Assistive Technology

The Learning Center offers several software and hardware tools to assist students with their coursework. Software programs are available to help students with reading, writing, and organizing information. Staff are available to demonstrate how the programs work and instruct new users.

Regular Semester Hours

• Hours by appointment only.

Software to Assist with Reading

Natural Reader is web-based software that will read most document formats including PDF, Microsoft Office, Google, etc. Natural Reader will download and read the information on websites without the advertisements. For all reading, there is a choice of voices, accents, and reading speeds. There are many formatting options and other tools such as masking to make text easier to follow as the software reads.

Software to Assist with Taking Notes

Genio is web-based software that works across multiple devices to take and use notes. It records lectures, presentations, and discussions. The recordings are more usable than standard recordings because the graphic depiction of the audio has a break for each pause. The recordings can be marked during the lecture to aid students with finding specific portions of the recorded lecture later. Slides can be imported before or after the lecture so that the notes that a student adds can be attached to the slides and the recordings.

Hardware to Assist with Taking Notes

For students who want to take handwritten notes along with recording the lectures, presentations, and discussions, the Learning Center has Livescribe Echo Smartpens and paper for students to use. The notes are linked using the pen’s camera and digital recorder. Recordings can be replayed from the point at which the notes were written by tapping the pen on that place in the notes.

The Learning Center also has standard Digital Recorders that students can borrow to use in their classes.