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Tech Tips: May 2025 Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on April 30, 2025.

Tech Tips at a Glance

Pressed for time? Information Technology Services (ITS) has you covered. Here are this edition’s topics:

ITS Summer Series

Join ITS for the Summer 2025 Series, a curated collection of engaging online events designed to deepen your understanding of key technology topics impacting our campus community. Whether you’re interested in collaboration tools, the latest in information security or how generative AI is reshaping the workplace—there’s something for everyone! All sessions will be held virtually, offering a flexible and accessible way to stay informed and empowered. Keep an eye out for registration links and join us to learn, share and get inspired by the future of tech!

AI at Work (Video)

Missed our recent event on generative AI in teaching and learning? The recording is now available! Hear from ITS Online Learning Services and the Data and AI team as they explore custom chatbots and other practical AI applications for Syracuse University faculty and staff. Video.

Research Computing

Recordings are now available for two recent sessions. Learn about high-throughput computing with HTCondor experts Christina Koch and Greg Thain, and hear from Sadjad Arzash on the physics and computational modeling of biological tissues and adaptation.

Gradescope

Finals season is busy—Gradescope is here to help. With features like Blackboard integration, AI-assisted grading and reusable rubrics, Gradescope makes it easier to manage grading efficiently and consistently, especially in high-enrollment courses. Need support? Reach out to gradescope@syr.edu. Resources.

Tech To-Dos

If you are retiring, graduating or transitioning elsewhere, it’s important to know how long you’ll retain access to University tools like Microsoft 365 (email, OneDrive, Teams), Google Workspace and more. Visit Answers for timelines and make reviewing digital assets part of your exit process. More.

Digital Accessibility Tip: Use Heading Styles to Organize Content

Adding heading styles to your Word documents and webpages is a simple yet powerful way to improve accessibility. Individuals who use screen readers depend on a clear heading structure to easily navigate through content and find the information they need. Learn More.

Information Security Tip: Phishers Posing as Colleagues

Phishers are impersonating colleagues to steal data. Watch for mismatched email addresses, urgency and unexpected requests. Always verify suspicious messages by phone or trusted methods, and report phishing attempts using the Report Phishing button in Outlook. Learn More.

Copilot Video

In this video, Shannon Glennon, technology transformational specialist, showcases Microsoft Copilot’s features—its web interface and integration with Word, OneDrive, Outlook and Edge—to streamline tasks like scheduling, drafting, summarizing and managing email. Video.

AI Insights Newsletter

Explore the latest in artificial intelligence with AI Insights, a newsletter for all things AI. 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, weekly AI tips, sample prompts and other valuable resources. Subscribe.

Helpful Resources

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

AI Insights for April 17

This message was originally shared to subscribers April 17, 2025.

University faculty and staff (especially AI Insights readers like you!) are invited to join Information Technology Services on April 24 at 1 p.m. for the next installment in our series about leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) at work. This session will address the possibilities created by the University’s partnership with ibl.ai, which allows users to create custom chatbots. Speakers from the ITS Online Learning Services and Data and Artificial Intelligence teams will discuss possible applications for ibl.ai at Syracuse University.

If you received this email as a forward from a helpful colleague, you can subscribe online.

Trends

From Selfie to Shelfie: The Action Figure Effect

Turn yourself into a custom action figure using ChatGPT and image generators. Upload a a photo (full-body works best), then describe your dream figure—pose, outfit, facial expression, accessories, even packaging colors.

The Simpsonization Phenomenon

Want to see yourself as a Simpsons character? The free Simpsons Character Creator by Media.io lets you upload a photo and get cartoonified instantly—no prompts or design skills needed. It’s fast, fun, and a great example of how AI art is going mainstream.

News

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

Government

  • U.S. Copyright Office Issues Highly Anticipated Report on Copyrightability of AI-Generated Works (Reuters)
  • AI Regulations: House GOP, Democrats Clash on AI Oversight (PYMNTS)
  • A Look at Stakeholder Input for the White House AI Action Plan (IAPP)
  • EU to Invest $1.4 Billion in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Digital Skills (Reuters)
  • Five Takeaways from Trump’s Plan to Rescue Coal (The New York Times)

Higher Education

Industry News

  • Large Language Models Pass the Turing Test (arXiv)
  • OpenAI’s New GPT-4.1 AI Models Focus on Coding (TechCrunch)
  • When Is 4.1 Greater Than 4.5? When It’s OpenAI’s Newest Model (Ars Technica)
  • Copilot’s New Personalization Upgrades (Microsoft)
  • AI Index Report 2025: The Great Model Convergence (IEEE Spectrum)
  • Sam Altman: OpenAI Has Reached Roughly 800 Million Users (PYMNTS)
  • Demis Hassabis Interview: DeepMind’s Road to AGI (Time)
  • DeepMind Has Detailed All the Ways AGI Could Wreck the World (Ars Technica)
  • OpenAI Is Rethinking Its Open-Weights Strategy (Tech Brew)
  • Alphabet CEO Reaffirms $75 Billion Capital Spending in 2025 (Reuters)
  • Apple’s Siri Update Expected Fall 2025 (The Verge)
  • Nvidia Faces $5.5 Billion Hit from Trump Clampdown on AI Chips (The Times)
  • Use of AI Increases Accuracy of ECB Predictions, DIW Says (Reuters)
  • Gen Z Is Still Anxiously Using AI: Poll (Axios)

