IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: September 29, 2006

IRT has been busy this summer, preparing new services and enhancing existing ones to improve efficiency and ease of use. Some of these are covered below. To keep up with these enhancements, we hope you will read the IRT Technology Update regularly. (Back issues are archived at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/news/technews/.)

IRT is also publishing a Guide to Technology Resources, which faculty and staff members will be receiving from the University mail service shortly. A student-oriented version, Guide to Technology Resources at Drexel, has been distributed in residence halls and is available for pick up at Creese Student Center, the Library, Korman Computing Center, and other venues.

We are also working on a special print publication on What's New in Technology at Drexel? The short answer is "a lot". This will go to press early in Fall term.

We hope you will take full advantage of the technology resources available for you at Drexel and the many ways IRT can assist you. If you have special topics you'd like us to cover, please send suggestions to consult@drexel.edu.

2. Technology Checklist

Are you new to campus? Returning to campus? Or an old hand who may have missed some opportunities?

There's a checklist posted on the IRT web page with web references to electronic services you will or may need. Go to http://www.drexel.edu/IRT and click on either the New Student link or the New Employee (faculty and staff) link.

Use the links on those pages for information and access. This may also provide a ready-reference tool for old timers on campus.

3. MusicSelect: It's Time to (Re-)Enroll

MusicSelect, Drexel's fully legal download service for all kinds of music, is now available to members of the Drexel community who enroll - or re-enroll - at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/musicselect.

Drexel MusicSelect provides access to millions of musical numbers from Napster for a period of up to one year, or coupons for a limited number of permanent downloads from iTunes (which service you choose will be governed by which device you have)

The enrollment is for a period of one year, starting on September 1. To get benefits for this academic year, previous subscribers must re-enroll.

For students in university residence halls, the Drexel MusicSelect service is free. Non-resident students pay $6 per quarter. But everyone, those who pay and those for whom the service is free, must enroll if they want the service.

Faculty and staff members are eligible for 30 percent discounts on Napster service, but are not eligible for iTunes downloads

4. Getting to Know WebCT Vista: Student Walk-in Clinics

In preparation for Drexel's widespread use of online educational strategies to supplement classroom instruction, IRT offers walk-in sessions for students during the early weeks of Fall term.

These sessions will cover configuring computers properly for WebCT Vista (yes, do bring in your laptop for help), how to log in and navigate in WebCT Vista, and how to get help. Students will also receive a take-away information packet on support and resources.

Upcoming Walk-in Clinics are scheduled as follows in Korman room 116:

Tuesday, October 3 - 2-3 p.m.
Wednesday, October 4 - 10-11 a.m.
Thursday, October 5 - 10-11 a.m.
Friday, October 6 - 2-3 p.m.

Tuesday, October 10 - 1-2 p.m.
Wednesday, October 11 - 11 a.m.-noon
Thursday, October 12 - 3-4 p.m.
Friday, October 13 - 10-11 a.m.

Students may come any time within the hour. No pre-registration is required.

There also is a collection of resources for learning and using WebCT Vista, Drexel's main online instructional system, on the IRT web page at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/services/webct.

5. Safeguard the Keys to Your Identity

Your Drexel computer account (which includes your DrexelOne account, your @drexel.edu email account, etc.) is a primary vehicle for communication at Drexel. Many, even most, official notifications from the University are sent via email. At the same time, your Drexel computer account provides access to all your most important University records ... to you, or to anyone else who may gain access to your account, with or without your consent.

Thus, the security of your account is imperative, not only to insure the privacy of your correspondence, as with any email, but also to safeguard your personal data. The key to account security is your password.

Change your password frequently at http://accounts.drexel.edu. Authenticate your identity using your computer account user-ID and current password. Click on the large key icon in the header area to change all passwords, or on the small key icon on line with an account name to change a single account password.

Passwords need to be "strong," i.e., not easy for others to guess. Avoid obvious mnemonics like your name(s), nickname(s), initials, or date of birth. Try simple character substitutions (e.g., "1" for "l") or the initial letters of a mnemonic phrase ("egbdfa" = "every good boy does fine always").

