"Texas Woman’s will provide systematic and meaningful opportunities for students, staff and faculty to celebrate the value of diversity in leadership and to acquire skills that empower them to lead with distinction, intentionality, and purpose."

Students Advisory Committee for Technology

The Students Advisory Committee for Technology (StudentsACT) coordinated with TWU Technology staff to host a number of information tables the week of February 13. The purpose was to raise students' awareness of technology services available to them. Volunteers interacted with hundreds of students across TWU's three locations.

Playing on Valentine's Day, the theme was I  TWU Technology, and volunteers handed out candy and cupcakes, along with information about technology services. Students could also spin a wheel to learn about a service and walk away with a piece of Technology SWAG.

In addition, the StudentsACT supported the custom course evaluation system in both fall and spring, raising awareness and providing suggestions to increase student participation.

The committee also conducted a survey of student awareness of and satisfaction with technology services at TWU. 830 students completed the survey. Overall, students who completed the survey were less aware of technology services than those surveyed the year prior. This may have been a result of the committee spending more time promoting course evaluations and less time promoting all technology services.

Technology Training Sessions

Left: Dallas participants, Chantel Brightman, Niateka Johnson, Karen Long Trail, & Stephanie Stephens. Middle: Denton participants, Jillian Morales, Tawnda Maxwell & Gail Orlando. Right: Houston participants, Diana Pierce & Sandra Compton-Winbush.

Throughout the summer, TWU Technology training offered 47 sessions through two themes: Tech Train, for professional staff, and Fishing School, for both administrative support and professional staff. Sessions were broadcast between the three campuses. Offered in computer classrooms, the sessions followed a tell-show-do model to maximize learning and knowledge retention. By allowing for collaboration with peers and introduction to new software, tips, and techniques, these offerings support the professional development of staff at Texas Woman’s.

Expanding upon the Fishing School offered in 2016, Technology staff added new topics, including intermediate and advanced Google Suite, SQL reports, Microsoft Access, and Skype for Business. Further, they took into account feedback from participants and made changes to the structure and content of the sessions. 77 individuals participated in Tech Train, and 138 individuals participated in Fishing School. Altogether, 638 certificates were issued.

Outside of the classroom, participants have put what they’ve learned into practice and capitalized on the connections made. Denise Bradway, senior secretary, Counseling and Psychology Services, worked with Technology to improve the Budget Manager’s Detail SQL report. Pictured left, Jacqueline Folsom, assistant to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies and Academic Partnerships, met with Julie Muller, assistant to the Vice Provost for Technology & CIO, to share account reconciliation strategies.

“I’ve been utilizing my School of Tech skills as I discover where they will work, and while it takes a little more time on the front end, it’s going to make my life easier in the long-run!” -Angie Fielder, administrative assistant, Center for Faculty Excellence

At the end of summer, participants and their supervisors were invited to attend a celebration (also connected between the three campuses), at which participants were recognized for and congratulated on their commitment to professional development.

Popular Topics

• 68 - Intro to Google Suite
• 65 - Intro to Skype for Business
• 64 - Pivot Tables & Charts
• 56 - Intro to Microsoft Access
• 46 - Graphic Design Tools

Event Management System (EMS)

TWU Technology assisted in the implementation of Event Management System (EMS), an online reservation system that allows students, staff and faculty the ability to reserve non-academic rooms in the Student Union, Fitness and Recreation building, Pioneer Hall, and Dallas and Houston Student Life spaces.

To prepare for this software launch, TWU Technology built the necessary infrastructure to support the EMS Web App, EMS desktop client, and EMS Master Calendar application. To create a seamless user experience, TWU Technology also configured single sign-on for the EMS Web App so that all Pioneers may log on and make room reservations using their TWU username and Portal password.

EMS is brought to Texas Woman's by the Student Union & Conference Services staff. This technology enables student leaders to easily manage logistics so that they have more time to devote to leading their organizations. Further, the software saves staff time by reducing some processes that formerly took 20 minutes to complete down to two minutes.