Workforce

  • How Generative AI Affects Teamwork at Companies (PYMNTS)
  • Will AI Eventually Replace Human Workers or Augment Them? (PYMNTS)
  • Why It’s So Hard to Measure AI’s Effects on Productivity (Bloomberg)
  • You Won’t Get GenAI Right If You Get Human Oversight Wrong (BCG)
  • By 2028, Globally 1 in 4 Job Candidates Will Be Fake (CNBC)

This Issue’s Tip: Use AI as a Thinking Partner, Not Just a Shortcut

Generative AI isn’t just for quick answers — it shines when you use it to think through complex problems.

Next time you’re planning a lesson, designing a workshop, or writing a report, ask your AI assistant:

“Can you give me three different angles to approach this topic for [audience]?”
or
“What are the potential risks or blind spots in this plan?”

This mindset transforms AI from a task-doer into a collaborative thinking tool, helping you explore perspectives you may not have considered. It supports deeper critical thinking — a must in higher education.

This Issue’s Prompt: Design Your Ideal Morning Routine

A prompt is how you ask generative AI tools to do something for you (e.g., creating, summarizing, editing or transforming). Treat it like a conversation, using clear language and enough context to get the result you have in mind.

To get more practice, use the generative AI tool of your choice (for example, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI ChatGPT or Anthropic Claude) to execute the following prompt:

“Act as a productivity coach. Based on science-backed habits, help me design a personalized morning routine that aligns with my goals (health, focus, creativity, or stress reduction). Include timing, activities and tips to stay consistent.”

Tweak it by adding your wake-up time, whether you work from home or commute and adding specific goals like “more energy” or “less screen time before noon”.

This prompt shows that AI can be more than just a tool for work — it can act as a life assistant, helping people structure their time, build better habits and make small changes that lead to big improvements.

Helpful Resources

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

 

 

 

AI Insights for April 3, 2025

This message was originally shared to subscribers April 3, 2025.

University faculty and staff (especially AI Insights readers like you!) are invited to join Information Technology Services on April 24 at 1 p.m. for the next installment in our series about leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) at work. This session will address the possibilities created by the University’s partnership with ibl.ai, which allows users to create custom chatbots. Speakers from the ITS Online Learning Services and Data and Artificial Intelligence teams will discuss possible applications for ibl.ai at Syracuse University.

We want to hear from you! Take a few minutes to complete our ITS content survey and share your feedback on how we can improve the resources we provide. As a thank-you, you’ll be entered into a giveaway to win a prize from the Syracuse University Bookstore.

Your input helps us make our content more useful, clear, and relevant to you—don’t miss your chance to be heard and win!

If you received this email as a forward from a helpful colleague, you can subscribe online.

News and Views

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

Government

  • Vance Outlines an America First, America Only AI Agenda (Lawfare Media)
  • Powerful A.I. Is Coming. We’re Not Ready (New York Times)
  • NIST Releases Finalized Guidelines on Protecting AI From Attacks (NextGov)
  • U.S. Blacklists Over 50 Chinese Companies in Bid to Curb Beijing’s AI, Chip Capabilities (CNBC)

Healthcare

  • How AI and Human Behaviors Shape Psychosocial Effects of Chatbot Use (MIT Media Lab)
  • Doctors Told Him He Was Going to Die Then A.I. Saved His Life (New York Times)
  • Global First as NHS Hospital Uses AI for Instant Skin Cancer Checks (The Times)

Higher Education

  • AI-Powered Teaching Assistants Can Drive Student Success (EDTech)
  • ‘Don’t Study Coding Bow,’ Says Replit CEO, ‘Instead Learn How to…’ (Financial Express)
  • CMU, Pitt Robots Race to Save Lives in DARPA Contest (Axios)

Industry News

  • Innovation Insight for the AI Agent Platform Landscape (Gartner) (Access Gartner Here)
  • Apple’s Siri: Once a Pioneer, Now an AI Laggard (PYMNTS)
  • OpenAI Adds New Image Generation Capabilities to GPT-4o (PYMNTS)
  • Elon Musk in $80bn merger of X and xAI (The Times)
  • AI’s Next Job Is as Your Collaborative ‘Digital Chief of Staff’ (PYMNTS)
  • AI Agents Explained In Simple Terms Anyone Can Understand (Forbes)
  • OpenAI’s New Voice AI Model GPT-4o-Transcribe Lets You Add Speech to Your Existing Text Apps in Seconds (VentureBeat)
  • Claude Can Now Search the Web (Anthropic)
  • Why Handing Over Total Control to AI Agents Would Be a Huge Mistake (MIT Technology Review)
  • China’s Zhipu AI Launches Free AI Agent, Intensifying Domestic Tech Race (Reuters)

Media

  • How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Creative Testing Of Ads (Forbes)

Workforce

This Issue’s Tip: Use AI to Save Mental Energy for High-Value Work

Offload repetitive or low-stakes tasks—like summarizing notes, reformatting content, or creating outlines. That way, you can focus your energy on teaching, studying, decision-making, or strategic planning.