Strong Drexel passwords will:

Be six to eight characters long
Contain at least two letters and one non-letter
Contain non-letter character(s) within the string (not just at the beginning or end of the string)
Not be a word in any dictionary
Not contain characters that are operands in common programming languages (examples: $ % @ " ')
Differ from your previous password by at least three characters

Once you change your password, keep in secure. Don't share it with anyone. And above all, don't paste it to your monitor with a sticky note.

6. How to Get Drexel's Site-Licensed Software

To provide the Drexel community with the software tools to be successful, Drexel has site-licensed many applications for use by students, faculty members, and/or staff.

Drexel's site-licensed software is available at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT via the Computer Marketplace link in the left-hand panel. In the Computer Marketplace, click on the Get Software link. Use your DrexelOne username and password for authentication as needed.

This site gives you the choice to download the licensed software for free, or to purchase the media at a small cost. Because of the size of many of the programs, downloading is only recommended if you are connected to the Drexel network. The cost of purchasing the media is quite modest.

The direct link to the software page is http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/services/comp_mark/software.html.

7. Keeping Computers Safe from Infection

Among the packages available at Computer Marketplace (see above) is anti-virus software. Everyone connected to the Drexel network - for their own safety and everyone else's - should install anti-virus software and keep it up to date.

Students in residence halls are prompted to do this when they register their network connection each term. Non-resident students, faculty, staff, and all wireless users must be pro-active to install Drexel's virus protection software and keep it updated.

Note: Even if your computer came with anti-virus software, you should switch to Drexel's site-licensed version because it provides free live updates.

For more information about virus protection, see http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/support/virusinfo/.

8. Coming Soon: Faculty Technology Showcase

The next Faculty Technology Showcase is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7, 2006. This will feature faculty members and administrators who are using technology in unique ways to enhance teaching or training initiatives.

If you would like to share your strategies for technology use, send email to the Online Learning Team at webct@drexel.edu with a brief description of what you are doing. Please include call-back information so one of the team can get back to you.

News and Notes for Online Learning

9. Getting Help with Online Instruction

Faculty members, teaching assistants using WebCT Vista or associated technologies for teaching or training will be able to contact the Online Learning Team on Saturdays this quarter. Come to the Faculty Development Center in room 109 of the Korman Computing Center, call 215-895-1224, or email webct@drexel.edu. The FDC will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday, except Thanksgiving weekend.

Normal weekday hours for the FDC are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Online Learning Team has alsogrown, adding new members who expand the skill set that can be called on to assist users in learning newer and emerging technologies.

10. Voice-Enabled Tools Integrated into WebCT Vista

Horizon-Wimba has developed four voice tools that are integrated into WebCT Vista. In order of complexity, these are:

Voice Recorder - Enables faculty to create a short audio clip for students.
Voice Board - Compares to the Discussions tool but with voice-enabled capability. Faculty and students can post voice messages in an asynchronous environment.
Voice Direct - This is the Chat tool with audio capability built in. Faculty and students exchange text-based messages augmented with conversation. Since this takes place in real time, it enables educators to appeal to different learning styles.
Live Classroom - Facilitates text-based, real-time interaction, voice-enabled conversation, as well as polling, hand-raising, and application sharing.

Contact the FDC if you need help (215-895-1224 or webct@drexel.edu).

11. Brown Bag Lunch on Reference Management

A Brown Bag Lunch on "Bibliography and Reference Management with EndNote and RefWorks" will be held on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 at noon in Korman room 116. All interested faculty and staff members are welcome, but the number is limited. Email webct@drexel.edu to sign up.

12. Training for Online Instruction

The schedule for WebCT Vista and related trainings is given below. As always, register early (webct@drexel.edu) since capacity is limited; watch for schedule updates and possible additional sessions 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 a comprehensive introduction to the most essential WebCT tools for novice users. Boot Camps are scheduled quarterly. For Fall term 2006, the Boot Camp will be held on:

Friday, December 15, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Laptops are provided for use in the workshop as well as lunch. Reserve your slot at webct@drexel.edu.

