Student Perspective: Tools and Services to Lighten Your Daily Workload

Northwestern students spend countless hours each week behind laptops, conquering the challenges of daily classwork, extracurricular responsibilities, and professional tasks. As they operate within today’s age of digital efficiency, we wanted to talk to students to see what online tools and services help them minimize their workloads. 

Wildcats, below are some of the Microsoft and Adobe tools (among others) to help you.

Adobe Premiere Pro 

Included in the Adobe Creative Suite, budding filmmakers can use the tools offered by Adobe Premiere Pro to crop clips, adjust audio, and implement digital effects to their video projects. Premiere Pro is a more professional alternative to iMovie, allowing users to upload completed projects directly to Vimeo and YouTube. Students in Medill, McCormick, Weinberg, and the School of Communication can contact their school for more information, as the schools hold a limited number of student licenses.

Adobe Scan 

Adobe Scan is a go-to service for storing hand-written documents in the Cloud. Utilizing your phone’s camera, Adobe Scan uses AI to straighten, sharpen, and reduce glare for essays or equations before storing them as PDF or JPEG files to be submitted online.  Adobe Scan can also be used to create high-quality digital images of visual art. You can use Adobe Scan for free on your computer or download the mobile app to your mobile phone or tablet. 

Microsoft Copilot 

Easily accessible via a web browser, Microsoft Copilot scans online resources to compile short and accessible answers to any query. Using Generative AI, Copilot organizes information into bullet-point lists with links to the online resources it draws from. Students can use the free services offered by Copilot. Please refer to the Northwestern Guidance on the Use of Generative AI to safeguard academic integrity.

SensusAccess 

SensusAccess converts documents into accessible formats and into a range of alternate media, including audiobooks, e-books, digital Braille, digital large print, and BeeLine Reader. It is free and easily accessible via your web browser. 

NUToDo

NUToDo features let you do more in Northwestern Canvas. Created by Northwestern IT Teaching and Learning Technologies, the NUToDo (i.e., New To-Do) and Course Card Details expand tasking and time management support in Canvas. When enabled, you can see upcoming assessments in Canvas at a glance, create custom tasks, and more. Learn more about NUToDo.

When I Work 

It can be challenging to balance campus employment responsibilities and schoolwork, so students can opt to use When I Work to manage their shifts and schedules. When I Work can be accessed from your browser, and if you use the mobile app, you can receive push notifications about upcoming shifts a couple of days in advance. When I Work includes a messaging function that allows users to communicate with employers and fellow employees, so you can inquire about shift information while scheduling work. Disclaimer: When I Work is an external service that Northwestern IT does not currently offer. Its inclusion in this story is based solely on the student-author's personal experience with the service.   

You Got IT! 

When navigating the complexities of a digital workload, in taking classes at Northwestern, participating in clubs, or working on campus, remember that Northwestern IT has your back. Through providing services like these, Northwestern IT’s tools and services make the daily tasks of a Northwestern Wildcat easier to complete. 

Learn more about other available tools and services in the Northwestern IT Service Catalog. For quick access to student IT resources, check out this guide.