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Tech Tips: April 2024 Faculty and Staff Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on Apr. 3, 2024.

Information Security Awareness Training Begins This Week

In accordance with New York State requirements, ITS will launch the annual information security training for University faculty and staff beginning this week. You will receive a link to complete the training via email, which will be completed in the new Infosec IQ platform. Once you complete the training, you will be eligible to be randomly selected for the weekly drawing for a $25 prize from the Syracuse University Campus Store. You also will be eligible for all subsequent weekly prize selections, for a total of four prize opportunities for those who complete the training during the first week.

Register for the Research Computing Series

The Research Computing Series is a great opportunity to learn about the resources available to faculty, staff and students. The Wednesday, April 10 session will feature a presentation by Collin Capano, director of the Open Source Project Office (OSPO). This session will focus on how the OSPO, established with a grant from the Sloan Foundation, serves as the center of competency for open source operations and structure on campus. The Wednesday, April 17 session will showcase insights from the ITS Research Computing team, focusing on recent enhancements to campus resources.

Summer Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning

The ITS Online Learning Services (OLS) team is excited to announce the opening of applications for the 2024 Summer Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning (SITETL). OLS will offer two SITETL sessions—one in late May and one in early August. Faculty have until the end of the day on Friday, April 12, to apply. SITETL 2024: Ultra Courses is designed to help instructors transition their Blackboard courses from the Original course view to the Ultra course view. Admission is competitive and based on an application in which the participant describes their teaching and how they intend to benefit from the event. Selected participants will receive priority assistance from OLS, development spaces in the Blackboard system to work on their Ultra content and a monetary award of $500 for completing all of the workshop sessions.

All of Your Documents in One Spot

Wouldn’t it be nice if all of your Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, OneNote files, and other recent work were collected in one spot? Visit office.syr.edu from any device for a fully searchable, one-stop shop of your Microsoft 365 files, Teams conversations and more. You also can explore apps such as Canva, Whiteboard and SharePoint to get more out of your Microsoft 365 products.

Course Feedback Window

The window for collecting course feedback this semester opens on Monday, April 15. Course feedback is an important way for students to discuss their academic experiences. Students are more motivated to respond constructively when instructors communicate directly with them about it. To help gain more feedback, a great practice is to offer time during a class session for students to complete the course survey. Visit the course feedback page for a QR code you can share on Blackboard or in an email. The QR code directs students to the log-in page to access their course surveys. If you have any questions, please email coursefeedback@syr.edu. We know that the end of a semester is a busy time. We appreciate your time and effort!

Blackboard Ultra Course View Transition: New Workshops Added

The University will complete the transition from Blackboard Original Course View to Blackboard Ultra Course View during the summer of 2024. For the Fall 2024 term, all new courses will be created in Ultra Course view. Instructors will retain access to their previously offered Original courses to copy content into Ultra courses and for record-keeping purposes. Instructors can begin preparing to use Blackboard Ultra Course View by signing up for how-to videos and a sandbox course to try it out.

ITS Online Learning Services (OLS) is kicking off its spring and summer Ultra support on Tuesday, March 19, with a new workshop for instructors to use their syllabus to create a Blackboard Ultra course from the ground up. In part one, instructors will focus on updating their course structure to take advantage of Ultra’s navigation. Instructors will create new Blackboard documents and copy items from their prior courses. An optional part two will center on gradebook setup and assessment settings. The workshop is a “hands-on” opportunity to work with OLS staff as they guide participants through the process of re-designing for Ultra. Register now!

Instructors also can visit Answers for news about all the resources OLS offers to support instructors through the transition.

Libraries Launches New Digital Collections

The Libraries recently launched its new Digital Collections site. This new online resource is produced and curated by the Libraries’ Digital Stewardship team and primarily features distinctive content from the Special Collections Research Center. The Libraries’ users, including students, faculty, staff and global researchers, can find collections by choosing the subject topic, name, geographic location, original format or source collection from alphabetical drop-down menus.

