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October 21, 2009

Microsoft releases Windows 7

Windows 7 is Microsoft's newest version of their operating system and is set for release to the general public on Thursday, Oct 22nd. This new operating system has kept the same basic look and feel that existed in Windows Vista but has made vast improvements regarding speed, security and hardware requirements.

Where does Davidson stand regarding Windows 7?
Testing on different hardware platforms continues and we are communicating with our software vendors regarding support for Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8, which is built into the new operating system. ITS will work quickly and responsibly to make this new operating system supported on the network and available to campus offices as soon as possible.

Thinking about upgrading your Windows XP or Windows Vista home machine to Windows 7?
One suggestion, proceed with caution! Make sure you back-up your important information before performing any operating system upgrades. When upgrading to Windows 7, you will find that Windows Mail, Movie Maker, Calendar, Contacts and Photo Gallery will be deleted along with the data contained within. Are these Windows utilities gone forever? No, you can download these and many more free utilities from the Microsoft website.

October 8, 2009

Tell us about your spring semester classroom technology needs

It is time to think about your spring semester classroom technology needs and we would be most grateful if you could submit your requests by October 16th. This date is earlier than it has been in past years as a key ITS staff member will be on leave beginning December and we want to allow ample time for testing the lab and classroom setup for the spring semester.

To see the services and software we currently offer in the computer labs and classrooms, please visit http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x23259.xml. From here you can request any additional needs you may have.

If you have any questions, please contact Shauna'h Fuegen, Student Computing Services Coordinator.

Thank you for helping us better serve your computing needs.

October 6, 2009

Help Desk closes October 12 at 3:45 pm

The Help Desk will close at 3:45 p.m. Monday, Oct 12, for a department meeting.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial 704-894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please send the Help Desk email or leave voice mail (704-894-2900, select option 1 or 2).

We will contact you when the Help Desk reopens. Our business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

September 17, 2009

Banner Maintenance Outage - October 9-11

The campus Banner system will be offline and unavailable from 5:00 PM Friday, October 9, 2009, until 7:00 AM Monday, October 12, 2009. This is a planned downtime to move components of the Banner system to new server hardware and a new operating system environment. Both the Banner production database and the ODS database are being moved from a single older HP server running the HP-Unix operating system (Phoenix) to their own separate dedicated Intel-based Dell servers running the Linux operating system. This move will enhance both security and performance and over the long term significantly reduce costs of hardware acquisition and operating system licensing and maintenance. It also moves us onto a platform (Linux on Dell) that Sungard itself uses as one of the primary "reference" architectures in its own testing centers.

Banner users should not experience any change in the operation of the system following the downtime. If you have any questions or concerns related to this maintenance window, please contact Charles Murray in ITS.

September 1, 2009

Windows Vista and Windows 7 Update

Has all the talk in the media about Windows 7 had you wondering what Windows 7 is and what happened to Windows Vista? Does the media buzz remind you that at one point ITS was talking about upgrading to Windows Vista from Windows XP across campus? Well, here is the latest information to satisfy those burning questions.

Continue reading "Windows Vista and Windows 7 Update" »

August 23, 2009

You had questions, we had answers: ITS Computer Setup Fair

We had the pleasure of assisting approximately 255 students at the computer setup fair. Check out some of the pictures.

Continue reading "You had questions, we had answers: ITS Computer Setup Fair" »

August 21, 2009

ITS Extends Student Technology Support via Social Media

In the rapidly changing face of online communications, Information Technology Services (ITS) is staying nimble and meeting students where they are on Facebook and Twitter. These social-networking sites serve as direct discussion forums between Davidson students and ITS staff. Read all about it at:

http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x36726.xml

Facebook Davidson Student Technology.jpg

August 19, 2009

Set your browser startup page to Inside Davidson

Inside Davidson, the new campus intranet, is now up and running. Beginning this fall, campus communication will increasingly be made available in Inside Davidson. Reports from the various strategic implementation teams, payroll pay stubs, minutes from faculty meetings, etc - will be posted to Inside Davidson. We ask you to set Inside Davidson as your startup webpage. For assistance with changing your default page - please email the Help Desk (helpdesk@davidson.edu) or call extension 2900. You may also follow the instructions below

Safari - Mac
Firefox - Mac

Internet Explorer - Windows

Firefox - Windows

August 18, 2009

New "Plan-A-Meeting" Feature of Event Management System

We are pleased to announce the addition of the Plan-A-Meeting feature to Event Management Systems (EMS).
When you visit the EMS Website, and make a 'Room Request', you will see new options to add events to your personal calendar and email calendar invitations to attendees.

How to: Invite attendees to your events using the Plan-A-Meeting feature in EMS.

