Digital Toolkit

If you are thinking of purchasing a new laptop or PC, the University recommends the following minimum specification:

• Corei5 or AMD Ryzen 5
• 8gb RAM minimum / 16gb if available 
• 256gb SSD.

This recommended minimum specification should be sufficient to support your studies. 

If you are enrolled on a graphics-intensive course, please speak to your Programme Leaders for advice about a graphics card.

NOTE: we do not recommend Chromebooks as some of our platforms do not work as well on Chromebooks as they do on other hardware.

You will find a smartphone useful to participate in class polling activities or quizzes, and for multifactor authentication to keep your accounts safe. You can use your mobile device to access your student emails, Student Support and Microsoft 365. You can log into these services via a web browser, as you can on a laptop or desktop. You can also use smartphones and tablets to access learning materials, including your Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle or Canvas). However, we recommend a laptop or desktop for the majority of your work as a larger screen and keyboard will make it easier and help avoid health issues.

Assistive technologies can adapt your devices and interfaces to make learning more comfortable for you. Your assistive and adaptive needs will be addressed by Inclusion Services, who can provide a range of technologies and solutions. Further information can be found on our Inclusion Services page.

You do not need to purchase the Microsoft 365 package, as you will have free access through your student account. This includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Teams, as well as some other useful learning and productivity tools. You can access these through a browser, and there is a Microsoft Teams app available for smartphones. More information can be found on our Learning Skills pages.

As an Adobe Creative Campus, most students will have access to Adobe Express, an online tool for image and video editing. Students on creative courses will also have access to other Adobe software such as Photoshop and Premiere as required.

For other specialist software related to your course, your Programme Leaders should provide information and guidance. Some specialist software may only be available in certain PC labs on campus. Your course handbooks should make it clear what software you will be expected to use.

The MyUni Portal is a webpage that gives you quick access to all the key tools and information you will need during your course, such as your email account, virtual learning environment, timetable, library catalogue and the University’s support services.

The VLE is where you can access your course modules online. For most students, your VLE will be Moodle. For some students taking online only courses, it will be Canvas.

Your VLE should give you all the information you need to know about the modules you are taking; what they cover, how they are assessed and who your tutors are. They will hold your learning resources, which you may need to read or watch by yourself before or after a class or lecture. There may be activities to do, such as quizzes or online discussion forums. You will also submit assessed work here. Your tutors will also use Moodle to communicate with you via announcements.

Your email address is provided through Microsoft Outlook, and your email address will be your student number (e.g. S12345678) followed by @mail.glyndwr.ac.uk.

It is important that you check your student email regularly, as your tutors and the university will use this method for key communications.

The University uses Microsoft OneDrive to store files. You will have your own personal OneDrive store that you can access from anywhere in the world which has internet coverage. 

If you are using OneDrive on your personal computer, you may wish to change the settings so that it does not automatically back up work already on your device. This will help keep your personal files and university work separate. 

You can search the library catalogue (Resource Finder) online, and access many of the e-books and online journals from home. You will also have access to a wide range of subject specific databases. See our Learning Skills guides on Finding Information.

Academic Support Librarians and Academic Skills Tutors can help you with a range of academic skills, including finding and evaluating reliable and relevant information, academic writing and referencing, time management and presentations. To book an appointment, email learningskills@wrexham.ac.uk.

From here, you can access support, advice and guidance on careers and employability, finance and funding, disability support, mental health and wellbeing.

Computers

If you do not have a device, the University provides a number of study spaces and computer labs. There is an open-access lab in the Library and Student Support Centre which is open from 8.30 am to 10.00 pm daily. These opening times may alter as the academic year progresses. There are also specialised labs with software specifically for different programmes of study. Check out with your programme team what is available to you. 

The University also has a number of laptops you can borrow for a short period of time, which are available from the library and IT Helpdesk in the Library and Student Support Centre on the main campus.

Wi-Fi

The University currently uses EduRoam for our Wi-Fi provision, and details of how to install and log in to this Wi-Fi will be found on IT Services support pages, and on guides available in the Library.

If you are having problems getting logged on or with using your device on campus, support is available at our TechZone,  by ringing 01978 293241 or by raising a ticket via the INFORM service desk.

Alternatively, if you just want to change your password, you can do this through our MyUni portal using the change password link. Additional information on changing your password can be found on the 'change your password' page on our Student Support webpages.

Printers

There are several printers available throughout the University which you can send your printing to or use to for photocopying. More details on printing costs can be found on our Study Support page.

