Technology Needed for College

Power Point
Some of your courses will require that you do individual or group presentations.  Often times, your professors may expect you to use Power Point to present materials to your classmates or as a group.  You can purchase this software in Business on Main for a discounted rate if you provide your UCID.  Use the help feature to begin designing and learning how to create great presentations.

Word Processing
Some of your courses will require journals, essay's, research papers and responses to required readings.  Knowing how to type and format papers, use spell check, insert tables and figures, and attach documents to emails.  As a new member of the University of Cincinnati campus community, you can purchase Microsoft Word from Business on Main.  During the summer, begin working with this software to learn the items mentioned above. 

Becoming familiar with a key board is of the utmost importance.  Below are two FREE resources you can utilize to begin learning how to type papers. 
                                                           Good Typing                     Learn 2 Type

Posting Messages On Blackboard
During Summer Bearcat Bound Orientation you received an username and password as well as instructions on how to log into Blackboard.  Practice navigating in Blackboard, using the discussion board, and posting messages.  You may have some courses that will require you to post messages to the entire class as it relates to an assigned reading, or perhaps a test that the professor wants you to complete online.  Blackboard is a useful tool for communicating with your instructor about the course material, your grade in the class, and serves as a link to other campus support services.  Click here to link to Blackboard.

Accessing Library Resources
Langsam Library has a host of online resources to assist with your research and information needs.  We encourage you to begin browsing through and learning how to use library catalog, research databases, journals and books.  In addition, the library has links to other University of Cincinnati libraries.  Langsam Library also provides workshops for students: 

HELP! I need three articles for my research paper.  You just received your first college research assignment and your professor specifically said not to use encyclopedias or web sites as sources.  Where do you go?  This workshop will introduce some of the most popular and easy to use library databases, and help you learn to search them efficiently.

Duration: 50 minutes
Primary Audience: Undergraduates, primarily freshman/sophomores taking the English composition sequence.
Outcomes:  In this workshop students will learn how to effectively use some of the library's most comprehensive and popular article databases in order to:
1. Find and narrow a topic
2. Find opposing and supporting views on a topic
3. Understand the difference between scholarly (peer-reviewed_ and popular sources
4. Understand the importance of keywords
5. Retrieve (print, email, or download) online articles from a selection of databases via the University Libraries website.

Cite What You Write.  Confused about plagiarism?  Worried that 'copying and pasting' will get you into trouble?  This workshop will help you understand what constitutes plagiarism, and will introduce some tools and tricks for citing sources correctly. 

Duration: 50 minutes
Primary Audience:  Undergraduates
Outcomes:  In this workshop students will learn to:
1. Recognize plagiarism
2. Recognize the difference between a quotation and a paraphrase
3. Create and credit a paraphrase
4. Locate online sources for citation formats
5. Use some of the citation tools embedded in UL online databases

Capstone Research Review.  Are you a senior faced with finishing off a major research paper as part of your capstone or senior seminar?  Could you use a refresher on key resources, strategies for finding reliable and scholarly information, can collecting primary sources materials?  Then this workshop is for you.  This one-hour workshop will help you organizer your ideas, review key indexes, and show you how to connect with the specialized resources in your subject area.

Duration: 50 minutes
Primary Audience: Juniors/Seniors
Outcomes:  After completing this workshop students will be able to:
1. Identify at least five scholarly journals in their field of study
2. Identify at least three major research tools in their field of study
3. Complete accurate footnotes and bibliographies
4. Effectively analyze and compare information
5. Create a well-developed thesis supported by accurate and reliable information

Please click here to register for these workshops.