IT News

Fall 2011 – Welcome Back Faculty and Staff!

We would like to welcome you back and give you highlights of technology improvements for your 2011-2012 academic year.

Every summer we plan for upgrades to offices, labs and classrooms which will improve technology services for students and faculty.  Inside this newsletter you will have the opportunity to read more on the improvements:

We look forward to working with you and your technology needs this academic year.

Please contact us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions at helpdesk@gvsu.edu.

Have a great year!

~Your Information Technology Team

 

Outlook @ GVSU

We have begun the process of converting all faculty/staff accounts from GroupWise email to Microsoft Outlook.  The conversion process along with conversion schedules, preparation, getting started documents and extensive training documents are available at www.gvsu.edu/it and then select Outlook @ GVSU along the left panel.

In order to be converted, you must be on Windows 7 and Office 2010 or Macintosh 10.5 and greater with Outlook 2011 to utilize the full Outlook client.  If you are not on one of the updated systems, you will use the Outlook Web Access client via the Internet.  You can find this web application at http://mail.outlook.gvsu.edu

Questions?  Please contact the Computing & Technology Support team at helpdesk@gvsu.edu or 616-331-2101.

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myPath @ GVSU

myPath is the tool that GVSU uses for advisors, faculty and students to review a student’s degree audit and see at a glance what is left to take towards a degree and/or what has been completed.  myPath also allows for advisors, faculty and students to plan ahead by semester using an integrated Planner tool within myPath.  Other features include GPA Calculator and a “What If” function that allows students to hypothetically change their degree, catalog year, major, minor, or emphasis

Questions?  Please contact the Records Office or a college advisor.

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MapWorks @ GVSU

MAP-Works is a Web-based program for students that helps connects them to the help they need to succeed at GVSU.  MAP-Works provides a PERSONALIZED REPORT showing students how they compare to other GVSU students.

This is our third year of providing this tool for Freshman and we learn a lot about our student’s expectations and attitudes and, in several cases we are able to resolve issues that could have caused students to leave the university unnecessarily. We continually tweak our student support offerings to provide better service to students with the comments we receive from this tool.  Faculty will receive emails later this Fall explaining this tool further and how they can use it to review advisees assigned to them or within their major area of interest.

Questions?  Please contact the MapWorks Support team at mapworks@gvsu.edu.

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myBlackboard @ GVSU

Blackboard is our Learning Management System (LMS) and is used very well at GVSU.  This was a busy year with a version upgrade from 9.0 to 9.1 and several service packs and partner program updates!  We have a lot of services to extend our classrooms and help us organize our classroom workflow.  To help navigate the sea of features, please check out the IT Blackboard Help pages!

The Instructional Design team also can offer a lot of value into helping you with getting your content organized and ready to deliver, see their site:  http://www.gvsu.edu/it/itech/

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Win7 in Labs and Classrooms

Our wonderful Tech Support group has been busy this year getting the lab and classroom image updated to Windows 7!  This is a great image for our instructor stations and classrooms and it includes Office 2010!  If you have any questions, please contact the IT Helpdesk, 331-2101 or helpdesk@gvsu.edu.

The Student Techs continue to be the front line of support in labs and classrooms and they can help with any GVSU supported software, but remember they do not know specialized software and are not equipped to be tutors.  If you need assistance in your lab or classroom and see a friendly and energitic college student in a blue CTS vest, please feel free to ask them to assist you.  

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GVSU on iTunes U

Our iTunes U site had a great summer with some featured content!

The Veterans History Project was featured Memorial Day Weekend in the iTunes Store with other Veterans content from all over the US!  The University Libraries, Digital Studio and History Department continue to add content and the interviews are a fantastic look at American culture through the eyes of some wonderful Veterans!  Subscribe to the content on  GVSU on iTunes U!

In July, the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies was featured on the iTunes U Store front page.  There was good traffic and a great presence for GVSU!  Subscribe to Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies!

The iTunes U SuperUsers continue to set and meet goals for our site, so join them to make your contribution to this great group of innovators by email to itunesu@gvsu.edu.

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Wimba Pronto Changing to Blackboard IM

Blackboard has announced the release of their new enterprise instant messaging platform, Blackboard IM. With its release, users will experience a new level of instant collaboration that will include advanced features such as video chat, screen sharing and a robust whiteboard.

