Ways to Guarantee a Good Class at the Higher Education Center
We welcome you as an instructor to the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC). Our role is to provide administrative and technical support while you are working in the Center. To do that, we need your help to make things run smoothly. Please stop at the Information Desk on your way to class to let us know you are here. We may have messages for you, or returned homework or projects in your faculty mailbox behind the Information Desk. Also, please stop at the Information Desk on your way out to let us know that your class is over. This helps us know who is still in the building late in the evening.
Administrative Office Suite:
The Administrative Office Suite is located on the First Floor between the Information Desk and the Bookstore. It is open from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you cannot be here before 5:00 p.m., you will need to make an appointment with your site director. If the door is locked, please ring the doorbell or go to the Information Desk located at the East end of the hall and the receptionist on duty will contact your site director for you. In the Administrative Office Suite, you will find the Staff of the Higher Education Center as well as the Site Directors for the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, Radford University, and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
A. Linwood Holton Governor’s School:
The state of Virginia has fostered the concept that “gifted and talented” students, by virtue of their characteristics and needs, require specialized curriculum to foster the full development of their potential. Governor’s Schools were created to provide special opportunities for motivated secondary students. Most of the Governor’s Schools provide specific curricular areas such as science, mathematics, the arts and/or technology at centrally located sites. Unfortunately, the distance between schools, the rugged terrain, and the harsh winter weather serve as formidable impediments to providing a traditional, single building Governor’s School. The solution is a “virtual” Governor’s School, which uses distance learning and Internet technologies to provide a curriculum especially designed for gifted and talented students. The A. Linwood Holton Governor’s School currently serves 16 school districts with 45 high schools utilizing a wide range of communication technologies. Utilizing the leading edge of technology, the A. Linwood Holton Governor’s School serves to meet the unique needs of the region.
Arts Array:
Faculty and students who attend classes at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center or Virginia Highlands Community College may participate in the Arts Array program free of charge. College for Older Adults students and Weekend Adult Lifetime Learning (WALL) students may purchase an Arts Array pass for $10.00 Films, musical events, lectures, and dramatic productions are scheduled throughout the semester. Current schedule.
Bookstore:
The Bookstore, operated by Virginia Highlands Community College, is located at the west end of the hall. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Friday, and occasional Saturdays as required. Instructors/site directors should notify the Bookstore if you have a new class beginning or if additional hours are required. The Bookstore manager is Curtis Stien. Choose from a great selection of books, greeting cards, office supplies, souvenirs and clothing from our partner institutions across the state.
Breakout Rooms:
If you require break out rooms for your class, please have your site director contact Sonia Vanhook or Brenda Wilson at least 48 hours in advance of your class.
Cancellation of Class Meeting:
If circumstances require that you cancel a class meeting, notify your institution’s Site Director and the Information Desk at the Center ASAP at (276) 619-4300. Remind your students to check the Center’s Information Line for up-to-date schedule changes. A telephone call can prevent an unnecessary trip to the Center. The Information Line telephone number is (276) 619-4308.
College for Older Adults:The College for Older Adults (COA) at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center is designed for learners over the age of 50 and is taught by instructors who are also in that age bracket. The program offers short non-credit courses in a relaxed daytime format. There is a fee of $35 per term, whether taking one or all classes offered. Class topics vary from term to term. Blue Gotham is the director.
Computers:
Computers are available in the Resource Center, located on the second floor, for use by registered students and faculty. Any student or center guest that wishes to use the Lab must obtain an access card from the Information Desk in the front lobby. Please refer to our Computer Lab Policies for more information. Our computer labs on the second floor are for scheduled classes ONLY. They are not for homework assignments or research. Tobacco products, food and drinks are not allowed in the Resource Center and Computer Labs.
At times when classes are cancelled or dismissed early, the SVHEC Resource Center may close early. Please check at the Information Desk or call the SVHEC if you need to use the Resource Center at night to ensure that the building will be open. Students may bring their own paper for the printer in the Resource Center or they may purchase paper at the Information Desk in packets of twenty-five sheets for a cost of $0.25 per packet.
