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Tech Tips: October 2026 Staff/Faculty Newsletters

This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on October 8, 2026.

At a Glance

Each month, Information Technology Services provides tech tips for the Orange community. Pressed for time? Here are this edition’s topics:

AI at Work: When AI Can, Should We?

As AI becomes more capable, we face more choices about what to delegate and what should remain distinctly human. At our next AI at Work session on Nov. 18 from 2 to 3 p.m., Pun To “Doug” Yung, a Meredith Professor Faculty Fellow in biomedical and chemical engineering, will draw on virtue ethics to explore how we can choose well when AI is an option. Register today for this thought-provoking discussion presented in partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.

Claude 101

Curious about Claude but not sure where to begin? Claude 101 is your on-ramp. This live demo series covers the interface, memory, projects, skills and Microsoft 365. Missed the first session? Watch the recording, then join us on Microsoft Teams from 1 to 2 p.m. on Oct. 22, Nov. 19 or Dec. 17. Register.

Know Before You Go

Spend less time on setup and more time learning. Shannon Glennon’s quick guide covers four things to do before Claude 101: sign in with your NetID, connect Claude to Microsoft 365, let Claude remember your context and put Claude side by side with the session so you can try things as you go. Read Quick Guide.

Take Your Class to the ITS MakerSpace

Bring hands-on learning to your course. The ITS MakerSpace has 3D printing, laser engraving, textile machines, music rooms and more, and we’d love to give a tour or host your class. Request a Visit.

Need a Hand with Classroom Tech?

Classroom tech acting up? Planning an event? The ITS Learning Environments and Media Production team can help with equipment loans, classroom support, event A/V and production services. Explore Services.

External Email Tags Now Appear in Outlook

Emails from outside Syracuse University now display an External tag in Outlook. A few trusted partner domains are exempt. The tag doesn’t mean a message is malicious, nor does its absence guarantee safety. Please report suspicious messages with Outlook’s Report Message button. Learn More.

Free Adobe Sessions for Faculty

Registration is open for the Adobe Education Institute, Nov. 3 to 5. Faculty and staff can join free, hands-on sessions on Adobe Express, Acrobat, Creative Cloud and Adobe Firefly AI workflows, with practical ways to put these tools to work. Can’t make it live? Sessions are also available on demand. Register.

Digital Accessibility Tip: Course Accessibility

Need a one-stop-shop for all materials related to accessible course content? Visit Accessibility Resources for Instructors for consolidated guidance and a growing FAQ. Course Accessibility.

Information Security Tip: AI Scams

Generative AI can make scam emails, voices and videos more convincing than ever. Learn how to spot a fake, verify unusual requests and use AI tools safely with simple habits. Read Tips.

AI Insights

Explore the latest in artificial intelligence with AI Insights. Whether you’re looking to enhance your work with smart tools or simply stay informed, each issue brings you news from higher ed and the tech world and weekly tips. Newsletter. 

Tech Tips Weekly

Stay connected and ahead with Tech Tips Weekly—for quick, practical advice to make the most of campus technology. Each week, our TLDR newsletter delivers easy-to-follow how-tos, service updates and insider looks at tools and resources. Subscribe.

Helpful Resources

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

• Academic and administrative IT staff

• Classroom Resource Guide

• ITS Service Center

• Self-Serv NetID and password management portal

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

3 Ways to Level Up Your Claude Cowork 

 By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

Last week, in 3 Steps to Get Started with Claude Cowork, you set up Cowork, gave it a place to work and handed off a first task. This is part two, where we build on what we started. 

Picture a Monday morning. You open your laptop, and your weekly summary is already waiting. You didn’t ask for it today. You asked once, a few weeks ago. 

Each one starts the same way: click the Cowork toggle in the chat window. You can use Cowork in a browser, but for full functionality, use the desktop app. 

  1. Set your global instructions

Open Settings, select Cowork, and click Edit next to Global Instructions. Add a few lines Cowork should follow on every task, like “Never change my original files. Save a new copy instead.” 

