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IRT Technology Update

Monday, June 5, 2007

Contents:

News and Notes on Online Learning

09. Bb Vista 4 Will Be Here - This Month
10. Bb Vista Help for Students
11. Bb Vista 4 - Not Just for Online Learning
12. Still Time to Copy Vista 3 Courses into Vista 4
13. File Types and Office 2007
14. Other Special Offers for Online Learning
15. Bb Vista Insights!

1. Computer Account Information for New Graduates

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 from their Drexel email account or forward it to a non-Drexel account, such as that provided by an employer, an ISP, or an online service like Google.

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. After the two years, or whenever the account is closed, alumni may still keep their userid and official email address for long-term forwarding to a non-Drexel account.

For a summary of these and other 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.

2. New Voice Mail System Installed

IRT Telecom completed the installation of Drexel's new CallXPress voice mail system on May 11, 2007 with minimal disruption. From the small number of calls we have received for help, it would seem that our user instructions answered most of your questions.

Please remember to remove all saved messages from the old Meridian voice mail system by dialing extension 6100 (215-895-6100 from off campus). Saved messages will be accessible only until Friday, June 15. After that, saved messages in Meridian Mail will disappear.

If you do find you have questions, try first at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/voicemail/, and note the links for Quick Reference Guide, FAQs, and Instructional Videos. For additional help, call 215-895-5862.

3. Sign Up to Receive Text Message Alerts

Drexel has recently announced a campus-wide alert notification system by which alerts can be sent direct to your mobile phone. It was used on Wednesday, May 30, to notify the Drexel community about the power outage and class cancellations in the Main Building complex.

You must sign up (i.e., "opt-in") to receive this service. In DrexelOne (https://one.drexel.edu), click on the Drexel tab and then, under Technology Services, choose the Mobile Notification link. Fill out the form giving information about your mobile phone.

Note that you must choose what kinds of announcements to receive. If you only want to see the emergency and safety announcements, check only the box next to Alerts in the Campus-wide announcements section.

Check other boxes according to your own preferences, but remember you are responsible for any text message charges from your mobile phone provider. If you check the General messages box in the Campus-wide announcements section, you will receive all the headlines from Campus Announcements that appear in DrexelOne.

Alerts and/or announcements which match the preferences you specify will be sent to your mobile phone as a text message.

4. Rescuing Correspondents from Outlook's Junk Email

Have you found email from some favorite correspondents inexplicably deposited in your Junk Email folder? If you're using Outlook as your email client, we can tell you how to eliminate this problem.

In Outlook 2003, you can add the sender to your Safe list. Here's how.

• Select an email in your inbox or other folder showing the sender's from address.
• Click on the Actions menu item and select Junk Email.
• From the submenu select Add Sender to Safe Senders List.
• Click OK.

As an alternative, you may want to rely on IRT's robust spam filtering process to do the job for you. In that case, you turn off Junk Email filtering in Outlook by going to Tools > Options > Preferences > Junk Email. This will take you to Options, where you can choose the level of filtering you want from Outlook. To leave spam filtering totally to IRT's filters, choose "No".

5. Event Page for Public Event Webcasts

IRT is involved in webcasting many special events on campus (e.g., the Mayoral Debates, Convocation, Graduation).

To view those events, see the News & Events heading on the IRT website (http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/news). Under this catalogue of events, click on the mediasite presentation link in your item of interest.

This is a way around the long and ungainly links that often result from posting webcasts to the web - links that "break" because they have wrapped to a second line.

6. Managing Long URLs

If you click on a URL in an email and find yourself going nowhere, have a look to see whether the printed URL has "wrapped" (i.e., gone on to a second line). In that case, you can often get the URL to work if you carefully copy the entire URL (highlight and Control-C) and then paste it (Control-V) into the address bar of your browser. You may have to copy and paste the separate lines individually - just make sure there are no extra spaces.

7. eAcademy Now in DrexelOne

IRT's Computer Marketplace is a click off the IRT website that contains links for computer purchases, software downloads, software purchases, and back-up service. The direct link is http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/comp_mark/.

In addition, eAcademy, the software purchase site that offers media associated with Drexel-licensed software, is accessible through DrexelOne. Because login is required to receive special pricing for licensed products only available to the Drexel community, we incorporated eAcademy into DrexelOne to reduce the number of logins required.

Choose the Software: Online Store link from within the Technology Services channel under the Drexel tab of DrexelOne (https://one.drexel.edu/).

8. New KnowledgeBase for Help Central

IRT's Help Central has come to AskDrexel.

As an add-on to the customer-oriented knowledge base of information for students and parents needing help with Drexel's administrative processes, much of the technical information from Help Central has been added. The information has been condensed and collapsed into concise information clips to give you fast answers to commonly asked questions.

