This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on Jan. 17, 2024.
Classroom Resources and Technology Sessions Available
Would you like to learn more about the technology available in your classrooms? Review the Classroom Resource Guide and Hybrid Classroom Technology Guide or request a training provided by ITS Learning Environments and Media Production. To request a classroom technology overview session, please complete the Classroom Training Request Form.
Upcoming Faculty Workshops: Blackboard Ultra Course View Transition
The ITS Online Learning Services team will offer a set of workshops in January to help instructors prepare for teaching with Blackboard Ultra Course View. Each event is scheduled as an hour-long workshop on a specific aspect of Ultra courses. Details, including topics, dates and registration links, are available on Answers. Instructors also can sign up for access to tutorial videos and a sandbox course in which they can test and build in the new view at any time. Instructors who wish to begin teaching in the new view can request to have their original courses replaced with Ultra courses.
Upcoming Answers Cloud Migration: What You Need to Know
As part of our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and innovation, ITS is re-envisioning Answers in the cloud. ITS will migrate existing public Answers spaces to the new cloud platform over the next eight months. Within the next month, owners of these spaces will receive communications with timelines and next steps for this migration. As we shift our focus to a unified, publicly accessible self-service resource, Intranet and personal Answers Spaces will be discontinued at a later date. Answers administrators will contact owners of these spaces within the next month. If you own one of these private spaces, you can take action today by inventorying your space(s) and reviewing the alternatives found at Alternatives to Answers Private Spaces.
Bring Your Ideas to Life at the ITS MakerSpace
Open to University students, faculty and staff, the ITS MakerSpace provides a collaborative space to bring your ideas to life! The ITS MakerSpace is home to more than 20 3D printers, laser engravers, embroidery and sewing machines, a music studio and more! Equipment usage is free of charge. Learn more on the ITS MakerSpace website. Makers of all experience levels from all schools, colleges and units are welcome!
Watch Out for Phishing Scams
ITS has seen high volumes of phishing activity in recent weeks. Watch out for suspicious links, urgent demands and job offers that seem too good to be true. REMEMBER: Your password and MFA codes are just for you! There is never a reason to share them with anyone else. If you need more information or assistance with verifying any email messages, please contact the ITS Service Center at 315.443.2677 or help@syr.edu.
Poll Everywhere Campus Site License Now Available
ITS has licensed Poll Everywhere for use by all faculty, staff and students at no additional charge. Poll Everywhere is an audience response system that can be used for in-person events and classes as well as for online sessions. Questions can be integrated into a wide variety of applications including PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, Teams and Zoom. For more information, please contact the Online Learning Services team at help@syr.edu.
Recent Changes to Google Workspace
Effective Jan. 3, 2024, faculty members and instructors are limited to 60 GB of storage within Google Drive (or “My Drive”). These users still have the ability to create and manage Shared Drives, which do not count against individual storage quotas. Any faculty member or instructor currently over this quota will receive an extended storage quota until the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester. Please consult your local academic IT support for more information and assistance in identifying available storage solutions. You also can visit Answers to learn more about this change.
Turnitin AI Detection No Longer Available
The free preview of the Turnitin AI Detection Tool has expired as of Jan. 1, 2024. Due to concerns about the reliability of this tool and the significant cost, ITS has decided not to license this tool at this time. The standard plagiarism detections tools will continue to be available via Turnitin. For more information, please contact the Online Learning Services team at help@syr.edu.
New Year’s Tech Resolutions
A new year and a new semester offer opportunities to build new habits and skills. ITS surveyed members of the University information technology community for their recommendations on how technology can help you be more creative, more productive, more secure and more efficient in 2024.