EMS is used by the campus community to coordinate the requests and booking of spaces and services on campus. (More EMS Info and FAQ's).

EMS documentation and training videos can be found on Blackboard.

If you have questions, please contact the Help Desk (helpdesk@davidson.edu, x-2900).

July 29, 2009

New Network Access Control System

To keep our campus wireless system secure and virus free, we will begin deploying a new access control system, known as Bradford Campus Manager, on Monday, August 3rd. The existing control system, Cisco Clean Access, no longer delivers the comprehensive security, performance, or coverage required for safe computing.

All college and personally owned laptops that connect to the Davidson wireless network will need to download and install the new Bradford Campus Manager software before gaining wireless access. This change does not affect office computers. The Bradford software will only need to be downloaded and installed one time per device. To install the Bradford Campus Manager and register your computer on the network, you will need to connect to the wireless network, open your browser, and follow the prompts on the screen. The requirements for gaining access to the wireless network will remain the same as they were with Cisco Clean Access. These requirements include having up-to-date Macintosh and Windows patches and an up-to-date version of Sophos Anti-Virus.

As always, we are here to help. If you need assistance or have any questions, please call or email the Help Desk (helpdesk@davidson.edu or x-2900).

July 14, 2009

Software Discounts for Employees and Students

Did you know that Davidson faculty, staff and students are eligible for software discounts? Through Davidson's membership in NCICU (North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities) Davidson employees and students may purchase personal copies of select Adobe and Microsoft products at reduced rates. Visit www.shopscholar.com, select North Carolina and then Davidson College to view the school store.

Right now Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 is being offered at an additionally discounted rate of $59.98. This offer is valid until October 31, 2009.

July 1, 2009

Join us on Facebook & Twitter

Do you spend time on Facebook or Twitter? If so, you can keep up-to-date with the latest happenings at ITS using these social networking sites.

ITS at Davidson is pleased to announce its presence on both Facebook and Twitter. Follow along as we announce new initiatives, offer helpful tips and share the latest news about campus technology.

Join us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

ITS facebook.jpg

We look forward to sharing our latest news with you, and hope that you are having an enjoyable summer.

May 28, 2009

CMS upgrade and Webcontent downtime

In order to upgrade to Ingeniux Version 6.0, webcontent\buildsite will be unavailable from 5 pm on June 1 through 7:30 am on June 3. Please close out the CMS client prior to 5 pm. Please submit any pages that need updating prior to 3pm. Any changes made after 5 pm will be lost.

Version 6.0 will use a 'universal client' that works on either the PC or Mac, but does require use with specific browsers for optimal performance.

For Mac users: Safari 3
For PC users: Internet Explorer 7

Please note: the old 5.2 client and the new 6.0 client are not compatible; therefore, the 5.2 client will have to be removed from your computer BEFORE you install the new 6.0 client. Instructions to uninstall the old client and install the new client will be provided after the upgrade.

The first time you go to webcontent\buildsite (after the upgrade and removal of 5.2 client), you will be prompted to install the new client software. You will notice the new CMS client has more of a browser look to it.

Additional Features:
• New asset management feature that allows for easier browsing, management and selection of images and documents on the server
• "Get Help" - an optional step in the workflow to request help from College Communications on all types of content without leaving the client
• New WYSIWYG Editor

After the upgrade, Info sessions will be held on Wednesday (June 3) and Thursday (June 4). Specific locations and times to be announced.


If you have any questions, please contact Paige Herman.

May 19, 2009

Introducing Inside Davidson, new campus intranet

We are pleased to formally launch Inside Davidson, a new Web-based intranet system intended to be the primary information and communication tool for employees.

Thumbnail image for Inside davidson.jpg

Continue reading "Introducing Inside Davidson, new campus intranet" »

May 6, 2009

May 12th:Teaching with Technology Fair: creative uses of technology across the curriculum

We invite you to drop in and talk with faculty colleagues using technology in creative and interesting new ways to enrich teaching and learning. ITS' instructional technologists will also be available to answer questions in what will be our first annual Teaching with Technology Fair. If you have considered teaching with technology and want to learn more about what works, what does not, and how you can get started with support from ITS, please drop by the 900 Room on May 12 any time between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Continue reading "May 12th:Teaching with Technology Fair: creative uses of technology across the curriculum" »

April 29, 2009

Advance Notice: CMS downtime & upgrade scheduled.....


Webcontent\buildsite will be unavailable from 5 pm on June 1 through 7:30 am on June 3. Please plan accordingly for this downtime. The CMS software will be upgraded during this time. Upgrade details will be coming soon.

If you have any questions, please contact Paige Herman.

