Available Free Software

See the Software Available via Virtual Resources and Software Available for Installation on Personal Computers section of our CEC Labs FAQ for more details.

Cloud Resources

The information below is for fee-based cloud access for teaching or research. As of now we have active accounts with AWS and Azure that can be used for students (costs currently being covered by CEC dean’s office) and for research (cost to be charged to your grant or other funds). Information on free cloud services for your or student use can be found on the Student FAQ page on this site.

  • Amazon (AWS): Access to Amazon Web Services can be arranged by sending email to vsehelp@gmu.edu . One of our systems admins will respond to discuss your requirements and then create the necessary accounts.
  • Azure: Access to Azure services can be arranged by sending email to vsehelp@gmu.edu. One of our systems admin staff will respond to discuss your requirements and then create the necessary accounts.
  • Oracle: We do not have billable account access with Oracle but they do offer free credits to be used by students for classes. To use this, go to https://academy.oracle.com, sign in or create an account, then from the home page click the Oracle Academy Cloud Program drop down and select the option to request Oracle Academy Cloud Program Accounts. You can download a template to submit student account information. You and each student will receive emails upon account provisioning.
  • Google: We do not have billable account access with Google but they do offer free credits for higher ed. Information on that program is at https://support.google.com/google-cloud-higher-ed?sjid=1649135848734623245-NA#topic=10322095.

Classroom Information

You can find information about the available lab systems and the installed software on the Resources page. The individual labs and the included software can be linked to using the menu on the right of the page.

Student Welcome Information

This Student Welcome Document introduces students to the services provided by CEC.

Syllabi Sample Texts

This Syllabi Texts contains text that should be added to your syllabi to help guide students on how to do various tasks that may be required for a given course. Copy the appropriate text into your syllabus.

Mapping To a Shared Drive

Please read Mapping a Drive for detailed instructions.

Faronics Insight Classroom Management

Faronics Insight provides instructors several options that can enhance the usability of classroom computers. It can allow viewing of any or all screens, provide remote assistance ability, as well as completely locking the computers in order to restrict distractions.

Please read the Insight Quick Start for more details on capabilities and usage.

We have installed Faronics Insight in the following rooms:

  • Engineering Bldg - ENGR1505, ENGR4457 and ENGR5358
  • Sci-Tech KJH - KJH259 and KJH260

Ink2Go - Screen Annotation & Screen Recording Solution for Presentations

Ink2Go is an extremely simple yet powerful screen annotation and recording software. You can easily write on top of any other application that is currently active on the desktop, even on a running video. You can then save your annotations as an image file or even record the whole session as a video for sharing.

Ink2Go is installed on the instructor computers in ENGR1505, ENGR4457 and ENGR5358. Please view the guide Ink2Go for usage instructions.

Remote Desktop Problems

We strongly recommend against working remotely through your campus desktop computer as it causes problems and is not reliably supportable. Physical problems with the campus computer (power glitch, building network, etc.) typically require physical presence on campus. We have also seen many problems when people attempt to participate web conferencing while connected to their campus computer. Our ability to help is extremely limited as we do NOT have access to CEC offices.

We have found that most CEC people connecting to their campus computers are using basic Office applications, web applications, and/or Adobe Acrobat Pro, all of which can be used on your home computer, whether Mason-owned or your personally-owned computer. Many other campus applications can be used from home. Data files (documents, spreadsheets) should be copied to your MESA or OneDrive shares and accessed remotely from home through the campus VPN. Instructions for connecting to your MESA share from Windows through the VPN are found here and instructions for connecting from a Mac are here. Please copy your files from your campus computer to the share and access them directly from your home computer. This will prevent many problems.

Please respond if you need help and we'll be happy to step you through the process. We can also help identify which applications you can run from home and which actually require use on a campus-based computer. In some cases, it may be feasible to take that computer home and we can help with that process as well.

Faculty Photos Share

Please see Mapping the VSE Photos Share for information about accessing the Faculty Photos Page.'''

Epson Interactive Projector

  • The Epson Interactive Projector will help transform your whiteboard into a collaborative and interactive workspace with touch-based interactivity, able to track several users at once. Using Epson Easy Interactive Tools software, the projected image can be easily switched between Annotation Mode and Whiteboard Mode, allowing full control of functions from the PC and/or the projected image. Drawing and control can be performed using one of the supplied Epson styli or by simply using your fingers.
  • Please view the Easy Interactive Tools documentation below to explore the features and learn how to use them.
  • The Epson Interactive Projector is used and provided in the following CEC rooms: KJH259, KJH260

Epson Easy Interactive Tools