Tech To-Dos Before Leaving the University

Whether you are retiring, a student-worker is graduating or a co-worker will soon leave the University, it’s important to know how long you will have access to various technology resources, including documents you have shared or that have been shared with you. On Answers, you can find a list of information technology resources (e.g., email, Google Workspace, Qualtrics, etc.) and how long access is available after departure. Consider including a review of digital assets as part of the exit procedure for anyone leaving a department or the University.

System Alerts

If you have trouble connecting to a campus website or system, the System Status page on the ITS website can help you determine whether there is an issue with your computer or something else. The System Status page includes notifications for scheduled downtimes and alerts for unscheduled downtimes or outages. You also can sign up to receive notifications and alerts by email.

SensusAccess Now Available

Consistent with a campus that is welcoming to all, SensusAccess makes electronic documents such as PDF files or Microsoft PowerPoint presentations more accessible to audiences of all abilities through remediation or conversion to more usable formats, including audio, e-books, digital Braille, digital large-print and BeeLine Reader. SensusAccess also can translate documents from one language into another. The service is available for use by students, faculty and staff at no cost. Stop by our ITS Digital Accessibility Office Hours to learn more about SensusAccess and other digital accessibility topics.

Helpful Resources

ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

Orange Online: April 2024 Student Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all students via email on Apr. 3, 2024.

Register for the Research Computing Series

The Research Computing Series is a great opportunity to learn about the resources available to all students. The Wednesday, April 10 session will feature a presentation by Collin Capano, director of the Open Source Project Office (OSPO). This session will focus on how the OSPO, established with a grant from the Sloan Foundation, serves as the center of competency for open source operations and structure on campus. The Wednesday, April 17 session will showcase insights from the ITS Research Computing team, focusing on recent enhancements to campus resources. Register here.

Tech To-Dos Before Graduation

Congratulations to all of our soon-to-be-graduates! On Answers, you can find a list of information technology resources (e.g., email, Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud and more) and how long you will retain access to them following graduation. It also is important to migrate your University Google Drive data, as well as transfer ownership of any surveys you created in Qualtrics for faculty or staff who will need to use them in the future. To transfer ownership of a Qualtrics survey, send an email from your @syr.edu address to qualtrics@ot.syr.edu and name the specific survey(s) to be transferred and the new owner(s).

Course Feedback Window

The window for providing feedback on the courses you are taking this semester opens on Monday, April 15. Course surveys are accessed via Blackboard (Tools) or directly in the course feedback system. Course feedback is an important way for you to inform your instructor what worked and what didn’t work for you as a learner. Your responses are confidential, and no identifying information is recorded or distributed on the reports that are generated. Reports are released after final grades are submitted. If you have any questions or issues, please contact the course feedback team. We know that the end of a semester is a busy time. We appreciate your time and effort!

All of Your Documents in One Spot

Wouldn’t it be nice if all of your Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, OneNote files and other recent work were collected in one spot? Visit office.syr.edu from any device for a fully searchable, one-stop-shop of your Microsoft 365 files, Teams conversations and more. You can also explore apps such as Canva, Whiteboard and SharePoint to get more out of your Microsoft 365 products.

Phishing Alerts on the ITS Instagram Account

Criminals use malicious email to try to trick you into revealing your password or other sensitive information or to infect your computer with malware. These phishers sometimes try to make their emails look real by using companies’ or institutions’ logos, fonts and colors. Urgent demands also are common (for example, “Reply with your password within 24 hours or your account will be closed!”). In addition to the ITS Phish Bowl, ITS shares examples of phishing emails on Instagram to increase awareness of common scams.

SpectrumU on Campus

Do you need a break from studying? When you connect to a campus network, you can watch your favorite movies and shows by downloading the SpectrumU app or by visiting watch.spectrum.net through your browser.

Microsoft 365: Your Documents, Anywhere on Any Device

Microsoft 365 is a suite of productivity tools that enables you to access your files and applications from anywhere on any device. Microsoft 365 includes classic Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as secure storing and sharing via OneDrive and real-time collaboration through Teams.