April 27, 2009

Used Computer Sale: Friday, May 1st

You are invited to the semiannual used computer equipment sale on Friday, May 1st from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the Sprinkle Room of the Knobloch Campus Center.

Computers will be sold on a first come first served basis. A signup sheet will be posted at 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning and doors will open at 9:00 a.m. Sales will be handled sequentially per the signup sheet. You or your designated representative will need to be present when your name is called to retain your place.

Continue reading "Used Computer Sale: Friday, May 1st " »

April 20, 2009

Search PDF helps you find books, ebooks and tutorials online

There's a lot of good information floating around the Web. That's a good thing. It's also a bad thing, since finding a few grains of wheat can require sifting a great deal of chaff. Search PDF helps you with that sifting when you need a book, ebook or instructional PDF.

searchpdf.jpg

Just open the Search PDF web page and enter a search phrase, book title, etc. From the list of returned links, you can open a direct link to the PDF (using your preferred viewer), or click View to preview the PDF using Scribd's iPaper (so there's no need to start up a separate piece of software on your machine). Search PDF is very much a single-purpose tool, but it does an excellent job of wading through the worst of the irrelevant material, helping you to narrow your searches more rapidly and effectlvely than a straight-up Google search.

April 14, 2009

Please tell us about your Fall Semester 2009 technology and course content needs

We invite you to let us know about your Fall semester 2009 classroom technology and course content needs. We will work on fulfilling those needs over the summer break and ask that you submit your request by May 15, 2009. Also, our Instructional Technologists are available to work with you in preparing course content.

To see the services and software currently offered in the technology classrooms and computers labs, please visit http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x23259.xml. From here you may make additional requests. Software requested for the Spring semester 2009 will continue to be deployed for the Fall semester unless otherwise requested.

Thank you for helping us better serve your instructional computing and course content needs.

April 2, 2009

Davidson's iTunes U site - new platform for educational content

We are pleased to announce the availability of Davidson's iTunes U site located at http://itunes.davidson.edu. iTunes U, the educational component of the popular iTunes music store, is quickly emerging as a dominant new platform in the delivery of educational, instructional and cultural content in a rich media format.

itunes.davidson.edu.jpg

Continue reading "Davidson's iTunes U site - new platform for educational content" »

Spring 2009 Teaching with Technology NITLE opportunities


Please check out the September 2009 NITLE opportunities. There is an interesting and diverse set of offerings including - pedagogical implications of wireless and mobile technologies, using technology for collaborative student projects, handling information overload, ethics of information, emerging technologies and so much more. If you wish to attend any of these opportunities, please email Mur Muchane

Continue reading "Spring 2009 Teaching with Technology NITLE opportunities" »

March 30, 2009

Conficker computer virus

A virus named "Conficker" (also known as Downup, Downadup and Kido) has been very much in the news these past few days. The virus infects Microsoft Windows computers and is reported to have an activation date of April 1st, 2009. We want to provide information to you about what ITS has done to protect our campus systems and what you can do with your home systems.

Microsoft released a patch for this virus in late 2008. Shortly after this release, ITS began requiring this patch on both student and college-owned systems connected to the Davidson network. Our primary defenses against such viruses, Sophos anti-virus and Brightmail, are constantly scanning inbound e-mail and documents for suspicious or malicious files and attachments. Both of these systems are constantly updated with new and better ways to detect viruses and block them before they reach campus computers.

For home computers, we recommend you review the Microsoft website (link below) for advice on protecting your personal computer. At the very least, ensure that your home computer is fully updated with the latest patches from Microsoft and running updated anti-virus software.

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/worms/conficker.mspx.

March 24, 2009

Find images by color using Google Image Search

Everyone knows Google is an excellent search engine for text and links. Fewer know that it's a great way to find images as well. Until recently, though, only a very few people realized that you can also search Google's database of images according to the color of the image. Here's how.

First, load up Google Image Search. Then enter the keywords you need to specify the category of images you want to search for. For purposes of this example, I'll search for "car." Obviously, this is really, really broad -- the basic search returns about 129 million results.

carsearch.jpg

Continue reading "Find images by color using Google Image Search" »

March 18, 2009

Introducing the Think Tank and Digital Den

Have you been spending late nights barricaded inside the new group study rooms in the Belk lab, yet had no idea what they were called? Nameless no more, these comfortable and group-friendly rooms have brand new monikers: The Think Tank and the Digital Den!

The names were selected after a month-long contest filled with 147 submissions from students. In total, four lucky Wildcats were selected for suggesting the winning names: Daniel Cook, Kayla McCann, Alayne Kane and Evan Colbert.

If you haven't already, come check out the new Think Tank and Digital Den the next time you're in Belk and see what everyone is talking about!

