Information Technology Services
Faculty Newsletter
November 2014
In This Issue:
Stay Protected

Last month, ITS participated in National Cyber Security Awareness Month.  The three major themes covered during the month was Keep A Clean Machine, Protect Your Personal Information, and Connect with Care. Want more tips? Visit Stop, Think, Connect.  

 

Continue to do your part by staying vigilant!

Recent phone scams have been targeting Pace numbers. DO NOT provide callers with any information regarding computers, printers, or accounts.

For more details and best practices, visit Pace's IT Security website. If you or your area needs training, email IT Security at itsecurity@pace.edu.
Using Internet Explorer for Banner or Kronos?
Microsoft recently released a patch that changes the way Internet Explorer (IE) interacts with outdated Java ActiveX controls.

Since September 9th, users trying to access web pages with Internet Explorer (IE) and using lower versions of Java ActiveX controls see security notification pop ups.  Users should update their Java to version Java 7 update 65.

For more detailed information, go to the Java Compatibility page.
Upgrading MS Lync

Starting Monday, November 10th, ITS began upgrading to Lync 2013 server. The users will be moved to the new server in stages and we expect to have everyone completed by Friday, November 21st.  

 

What do you need to do?

The Lync 2010 client will still function following the upgrade. However, you are encouraged to upgrade to Lync 2013 to take advantage of new Lync features and functionality. To upgrade to Lync 2013 on a Pace-owned computer, you will need to upgrade to Office 2013.  The upgrade can be requested by opening a ticket via http://help.pace.edu.  If you are upgrading on a personal-owned computer, you can access the updated version through http://adam.pace.edu. 
 
For more information on Microsoft Lync and the upgrade to 2013, please go to the Microsoft Lync page.
Connecting remotely to your on-campus PC
Use Pace's Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to your on campus computer. VPN allows for a secure connection to your on-campus machine and also provides a secure connect for various systems and online forms.

Note: You will need to use Remote Desktop along with VPN to complete this connection.

For more information, visit  Virtual Private Network. For detailed instructions, see the Self-Help Guides.
Coming soon...Lynda.com
A robust resource for self-paced training will soon be available for all students, faculty, and staff.  Available courses will offer technical skills, creative techniques, business strategies, and much more!  Stay tuned in upcoming newsletters for more information.
Eliminate missed class time with Web Conferencing
The dip in temperature is a reminder that snow is just around the corner. Be prepared for tricky weather by gearing up with Blackboard Collaborate, a web conferencing tool that is built into every Blackboard course shell.

This tool simulates the classroom experience with its many features, including an interactive whiteboard, application sharing, web tours, break out rooms for group work, and a hand-raising feature for students. In addition to hosting class sessions, instructors can use Collaborate for virtual office hours, or for hosting guest speakers at a distance. Practice is the key to having successful sessions.

To get started, visit the Blackboard Collaborate resource page, or contact Academic Technology.

Lubin's use of Blackboard Collaborate

Brian Pew, Director of the Center for Global Business Programs, shared how Lubin is using Collaborate to enhance the student's classroom experience.

"The Certified Compliance and Regulatory Professional Program (http://www.pace.edu/lubin/ccrp) for banking compliance professionals, adopted Collaborate to allow students to review video captures of past class sessions at any time.  They were able to participate remotely online should their work schedule prevent them from attending class in person. This remote access feature is currently being used as a beta test to open up a future cycle of the program to distance students who could potentially complete the program from anywhere in the world."
Faculty activity reporting tool (Digital Measures) across the disciplines
Many faculty members have already started documenting their teaching, scholarship, research, and service in their Digital Measures profiles. Individual academic schools/colleges have also been taking a broader approach by using the tool to help streamline their annual reviews and web profiles. Lubin was the first school to use Digital Measures for their Faculty Activity Report (FAR). They customized a section for Lubin faculty to respond to a series of narrative questions.

To review FARs, department chairs can run a report that pulls each faculty member's FAR section, as well as their teaching, scholarship, research, and service activities from the previous year. Dyson and Seidenberg are working on a similar process for their release time applications and FARs, respectively. Dyson and Seidenberg are also using Digital Measures to generate web profiles for their faculty.

For help getting started with Digital Measures, visit the Digital Measures resource page, or contact your department's technology representative.
Have a Guest Speaker?
Cisco Jabber Video provides the opportunity to connect to external telepresence systems without the need of being in a video conference room.  This results in the ability for instructors to bring guest speakers from anywhere around the world into their classroom. The application uses a webcam and PC to provide high-definition video communications to more people, on more devices, from more places.

To get started with Jabber, download the software here.
Flipping your class
How much class time is spent lecturing? A flipped classroom model allows students to listen to lectures before arriving to class, freeing up class time for quality student-instructor interaction. Using this approach, students watch pre-recorded video lectures at home and complete exercises and assignments in class with the guidance of the instructor.

Lecture capture software can be installed on any instructor device, enabling instructors to record lectures at their convenience. 

To get started, download the personal capture software here.
Updated your OS or software recently?
Keep in mind that any changes to your OS or software packages such as an update or upgrade may affect wireless configuration settings. For example, the recent release of Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) has known issues with wireless. For more details about this issue, click here.
Reminders
STAY CONNECTED

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