System Alerts

If you have trouble connecting to a campus website or system, the System Status page on the ITS website can help you determine whether there is an issue with your computer or something else. The System Status page includes notifications for scheduled downtimes and alerts for unscheduled downtimes or outages. You also can sign up to receive notifications and alerts by email.

Helpful Resources

ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

Tech Tips: March 2024 Faculty and Staff Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on Mar. 6, 2024.

New Service Makes Electronic Documents More Accessible for All

ITS is pleased to announce the rollout of SensusAccess, a new and fully automated document remediation and file conversion service. Consistent with a campus that is welcoming to all, SensusAccess makes electronic documents such as PDF files or Microsoft PowerPoint presentations more accessible to audiences of all abilities through remediation or conversion to more usable formats, including audio, e-books, digital Braille, digital large-print and BeeLine Reader. SensusAccess also can translate documents from one language into another. The service is available for use by students, faculty and staff at no cost.

Annual Spring Lecture to Examine the Effects of Artificial Intelligence

Data scientist and artificial intelligence (AI) expert Rumman Chowdhury will visit campus on Wednesday, March 6, as the featured speaker for the University’s annual Spring Lecture. Her talk, “Generative AI and the Future of Humanity,” will begin at 7 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but a ticket will be required for entry. More Info

Spring Break Travel Tip

If you will travel for Spring Break, it’s a good idea to configure your multifactor authentication (MFA) methods to ensure you retain access to your University accounts wherever you go. ITS recommends you download and configure the Microsoft Authenticator app on the mobile device you will take with you. You can learn more about MFA on Answers.

Blackboard Ultra Course View Transition: New Workshops Added

The University will complete the transition from Blackboard Original Course View to Blackboard Ultra Course View during the summer of 2024. For the Fall 2024 term, all new courses will be created in Ultra Course view. Instructors will retain access to their previously offered Original courses to copy content into Ultra courses and for record-keeping purposes. Instructors can begin preparing to use Blackboard Ultra Course View by signing up for how-to videos and a sandbox course to try it out.

ITS Online Learning Services (OLS) is kicking off its spring and summer Ultra support on Tuesday, March 19, with a new workshop for instructors to use their syllabus to create a Blackboard Ultra course from the ground up. In part one, instructors will focus on updating their course structure to take advantage of Ultra’s navigation. Instructors will create new Blackboard documents and copy items from their prior courses. An optional part two will center on gradebook setup and assessment settings. The workshop is a “hands-on” opportunity to work with OLS staff as they guide participants through the process of re-designing for Ultra. Register now!

Instructors also can visit Answers for news about all the resources OLS offers to support instructors through the transition.

Microsoft 365: Your Documents, Anywhere on Any Device

Microsoft 365 is a suite of productivity tools that enables you to access your files and applications from anywhere on any device. Microsoft 365 includes classic Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as secure storing and sharing via OneDrive and real-time collaboration through Teams.

Orange Alert Information in MySlice

All faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to ensure their contact information for Orange Alert is up to date in MySlice to receive emergency communications from the Department of Public Safety.

To do so:

  • Go to MySlice
  • Log in using your NetID and Password
  • Select Student Home or Employee Home depending on your primary affiliation
  • Select the Personal Profile tile
  • Choose “Orange Alert Contacts” from the navigation menu
  • Review your information

If you need to add, update or delete contact information, select “Contact Details” from the navigation menu. Utilize the “Orange Alert Private Phone” feature to add a secondary/emergency contact (for example, spouse, sibling, etc.) to receive alerts.

ITS Phish Bowl

Criminals use malicious email to try to trick you into revealing your password or other sensitive information or to infect your computer with malware. These phishers sometimes try to make their emails look real by using companies’ or institutions’ logos, fonts and colors. Urgent demands also are common (for example, “Reply with your password within 24 hours or your account will be closed!”). To help you identify phishing emails, ITS has collected recent examples at the Phish Bowl.