Your feedback is important to us

ITS is interested in soliciting your feedback about all the services we provide including Help Desk, Instructional Technology, Systems & Networks, and Administrative Systems. We are pleased to offer a new and improved customer satisfaction survey which will be automatically triggered for every fifth Help Desk ticket closed (so you will not receive a survey each time you contact the Help Desk). If you receive a survey, I hope you will take a few minutes to tell us how we are doing. You may also contact me directly by email or at x2672.

By way of a reminder, answers to your technology questions are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through Answers Online, a self-service resource customized for your use. You may also view or create Help Desk tickets through Answers Online. I hope you will take advantage of this valuable tool. Contact Lydia Lorenzin (x2431) if you have any suggestions for improving Answers Online.

March 17, 2009

Don't "fix" your files! Malware spreading through shared music files

A new piece of Windows malware is going around that offers to "fix" your files. What it actually does is encrypt your files (including Word documents and pictures), then demand money to decrypt them.

Details are still sketchy, but one way people have caught this is through a bogus MP3 file downloaded from file sharing sites. Exercise extreme caution!

March 13, 2009

Upcoming Banner software upgrade


On Tuesday morning, March 17th, a software update will be required on each campus computer which uses Banner. While the desktop updates are software driven, they require manual acknowledgements through the process. A step-by-step guide is available. Open the "March 2009 - Banner 7 Installation document (pdf)" document.
You will not need to do anything before March 17th. Your computer will know if it is lacking the proper software and start the installation process that morning (or whenever you next try to start Banner).

Automatic page translations are a snap with To English

Most people bump up against this scenario once or twice. You're browsing the Web happily enough, then you click a link and - whammo - a non-English page pops up, and your pleasant browse comes to a screeching halt, because whatever language the page is in, you can't read it. Well, as seems so often to be the case, Google to the rescue. Say hello to the "To English" bookmarklet.

There are other ways, even some that are automated, to translate pages, but this is by far the simplest tool I've found. The bookmarklet is just a bit of JavaScript that takes advantage of the Google Translate service. Here, try it for yourself. Just click and hold on the "To English" below, and drag it to your bookmarks or favorites bar:

To English

Continue reading "Automatic page translations are a snap with To English" »

March 2, 2009

Internet outage on March 4th at 6 a.m.

DukeNet, our Internet service provider, is planning equipment maintenance this Wednesday, March 4th. Their work begins at 6:00 a.m. and may continue until 7:30 a.m. During this window all external network connectivity will be unavailable, VPN services included.

If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to Robert Lee (rolee@davidson.edu).

February 2, 2009

Brief Internet Outage - Wednesday, February 4th at 6:00 a.m.

DukeNet, our Internet connectivity provider, plans maintenance this Wednesday, February 4th at 6:00 a.m. We anticipate the resulting outage will be very brief--approximately five minutes. During this short window all external network connectivity will be unavailable, including VPN services.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Robert Lee by replying to this message.

January 27, 2009

Internet Explorer 7 upgrade on Feb 3rd.

On Tuesday, February 3rd, we will push install Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), long held back awaiting vendor certifications with most campus software, out to Windows computers. This version of Microsoft's browser is a substantial upgrade from Internet Explorer 6. It includes features now common in other web browsers such as anti-phishing, tabbing, and an overall better user interface. The transition will take a matter of minutes, be done in the background, and you may continue to work as usual during the process.

When you open Internet Explorer 7 for the first time you will be redirected to a "Customize Your Settings" page. Please select the following:

Section A. Please select "Keep my current default search provider." Section B. Please place a √ beside "Turn on automatic phishing filter" Please leave all other options as they are by default. After you "Save your settings" you may take a tour of the new features of Internet 7 or close your browser.

If you would like to take a tour of IE 7 before the upgrade, please see http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/tour/fre/interface/. Please do not download it from the Microsoft web site. For future support and maintenance, we will install it on your computer via the campus network.

January 14, 2009

Guest access to campus wireless network

Beginning Monday January 19th, there will be a change in the way campus guests obtain access to the wireless network. The change keeps us compliant with current legal requirements. Anyone planning a visit to campus may request a temporary guest account in advance of their visit. Similarly, sponsors bringing visitors to campus may request temporary guest accounts. During regular business hours, guest access may be obtained by contacting the Help Desk (helpdesk@davidson.edu or x-2900). After hours, guests may obtain access at the following locations: Library Reference Desk, Guest House and Campus Center. For more information about this change, please visit: http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x34549.xml

December 15, 2008

ResNet Closed Until Spring Semester

ResNet is closed for Winter break from Thursday, December 11 to Monday, January 12.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial (704) 894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please email ResNet or leave a voicemail by dialing (704) 894-2900 and selecting option 2 and then option 1. Messages are being checked periodically by ITS staff.