  1. Turn your plugin into shortcuts

When you ran /setup-claude, you installed a plugin matched to your role. Its skills are waiting in the / menu. Type / in a Cowork chat, pick a skill that fits something on your to-do list, and run it with your Project or folder selected. If you connected Microsoft 365, the skill can use your real calendar, email and files. 

  1. Put a task on a schedule

Remember the calendar prep agendas from the first task we tried last week? Make that one repeat. 

  • Click Scheduled in the left sidebar. 
  • Click New task in the upper right, then set up manually. 
  • Enter a Name, like Monday meeting prep. 
  • Paste your prompt into Instructions. 
  • Open Work in a project or folder and choose a OneDrive folder (or one of your Projects). 
  • Set Frequency. 
  • Turn on Require this computer so Cowork can save to your folder. 
  • Click Save. 

Try this for your instructions: 

“Look at my calendar for the week and create a prep agenda for each meeting. Save each one in this folder.” 

Each run shows up as its own session under Scheduled in the left sidebar, with the agendas saved in your folder. Set it up once, and as long as your computer is awake, Cowork takes it from there. 

Don’t Fall for It: Staying Cyber-Safe in the Age of AI

Fall brings changing leaves, cooler weather and plenty of familiar signs that the season has arrived. However, when it comes to what we see and hear online, appearances can be deceiving.

Generative AI can create remarkably convincing emails, images, voices and even videos. Those capabilities can help us work and create, but they also give cybercriminals new ways to make scams more believable.

Don’t Fall for a Familiar Face, Voice, or Email

Imagine receiving a message from your supervisor asking you to urgently send a document or approve a transaction. You see their name, you recognize their face, and/or you hear their voice. Would you question it?

Increasingly, you should.

The rise in sophisticated cyber scams have kept pace with the proliferation of AI. A recent Gartner survey found that 41% of cybersecurity leaders surveyed had experienced at least one social-engineering incident involving a deepfake during an employee audio call in the previous 12 months. More than a third reported an incident involving video.

AI hasn’t changed one of the most important cybersecurity lessons: an unexpected or unusual request deserves a second look.

If someone asks for money, passwords, sensitive information or an unusual action, verify the request using a method you already trust. Call a known phone number, start a new Teams conversation or contact the person directly rather than relying on the contact information in the original message.

Turn Over a New Leaf With Your AI Habits

AI tools themselves also deserve some caution. Before putting information into an AI prompt, ask yourself: Would I be comfortable sharing this information outside the University?

For University work, use University-approved AI tools while signed in with your Syracuse University credentials, and don’t put confidential or sensitive University information into personal or unapproved AI services.

And remember that confident doesn’t mean correct. AI can produce inaccurate or even completely fabricated information. Check important facts and original sources before relying on AI-generated content.

Three Tricks for Safer AI Usage

  1. Protect what you share. Don’t give sensitive information to AI tools that aren’t approved for it.
  2. Question what you receive. AI can make phishing emails, voices, images and videos more convincing.
  3. Verify before you trust. When something important or unusual is requested, confirm it independently.

AI offers tremendous opportunities for teaching, learning and working at Syracuse University. A little skepticism; and a few good security habits, can help make sure the tricks don’t outweigh the treats.

3 Steps to Get Started with Claude Cowork 

By Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist, Syracuse University ITS 

Cowork takes on a whole task, works through it in multiple steps, and saves the finished result where you can open it. Before the steps, a quick look at the / key. 

Typing / in the chat box opens a menu of shortcuts. It lists commands like /setup-claude, plus the skills from any plugin you install, so you can run them without writing out a prompt. 

Here are three steps to help you get started with Cowork. Each one begins the same way: click the Cowork toggle in the chat window to switch from Chat to Cowork. If you haven’t requested access yet, start at getclaude.syr.edu. 

  1. Run /setup-claude for a guided setup

In a new Cowork chat, type /setup-claude and press Enter. Claude walks you through the setup. You pick your role and install a plugin matched to it, and its skills show up in your / menu. Claude then offers to pull up the connectors the plugin uses, such as Microsoft 365. Say yes, because connectors give those skills your real data to work with. 

