Information Services

From Carol L. Smith, CIO

As you know, we are preparing to upgrade to Moodle 2 this summer. Since Moodle 2 is a bit different from our current Moodle, FITS has been working closely with faculty members and staff over the past several months to pilot-test the new version and offer demos and orientation sessions to help everyone prepare for the upgrade.

Many more details will be shared by email from the FITS folks, but the following provides a general timeline of the transition and outlines basic things you can do to prepare for using Moodle 2 next fall. (more…)

From Carol L. Smith, CIO:

On February 25, DePauw will invite students to participate in the EDUCAUSE ECAR Annual Survey  for Students and IT.

The survey explores technology ownership, use patterns, and perceptions of technology among undergraduate students and gathers information from students at nearly 200 institutions. Now in the tenth year of the study, ECAR creates an annual report about student technology trends based on the data collected and publishes the findings on  the EDUCAUSE website (here).

As a participating institution, DePauw will receive de-identified data files containing our students’ responses and an aggregate-level summary that compares DePauw students’ responses with those at similar institutions. This information will be extremely helpful for us in planning for pedagogical integration of technology and providing appropriate technologies and support services for our students. If the opportunity arises, please feel free to encourage your students to participate in the survey!

Survey Timeline:

An email inviting students to participate will be sent on February 25, and the the survey will be open for them from February 25 until March 11, 2013.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Carol Smith – CIO (clsmith@depauw.edu), Mikah Pritchard – FITS Instructional Technologist (mikahpritchard@depauw.edu), or Kayla Birt – Assessment Specialist (kaylabirt@depauw.edu).

Linkback to this article: http://tinyurl.com/depauwecarstudy

From Carol L. Smith, CIO

The FITS team is beginning a project to research and plan for the next Moodle system update, which we are planning for the coming summer. DePauw currently is using Moodle version 1.9 LAE (Liberal Arts Edition). Over the past year, Moodle.org has released several new versions of Moodle, most recently Moodle 2.3 that became available last June.

Version 2.3 offers a number of enhancements that will be useful to faculty and staff members using the system, including improvements to file management and course pages, drag and drop capability, a new activity chooser, and new navigation. In addition, Moodle 2.3 has a more modern look and feel that provides a more familiar interface for students and others who use the system. (If you are interested, the Moodle 2.3 release notes are available at http://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_2.3_release_notes.)

At this point, we are targeting June-July 2013 for upgrading to Moodle 2.3. Since the new version is somewhat different from our current one, FITS will be working closely with faculty members and staff over the next several months to fully research, pilot and help everyone prepare for the upgrade.

Mikah Pritchard, who is leading the upgrade project, will provide more details about the overall process and solicit for persons who would like to participate in the review project in the next few days. We welcome both faculty and staff to participate in this endeavor. If you would like to be part of the review process, please feel free to respond directly to Mikah and let her know. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Best, Carol.

From Carol L. Smith, CIO

Welcome back as we begin the new academic year! I wanted to take a moment to provide some quick tips and updates about key IT projects that are underway or will be coming up soon.

If you have any questions about these (or any other IT-related projects), please don’t hesitate to contact me at clsmith@depauw.edu.

Cheers,

–Carol.

Topics in the following include:

1. Keeping in touch with IT at DePauw
2. Helping students get logged in to Moodle, P: or I: drives, printers, etc.
3. Wireless network expansion in University-owned student living units is complete
4. Overview of the Student Laptop Program & known shipping delays for some students
5. Voicemail system replacement timeline and setting up Google Voice voicemail
   (more…)

http://www.depauw.edu/univ/gis/GIS_NewsEmails/November2011/GISDay2011_1104.html

Save the Date… Wednesday, November 16, 2011 3:00 p.m. − 5:00 p.m. Percy L. Julian Science & Mathematics Center Atrium A sampling of things you’ll see at this year’s celebration: Student GIS Projects/Posters “Bringing Geothermal to DePauw” “GIS and Survey Archaeology: Geocaching” “Suitability for Carbon Sequestration Coupled Brine Extraction in the Glen Canyon Group, USA” “Projects from GEOS 205: Introduction to GIS (Geographic Information Systems)” Display Prevo Science Library: GIS Resources Multi-media Google™ Earth Activity Station Google™ Mapmaker Activity Station There’s something for everyone! For more information about GIS Day™, visit www.depauw.edu/univ/gis/GIS_Day_2011/.