Computers may be used from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. However, when classes are not in session, computer access will be from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Students who need access to a computer at other times are welcome to use them at the Virginia Highlands Community College library. Check their website at http://www.vhcc.edu/library/ for hours of operation. Keep in mind that the Higher Education Center and VHCC are closed for holidays and inclement weather. Don't get caught "Off guard." Check the holiday schedule and plan accordingly.
Eating in the Classrooms:We strongly prefer that students eat in the student lounge (Le Café). Occasionally, instructors choose to shorten a class by teaching through a dinner break or ordering pizza to the classroom. Food left in classrooms draws ants and mice. The instructor is the person responsible and should ask students to clean up all drink cans, pizza boxes, trash, etc. The Information Desk staff will provide extra garbage bags upon request. If you will bring the trash bags to the Information Desk, we will take them to the dumpsters. Menus and phone numbers of restaurants that deliver to the Center are listed on the Restaurants link above.
Equipment Requests:
Most equipment -- overhead projectors, flip charts and stands, monitors, DVD's and VCR's -- are located in the classroom or the classroom closet. Many classrooms are now equipped with multimedia projectors. Specialized equipment that is not in the classroom is available by request. If you know you will need a piece of equipment, please request it at least one day in advance so that we can arrange for it to be in your classroom. Compete an equipment request form and leave it at the information desk. If you request equipment on the day of your class, don't be surprised if it is in use by another instructor.
Faculty Offices, Lounge, and Restrooms:
Faculty office space is located on the 2nd floor in the Faculty Lounge. All offices are shared spaces and available for your use while teaching in the Center. Each space is equipped with a computer. The printer is shared by all of the offices. If you need additional office space, please talk with your institution’s Site Director.
The Faculty and Staff Lounge and Restrooms are on the 2nd floor at the west end of the building. Students and student assistants are not permitted in the Faculty and Staff Lounge/Restroom. The entry code to doors in the Faculty and Staff Lounge/Restroom and the Faculty Office Suite can be obtained from your Site Director. Please do not give this code to anyone other than faculty or authorized staff.
Information Desk:The Information Desk in the main lobby is staffed when the Center is open. For emergencies, technical assistance, and other requests, simply stop by or call 619-4300 (“0” if you are inside the building). Please introduce yourself to Phyllis, Dot, Diane and Linda. They will be happy to assist you.
LB&B:LB&B provides maintenance and custodial services for the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center. LB&B staff consists of:
Library:
Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) provides library services for Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center students. Joel Rudy is the Reference and Bibliographic Instruction Librarian and is eager to meet with you to discuss the numerous library resources that are available. The librarians can work with you individually or during a class meeting. To schedule instruction for your class, contact Joel in the VHCC Library by dialing (276) 739-2542 or jrudy@vhcc.edu.
The library is located on the first floor of the Learning Resource Center (LRC) at Virginia Highlands Community College. For library hours, please visit http://www.vhcc.edu/library/
VHCC library cards are free to all students and available at the VHCC library. Students will need their student ID or some form of identification when they request a library card.
Students can also access their home campus library in the Higher Education Center’s Resource Lab. The Virtual Library of Virginia or VIVA is available in the Lab as well as in the VHCC Library. The SVHEC Resource Lab is open Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. when classes are in session.
Photocopying:
Because of the volume of requests, and the speed of our machines, the HEC has found it necessary to set the following guidelines:
Information Desk Copier:
Administrative Copier:
Printing - Students may bring their own paper for the printer in the Resource Center or they may purchase paper at the Information Desk in packets of twenty-five sheets for a cost of $0.25 per packet.
Resource Center and Computer Lab:
Computers are available in the Resource Center, located on the second floor in the back corridor, for use by registered students, faculty and guests. To access the lab, obtain an access card from the Information Desk in the front lobby. Please refer to our Computer Lab Policies for more information. The classroom computer labs on the second floor are for scheduled classes ONLY. They are not available for personal use. Tobacco products, food and drinks are not allowed in the Resource Center and Computer Labs.
Please check at the Information Desk or call the SVHEC, (619-4300) if you need to use the Resource Center at night to ensure that the building will be open.
