Included in student tuition and fees, UNCP offers students “free” online software.
From Office 365 to WebEx, a student can simply provide their student credentials to begin using these programs.
“I was amazed how many students didn’t know they get Office 365 for free,” Marquitta Patterson, Interactive Video Facility technician, said.
The software is online and can be accessed on any device as long as there is access to the Internet.
“You can also download it to multiple devices,” James Lewis, IVF manager, added.
Office 365
Office 365 includes all of the Microsoft software including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive for storage, and more.
To access Office 365, students must log on to their BraveMail using their student credentials, and then click the waffle-patterned icon in the top left corner for all of the Office 365 applications. There, all the student’s free applications can be seen.
By using Office 365 online through BraveMail, documents save automatically, so there is no need to export them to personal computers.
Students can also invite fellow classmates, peers, professors, or whomever they choose to edit or view documents by sending them the link.
Office is also equipped with a virtual calendar that allows users to keep track of events and assignments, all in one application.
With the click of a button, students also have the option of adding events listed in emails straight to their virtual calendar.
Another feature available on Office 365 is Planner. Created specifically for group projects, it allows users to create a project plan and share that with other users.
asks can be created and distributed to group members.
WebEx
WebEx is a new and thriving software application on UNCP’s campus. It is an interactive video conferencing tool that is also free and available to students.
Across campus, WebEx is already being used for class meetings, study groups, interviews and much more.
In a nutshell, this software is essentially a school provided-Skype.
“[WebEx] is way more reliable on the network and has better quality than Skype,” Lewis said.
To log into the student WebEx account, simply go to UNCP’s homepage and click Quick Links. Once there, click WebEx Students – it is the last link under the Quick Link tabs.
This will take students to the WebEx homepage. In the upper right hand corner, click Log In. Here, students will use their student credentials and will be taken to their “Personal Room.”
If students want to join a professor’s Personal Room or a fellow students’, they will type in the Personal Room ID number, and students can enter the Personal Room.
Once in the Personal Room, students will connect audio and video to begin using the software.
WebEx can used for nearly anything – from studying, to meeting a professor for office hours. It is the virtual classroom of the future.
“WebEx allows you to meet anyone at anywhere at anytime,” Patterson said.
The “Off-campus students, one day, will be able to call in remotely to classes,” Lewis said.
For a more in-depth look at all WebEx has to offer, take a look at the Youtube video “Ten 4 Tech: Getting Started In WebEx”, made by UNCP student, Michael Bullard.
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