Technology Skills
Functioning as a student at the university requires a few different areas of technical competence. Expand the list below to highlight skills.
Many students are comfortable with email, but many do not regularly check their email, nor do they understand proper “netiquette,” or writing requirements. In many classes, email may be your primary mode of communication with your professors, so you need to assure that you check it every day during the week.
Additionally, you need to be sure that your emails are written professionally and appropriately in order to make a good impression. If you have questions about writing professional emails, check out Purdue University’s Email Etiquette Writing Lab on the topic for helpful guidelines.
Some of your courses will require that you do individual or group presentations. Often times, your professors may expect you to use PowerPoint to present materials to your classmates or as a group. You can purchase this software at the bookstore for a discounted rate if you provide your UCID.
Use the help feature to begin designing and learning how to create great presentations. Visit Microsoft’s PowerPoint tutorial page for short, online courses about using PowerPoint. These courses begin with the very basic, and proceed to explore some of the more complicated things you can do to make your presentations stand out in class!
Some of your courses will require journals, essays, research papers, and responses on required readings. You should know 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 the campus bookstore.
During the summer, begin working with this software to learn the items mentioned above. You can also visit Microsoft’s Word tutorial page for short, online courses about Microsoft Word. Becoming familiar with a keyboard is of the utmost importance. Below are two free resources you can utilize to begin learning how to type papers.
Using your UC username and password, log on to Canvas. For details and steps to log on, check out UC's guide on Canvas. Canvas is a useful tool for communicating with your instructor about the course material and to see your current grade in the class. It also serves as a link to other campus support services.
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 on a rotating array of topics. These include medical research, citation requirements, using library databases, and numerous other topics.