UW-Stout
Q & A disability website works to
level the playing field
Those who work with disabled students will find UW-Stout specialists
ready to help at a new website called AskABLE, a groundbreaking
online question-and-answer disability resource. UW-Stout developed
the site, www.askvrd.org/askable,
for university faculty and staff, but it's open to anyone who
seeks an answer to a disability-related question.
"The
goal of the project is to provide instructors with the resources
that allow them to offer disabled students a quality education
on a level playing field," said project coordinator Christine
Varnavas. "Ultimately, we want to recruit, retain and graduate
more students with disabilities."
Users who
submit a question to the site can expect an answer from a UW-Stout
expert within two business days. Users can also search the site's
archive or online resource links.
As a major
part of UW-Stout's Teachable Moments Faculty Development Project,
the AskABLE initiative is funded by grants from the U.S. Department
of Education's Office of Post-Secondary Education.
Other
notable UW websites
-
UW-Stevens
Point faculty created a Department of History website called
"Sweet Dreams: An American POW Longs for Home,"
to coincide with the 57th anniversary of Germany's surrender
to Allied Forces in 1945. The site, www.uwsp.edu/history/sweetdreams,
tells the story of Harold Baker, who kept a journal during
his years as a Japanese prisoner of war.
-
UW-Stevens
Point displays its "think globally, act locally"
approach to environmental education at www.uwsp.edu/cnr/GEM/index.htm,
a site within the Global Environmental Management Education
Center in the College of Natural Resources at UWSP. Michael
Dombeck, a Pioneer Professor of Global Environmental Management
and University of Wisconsin System Fellow of Global Conservation,
leads the GEM Education Center.
-
The
UW-Eau Claire Foundation draws attention to its first comprehensive
fund-raising campaign at www.uwec.edu/fndn/campaign.
It's a great resource to learn more about the $35 million
effort.
-
UW-Milwaukee
baseball experts and enthusiasts offer up fun facts at the
Professor Baseball Website. The Q & A website, www.uwm.edu/News/ProfessorBaseball/index.html,
is part of a three-year, exclusive marketing agreement with
the Milwaukee Brewers, which gives UWM top billing at Miller
Park.
-
UW-Extension
capitalizes on the growing youth interest in poetry at www.wpt.org/poeticlicense,
a companion site to the Poetic License project. The site features
streaming video of kids performing poetry and a place where
kids can submit their poems for posting.
-
UW-Madison's Primate Info Net (PIN), www.primate.wisc.edu/pin,
connects visitors to original work on the Common Marmoset,
including a web cam that keeps watch over a common marmoset
family. Primatologists also turn to the site for access to
research, conservation and education in their field, including
newsletters, audiovisual resources, veterinary resources and
fact sheets.
-
UW-Madison recently updated its high-risk drinking website,
which features an essay from Chancellor John Wiley. With links
to information for parents, students and student services
personnel, www.news.wisc.edu/packages/drinking
may also be a resource for other campuses.
-
UW-Rock County just launched a redesigned website, www.rock.uwc.edu,
that's comprehensive and easily navigated. The site's sharp
design includes revolving photographs, so there's always something
new to see.
- UW-Madison's
famed chemistry professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri offers a do-it-yourself
guide to chemistry entertainment on his "SCIENCE IS FUN!"
website, at scifun.chem.wisc.edu.
Shakhashiri, who's best known for his interactive science shows,
uses the website to interest young people in science by demonstrating
how enjoyable it can be.
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