For answers to common computing questions, visit ITS Answers Online at http://help.davidson.edu

December 8, 2008

Spring semester 2009: Blackboard courses & classroom technology needs

Spring courses are now loaded onto Blackboard. As a courtesy to students, we will make all fall semester 2008 courses "unavailable" on January 08, 2009. The courses will still be visible to you. If you have any questions or want additional training on Blackboard, please do not hesitate to contact an ITS Instructional Technologist.

We also remind you to let us know about your spring semester 2009 classroom technology needs. We will work on fulfilling those needs over the winter break. To see the services and software we currently offer in the computer labs and classrooms, please visit http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x23259.xml. From this site you may make additional requests. Software requested for fall semester 2008 will continue to be deployed for the spring semester unless otherwise requested.

November 13, 2008

ITS makes checking computer lab availability easier

In an effort to make it easier to find lab computers and check for availability, ITS is pleased to introduce a new service that allows students to find open lab computers in real-time online. The new service should be particularly useful during finals when labs are crowded, helping avoid the frustration of walking from lab to lab to find an open computer.

Visit the ITS website and click on the "Available Lab Computers" link under the "Resources" section. From there you can check all the campus computer labs. If you are interested in finding a specific computer type (Windows or Mac), the map link will show you a visual layout of each lab and display information on operating systems available on each lab computer.

As always, we welcome your feedback on how we can improve this service and/or your overall campus computing experience.

November 5, 2008

New "Green" Student Printing System in Belk Lab

ITS is pleased to announce a new sustainability initiative that will improve the student printing experience at Davidson. PawPrint allows students to actively manage their printing in the public labs and contribute to a greener Davidson. Phase one of PawPrint begins this week in the Student Computing Center in the lower level of Belk. ITS anticipates that PawPrint will lead to a reduction in paper and toner, as well as a more organized and efficient system of printing. There is no charge to use PawPrint.

How does PawPrint Work?

  • Print from any computer in the lab
  • Swipe your CatCard at one of the printers
  • Select which of your documents you want to print from the touch screen
  • Retrieve your document(s) from the printer

In addition to the environmental benefits of conserving paper and toner, PawPrint provides the potential to offer enhanced services to students in the future, such as:

  • Photocopying
  • Color Printing
  • The ability to retrieve printed documents from any public printer on campus

If you would like to learn more about PawPrint, please see:

http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x33387.xml

November 4, 2008

ITS improves campus security systems and reduces operating costs

Information Technology Services recently improved campus security systems and simultaneously reduced the recurring operating costs by moving to Internet protocol (IP) communications. Prior to this change, two phone lines connected each alarm panel to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for primary and backup communications. The system required 140 dedicated phone lines to communicate with a central monitoring service. By moving the communications to the campus PBX switch and the Internet, ITS was able to eliminate direct connections to the PSTN for each alarm panel, significantly reducing the system's recurring costs. For more details, click the link below:

http://www.cbpmagazine.com/article.php?articleid=260

October 9, 2008

Changes coming to wireless networking on October 27

Starting October 27, 2008, all campus wireless networking for college-owned computers, as well as for computers owned by students and employees, will use DavidsonSecure for wireless connectivity. This wireless network is encrypted to better protect your data. Learn more about the change.

On that date, students and employees logging in to DavidsonWLAN or WildcatNet will be directed to the upgrade instructions and must update their computers and other wireless devices to connect to DavidsonSecure before receiving network connectivity. But you don't need to wait until then - upgrade to DavidsonSecure now!

Sign up to get the new Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and Office 2008 on your Mac

ITS is now distributing Office 2008 and Mac OS X 10.5 -- also called Leopard -- to faculty and staff users. The latest version of Mac OS X offers a wide array of new features and technologies, packaged in an interface that feels completely familiar and intuitive to anyone accustomed to using a Mac. The same can be said of Office, which sports a subtly revised interface offering a variety of new and improved features. Again, it will be familiar to any Office user.

Both packages have been extensively tested on campus, and the feedback from testers has been overwhelmingly positive. We're very pleased to be able to offer these upgrades to our users.

To get the new software, you'll need at least a PowerMac G4 with a 1 gigahertz processor, and minimum of 1 gigabyte of memory. To schedule your upgrade or discuss your needs, email the helpdesk and request a consultation.

September 23, 2008

New service to extend campus technology support

We are very pleased to announce the rollout of a new service called ITS Answers Online to extend and enhance campus technology support. The new service is a comprehensive database of answers to technology issues. This rich web-based resource allows searching on Davidson-specific solutions and a collection of over 150,000 solutions from vendors such as Adobe, Apple, Blackboard, Microsoft and SCT Banner. Starting on Monday, September 29th, you can access this new resource from the ITS website (http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x1108.xml).

