We are here to help

The Media Resources Center is working to provide the best possible support to instructors and the rest of campus as we all deal with the difficulties presented by the COVID-19 crisis. 

Here's a list of offerings/adjustments/services to help deal with the crisis:

Academic Accessibility and Accommodations

  • AAA is working closely with the office of disability services to ensure that students who have accommodations that require the production of materials like braille and tactile graphics will continue to get those materials, which will include working with Campus Media Services to arrange for the delivery of those materials to the students at their homes.
  • AAA will work with the Office of Disability Service as needed to find solutions for new accommodations as they arise.

Campus Media Services

  • Zoom service and licensing -- CMS manages the university's Zoom license, and is working to secure additional licenses to our new institutional needs in this crisis.
  • The CMS team will be disinfecting master classrooms as they are able. Facilities Services is also disinfecting public spaces, but rooms will be getting a lot more use that those teams can keep up with; disinfecting your own space is a good, healthy practice.
  • Phone and counter to assist instructors with whatever needs they have in their transition to teaching online. CMS will be able to answer most questions about Zoom, and refer instructors and students to the right support staff for Panopto, Blackboard, and other instructional tools.
  • We have a very limited number of USB webcams available for short-term rental for recording lectures or synchronous online videoconferences. Unfortunately, at this time, we must limit the rental period to four (4) hours or overnight. (8a-12p, 12p-4p, 4p-8a.) Until further notice, we are waiving any rental fee when picked up at the counter.

Instructional Design and Access

  • Blackboard Guide (31 page handbook)
  • Get Started in Blackboard (ten-day training program for instructors new to Blackboard and online instruction)
  • Blackboard Support - Blackboard support is provided through the OneStop, but the local team that handles escalations and most faculty issues has been fortified with additional staff and team alumni to make sure that we have plenty of support as new problems come in. 
  • Thanks to our partnership with the Office of Online and Adult Learning's Faculty Fellows program, we have a network of Online Faculty Fellows who are ready and able to help their colleagues get their classes online
  • Instruction Design Support is available through the Blackboard and Accessibility labs, held in the Library. We will post about virtual lab availability soon. 

Video Services & WSU TV

MRC Web Services

The MRC Web Services team is working with Strategic Communications to make sure that the latest news and information about the university's evolving response to the crisis is available as quickly as possible.