IRT has plans to improve accessibility and update information on its website. In the process, it will move more information into AskDrexel so as to minimize the number of information "stops" you need to make.

Try out the Information Technology Resources in AskDrexel and let us know what you think. See https://ask.drexel.edu and click on Topics. Send comments to consult@drexel.edu.

News and Notes on Online Learning

9. Bb Vista 4 Will Be Here - This Month

Drexel begins using Bb Vista 4 this summer. Online Learning Team members will be available to provide faculty support during the weekend before summer quarter:

• Saturday, June 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Korman 109.
• Sunday, June 24, 1 to 9 p.m. in Korman 109.

The following sessions are scheduled to help faculty and TAs get ready:

• Wednesday, June 13, 1 to 4 p.m. in Korman 116: Hands-on session for existing Bb Vista 3 users.
• Thursday, June 14, noon to 1 p.m. in Korman 116: Bb Vista 4 Demo - Overview for everyone.
• Tuesday, June 19, 9 a.m. to noon in Korman 116: Hands-on session for existing Bb Vista 3 users.
• Friday, June 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Korman 116: Full-day workshop for new Bb Vista users (lunch included).
• Thursday, June 28, 9 a.m. to noon in Korman 116: Hands-on session for existing Bb Vista 3 users.

During the sessions for those already using Bb Vista, half the time will be spent working in enhanced areas of Bb Vista 4, the remaining time working on areas you want to know more about.

Learn more at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/workshops.

10. Bb Vista Help for Students

Walk-in sessions for students to get help with Bb Vista 4 are scheduled during the first two weeks of July in Korman Computing Center room 116. Student can come with their questions and problems at any time during the following time slots:

Monday, July 2, 10 to 11 a.m.
Tuesday, July 3, 2 to 3 p.m.
Thursday, July 5, 4 to 5 p.m.
Friday, July 6, 10 to 11 a.m.

Monday, July 9, 2 to 3 p.m.
Tuesday, July 10, 2 to 3 p.m.
Wednesday, July 11, 10 to 11 a.m.
Thursday, July 12, 10 to 11 a.m.
Friday, July 13, 2 to 3 p.m.

See the complete list at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/webct/walkInSchedule.html.

Also, you may invite members of IRT's Online Learning Team to make brief presentations in your classes highlighting new features of Bb Vista 4 for your students. Request visits by email at olt@drexel.edu.

11. Bb Vista 4 - Not Just for Online Learning

The best way to begin using Bb Vista 4 is to enhance your face-to-face classes.

It is seldom wise to jump directly to completely online classes. Post your syllabus electronically, make course handouts available, add a few links to relevant websites. Your students will appreciate it.

12. Still Time to Copy Vista 3 Courses into Vista 4

We have received nearly 400 requests to copy Bb Vista 3 courses into the new system. We will copy one version of each requested course. Request up to six courses at https://surveys.drexel.edu/takeSurvey.asp?SurveyID=6M3864MH3621G.

We'll do the courses for summer first.

13. File Types and Office 2007

As individuals start using Office 2007, it may be wise to standardize file types in your classes that use online components that may not be vertically compatible. You may want to require students to submit any Office documents in 2003 format. Alternatively, you might ask them to submit work in .pdf or .html formats.

14. Other Special Offers for Online Learning

Short sessions will be offered in Korman 116 on some of the special products available with online learning.

• Tuesday, June 16, noon - Brown Bag Lunch session with demo of SMARTBoards. Dessert and soda included.
• Thursday, June 28, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. - Impatica demo with information on downloading this software.
• Thursday, June 28, 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. - Camtasia, software to be installed.
• Wednesday, June 27, 9 to 11 a.m. - Camtasia Intermediate. Hands-on session, get the entire manual.

To register, send email to olt@drexel.edu.

15. Bb Vista Insights!

* For the third year in a row, incoming freshmen are taking placement exams in chemistry, English, math or calculus using Bb Vista 4. That means they arrive at Drexel already attuned to the application and to the online approach.

* Tired of trying to reassemble student emails terms, or years, after the fact? If you use Mail in Bb Vista, you can archive every email message exchanged and save them in one spot.

* Want to provide rich feedback to students on writing assignments, but tired of saying the same things over and over? Use the GradeMark feature in TurnItIn, a PowerLink in Bb Vista. In addition to running Originality Reports, you can take advantage of GradeMark's built-in rubrics and create (and save) your own.

* Is active learning a hot topic for you as an educator? Check out the Media Library tool and the Web Links tool in Bb Vista 4. All course participants can enjoy access to what their colleagues have contributed, and you can save and incorporate good ideas into future classes.

* Think about using Discussions in Bb Vista 4. You now have three choices: a Threaded Discussion topic, a Blog topic, or a Journal topic. Mix and match as you like so students can interact and learn from each other.

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.