If you are unable to find the solution to your question, a link on the website will open an ITS Help Desk ticket for you to detail your inquiry. You will also be able to review your open and closed Help Desk tickets.

To learn more about this new service, please plan to attend an Information Session on Monday, September 29th from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in Alvarez 313 of the Knobloch Campus Center.

September 16, 2008

Stay Compliant With Copyright Law

Davidson College encourages students and employees to explore and use legal sources to maintain compliance with the law. ITS has provided a listing of numerous multimedia providers for the campus in an effort to promote copyright observance. The services listed allow purchase, license or download of content. Be sure to thoroughly read all service agreements and practice safe computing.

Click here to view a listing of copyright protected multimedia providers.

September 12, 2008

NITLE Update - September 2008

NITLE Update - September 2008.pdf

Please check out the September 2008 NITLE opportunities by clicking on the link above. If you wish to attend any of these opportunities, please email Mur Muchane

September 11, 2008

Eco-Friendly Phone Books

As part of our campus sustainability efforts, we hope you will elect to use an eco-friendly online AT&T phone directory instead of the traditional paper-based phone books we distribute each fall. To access the online AT&T phone books, browse to www.realpageslive.com You may search on the main page using City, Community or Zip or you may click on the state of North Carolina and it will show you all the NC directories.

If you wish to have a hard copy of the phone books, please contact the ITS Help Desk and we will get the books out to you.

August 27, 2008

Internet access outage 8/30, 12 midnight to 6:00 a.m.

This Saturday morning (8/30) beginning at 12:01 a.m. our Internet Service Provider, NC-REN (the North Carolina Research and Education Network) is performing major maintenance on the communications equipment into which all Charlotte area colleges and universities connect.

Because of this maintenance, we expect the campus to be without Internet access on August 30, between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.

August 11, 2008

New Director of Administrative Systems

ITS is pleased to welcome Charles Murray as the new Director of the Administrative Systems team starting on September 1st.

Charles comes to us with a strong background in applications development, enterprise Oracle databases, project management, data warehousing and reporting. The breadth of his experience is impressive -- along the way he has variously served as an Oracle trainer, database administrator, developer/programmer and manager of software development projects and teams. In his current position as Director of Software Development at the Odyssey Logistics and Technology Corporation he leads a team of seven developer/programmers and four testers in Charlotte and Kiev, Ukraine. Charles' love of and commitment to higher education and the liberal arts spans his entire career and was quite evident during his campus interviews.

As part of introducing Charles to the campus we will be stopping by campus offices for a more personal introduction. In the meantime, please join us in extending a warm Davidson welcome to Charles.

August 1, 2008

809 Area Code Scam

Please be cautious when responding to phone calls from the 809, 876 or 284 area codes. These area codes are associated with fraudulent pay-per-call operators. The email messages circulating on this topic are not entirely accurate as they exaggerate the per minute rate charge of calling these area codes.

Additional information on this topic is available at the AT&T website

July 25, 2008

July 29th: Security Overhaul of Campus Wireless

Beginning in 2003, ITS implemented a wireless (Wi-Fi) network that has since been expanded to cover virtually every indoor and outdoor gathering space -- classrooms, labs, residence halls, library, offices, etc. Encryption, sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi security, was not originally implemented because of limitations in hardware and software owned by students and the college. Practically, the absence of Wi-Fi encryption means web browsing to addresses that start with http instead of https could be potentially compromised by electronic eavesdropping.

Advances in hardware and operating systems have eased the implementation of encryption and, on Tuesday, July 29th, ITS plans to replace our single wireless network, DavidsonWLAN, with two separate secure networks:

Students and personally-owned laptop computers will connect to WildcatNet.

Employees using college-owned laptop computers will connect to DavidsonSecure.

The unsecured DavidsonWLAN will remain available for guest access and non-computer devices (cell phones, PDAs and other such devices that have wireless capability).

Please follow these instructions to set up your laptop computer on the appropriate network.

As always, if you have questions or need assistance, please contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@davidson.edu or ext. 2900.

July 23, 2008

Network Outage Planned for Tuesday, 7/29

On Tuesday, July 29 from 6:00 - 7:00 a.m. all network services campus-wide will be unavailable while Physical Plant and ITS install a large uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in Chambers. The UPS will power a storage system known as a SAN or storage area network. The installation of a secondary SAN in Chambers is part of a long term ITS plan to improve disaster preparedness by replicating critical campus data and systems from the primary data center on Jackson Street to the secondary location in Chambers.

If you have any questions or would like more information on ITS' disaster preparedness plan, I will be happy to chat with you. If you have any questions about the network outage, please contact David Link (dalink@davidson.edu).