WebCT Vista Modularized Training
In response to participant feedback, the Technology Support Team offers numerous short, highly-focused workshops on WebCT Vista tools and features (as well as other emerging technologies). These Modularized Training sessions, in Korman room 116, will be held this term as follows:

Tuesday, October 3, 10 a.m.-noon: Intro to WebCT
Wednesday, October 4, 2-4 p.m.: Intro to WebCT
Wednesday, October 11, 10 a.m.-noon: Organization and File Management
Thursday, October 12, 9-11 a.m.: Organization and File Management
Monday, October 16, 2-4 p.m.: Managing the Course
Tuesday, October 17, 3-5 p.m.: Managing the Course
Wednesday, October 25, 10 a.m.-noon: Communication Tools
Thursday, November 2, 10 a.m.-noon: Communication Tools
Monday, November 6, 2-4 p.m.: Evaluating Students
Tuesday, November 14, 2-4 p.m.: Evaluating Students

For workshop details, see http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/services/workshops. To sign up, email webct@drexel.edu.

Departmental WebCT Vista Training
If you would prefer to have a WebCT Vista training session just for your department, let us know. We'll provide the same information at a time and place convenient for your group. We can do it in Korman or in your own lab. Contact us at webct@drexel.edu, and let us know what specific topics you want.

Camtasia and Impatica Training
Licenses are available for both Impatica and Camtasia, software packages that enable you to record voiceover and other elements for lectures for inclusion in WebCT Vista online course sections. When you attend a one-hour session on either application, we make arrangements for you to get the software. There are some limits on the number of licenses for faculty and staff.

Here are the sessions scheduled currently:

Wednesday, October 18, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in Korman 116 - Impatica
Wednesday, October 18, 2:45-3:45 p.m. in Korman 116 - Camtasia

To sign up, email webct@drexel.edu.

Dreamweaver Training
Dreamweaver is a highly recommended HTML-authoring tool. The following training sessions are currently scheduled, all in Korman room 116.

Wednesday, October 11, 2-4 p.m.: Basic Dreamweaver
Thursday, October 19, 10 a.m.-noon: Intermediate Dreamweaver
Tuesday, October 24, 2-4 p.m.: Advanced Dreamweaver

Email dreamweaver@drexel.edu to register. Full-time faculty and staff members who complete the training are eligible to receive a copy of the Dreamweaver program.

13. Tips for This Month

No Need to Ask for a WebCT Shell: Faculty members need not ask for a WebCT shell for any course. Each section in Banner has a WebCT shell created automatically, complete with all of the enrolled students. To develop sections - post materials, design a home page, use other course elements - faculty members can get help from the Online Learning Team.

Adding Colleagues to WebCT Vista Courses: Faculty members wishing to add teaching assistants, course designers, etc., to their WebCT sections can do this themselves. Access the Section, activate the Teach tab, go into the Grade Book, and Add Members. Type in the email user-ID (abc12) of the TA or co-designer.

Re-using Content from Previous Courses: Nobody wants to re-invent the wheel. If you developed a course in the past and want to re-use some or all of its content for the new term, ask the Online Learning Team (webct@drexel.edu, 215-895-1224) to turn your Section into a Course Template. The Template will then be available each term that you teach the course. This enables you to develop a course once, and then leverage the effort by using it as the foundation for Sections in future terms.

Selective Release: This is a powerful feature that is integral to WebCT Vista. Nearly every element or category of elements can be released to: (1) an individual student; (2) a group of students; (3) by date or time; or (4) by criteria, such as students who made a passing grade on the Chapter 1 quiz before they can access the Chapter 2 content.

Resource Repositories: There are two key resource repositories in WebCT Vista, one for students and one for faculty. Every faculty member is "enrolled" in WebCT Vista in DES-101, the Course Designers Forum. Every student is enrolled in Student Resources. These sections are available every term. Check them frequently for new links and resources.

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: February 25, 2008

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IRT Technology Update

Contents:

News and Notes for Online Learning

1. Welcome (Back) from Tech Update

2. Technology Checklist

3. MusicSelect: It's Time to (Re-)Enroll

4. Getting to Know WebCT Vista: Student Walk-in Clinics

5. Safeguard the Keys to Your Identity

6. How to Get Drexel's Site-Licensed Software

7. Keeping Computers Safe from Infection

8. Coming Soon: Faculty Technology Showcase

News and Notes for Online Learning

9. Getting Help with Online Instruction

10. Voice-Enabled Tools Integrated into WebCT Vista

11. Brown Bag Lunch on Reference Management

12. Training for Online Instruction

13. Tips for This Month