Blackboard IM has the same features as Wimba Pronto, but now Professors and their students can communicate more quickly and easily with improved features that include:

Unified Collaboration Window

Whiteboard, desktop sharing, and guided web tours are centralized in a “unified collaboration" window for displaying shared content.

Redesigned Audio and Video Calls

A single call button from the chat windows allows easy audio -> video -> audio transitioning.

Chat, call, conference “Quick Launch” buttons

Quickly start up a group chat, call or web conference, with the ability to invite a single user,    multiple users, contact groups, or entire courses.

These new features will enable faculty and students to establish collaboration sessions that they previously didn’t have before, connections that are more consistent, accessible and engaging. GVSU will be making the switch to Blackboard IM on August 15, 2011. Existing users will be prompted to upgrade their Wimba Pronto software when logging in, while new users will be directed to the new BB IM download link. For more information visit www.gvsu/edu/it.

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ooVoo Support Now Available

What is ooVoo? ooVoo is a high quality video conferencing service that enables people around the world to connect with each other via the internet and GVSU has adopted ooVoo as a sustainable alternative to commuting between campuses. Now, GVSU faculty or staff members can ooVoo in to meetings without the need to travel, professors can conduct virtual office hours and students can alleviate scheduling conflicts when working on group projects. Plus, it’s FREE.

The Digital Studio is also taking reservations for ooVoo support. Are you scheduling a special event or need assistance with an upcoming interview? On-site ooVoo technical support is now available for GVSU faculty and staff. To schedule a student technician for your next ooVoo meeting, simply fill out the on-line support reservation form and provide a departmental FOAP.

For download information, tutorials on how to conduct an ooVoo conference or to request support, visit http://www.gvsu.edu/oovoo/ and start using ooVoo today.

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Digital Studio Seeking Submissions

The Digital Studio is now seeking submissions from University faculty and staff who are interested in converting older forms of presentation materials (e.g. transparencies, 35mm slides, VHS video tapes) into today’s most commonly used digital formats.

Located in Mackinac Hall on the Allendale Campus, the Digital Studio seeks to promote the creation of virtual learning experiences by providing consulting services, project development, and technology exploration.

For more information about what the Digital Studio can do for you, contact us at studiod@gvsu.edu or visit our website at http://www.gvsu.edu/it/digital-studio-48.htm.

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Win7 @ GVSU Status

In 2009, GVSU’s Information Technology Department made the decision to move from the Novell Network Operating System to Microsoft’s Active Directory. Although this change is not readily visible to the end user, the upgrade will provide faculty and staff with increased network storage, better security and a more stable computing environment. Along with the upgrade to Active Directory, Information Technology has also been installing Windows 7 on all faculty and staff PC-based computers.

What this means for faculty and staff is improved network data storage and security…all data is now stored and backed up nightly on the network. If your hard drive fails or is infected with a virus, your data remains safe. Single user logins…you and only you can log into your machine, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data. A better desktop…Windows 7 gets you around your PC faster than ever. The taskbar has bigger buttons and full-sized previews—and you can pin programs to it for one-click access. Smarter search capabilities…type in the Start menu search box, and you'll see results instantly, grouped by category—documents, pictures, music, email, and programs.

Since the projects start in April of 2010, IT has upgraded 2,400 machines out of approximately 3,600 computers on campus. All remaining machines are expected to be completed by the end of the year. According to Bob Holcomb, CTS Desktop Support Supervisor; “Thanks to the cooperation of University faculty and staff the upgrades have gone exceedingly well, considering the tight timelines involved”. If your PC has not been upgraded yet, you can expect the following in preparation for the upgrade. The goal is to minimize the amount time that you spend without your computer.

  • Department Coordinators are contacted by Computing and Technology Support.
  • Instructions are sent out to users in preparation for the upgrade.
  • CTS technicians call and schedule an appointment.
  • Your computer hard drive is replaced and the data transferred

Faculty and staff should be present during the upgrade to ensure that all of your data is transferred and that your new network “Private Drive” folder appears on the desktop. If for some reason any data is missed when moving it from the old drive to the new, CTS will still have your original hard drive.

For the latest news and information, we encourage all faculty and staff to visit the following site for more information, http://www.gvsu.edu/it/windows-7-220.htm .

Video help content:  GVSU on iTunes U!

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