New Library Services Platform

In late June 2024, the Libraries will upgrade to a new, cloud-based library services platform. The Libraries’ current user search interface will be replaced with a newer Library Search. Routine processing of requests for new books, videos or other resources for the collection will be on hold from Monday, April 1, through Thursday, Aug. 1. More information is available on the Libraries website.

System Alerts

If you have trouble connecting to a campus website or system, the System Status page on the ITS website can help you determine whether there is an issue with your computer or something else. The System Status page includes notifications for scheduled downtimes and alerts for unscheduled downtimes or outages. You also can sign up to receive notifications and alerts by email.

Use Concise Alt Text to Convey Image Purpose

Adding alternative text descriptions (alt text) to images in your documents, emails and websites is a must for accessibility. But what should you include in your alt text? Avoid extraneous details and instead use concise language that conveys the purpose of the image. For example, “Syracuse University mascot Otto the Orange works on a laptop in the ITS Service Center” is appropriate alt text for the featured image of this post. Do not begin your alt text with phrases such as “a photo of” or “a picture of.” Finally, check any AI-generated alt text for accuracy. Visit Creating Accessible MS Word Documents to learn more about alt text for images or stop by our ITS Digital Accessibility Office Hours.

Helpful Resources

ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

Orange Online: March 2024 Student Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all students via email on Mar. 6, 2024.

New Service Makes Electronic Documents More Accessible for All

ITS is pleased to announce the rollout of SensusAccess, a new and fully automated document remediation and file conversion service. Consistent with a campus that is welcoming to all, SensusAccess makes electronic documents such as PDF files or Microsoft PowerPoint presentations more accessible to audiences of all abilities through remediation or conversion to more usable formats, including audio, e-books, digital Braille, digital large-print and BeeLine Reader. SensusAccess also can translate documents from one language into another. The service is available for use by students, faculty and staff at no cost.

Spring Break Travel Tip

If you will travel for Spring Break, it’s a good idea to configure your multifactor authentication (MFA) methods to ensure you retain access to your University accounts wherever you go. ITS recommends you download and configure the Microsoft Authenticator app on the mobile device you will take with you. You can learn more about MFA on Answers.

Phishing Alerts on the ITS Instagram Account

Criminals use malicious email to try to trick you into revealing your password or other sensitive information or to infect your computer with malware. These phishers sometimes try to make their emails look real by using companies’ or institutions’ logos, fonts and colors. Urgent demands also are common (for example, “Reply with your password within 24 hours or your account will be closed!”). In addition to the ITS Phish Bowl, ITS shares examples of phishing emails on Instagram to increase awareness of common scams.

Orange Alert Information in MySlice

All students are strongly encouraged to ensure their contact information for Orange Alert is up to date in MySlice to receive emergency communications from the Department of Public Safety.

To do so:

  • Go to MySlice
  • Log in using your NetID and Password
  • Select Student Home or Employee Home depending on your primary affiliation
  • Select the Personal Profile tile
  • Choose “Orange Alert Contacts” from the navigation menu
  • Review your information

If you need to add, update or delete contact information, select “Contact Details” from the navigation menu. Utilize the “Orange Alert Private Phone” feature to add a secondary/emergency contact (for example, spouse, sibling, etc.) to receive alerts.

Annual Spring Lecture to Examine the Effects of Artificial Intelligence

Data scientist and artificial intelligence (AI) expert Rumman Chowdhury will visit campus on Wednesday, March 6, as the featured speaker for the University’s annual Spring Lecture. Her talk, “Generative AI and the Future of Humanity,” will begin at 7 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but a ticket will be required for entry. More Info

Microsoft 365: Your Documents, Anywhere on Any Device

Microsoft 365 is a suite of productivity tools that enables you to access your files and applications from anywhere on any device. Microsoft 365 includes classic Microsoft Office applications like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as secure storing and sharing via OneDrive and real-time collaboration through Teams.

