Technology Resources for Students

Here are some free tools, guides, tutorials, trainings, and resources for UK students. If you are experiencing an IT problem (Canvas not working, strange error messages, lost linkblue password, etc.), you should contact UK ITS for a help ticket as soon as possible to avoid further issues. Let your instructor know you are experiencing issues in advance if an assignment or discussion board is going to be due, as technology issues may not excuse late work--especially if the assignment due date was posted early on--and since you may need to work out a different way to submit assignments with your instructor in the meantime. Check your course syllabus or ask your instructor what their policy is and the best way to contact him/her if you are unsure.

Remember: the sooner you ask UK ITS for help, the sooner your IT issue can be resolved. They offer valuable support for issues you can’t tackle on your own or that your instructors may not be able to resolve on their end.

What computer/tablet should I buy for college? Check UK's current hardware guide.

Walk-In Support at the Hub is available in W.T. Young Library on UK Campus. Please check the link for their hours.

 

For assistance with basic IT matters, these free resources below are offer help for most operating systems:

Using Keyboard Shortcuts

The bigs ones for Windows: Ctrl+C (copy); Ctrl+V (Paste); Ctrl+S (Save). These save time and students should be familiar with them. Here are some guides for more keyboard shortcuts:

 

Screen Captures

Occasionally students may need to take a screenshot of their computer to edit and save in their graphics editor. Here’s a great resource that shows how:

 

Software

download.uky.edu has free MS Office Suite, EndNote, Adobe Reader and other software downloads for UK students.

 

Tutorials

On using citation tools, searching databases, writing academic papers and more.

 

Databases*

*accessed through libraries.uky.edu:

  • Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)
  • ProQuest Databases
  • PubMed (University of Kentucky)
  • PsycINFO
  • JSTOR
  • Sociological Abstracts (Soc Abs)

 

There are many others, and many journal collections for specific majors and research topics. The best way to get individual assistance is to see a librarian in person or through virtual reference. Remember to do this early on if you have need of library services for an assignment!

WorldCat (OCLC): global library catalog (it also will note local holdings for items; i.e., UK libraries and Lexington Public Library system holdings)

 

Training Opportunities

Lexington Public Library offers free computer classes on a number of subjects from using Excel effectively to 3D modeling applications: http://www.lexpublib.org/computerclasses

 

Operating Systems

 

Browser Assistance

For help on topics such as installing plugins, clearing the cache, etc:

 

Online Classes: Netiquette, Posting in Discussion Boards, Etc.

 

Canvas Help

 

Zoom

Zoom is used for many of our online offerings. It facilitates online presentations, sharing, and virtual meetings. It is available freely for students and instructors at UK to use. Check here for more info about using Zoom.