IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: January 24 2006

Over the term break an extremely dangerous flaw was reported in the Microsoft Windows operating system, a flaw that would potentially allow a malicious person to gain full remote control over your computer.

All users should ensure that their computers are updated to prevent attack as follows:

- Go to http://update.microsoft.com (that is, Internet Explorer > Tools > Windows Update).
- Click Express (Get High-priority updates).
- When prompted to Restart, select Restart Now.

If you installed the temporary patch that IRT alerted you to in early January, you may uninstall it now as follows:

- Click Start and choose Control Panels
- Select Add and Remove Programs
- Scroll down and select WMF HotFix, MSI Version 1.1.14
- Click Remove

If you have questions, contact the IRT Help Desk at 215-895-2698 or email consult@drexel.edu.

2. End of the Road for IE on the Mac

Microsoft ended its support for Internet Explorer on the Macintosh as of the end of 2005. As of January 31, 2006, IE will no longer be available for download from Mactopia. Notice of this withdrawal of support and development was given by Microsoft in June 2003.

IRT recommends that Macintosh users who have been using Internet Explorer switch to Safari, included with Mac OS X since version 10.2. Safari is capable of importing your IE favorites and uses the MacOS keychain to store usernames and passwords, so no information should be lost in migration.

For assistance or advice, contact the IRT Help Desk at consult@drexel.edu.

3. Support: What's It All About?

The above two items both revolve around issues of support.

Microsoft explicitly ended its "support" for Internet Explorer on the Macintosh, giving notice more than two years in advance. More, the patches for the Windows vulnerability discussed in Item 1 are valid only for Windows XP and Windows 2000, because Microsoft had already withdrawn its "support" for previous versions of Windows, also announced well in advance.

What does this mean? It does not mean those products will suddenly quit working. It does mean that the vendor will no longer provide patches or other enhancements. It may also mean that new or upgraded products - from the original vendor or a third party - linking to these systems will not work because they have been designed for the later versions.

These considerations impact the kind of "support" you can expect from the consultants in IRT. This is a second meaning for the term "support." Vendor support and institutional support are inter-related. If products are not available or simply don't work, IRT's expertise and experience won't solve your problems. A brief outline of IRT's "levels of support" and what goes into them is given at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/supportedlevels.html.

The bottom line for the user: Keep your software up to date! Your old version of Internet Explorer (for Mac) may work just fine sometimes, but not always. For example, you may find that you can't use it to access new sites such as WebCT Vista - see item 6 below.

4. Junk E-Mail: Don't Throw Out the Baby with the Bathwater

Sophisticated email programs like Apple Mail and Outlook can sometimes recognize spam messages and route them to a Junk Email bin. Drexel's mail servers have even greater capabilities to block spam. Typical user reports indicate that most incoming spam is being caught and redirected and that very few legitimate messages are being misfiled.

However, everyone who uses Drexel's basic email system or Exchange should periodically check the contents of their Junk E-Mail folders just to be safe.

If you aren't sure how, see http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/spamreport.html.

WebCT Vista News

5. Upcoming WebCT Vista Events

Two major WebCT events are planned at Drexel during winter term.

* A WebCT Vista Faculty Showcase is scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, 2006. The overall topic is "Using WebCT in Large Classes." Submit proposals now to webct@drexel.edu for presentations to illustrate creative uses of WebCT Vista in managing large classes.

* The Fourth Annual Northeast Regional WebCT Users Conference will be held at Drexel University main campus on Thursday, March 30, 2006. Mark your calendars for this major event which is co-hosted by Drexel, Villanova University and Bucks County Community College. Deadline for proposals for conference presentations is January 31, 2006. The proposal submission website is http://unit.villanova.edu/cit/about_cit/proj_events/newug/spring06_conf/newug_spr06.html. A registration website will be published shortly.

All faculty members - both experienced WebCT users and novices - are welcome to these events. For information, contact webct@drexel.edu or call the Faculty Development Center at 215-895-1224.

6. Browsers for Mac Users of WebCT Vista

With the installation of the latest Service Pack on Vista, we find that Internet Explorer is no longer shown as a supported web browser for the Macintosh platform. This is related to Microsoft's cessation of support of IE for the Mac.

We recommend that you use the latest version of Safari in place of IE. We also recommend that you keep your OS up to date with the latest software updates from Apple. Some of these contain software that is necessary for WebCT Vista to run properly on your computer.