  1. Give Cowork a place to work

If you’d like Cowork to work in a OneDrive folder, you’ll need the desktop app, which is currently the only place that option is available. Select “Project or folder,” and choose the OneDrive folder that holds your files. Cowork can find what it needs there without you uploading files one at a time, and it saves its finished work in that folder as a real file you can open, share or keep editing. 

  1. Try your first task

Pick something from your actual to-do list. With the Cowork toggle selected, choose your Project or folder, then describe the result you want. A few to try: 

  • Work with files: “Read the documents in this folder and create a new spreadsheet with one row per file: the title, the date, and a one-sentence summary. Save it in this folder and leave the original files as they are.” 
  • Work with your calendar: “Look at my calendar for next week and create a prep agenda for each meeting. Save each one in this folder.” 
  • Use a connector and a folder together: “Search my email from this week for anything about [project name] and save a one-page status summary in this folder.” 

Cowork may ask a few clarifying questions before it starts. When it’s finished, review the result and ask for changes if applicable. One note: Cowork tasks use more of your Claude usage allocation than regular chats, so save them for work worth handing off. 

AI Insights for September 29, 2026

This message was originally shared to subscribers September 29, 2026.

Upcoming Events

Want to get more out of Claude? The Claude 101 series continues with three live sessions on Microsoft Teams, 1 to 2 p.m. on Oct. 22, Nov. 19 and Dec. 17. Register for one or all on the ITS events page.

Missed the first session? The recording is now available. Shannon Glennon, AI technology transformation specialist, walks through the Claude basics with live demos: navigating the interface, customizing settings and memory, organizing work with projects, building a skill from scratch, creating visuals with Claude Design and using Claude directly in your Microsoft 365 apps.

This Issue’s Tip: Whats New In Claude This Week

Claude just got two notable upgrades. Opus 5.5 is faster, clearer and stretches your usage allowance further, and it’s already your default with nothing to turn on. Cowork now runs right in your browser or the Claude mobile app too. Read what’s new in Claude this week for the full rundown.

News and Views

In Summary

Google confirmed its Gemini model escaped a test sandbox and hacked three companies in May, and researchers used Claude to reach OpenAI’s private code repository (earning a $6,500 bounty). A Census Bureau study found graduates in the most AI-exposed majors face a five-point employment drop and 13% lower earnings. Congress is weighing a higher ed AI bill. Dartmouth’s provost faces backlash over undisclosed AI use, and SSRN removed 257 papers by a University of Chicago professor.

Academia and Higher Education

Governance, Policy and Standards

  • Microsoft Drafts Code of Conduct to Keep Its AI Under Human Control (Reuters)
  • King Charles Meets With A.I. Executives About Safety Risks (The New York Times)
  • U.N. Seeks Relevance on A.I. as the U.S. and China Race Ahead (The New York Times)
  • Building Standards for the Next Phase of AI (OpenAI)

Safety and Security

  • The AI Tipping Point (Time)
  • Uncontrolled AI Could Lead to ‘Silicon Species’ Rivalling Humans, Warns Microsoft (BBC)
  • OpenAI Discloses Six New Incidents of ‘Concerning’ A.I. Behavior (The New York Times)
  • Hackers Used Anthropic’s Claude to Break Into OpenAI (The Wall Street Journal)
  • How, Exactly, Could A.I. Kill Us? (The New Yorker)
  • Creating a Kill Switch to Shut Down a Rogue A.I. Is Harder Than It Sounds (The New York Times)
  • Google Confirms Gemini Escaped Security Sandbox and Hacked Companies in May (PYMNTS)
  • The Hugging Face Incident and Other Third-Party Impact from Misaligned Models (OpenAI)

Workforce and Jobs

Access to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and other paywalled content is available to all students, faculty and staff with a valid Syracuse University NetID. Learn more.

Questions?

Email the AI Team at aihelp@syr.edu or book a session. In addition to emailing the team with your questions and ideas, you can check out a wide variety of resources and tutorials at ai.syracuse.edu.

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Thank you for reading. Go Orange!