IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: April 02 2004

The many students returning to campus after six months of co-op will notice some differences in Drexel's electronic environment. During that time, the following changes have been made:

Upgrades to WebCT and administrative systems provide new functionalities:
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate120403.html#upgrades
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate030504.html#04

DrexelOne took on a new look and an upgraded software engine behind the scenes. Go to http://one.drexel.edu.
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate092603.html#drexelone

Folio, an application for creating and storing resumes and other electronic personal data, is now available to all in the Drexel community. Access it through DrexelOne.
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate071603.html#folio
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate111803.html#eportfolio

The new version of Webmail is more robust than the old product, with many bells and whistles. As of old, you access it at http://webmail.drexel.edu

In response to changing life patterns, Student Phone Service in the residence halls is now free for local calling; use calling cards or cell phones for long distance. http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate062603.html#studentphones

AppleTalk took its unlamented departure after two decades of faithful service.
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate071603.html#appletalk

If any faculty members are returning from sabbatical, they should know that Exchange mail has a new web address; access your account at http://exchangeweb.drexel.edu

And, of course, you will notice that this IRT Technology Update is now sent with html formatting. Likewise, the Drexel Daily Digest, which is published in cooperation with the Office of University Relations.

Security - Security - and More Security!!!

It should be no surprise to anyone who has not been trekking through the wilds of Patagonia that the big computing news of the past six months has been security. Every issue of the IRT Technology Update has had at least one security item, and some have had several.

The worldwide infestations of computer-borne vermin were pervasive last summer, and often made the national news. Security-related articles in this newsletter have included:

Computer Safety - Beware of Spyware
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate030504.html#01

DragonFly Goes Private - Snoopers Not Welcome
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate030504.html#05

The Epidemic of Identity Theft
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate030504.html#06

Old Passwords May Pose Security Risk
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate021004.html#03

Message of MyDoom: Be Good, Be Careful
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate021004.html#04

DoomJuice Worm Exploiting MyDoom Victims
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate021004.html#05

DragonFly Security to Be Upgraded Again
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate021004.html#07

New Year's Resolutions for Network Safety
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate011304.html#01

The Endless Inventiveness of Net Hooligans
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate120403.html#hooligans

Security Problems? Look Here!
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate120403.html#security

PopUps Are Annoying, PopUp Blockers Are Also Annoying
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate111803.html#popups

More Nasties on the Net
http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/techupdate111803.html#nasties

DrexelOne Provides Access to Banner Records

There's a new/old way to access your Banner records. Go to http://one.drexel.edu, log in with your email user-ID and password, and click on the Student/Faculty/Employee Services tab.

This has been an option for some time - in fact, ever since we introduced DrexelOne one-stop shopping two years ago. Depending on your status at the university, you see your personal data, class records, benefits and payroll, enter grades, etc., just as you did when entering Bannerweb with a separate password. The benefit of a single sign-on portal allows you to immediate access to not only Bannerweb but also to a web email client, online calendar, and your WebCT courses. Public use of the separate passwords will be eliminated after Commencement in June.

The first time you access your Banner records each term, you will be asked to verify your personal information - with one mouse click if everything is correct, or after making any necessary corrections.

Instructions for accessing your Banner records are given at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/OneBanner.html.

Instructions for submitting grades are given at http://www.drexel.edu/src/grade_submission.asp.

Learn About Office Components

Do you need a refresher on the key elements of the MS Office productivity software suite? Basic workshops will be offered as follows:

Excel - 10 a.m. Monday, April 26, 2004
Access - 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, 2004
PowerPoint - 10 a.m. Monday, May 3, 2004
Word - 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, 2004

All workshops will be held in Room C of the Korman Computing Center. Reserve your place by emailing irt.workshops@drexel.edu.

For Best Home Computer Security . . . VPN

Do you work from home? Do you use wireless on campus? Even with WEP encryption enabled, the best security you can have at this time is to use Drexel services through the VPN (virtual private network).

When attempting to access such services as DrexelOne, INB, web applications such as Web*Finance or Web*Salary, or even your email, you will have more peace of mind and sometimes more complete service access if you install our VPN client and use it for your online access.

You also can enjoy the functionality of Outlook 2000 or Outlook XP. Exchange email users can use the fuller-featured clients to access their Exchange email, rather than the web client they now use at http://exchangeweb.drexel.edu.

See http://inside.drexel.edu/computersecurity/vpn for full information about Drexel's VPN and instructions for downloading, installation, and use.

WebCT News

Great Program Scheduled for WebCT Regional Conference

Carol Vallone, president and CEO of WebCT, will give the keynote address for the WebCT Regional Conference to be held at Drexel on April 19-20, 2004. She is always an energizing speaker, and comes armed with the latest information about what is happening in the world of CMS. She will likely have a lot to say about Vista as well as WebCT's academic enterprise system.

Lunchtime presentations with Q&A will be given by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt, authors of three important books on learning communities.

And, of course, the regional conference provides a great venue for sharing ideas -- yours and others' -- so come, present, and learn.

View details of the program at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/webct/webctconf2004/.

WebCT Boot Camps

WebCT Boot Camps, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 116 of the Korman Computing Center, have been scheduled for the following dates:

Friday, April 23
Friday, May 21
Friday, June 18

Laptops are provided for hands-on experience and, when the session is full (which is normal), we also supply lunch. Reserve your slot early at webct@drexel.edu.

Tips for This Month

* We upgraded to WebCT CE v.4.1 during the spring break on the University City campus, so we urge instructors to pay close attention to their WebCT courses during the next few weeks.

There are some new features in this version, including:

--Ability to import & export IMS/SCORM-based content;
--WebCT PowerLinks for greater customization and integration to third-party technologies;
--Ability to import ePacks without overwriting existing content;
--Some performance enhancements;
--In Quizzes/Surveys, pop-up blocking software will no longer prevent windows from opening; and
--Bug fixes and designer/instructor interface enhancements.

If you need help, with new features or old routines, email us at webct@drexel.edu.

* WebCT's real strength is to increase the level of interaction between you and your students, your students and the course content, and your students and their colleagues in your course.

WebCT tools that can increase interaction levels include:

--Discussions
--Mail
--Chat
--Presentations (the Group Management tool)
--Student pages

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: December 4, 2008

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