IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: Monday, May 7, 2007

The implementation of Drexel's new voice mail system will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 11, 2007. The new CallXpress system is expected to be functioning and available by Sunday morning.

To ensure a smooth transition, everyone who uses Drexel voice mail must set up their new voice mail box(es) before Friday evening. [As of this writing, about 30% of you have done so. Thank you. The rest of you, please attend to this task immediately.] Instructions for setting up the CallXpress mailbox as well as instructions for its use are given at http://www.drexel.edu/voicemail/.

The new system functions differently than the departing Meridian system. Individuals or departments may contact the IRT Telecommunications Group at telephone-request@drexel.edu with questions or to request on-site small group training.

The old voice mail system will be available to retrieve old messages only until June 15. No new messages will be received by the old system after the cut-over on Friday evening. Beginning just after 7 p.m., new messages will go directly to the new CallXpress system.

Also, please remember to set up mailboxes for any departmental or group phones for which you are responsible.

2. Security Issues - Notifying the Community in an Emergency

Recent events remind us that a university is a community that needs to communicate and act communally in emergencies. Drexel University has a number of communication systems in place, and would use them all at need. Drexel Security works with IRT to utilize the following electronic communication vehicles:

* The most recent system is the DrexelOne Mobile alert system. Those who register their cell phones, Blackberries, Treos, PocketPC Phone Edition, and other hand-held devices can subscribe to receive text messages. To register your hand-held with the DrexelOne Mobile alert system, go to http://one.drexel.edu, choose the Drexel tab, and in the Technology Services channel choose Mobile Notification. A recent upgrade to the DrexelOne Mobile system enables almost instantaneous alert notifications to be sent to subscribers.

* Mass email provides broad coverage since all Drexel students, faculty, and staff have email accounts. In an emergency, we enter EMERGENCY or ALERT in the subject line to attract your attention. It currently takes about 20 minutes to deliver a message to all 28,000 recipient email mailboxes.

* Voice mail provides message service to those with university telephones. It takes about an hour for a message to be deposited in all voice mailboxes.

In an emergency, the university would use any or all of the above methods to spread the alarm. However, systems may become congested or even disabled by emergency events, so we all share responsibility to make sure our colleagues are informed of any problems. The low-tech foghorn voice in the hallway will never go out of use.

3. Back Up and Be Safe

These days, we are so used to reliable computers and networks that we often have a false sense of security. Only after a hard-drive crash or computer theft do we remember how important it is to keep copies of our work.

To help avoid an unfortunate loss of data and information, Drexel has partnered with IPR International and with Iron Mountain for backup and recovery services. Connected Backup/PC is an automatic backup solution for laptop and desktop data. Backup and recovery are user scheduled and managed.

Drexel plans to offer backup services to departments for institutional machines before fall term. The cost for departmental backup service will be based on the amount of storage needed and will be charged to departmental phone bills.

However, IRT is also making this service available for students, faculty and staff for individually owned machines. Cost of service ranges from $29.95 to $374.50/year, depending on the amount of storage needed. When individuals purchase the service online from the IRT Computer Marketplace, they designate the level of service they would like and charge it to their personal credit card.

For information and to purchase service, go to IRT's Computer Marketplace at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/comp_mark/ and click on Get Backup and Recovery Software.

4. Using Windows Mobile Smartphone with Rich Media

Did you know you can use your Internet-connected Windows Mobile-based smartphone or PDA to access rich media produced and delivered by IRT's Rich Media Conversion Project (RMCP)?

Although this varies with the version of Windows Mobile operating system you have (4.x, 5.x, 6.x), the stock Windows Media Player (WMP) will play windows media formats (WMV and WMA), MP3 audio files and display JPG and GIF graphic files. Other media players play additional content formats. Contact the RMCP Team for information on alternative media players.

To give it a try, point the browser of your Internet-connected Windows Mobile PDA or smartphone to http://broadcast.drexel.edu:8080/httpxml/examples/examples.html. There you will find various output file types to test for yourself.

For information, tutorials, and a compatibility chart, see http://www.drexel.edu/irt/rmcweb/. Coming soon: How to use your Palm OS smartphone or PDA to access media delivered by the RMCP.

5. What Do I Need to Know When I Graduate?

Short answer: Many things. Having successfully completed a Drexel degree, you have made a good start. Congratulations.

But the issue for IRT is what you need to know about your computer accounts.

Drexel alumni may keep their fully functioning email accounts for up to two years after graduation. This forms a bridge during the period of the first job search, and a way to keep in touch with college friends. During this two-year period, graduates may read email directly or forward it to a non-Drexel account. After the two years, only the forwarding feature may be retained. At any time during this two-year period, graduates have the option to close their Drexel accounts by notifying IRT of their preference at accounts@drexel.edu.

For a summary of electronic services after graduation, see http://www.drexel.edu/irt/policies/email.html#continue.

Also, as a longer-term solution to keeping in touch with Drexel friends, investigate the services offered by the Office of Alumni Relations at http://www.drexel.edu/alumni, 1.888.DU.GRADS or alumrel@drexel.edu.

6. Drexel Server Farm Upgrades Scheduled for May 26

The ever growing electronic services at Drexel make it necessary to adjust the server racks to create more room. The racks that store the servers need to be moved and additional racks added. This means that the machines housing the various databases and applications will be powered down during the moves.

After consultation with major users of all the affected systems, IRT has scheduled this operation for Saturday, May 26, 2007 - the first day of the Memorial Day weekend.

Outages will be intermittent, beginning at 6 a.m., and will affect all applications provided by Drexel University for the next 12 to 24 hours. This includes but is not limited to Banner, Hyperion, Advance, Banner Self-Service, Bb Vista, and the DrexelOne portal.