Computers may be used from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. However, when classes are not in session, lab hours may be reduced from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. At times when classes are cancelled or dismissed early, the SVHEC Resource Center may close early. Students who need access to a computer at other times are welcome to use them at the Virginia Highlands Community College library. Check their website at http://www.vhcc.edu/library/ for hours of operation. Keep in mind that the Higher Education Center and VHCC are closed for holidays and inclement weather. Don't get caught "off guard." Check the holiday schedule and plan accordingly.
Faculty, students, and guest have free access to the printers in the labs. However, paper is not provided. Students may bring their own paper for the printer in the Resource Center or they may purchase paper at the Information Desk in packets of twenty-five sheets for a cost of $0.25 per packet.
Southwest Virginia Education and Training Network (SVETN):The Southwest Virginia Education and Training Network (SVETN) is a consortium of sixteen school divisions and nine higher education institutions within a thirteen county region that fans eastward from Cumberland Gap to Bluefield, Wytheville, and Hillsville. Forty-nine classrooms in high schools, colleges and universities are linked by dedicated fiber-optic cables for televised distance learning. By means of the SVETN’s unique video-switching technology, multiple sessions of up to four sites each may be combined simultaneously creating numerous “virtual classrooms” in which, for ease of communication, teacher and students continuously see and hear one another. Sometimes referred to as southwestern Virginia’s “fiber optic network,” the images are of cable television quality and are accompanied by synchronized sound. The SVETN high schools provide geographically convenient venues for the colleges’ evening courses, continuing education classes, and in-service training for schools, public agencies, and community organizations. SVETN also serves consortium members with a growing roster of web-based distance learning offerings for secondary students under the designation of Elite Learning. The online classes are developed by teachers in the consortium in the same spirit of resource sharing as the ITV offerings. Classes taught using the teacher-directed interactive TV system and Elite Learning online help members meet important curriculum needs including foreign language and dual enrollment as well as other advanced level high school courses. Room 130 is the SVETN classroom. The SVETN staff is headquartered at the Higher Education Center. More information about SVETN can be found at http://www.svetn.org/
Technical Support:
Jeff Webb, Barry Logan, Doug Viers, Jeremy Mitchell and Jacob King are responsible for the computer network and audiovisual equipment at the Center. Please talk with Barry Logan at least one week in advance if you have special technical needs (e.g., new software installation). If you have a technical failure during class, contact the Information Desk by dialing “0”. The receptionist will radio the technician who is on duty.
Telephones:
Each classroom is equipped with a telephone to connect you with extensions inside the building. If you need assistance quickly, dial “0” for the Information Desk Receptionist. He/she can radio the technical or custodial staff or contact 911.
Telephones for calls outside of the building are located in the first and second floor lobbies, faculty offices, and faculty lounge.
TV Equipment:
The two-way interactive TV equipment is highly sensitive. DO NOT change the settings or make any adjustments to the computer that operates the system. It is dedicated exclusively to the transmission/reception of TV courses and cannot be used for any other purpose.
If you need a laptop computer/projector for a class lecture or assignment, make arrangements with a member of the Technical Staff (Jeff, Barry, Doug, Jeremy or Jacob)Virginia Cooperative Extension:
The Southwest District Office is a part of Virginia Cooperative Extension, an educational outreach program of Virginia Tech and Virginia State Universities. VCE provides research based information through a system of campus and locally based educators.
The Southwest District of Virginia Cooperative Extension is made up of eighteen county extension units. In addition, one 4-H Educational Center and two Agriculture Research and Extension Centers are located in the district. County Extension staff includes forty-five Extension Agents, thirty-two Program Assistants/Technicians, and twenty-four Secretaries. The Southwest District staff consists of:
Weekend Adult Lifetime Learning (WALL):
Weekend Adult Lifetime Learning (WALL) is a non-credit program for adults of any age who are eager to continue learning just for the love of learning. WALL offers a wide variety of courses, including everything from computer technology and finances to cooking, gardening, health and much, much more. The classes are held on the weekend, and are not only practical and challenging but also fun. There is a fee of $35 per term, whether taking one or all classes offered. Class topics vary from term to term. Betty Reiff is the director.