Tech To-Dos Before Graduation

Are you graduating in May? On Answers, you can find a list of information technology resources (e.g., email, Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Cloud and more) and how long you will retain access to them following graduation. It also is important to migrate your University Google Drive data, as well as transfer ownership of any surveys you created in Qualtrics for faculty or staff who will need to use them in the future. To transfer ownership of a Qualtrics survey, send an email from your @syr.edu address to qualtrics@ot.syr.edu and name the specific survey(s) to be transferred and the new owner(s).

System Alerts

If you have trouble connecting to a campus website or system, the System Status page on the ITS website can help you determine whether there is an issue with your computer or something else. The System Status page includes notifications for scheduled downtimes and alerts for unscheduled downtimes or outages. You also can sign up to receive notifications and alerts by email.

Helpful Resources

ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

Tech Tips: February 2024 Faculty and Staff Newsletter

This message was originally shared with all faculty and staff via email on Feb. 7, 2024.

Store and Share With Microsoft OneDrive

Part of the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity tools, OneDrive lets you store and protect 500GB of files, share them with others and access them from anywhere on all of your devices. Options for migrating content from Google Drive to OneDrive are available on Answers.

Annual Spring Lecture to Examine the Effects of Artificial Intelligence

Data scientist and artificial intelligence (AI) expert Rumman Chowdhury will visit campus on Wed., March 6, as the featured speaker for the University’s annual Spring Lecture. Her talk, “Generative AI and the Future of Humanity,” will begin at 7 p.m. in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but a ticket will be required for entry.

Securing Zoom Meetings

To help ensure the security of Zoom meetings, ITS recommends the following steps when hosting a meeting:

• Automatically generate a Meeting ID
• Require a meeting password
• Enable the waiting room feature
• Disable “Join Before Host”
• Limit screen sharing to the host
• Lock the meeting

You can learn more about these and other recommendations on Answers.

Blackboard Ultra Course View Transition

Instructors can begin preparing to use Blackboard Ultra Course view by signing up for how-to videos and a sandbox course to try it out. The ITS Online Learning Services team will announce Spring and Summer training opportunities soon. Details, including topics, dates and registration links, will be available on Answers.

System Alerts

If you have trouble connecting to a campus website or system, the System Status page on the ITS website can help you determine whether there is an issue with your computer or something else. The System Status page includes notifications for scheduled downtimes and alerts for unscheduled downtimes or outages. You also can sign up to receive notifications and alerts by email.

ITS Phish Bowl

Criminals use malicious email to try to trick you into revealing your password or other sensitive information or to infect your computer with malware. These phishers sometimes try to make their emails look real by using companies’ or institutions’ logos, fonts and colors. Urgent demands also are common (for example, “Reply with your password within 24 hours or your account will be closed!”). To help you identify phishing emails, ITS has collected recent examples at the Phish Bowl.

New eResources From Syracuse University Libraries

The Libraries collects a wide array of online resources licensed from hundreds of publishers, from books and journals to streaming media, images, indexes and databases. For this semester, the Libraries have begun the first year of Gale’s Accelerate model, which allows the Libraries to experiment more with different types of archival collections at one time to determine the ones that best meet the University’s research and teaching needs. The new collections from Gale represent a wide range of periodical, manuscript, news and other types of archives.

You Are Here: Digital Maps and Other Campus Resources

If you haven’t already done so, check out our digital maps on maps.syracuse.edu, where you can sort by a range of location types (buildings, computer labs, parking, dining options, etc.). You also can find wheelchair wayfinding routes by clicking on the “Wayfinding” button and selecting “Show Only Wheelchair Accessible Routes.” In addition, bus schedule information is available at subus.syr.edu.

Choosing Color Combinations With Contrast

When designing your web page, electronic signage, presentations or emails, choose color combinations that ensure text and meaningful graphics are easy to see. Low contrast between the text color and the background color can be an access barrier for people with low vision. Free tools such as the TPGi Analyzer and the WAVE Evaluation Tool can test color contrast and let you know if your digital product meets accessibility standards. To learn more about use of color and color contrast, visit our Digital Accessibility Office Hours.

Helpful Resources

ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!