Some services will be available intermittently as servers are unplugged and moved and then reinstalled, but there is no guarantee about actual times. Although you may find a given application is available at one moment, it may be disconnected the next, so don't engage in any operations where you might lose important data. The safe operating assumption is that service will not be available for the entire day.

Suggestion: Have a pleasant holiday weekend at the shore.

7. Reserve Computer Classrooms for Summer AND Fall

The Korman Computing Center has eight computer classrooms that may be reserved by faculty members for single sessions or an entire term. These rooms accommodate between 20 and 30 students arranged in various configurations. IRT is now taking reservations for both Summer and Fall terms.

Faculty members reserve classrooms at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/facilities/korman/classrooms/.

Any special software requests must be renewed each term. The instructor must supply media, licenses and any activation codes to IRT by the Wednesday of the last week of the preceding term. The instructor should also schedule time to check the installation and functionality of special software before the start of term.

8. For Communication Security, Use VPN

Network communication is complicated. When you connect to Drexel from home, or even from a remote location within Drexel's multi-campus system, your message may pass through several networks. Only part of these may controlled by Drexel.

Although Drexel University works hard to provide security for electronic communication on its own networks, the portion of the transmission that passes outside the Drexel network cannot be guaranteed.

That's why, for the past five years, Drexel has recommended the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) for all off-network communication. To read about this encryption system and to install the software, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/vpn/index.htm.

News and Notes for Online Learning

9. Surveys - You Have Choices

Every term, more administrators and faculty members are choosing to conduct surveys online instead of using paper or Scantron. This environmentally responsible approach - think of all the trees that are killed to create a man-high stack of Scantron forms each term - can also save on the enormous labor involved in creating, circulating, scanning, correcting and analyzing a survey.

The Online Learning Team can help you use Bb Vista or Drexel's in-house Survey Application to elicit critical feedback electronically. These are user friendly, therefore probably increasing your response rate, and give you the data in a form that you can use directly to conduct your analysis.

For more information or help, contact the Online Learning Team at olt@drexel.edu, 215-895-1224, or visit the Instructional Technology Center in Room 109, Korman Computing Center.

10. Bb Vista 4 Is Just Around the Corner

The new version of Drexel's Learning Management System (LMS), Bb Vista 4, has been tested and is available right now for course development. If you need a Template to do course development for summer term, contact olt@drexel.edu.

If you already have a Template or Section in Bb Vista 3 that you want to use in summer term, we can move it for you to Bb Vista 4. To request that service, use the form at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/webct/ and click on Course Migration Request.

The next all-day workshop for Bb Vista is on Friday, June 1, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Korman 116. Lunch is provided. RSVP to olt@drexel.edu.

11. What Does Blackboard Vista 4 Offer

Among the enhancements offered by Bb Vista version 4 are the following:

* A simpler interface requires fewer clicks.

* Choice of placement of navigation elements - top or left side, whichever is more congenial for you.

* You can use prior Bb Vista 4 sections as starting points for new sections.

* The new Roster tool builds a shared sense of a learning community.

* Blog and Journal capabilities are built in.

* Data Rollover lets you roll forward dates for assignments and assessments from a prior section, all at one time.

See a more detailed list at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/vista-4_highlights.html.

12. Don't Update to Java 1.6 Just Yet

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.6 is not validated for use with Bb Vista. Some functions work but others fail. Best to stay with JRE 1.5 until Blackboard has resolved the issues.

JRE 1.5 is available from Sun at http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index_jdk5.jsp.

13. Bb Vista: Tools and More Tools

* With the Categories feature in Bb Vista's Discussions tool, you can link your students to a subset of the course discussions, saving scroll time to find the correct topics.

* A Water Cooler topic each week enables students to use the discussion tool to talk about any topic (appropriate to the course, of course).

* In Open Topic, students can author new topics and be graded on their postings. This promotes active learning, and may give instructors ideas for future classes.

* The More Tools area under the Build tab offers a number of new features, including Live Classroom, Merlot RLO Access, Respondus Lockdown Browser, TurnItIn and more.

14. Use of Bb Vista Growing

Statistics indicate that over 40% of Banner sections have Bb Vista activity. Some 70% of Drexel students are enrolled in at least one class that is utilizing Bb Vista. If you need to get started in Bb Vista, check out the Demos and Workshops schedule at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/workshops/.

15. Bb Vista Qwik Tips

* To Crosslist your summer term sections, ask your department representative to handle that with the registrar. The Online Learning Team can facilitate crosslisting your course with Bb Vista, but only before you start using Bb Vista for the term.

* Collaboration. Bb Vista can generate groups based on number of groups or size of groups. You retain capability to edit these random groups.

* Timed release. To release content sequentially, use the Selective Release feature. By using criteria, you can assure that students master existing concepts before going on to more challenging materials.

* Provide access for co-designers. You can do it yourself. Go to your Section, the Teach tab, then Grade Book, and use the Add Members feature. You need to know their Drexel user name (e.g., abc123).

* Archiving your Gradebook at the end of term. If you have been recording grades in Bb Vista, go to the Teach tab, enter the Grade Book, and choose Export to Spreadsheet. This saves your Grade Book to your computer for easy review. Save grade change comments by clicking View Audit History and exporting your Audit log. Be sure to do this for present and past classes before we move to Bb Vista 4 this summer.

* Final exam grading. In Bb Vista you can deliver your final exam and the system will grade it for you as soon as each student completes it. Essay questions must be graded manually, but most other types of question can be auto-graded. Makes grade reporting easier. Contact the Online Learning Team at olt@drexel.edu for assistance.

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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