West Chester University - Information Services & Technology

Spring 2023 Newsletter

Contents:

Key Reminders and Best Practices

IS&T tips for returning to campus including additional resources for instructional technologies, classroom technologies, computer labs, software, and hardware to help your semester get off to a great start.

  1. Activate your course site(s) in D2L
  2. Best practices for managing your technology inside and out of the classroom
  3. Update your RamCast (Mersive Solstice) client
  4. Update your Zoom Client
  5. Visit the Classroom Technology Directory to verify equipment in your classroom
  6. Visit ServiceNow and use the Virtual Agent to search for support articles
  7. Review how to connect your laptop to a classroom display with HDMI
  8. Review instructions for D2L Quiz Creation

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D2L Development Sites

The D2L Development Site Request process allows faculty to request the creation of a D2L course site prior to the beginning of the semester. Development sites are great for working on courses outside the regular semester as well as for saving or archiving content from previous courses. Many faculty members also use development shells to experiment with D2L tools that could fit the needs of their lesson planning through customization and practicality. For more information on requesting a D2L development course, please refer to this help article: D2L: Development Site Request Form.

Technology Access

Student Technology Access: In support of the Moonshot for Equity initiative, Information Services & Technology has partnered with the FHG Library, Academic Success Program, College of Education and Social Work, and the Financial Aid office to develop a variety of short and long‐term laptop lending programs. Visit the Student Computing Resources website to learn more about these programs, available computer labs, and educational discounts for students who may be looking to purchase equipment.

Adjunct Faculty Laptops: The Provost’s Office, Deans and IS&T have allocated resources to maintain a supply of Windows and MacOS laptops that will now be available for adjunct faculty. Submit a request using the Adjunct Faculty Loaner Laptop Form.

Digital Workplace: In our efforts to support the WCU Strategic Plan around Sustainability, IS&T has partnered with the Sustainability Office to increase awareness of the Green Office Program and working digitally . Make a difference and join us in the campaign to reduce the number of printers in your department! Faculty, staff, and students can print to 30 different RamPrint Multi‐Function printers (MFPs) from both university owned computers and personal devices. Learn more about RamPrint and locations.

Cybersecurity & Required Awareness Training

Cybercriminals are intensifying their efforts to trick unsuspecting users into scams to obtain login credentials, install malware, and steal identities or credit card information. The entire campus community must be on high alert as cyber‐attacks evolve with more sophisticated delivery techniques and targeted campaigns. Cybersecurity Awareness Training campaigns will continue to be a cornerstone
of the Cybersecurity Defense Plan for West Chester University, including the utilization of simulated phishing campaigns. In addition to Phishing Scams, this year’s campaign will also highlight security surrounding data privacy and protection.

Annual security awareness training will continue this Spring through KnowBe4 for faculty and staff, while cybersecurity education for students is actively being conducted through a D2L Module, Student Cybersecurity Awareness in Navigating Digital Learning (due March 31st).

ServiceNow Catalog Updates & Now Mobile App

The IS&T team continues to build functionality into the ServiceNow platform most recently adding a new category in our service catalog for Digital Media & Signage. Users can now submit requests for video production, consultation using classroom technologies, and submit content for digital signage which replaces the former method using an email account for digital signage.

Download the NOW Mobile App! With up‐to‐date Knowledge Base support articles, and a growing service catalog, the Now Mobile app makes it easy to find answers, get help and submit requests directly from your mobile device. The app can be downloaded from the Apple Store and Google Play.

Key App Details:

  • Search for technical documentation
  • Submit and keep track of incidents
  • Browse IT Services
  • Review IS&T Notices
  • Review Latest Phishing attempts
  • Interact with Virtual Agent Chatbot
  • Walk‐up Experience ‐ remotely check‐in at the Help Desk for express service

Software Procurement

All software purchase requests must be submitted via ServiceNow to be fully vetted. This includes Terms & Conditions, End User License Agreement (EULA), and the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT) to be attached. Please note the vetting and procurement can take several months to finalize (even with $0 agreements) so be sure to plan accordingly. Also note that lab software installation requires 2‐week lead time and may be subject to license availability. Requests for university‐owned software to be installed in a campus computer lab or laptop cart must be submitted via ServiceNow. Learn more by visiting the software applications website.

Tools for Digital Accessibility

West Chester University is committed to diversity and providing an equitable and inclusive technology
environment for all students, faculty, and staff.

ReadSpeaker is a text‐to‐speech tool in D2L that speaks the content that is written on a page. Comprised of WebReader and DocReader, ReadSpeaker helps users to process information in different ways.

Panopto Captioning: All videos added to Panopto have automatic, machine‐generated closed captions. The machine‐generated captions are intended to be a base for creating accurate captions with the builtin Panopto editor and also to enable users the ability to search and interact with transcript while watching a video.

Zoom Live Captions & Transcript: You can turn on the Live Captioning feature to have your meeting audio captioned using AI. Zoom also enables you to assign a participant to be a Live Captioner. Attendees can turn on or off the option to view the subtitled captions. If the Zoom meeting is recorded, a transcript will automatically be created for the recording with the ability to download and distribute.

Visit the articles below to learn more about tools for digital accessibility.

Save the Date: Annual RECAP Conference May 17th ‐18th 2023

The RECAP Conference is an annual event showcasing the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. Following its mission, the conference provides a forum that fosters sharing best practices and innovations, encourages collaboration and addresses current topics of interest in the use of technology in the classroom. Participants find the conference to be a great opportunity to learn, meet peers and gain inspiration in new ways to incorporate technology into their courses. Call for proposals opens Monday January 23rd, 2023.

 

West Chester University | Information Services & Technology

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or to speak with a LIVE Agent dial 610-436-3350

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