allow you to present deeper ideas/knowledge by pre-drawing some elements on the board before you start. You can then introduce your concepts, explain the pre-drawing and then add to it as part of your presentation.

        Clothing:

        The background is a black curtain. Wearing black or other dark clothing will make you disappear somewhat. In contrast, wearing light colors will interfere with the visuals. It is suggested that you wear solid colors of medium hues.

        You will need to wear a lav mic that attaches to your clothing, mid-chest. A center-button shirt makes it easy to attach the mic and hide the wires.

        Hair should be styled away from the face and hats or other headgear should not be worn.

    • Please follow this link to Software

    • For more information, please contact Media Services.

    • The Video Conference room is a 20-seat conference room with high-definition teleconferencing equipment allowing room-to-room communication with similarly equipped facilities at remote locations.

       

      Who can use it?
      The video conferencing room will be available to faculty, staff, and students.

      How do I access it?
      The room is available by reservation only. We recommend making reservations two weeks in advance. It can be used with the assistance of an operator, or with advance training. Call Media Services at x2112.

      Where is it located?
      The facility is in Stetson room #308, on the entrance level of Sawyer Library.

      How do I get help?
      Links to more information are below, or call Media Services at x2112.

      More information
      The new video conferencing room at the Center for Educational Technology provides high definition connections among participants that promote a high quality level of video presence. The video conferencing room will be available to faculty, staff, and students.

      Past academic uses of video conferencing at Williams have included our professors team-teaching with professors in Finland, Australia, Tel Aviv and Cairo; students taking oral exams in Arabic with a professor at Emory University; a Japanese professor and her students chatting with people in Japan; and professors collaborating and sharing work with faculty at other institutions.

      Locating our new high definition video conferencing facility near the offices of media services specialists means that OIT staff are readily available to help ensure a successful videoconferencing experience. An additional benefit of this facility is that information technologists, librarians, and other professional staff will be able to connect with colleagues at other institutions without having to leave campus.

    • ITS staff are available to help with individual faculty or class support for academic software programs and Glow LMS. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss training, please email [email protected]

      For Media Scholarship for classes, please check the IDeaL Program and Strategies link.

     

     

    • Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourced Internet Marketplace for work that requires human intelligence to complete.

      Read more …

    • Transcription is the process of converting spoken or written communications from one format or medium to another.  …  Automated transcription is where a computer program performs the transcription process for you.

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    • ‘The cloud’ is a shorthand technical and advertising concept for computing technology (software and hardware) hosted externally from a client … The advent of the internet, increased bandwidth, increased microprocessing and memory capacity, new internet protocols and programming languages, and expanded telemetry (mobile) technologies, have all changed the markets in which computing technologies are developed and delivered. These new markets offer large datasets, computing power, or sophisticated processes to be consumed remotely by anyone anywhere in the world.

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    • The Lightboard is a low technology solution that facilitates the recording of good quality instructional videos without any post-production editing. It’s a piece of transparent glass-like ‘whiteboard’ illuminated with LED lights.

      Read more …

    • Differentiate Assignment is a built-in feature of Glow that lets you create different due dates and/or availability dates for content releases. MasteryPaths, also a built-in feature of Glow, is based on differentiate Assignment. When both used together, they allow you to design and customize the learning experiences of each student based on their performance on a particular assessment.

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    • MATLAB Distributed Computing Server™ (MDCS) lets you run computationally intensive Matlab™ programs and Simulink models on high performance computing clusters (HPCC).

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    • Quizlet is a free digital study tool available online and for any mobile device. It allows instructors and students to create study materials. 

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    • Remote Pilot Certification (RPC) is an official authorization issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exclusively for the commercial use of unmanned aerials systems (UAS) – more commonly known as ‘drones’. By definition, a drone does not have a pilot on board the aircraft as it is operated by remote control instead. The operation of drones in US airspace is governed by the FAA’s Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule (Part 107).

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    • ‘Smart’ technology refers to the integration of computing and telecommunication technology into other technologies that did not previously have such capabilities. What makes a technology ‘smart’ is its ability to communicate and work with other networked technologies, and through this ability to allow automated or adaptive functionality as well as remote accessibility or operation from anywhere.

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    • Netlytic is an open-source and community-supported analytical tool that can summarize and visualize large volumes of text and discover social networks from conversations on social media sites such as Twitter, Youtube, blogs, online forums and chats.

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    • StoryMap JS helps you tell stories by utilizing interactive maps, text, and multimedia.

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    • Timeline JS is a free, open­ source tool from Northwestern University Knight Lab. Timeline JS works in tandem with a Google Sheets Template to make production of visually rich and interactive timelines quick and easy.

      Timeline JS

    • SoicoViz is a social media analytics platform that can help you to analyze large volumes of text in terms of hashtags to identify key influencers, opinions and contents from conversations on Twitter.

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    • A ‘drone’ can be any remotely controlled vehicle, and can be used for terrestrial, subterranean, deep sea, aerial, and extraterrestrial operations. An unmanned aerial system (UAS) is a system because, at a minimum, its operation requires communication via transmitter/receiver technology in at least two locations.

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    • HIndenburg Broadcaster is an audio journalism production software available on limited stations in the Center for Educational Technology, Sawyer Library.

      Hindenburg Broadcaster

    • Wireless (cableless) connections are necessary when a wired (cabled) connection would be too cumbersome or inconvenient for use. A wireless connection is essentially HDMI over WiFi (also referred to as WiDi for wireless display). A wireless display allows one or more users to connect their devices wirelessly to a display (TV or projector).

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