July 17, 2008

Obsolete URLs for E-mail Retired

In September 2007 ITS completed a significant upgrade of the College e-mail system. At that time URLs for many standard functions were changed. In particular, if you are still using the URLs, www.mail.davidson.edu and frogmanhenry.davidson.edu for web access to e-mail, you will be automatically redirected to a page displaying the correct URL, webmail.davidson.edu.

If you were accustomed to bookmarking the URL for Outlook Web Access (OWA), you should add http://webmail.davidson.edu to your library of bookmarks and remove any references to the outdated URLs cited above.

July 15, 2008

Help Desk Closes for ITS Picnic

Each year, the Information Technology Services Department celebrates the accomplishments of the academic year with a picnic style lunch. In order to attend this picnic, the Help Desk will close on Tuesday, July 15, from noon until 2:00 PM.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services during this time, please dial (704) 894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please email the Help Desk or leave a voicemail by dialing (704) 894-2900 and selecting option 1 or 2. Messages will be responded to once the Help Desk reopens Tuesday afternoon.

*The Help Desk summer schedule is Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. In August, the Help Desk will return to normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

July 3, 2008

Help Desk Closing on Friday, July 4th in Observance of Independence Day

The Help Desk will close on Friday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. The Help Desk will reopen on Monday, July 7th returning to the summer schedule of 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, dial (704) 894-2900 select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please email the Help Desk or leave a voicemail by dialing (704) 894-2900 and selecting option 1 or 2.

We will contact you when the Help Desk reopens. Our summer business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

May 19, 2008

Introducing a new anti-spyware tool - CounterSpy

ITS is pleased to introduce CounterSpy, a new tool to protect campus computers from all kinds of threats including spyware and malware. CounterSpy will replace Ad-aware on standard Windows computers.

The changeover will be done over the network beginning on Wednesday, May 21st. No action is required on your part. The transition will take a matter of minutes, be done in the background, and you may continue to work as usual during the process. CounterSpy will automatically scan for malware and spyware. If your computer isn’t connected to the network on Wednesday, there’s no need to worry. CounterSpy will install automatically the next time your computer connects to the network.

If you wish to initiate a manual scan or have other questions, please refer to our instructions and Frequently Asked Questions documentation.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Help Desk with questions.

May 13, 2008

Help Desk Closing for Memorial Day

Starting Monday, May 19, the Help Desk will begin its summer schedule.

Summer Hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

The Help Desk closes at noon on Friday, May 23 for the Employee Appreciation Lunch and remains closed on Monday, May 26, in observance of Memorial Day. We return to our summer schedule on Tuesday, May 27.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, dial (704) 894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please email the Help Desk or leave a voicemail by dialing (704) 894-2900 and selecting option 1 or 2.

Help Desk staff will respond to your email and voicemail on Tuesday, May 27.

Have a safe holiday.

March 20, 2008

Internet Upgrade Planned

On Monday, March 24 ITS will be upgrading its Internet service with an approximately 50% boost in speed, from 42 megabits per second to 62 megabits per second. At the same time, we are building in growth potential for speeds as fast as one gigabit.

Continue reading "Internet Upgrade Planned" »

March 18, 2008

Help Desk Schedule - Easter Holiday

The Help Desk will be closed Monday, March 24.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial 704-894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please send the Help Desk email or leave voice mail (704-894-2900, select option 1 or 2).

We will contact you when the Help Desk reopens. Our normal business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

January 10, 2008

Email Servers Upgraded

Our email servers were recently upgraded with the latest service pack from Microsoft. Service Pack 1 for Exchange 2007 offers many enhancements to existing features and adds new functionality as well. Much of the new functionality can be found in Outlook Web Access including the ability to:

create and edit Personal Distribution Lists

create and edit server side rules

recover deleted items from the deleted items folder

move and copy individual items

access public folders.

These new features make Outlook Web Access even more similar to the full Outlook client. However, if you have a need to use Outlook from off campus without VPN, you can still do so with OutlookAnywhwere.

In addition to the new features highlighted above, Service Pack 1 for Exchange 2007 contains other "behind the scenes" enhancements that improve performance, reliability and management.

December 20, 2007

Help Desk Schedule - Christmas Holiday

The Help Desk will be closed Monday, December 24 through Tuesday, January 1.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial 704-894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please send the Help Desk email or leave voice mail (704-894-2900, select option 1 or 2). We will be in touch with you when the Help Desk reopens. Our normal business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

December 11, 2007

Help Desk Schedule - December 14

The Help Desk will close for two hours Friday, December 14 (12:00 - 2:00 p.m.) for the department’s Christmas luncheon.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial 704-894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please send the Help Desk email or leave voice mail (704-894-2900, select option 1 or 2). We will contact you when the Help Desk reopens. Our regular business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

November 19, 2007

Help Desk Schedule

The Help Desk will close at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 21 and reopen at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, November 26.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial 704-894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please send the Help Desk email or leave voice mail (704-894-2900, select option 1 or 2). We will be in touch with you when the Help Desk reopens. Our normal business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.




