Technology Initiatives

Nevada State College supports the growth and success of our student body by integrating state-of-the-art technology into our classrooms and labs.  In class, instructors use tools such as the Sympodium and the iClicker to create dynamic, engaging lessons.  In our science labs, students gain valuable, hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools.  For example, NSC provides  students with the rare opportunity to use cutting edge biotechnology such as capillary electrophoresis and flow cytometry.  In many institutions, the use of these tools is limited to graduate students and professional researchers, but at NSC, they are open to undergraduate students, giving our graduates a highly marketable skill.

Our overarching goal at NSC is to use technology to help our students succeed.   In support of this commitment, the Provost’s Office is engaged in several technology initiatives, including:

• overseeing the Office of Instructional Technology, a division created to support faculty and student use of technology for learning.   This division actively trains faculty in current and emerging instructional technologies and assists faculty in curriculum development.  
• collaborating with NSC faculty and the City of Henderson to host The Southwest Technology Showcase in November of 2010.  This conference featured the work of faculty, administrators, staff who use technology for instruction, professional development, and student services. 
• working with the Office of Instructional Technology to create the Technology Fellows Institute, an annual program that helps support faculty who wish to use technology to enhance the student experience at NSC.  
• encouraging experimentation with emerging technologies.  NSC currently is currently piloting programs where iPad technology is used in astronomy, education, and English classes.  NSC is also currently designing a ticker room, which will display real-time stock market information.
• supporting efforts to infuse technology throughout the campus.  Each class has a WebCampus shell, and each classroom on campus is equipped with:
  • a computer for the instructor and a large screen projector
  • a Sympodium, which allows instructors to annotate images in real-time and quickly upload the results to WebCampus
  • an Elmo Document Projector which allows instructors to magnify and display papers and artifacts
  • iClicker technology which allows for easy polling and instant feedback  
• the NSC labs are also equipped with highly specialized devices, including:
  • a flow cytometer, which can process over 1000 cells per second
  • capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography equipment that is used in state of the art biotechnology companies. 
  • Several other tools, including gas chromatography, a scanning spectrophotometer, a multi-mode microplate detector, and a polymerase chain reaction thermocycler.