The Advisory Group on Disability, Access, and Inclusion, CTLR, and Academic Technology Group are delighted to announce a new service available to the Middlebury community: SensusAccess. This service enables the conversion of files into a wide range of alternative formats. For example, users can have a PDF or Word document converted into an mp3, e-book, Daisy, or Braille. SensusAccess also allows users to convert commonly inaccessible documents—like scanned images or image-only PDFs—into more accessible formats.

How can this be useful? Different formats create greater opportunities to learn and to engage. For example, when you’re traveling, taking a walk, or working in a dimly lit space, an audio version of an article might be more accessible than a print version. SensusAccess works with multiple languages (although it does not translate across different languages), too. Processing time may vary, but usually takes between a few minutes and a few hours. It is available 24/7.

Students, faculty, staff and alumni with working Middlebury College and MIIS email accounts have unlimited, free access to this service.

For instructions, FAQ, and contact information click on the following links:

http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/resources/ctlr/students/accessible-technology

http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/resources/ctlr/faculty/teach/accessible-technology

Or

go/sensusaccess

We encourage everyone to try out this service.

Bill Koulopoulos

Director, Academic Technology Group

As of July 2015, Middlebury has adopted Qualtrics as its on-line survey platform for faculty, students and staff.

• Qualtrics is currently considered the industry-leading provider of online survey software.

• It is already being used by members of Middlebury as well as in other educational institutions for administrative, academic and research purposes. For example, Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton, Pomona, and Wesleyan are among peer institutions that offer site wide access to Qualtrics.

• It offers powerful features, such as 90 different question types, the ability to add multimedia to surveys and panel management that set it apart from KeySurvey, our current software.

• Finally, the switch resulted in significant savings for the College.

Our previous survey platform, KeySurvey, will be available until the end of September and users are strongly encouraged to export their surveys and data before September 30th.

To create a Qualtrics account and learn how to transition from KeySurvey to Qualtrics, go to http://mediawiki.middlebury.edu/wiki/LIS/Qualtrics or contact Bill Koulopoulos (bkoul@middlebury.edu).