Students: The newest version of Microsoft Office is available to students who have purchased either the Windows or Mac version of the DePauw Software Bundle.  By completing the Microsoft Office Upgrade Request form, you are authorizing a one-time fee of $9 to be charged to your student account, which covers the cost of making this upgrade available to you.  You will need to use your “@depauw.edu” account to complete the form.  Please allow up to 2 weeks for your upgrade package to be delivered to your U.B. mailbox.

NOTE: If you purchased the DePauw Software Bundle this Fall (2011), you already have the latest version and do not need to complete this form.

Faculty and Staff: The newest version of Microsoft Office will be available for faculty and staff home use beginning October 3.  To pick-up a copy of the upgrade package, you will need to visit the HelpDesk (located on the lower level of the Union Building) and complete a form for tracking purposes.  Please remember to bring your DePauw ID (OneCard) with you for identification purposes.

Starting on November 10, e-Services will located be at a new address at http://my.depauw.edu

We are making this change in preparation for the redesigned University website launch later in the semester, and the new address should not result in any noticeable changes in e-Services for the campus community (besides the address change, of course!).

We’ll send another reminder and further details closer to November 10, but in the meantime if you have any questions or concerns about the change, please contact Adam Hughes, Director of Administrative Information Systems, adamhughes@depauw.edu.

The first step of the V: drive roll-out has been completed and Information Services (I.S.) is grateful for the valuable feedback received from our early adopter groups. As a result of their suggestions, we will be updating our processes over the next few weeks in order to better meet the needs of campus.

New timeline for the roll-out:

August thru September 5 – I.S. creates initial process
9/5 thru 21 – Early adopter phase 1
9/21 thru 10/3 – Feedback received by I.S.
October thru November – I.S. updates processes based on feedback by early adopters; early adopter phase 2
December thru January – I.S. finalizes processes
Beginning of 2nd semester – Roll-out of V: drive to campus

Additional information will be shared over the upcoming weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Lynda LaRoche at llaroche@depauw.edu.

This semester, Information Services (I.S.) will be implementing a new shared University V: drive that will replace the current U: drive. The V: drive, which is accessible only by faculty and staff, will continue to provide shared storage space on the network for departmental and program use. Our goals for this replacement are to provide additional security measures and to simplify directory management.

Additional information will be shared over the upcoming weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at llaroche@depauw.edu.

Take care,

Lynda

Topics in the following include:

1. Early adopter testing

2. Transition timeline

3. Preparing for the transition

4. Upcoming opportunities to learn more

1. Early Adopter Testing

Early adopters are currently assisting I.S. with testing and should wrap-up around September 21. We will use their suggestions to fine-tune our processes in time for the roll-out.

2. Transition Timeline

Beginning October 3, department heads will need to request V: drive folder(s) as well as provide us with a list of users with their rights to the folder – either read only or read/write. We will provide you with a form that will enable you to easily submit your request.

Although folder names can be suggested, I.S. may need to make adjustments to follow established naming conventions when setting up the folders (e.g., Art/sculpture, ITAP, Science/chem, Training, etc.). User permissions will be granted at this top-level folder, thus eliminating the need for setting individual user permissions on sub-folders and files.

Once your request has been processed, I.S. will send you an email at which time a representative of your department will be responsible for moving your materials from the U: drive to the V: drive. Although the transition period is scheduled through the end of the semester, we encourage you to transition as soon as you can to avoid the end-of-semester rush.

3. Preparing for the transition

We recommend taking time to archive your current U: drive materials that are no longer needed on a regular basis by burning them to a CD or DVD. Taking this step will ensure your new V: drive is organized and efficient.

4. Upcoming opportunities

We are currently planning several opportunities for you to learn more about this transition, including:

• An online resource with tips for organizing files
• Q&A information sessions
• Consultations to discuss strategies that meet your department/program needs

From Carol L. Smith, CIO

Welcome back as we begin the new academic year! I wanted to take a moment to provide some quick tips and updates about key IT projects that are underway or will be coming up soon.

If you have any questions about these (or any other IT-related projects), please don’t hesitate to contact me at clsmith@depauw.edu.

Cheers,

–Carol.

Topics in the following include:

1. Keeping in touch with IT at DePauw
2. Helping students get logged in to Moodle, P: or I: drives, printers, etc.
3. Wireless network expansion and security enhancements
4. The “V: Drive” – A new architecture to replace the shared University (U:) drive
5. Updates to the Student Laptop Program

(more…)