Tech Tips: December 2024 Newsletter

This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on December 4, 2024.

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 Day” Panel Discussion

On Nov. 8, ITS invited our campus to “AI Day with Microsoft.” The morning panel featured University and Microsoft representatives discussing the opportunities and challenges of this transformative technology.

Research Computing Series

This semester’s Research Computing Series sessions featured Sarah Lucas, assistant professor of biology, and Younes Ra’di, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

Understanding Microsoft Teams

This video provides an overview of Microsoft Teams, explaining the differences between teams, channels and chats. It also covers how to create and manage teams and channels, set up notifications and use chat for quick, informal communication.

Presenting With Accessibility in Mind

When leading presentations with visual content, consider audiences who cannot see the screen. For example, instead of saying, “Review the bullets on the slide,” read them aloud. Instead of saying, “Click here,” say, “From the navigation bar, select new event.”

Holiday Cyber-Safety

The holiday season is a prime time for cybercriminals to strike. Beware of holiday scams such as phishing emails pretending to be from retailers or delivery services. As always, verify links before clicking. Never share your passwords or multi-factor authentication codes with anyone.

Gradescope

Gradescope is a tool within Blackboard that helps collect, organize and store work while streamlining grading for paper exams and assignments. It also offers insights into student performance through statistics and dashboards, making grading more efficient.

Course Feedback Window

The window for collecting course feedback this semester runs through Dec. 11. Course feedback is an important way for students to share about their academic experience. They are more motivated to respond 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 in 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!

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!