For information about browsers to be used with WebCT, see http://www.webct.com/tuneup/viewpage?name=tuneup_browser_tuneup_information.

For problems or questions, please contact us at webct@drexel.edu.

7. Submitting Assignments with Attachments

Yes, Drexel students can submit their assignments with attachments in WebCT Vista. They may find it easier, however, if they first watch a short video that illustrated the process.

There is a link in the Student Orientation section in WebCT Vista, or they may go directly to http://broadcast.drexel.edu:8080/ramgen/classes/Student_Demos/Student_DemosSubmittingAssignments_011206-150k.rm.

8. Training for WebCT Vista

IRT offers faculty members two kinds of WebCT Vista training - Boot Camps for new users and Workshops for current users. As sessions fill up, more may be added, so watch for schedule updates on the IRT Web site at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/services/workshops/index.html.

* For New Users: WebCT Vista Boot Camps
WebCT Vista Boot Camps, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 116 of the Korman Computing Center, provide an introduction to the most essential WebCT tools for novice users. Boot Camps are scheduled for the following dates:

Friday, January 27
Friday, February 24

Laptops are provided as well as lunch. Reserve your slot at webct@drexel.edu.

* For Current Users: WebCT Vista Workshops
These are four-hour workshops to enhance your knowledge in selected areas, for experienced users of WebCT Vista. The next WebCT Vista Workshop will be held in Korman room 116 on:

Thursday, February 16 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

To sign up, email webct@drexel.edu.

* Departmental Training
If you would prefer to have a WebCT Vista Workshop or Boot Camp just for your department, let us know. We'll provide the same information at a time convenient for your group. We can, if you wish, break it into shorter segments spread over several days. We can do it in Korman or in your own lab. Contact us at webct@drexel.edu.

9. Brown Bag Lunch Sessions

Bring your lunch, share your experiences, and learn more about WebCT Vista and other academic technologies in informal sessions with fellow faculty members.

Brown Bag Lunches for faculty and staff are scheduled for noon-1 p.m. in Korman room 116 as follows:

Tuesday, January 31 - Recording Your Lectures - Technological Alternatives
Wednesday, February 22 - Adding Voiceover Recordings to Your Course Elements with Horizon-Wimba

To reserve a spot, complete with a soda and a dessert, send email to webct@drexel.edu.

Topics are invited. Use the same email address to suggest topics for future brown baggers.

10. Tips for This Month

* Add TAs to your section by going to the Grade Book. Click on the Add Members button, enter the individual's email ID, select the TA check box, click Add, and then click Save. It's a very straightforward process.

* WebCT Vista enhancements in Service Pack 6 include improved HTML Creator for home page design and page authoring; the ability to hide Sections in your Course List; and a more granular student tracking capability. You can watch a short video illustrating these. The link is posted in the DES-101 section in WebCT Vista, or you can go directly to http://broadcast.drexel.edu:8080/swf/classes/VISTA_DEMO_SP6/VISTA_DEMO_SP6Three_Highlights_01_09_06.swf.

* If html pages load slowly when you edit them in WebCT Vista, you can make some minor adjustments to speed up the process. Instructions in .pdf format can be accessed at http://broadcast.drexel.edu:8080/pdf/classes/VISTA_DEMO_SP6/VISTA_DEMO_SP6Slow_Page_Loads.pdf.

* The new version of Firefox (v1.5) is problematic with WebCT Vista according to some reports. We recommend that you use Firefox v1.0.7. If you had already installed v1.5, you'll need to uninstall it and then re-install v1.0.7.

* You can log in to WebCT Vista directly as an alternative to using the DrexelOne portal. Go to http://vle.dcollege.net, click on Drexel University, click on Log In, enter your Drexel email username and password, and click OK.

* Respondus, the quiz-creation software that works seamlessly with WebCT Vista, has released some useful video snippets. They are available in the DES-101 Course Designers Forum section in WebCT Vista. If you do not see that on your Course List, email webct@drexel.edu and we'll enroll you.

To read previous issues of the IRT Technology Update, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/

To manage your subscription options to the IRT Technology Update and other Drexel Announcements, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/subscriptions. If you prefer to receive a plain text version, please email your request to mailreq@drexel.edu.

Modified: August 20, 2008

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