This Issue’s Prompt: Simplify Complex Topics

A prompt is how you ask generative AI tools to do something for you (e.g., creating, summarizing, editing or transforming). Treat it like a conversation, using clear language and enough context to get the result you have in mind.

To get more practice, use the generative AI tool of your choice (for example, Microsoft Copilot, Open AI ChatGPT or Anthropic Claude) to execute the following prompt:

“Explain [concept] in simple terms for a high schooler. Then give an analogy to help it stick.“

Try it with topics like:

  • Quantum entanglement
  • Cognitive dissonance
  • Opportunity cost
  • Blockchain
  • Entropy
  • CRISPR
  • The bystander effect
  • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
  • Game theory
  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Helpful Resources

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

Orange Online: April 2025 Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all students via email on April 2, 2025.

Orange Online at a Glance

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

Research Computing Series

The Research Computing Series is a great opportunity to learn about research on campus and the computing resources available. On April 16, postdoctoral researcher Sadjad Arzash will talk about his research with Lisa Manning’s group. Register.

ITS Content Survey and Giveaway

We want your feedback! Help shape ITS content by taking our quick survey. Your input guides us in creating content that matters to you—whether it’s tech tips, updates or events. Plus, you’ll be entered to win a gift from the school bookstore! Take Survey.

Introducing Digital Accessibility 101

Make your content work for everyone! Our Digital Accessibility 101 guide offers simple, effective tips (with examples) to ensure your documents, web pages and other digital materials are clear and usable by all audiences.

Information Security Tip: Strengthen Your Passwords

Strengthen your security with a passphrase! Use a memorable sequence like “BlueElephant!Dances@Midnight”–it’s easy to remember but tough to crack. Combine words with numbers, symbols and capitals, and never reuse passwords across accounts! Learn More.

Digital Scholarship Space

Discover the Digital Scholarship Space in Bird Library, Room 458! This flexible, innovative hub supports software design, game development, data visualization and digital mapping. With workshops, lab and open hours each semester, it’s the perfect spot to advance your digital projects. Video.

Access to Gartner Reports

Syracuse University affiliates now have access to Gartner Reports/Core IT Research through the Libraries’ Databases A-Z menu or by searching “Gartner Core Research.” Use your SU email to register and join the Gartner Peer Community, connecting with enterprise leaders to explore business and technology insights. Learn More.

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).

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: April 2025 Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on April 2, 2025.

Tech Tips at a Glance

Pressed for time? Information Technology Services (ITS) has you covered. Here are this edition’s topics:

AI at Work

University faculty and staff are invited to join Information Technology Services on April 24 at 1 p.m. for the next installment in our series about leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) at work. This session will address the possibilities created by the University’s partnership with ibl.ai, which allows users to create custom chatbots. Speakers from the ITS Online Learning Services and Data and Artificial Intelligence teams will discuss possible applications for ibl.ai at Syracuse University.

Research Computing Series 

The Research Computing Series is a great opportunity to learn about research on campus and the computing resources available. On April 16, postdoctoral researcher Sadjad Arzash will talk about his research with Lisa Manning’s group. Register.

ITS Content Survey and Giveaway

We want your feedback! Help shape ITS content by taking our quick survey. Your input guides us in creating content that matters to you—whether it’s tech tips, updates or events. Plus, you’ll be entered to win a gift from the school bookstore! Take Survey.

Gradescope

Finals season is busy—Gradescope is here to help. With features like Blackboard integration, AI-assisted grading and reusable rubrics, Gradescope makes it easier to manage grading efficiently and consistently, especially in high-enrollment courses. Need support? Reach out to gradescope@syr.edu. Resources.

SITETL

Online Learning Services is hosting SITETL workshops from May 19–23 and June 2–6 to help faculty enhance teaching with technology. Join educators for hands-on experience with campus-licensed tools, expert guidance and priority support. Space is limited—apply now to secure a spot! Application.

Introducing Digital Accessibility 101

Make your content work for everyone! Our Digital Accessibility 101 guide offers simple, effective tips (with examples) to ensure your documents, web pages and other digital materials are clear and usable by all audiences.

Information Security Tip: Strengthen Your Passwords

Strengthen your security with a passphrase! Use a memorable sequence like “BlueElephant!Dances@Midnight”–it’s easy to remember but tough to crack. Combine words with numbers, symbols and capitals, and never reuse passwords across accounts! Learn More.

Digital Scholarship Space

Discover the Digital Scholarship Space in Bird Library, Room 458! This flexible, innovative hub supports software design, game development, data visualization and digital mapping. With workshops, lab and open hours each semester, it’s the perfect spot to advance your digital projects. Video.

Access to Gartner Reports

Syracuse University affiliates now have access to Gartner Reports/Core IT Research through the Libraries’ Databases A-Z menu or by searching “Gartner Core Research.” Use your SU email to register and join the Gartner Peer Community, connecting with enterprise leaders to explore business and technology insights. Learn More.

Helpful Resources

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