Bring your own device

As a student at the University, we will support you to use your own device on campus to help with your learning. This may be a laptop, tablet, smartphone or e-reader. You will be able to use your own device to access your student account for your email, the virtual learning environment and other university systems. You will also be able to use it to make notes in the classroom.

Digital skills include things like:

• Using digital methods to accomplish tasks and manage your time.
• Creating digital content such as documents, images and videos.
• Being able to learn through online sources.
• Being able to evaluate, organise and share digital media and data.
• Communicating and working with others via digital networks.
• Managing your online footprint and keeping safe online.

Take every opportunity to develop your digital skills during your course, or through your involvement with personal interests (e.g. in student projects, volunteering, hobbies and interest groups). These skills will be useful for future employment. 

Take full advantage of the IT training available to you when you are at university. Attend one of our Bitesize sessions, book an appointment with a Digital Skills Tutor or access online training.

As an enrolled student, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning, an online platform which provides video courses taught by industry experts in software, business skills and creative topics. Accessing videos and completing courses on Linkedln Learning will help you to develop your digital skills. You can also choose to link your personal LinkedIn account to your university LinkedIn Learning account, and any course you complete can then be shared on your profile. 

Use the Jisc Discovery tool to assess your digital skills and learn how you can improve them.  If you are very new to digital skills, start with the Essential Digital Skills question set. If you have some familiarity but just want to do a quick assessment of your skills at the start of your course, try the New Students questions. You can then use the Current Students (HE) questions later in your course, and repeat them regularly, to see how your skills improve over time.

Wrexham University uses the Active Learning Framework (ALF) which sets out what your learning experience should be like – flexible, inclusive, engaging, and digitally enabled. Digital learning tools will help you access your learning materials at a time that suits you, manage your study time, communicate and collaborate with others, and produce work creatively in a variety of formats. There may be interactive elements that give you hands-on practice, and most of your assessments will need to be submitted through the VLE.

Some tips to be prepared and get the most from your digital learning experiences:

• Make the most of your induction module, digital skills sessions and online guidance to get to know your VLE and Microsoft 365 tools early in your course.
• Check which other digital tools will be used as part of your module and what support is available, either from your module tutors or from the Digital Learning team.
• Make sure you understand how assignments are submitted online before you reach any critical deadlines. Information on how to submit an assignment through Turnitin or Moodle can be found on our Learning Skills pages.
• Make sure you can access all the software and resources you need to study away from campus, for example by downloading materials whilst you have access to the network.
• Look out for opportunities to develop and demonstrate your digital creativity in the tasks you are set, or in extracurricular activities. You might be able to create a web page, blog post, short video, animation, or infographic. Ask for help if you don’t know how to do these things.
• Make sure you understand ‘netiquette’ and how to communicate effectively online. Take advantage of opportunities to work with others, through discussion forums, Microsoft Teams, social media or other online methods of communication and collaboration. 

Course resources should be available in digitally accessible formats, and in a variety of different media, making it easier to study in a way that suits you best. We also have tools to help you access resources in the way that works best for you, such as Immersive Reader, ReciteMe and Anthology Ally.

If you are having problems getting logged on or using your device on campus, support is available through the TechZone, by phoning 01978 293241 or by raising a ticket via the INFORM service desk.

If you are on the main Wrexham campus, you can also visit the TechZone in the Library in person between 10am and 4pm on weekdays.

Information on connecting to wi-fi, changing your password, printing, and other useful guides are available online on our IT/Tech Zone Learning Skills page.

If you need support with the use of software, you can book an appointment with our Digital Skills Tutors by emailing them at learningskills@wrexham.ac.uk. 

The digital activities you carry out on your course will depend on the subject you are studying. However, there are some things, such as email, writing documents and presenting slides, that most students are likely to do. The University has a number of how-to guides which will help you to use software for creating your academic pieces of work, for example a presentation using PowerPoint, or designing an academic poster. You can access these from our Learning Skills pages.

If you need support with using the library catalogue, Resource Finder, online subject databases, journals or e-books, or with academic skills including evaluating information and referencing, Academic Support Librarians and Academic Skills Tutors can help. To book an appointment, email learningskills@wrexham.ac.uk.

Inclusion Services can give you support if you need to use assistive technology to help with your learning. Further information can be found on the Inclusion Services page and on the ASK Hub. You can also phone 01978 293266 or email inclusion@wrexham.ac.uk to find out what support they offer.