October 31, 2007

Daylight Saving Time Update

As you may know, Congress passed a law that changes the start and end dates for Daylight Saving Time (DST). The end date for DST is Sunday, November 4th, 2007.

Microsoft released the patch for the Daylight Saving Time change in August. ITS has already applied the necessary update to all campus servers and college owned computers. As a user, the update should be transparent to you and requires no additional action. Campus Apple computers did not require any updates for the DST change and are unaffected.

More information about the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Daylight Saving Time change is available from the US Department of Energy http://www.energy.gov/about/EPAct.htm

October 11, 2007

CMS upgrade October 16, 2007

ITS will be upgrading the Ingeniux Web Content Management software on October 16, 2007.

Webcontent/buildsite will be unavailable during the normal maintenance window that ends at 7:30 AM.

Please remember to ALWAYS close out of the CMS at the end of the night or when not working in the system.

After the upgrade, the next time that you log-in to webcontent/buildsite, you will be prompted to download the software. Go through the prompts, making special note of the screen that asks about installation.
There are two options: 1) Install for Me or 2) Install for Everyone. You must select the For Everyone option.

As a Windows XP user, you will probably not notice any changes from this upgrade. This upgrade also provides support for the Windows Vista operating system.

October 5, 2007

Getting and Installing Sophos for Windows

Sophos Anti-virus Home Use Option enables Davidson College faculty and staff to install Sophos Anti-virus on one (1) personally-owned computer. These instructions describe how to install the application which will stay updated via the Internet each time you go online. Updates are downloaded, either manually or automatically, from Central Installation Directories (CIDs) on Davidson's Sophos web server.

October 4, 2007

Upgrade to Office 2007 for Windows

ITS is pleased to announce the availability of Office 2007 for Windows. We would like to make the upgrade to Office 2007 as rewarding and trouble free as possible. To help guide your decision, please review the Key Information and Request to Upgrade.

September 22, 2007

Mailbox Moves Complete

All mailboxes have now been moved to the new servers. It may be necessary for you to make some changes to your current setup, depending on the method you use to access your mailbox. Click on the links below for complete instructions on how to make the relevant changes.

1. Outlook full client from off campus (formerly known as “RPC over HTTP,” now called “OutlookAnywhere”)
2. Smartphone/ActiveSync
3. Entourage

If you are using Outlook Web Access to access your mailbox, http://www.mail.davidson.edu will automatically redirect you to the new site for a period of time. However, you should update your bookmark to point to http://webmail.davidson.edu.

If you are using Outlook and are connecting from on campus or from off campus using VPN, no configuration changes are required. If you have any problems accessing your mailbox, please notify the help desk.

July 31, 2007

Ingeniux Content Management System Upgrade

We will be upgrading the Ingeniux Web Content Management software on August 7, 2007.
Webcontent/buildsite will be unavailable during the normal maintenance window that ends at 7:30 AM.

Please remember to ALWAYS log out of the CMS at the end of the night or when not working in the system.

After the upgrade, the next time that you log-in to webcontent/buildsite, you will be prompted to download the software. Go through the prompts, making special note of the screen that asks about installation. There are two options: Install for Me or Install for Everyone. You must select the For Everyone option.

You will probably not notice any changes from this upgrade. We are upgrading to stay at the current release level.

July 20, 2007

Clean Access Upgrade

On Tuesday, July 24 we will be upgrading the Clean Access hardware and software beginning at 6:00 a.m. Major work should be completed by 8:00 a.m., with testing continuing throughout the day.

Between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. service interruptions are possible for the following access types:

• Residence halls
• Wireless networking
• Open (unassigned) network ports in buildings and labs

Off campus access to the network via VPN will not be interrupted; however, active users that logon during the maintenance period may have to re-logon after 8:00 a.m.

July 19, 2007

Banner Outage

The Banner Database will be upgraded on Saturday, July 21st. As a result, Banner INB, Banner Web (aka Shirley), and Focus will be offline from 7pm on Saturday, July 21st to 7pm on Sunday, July 22nd. A notification will be sent informing users when the system is back online and available for use.

July 3, 2007

Warning: Malicious e-mails are circulating

Over the last several days we have been receiving numerous email messages that contain a malicious exploit.

Continue reading "Warning: Malicious e-mails are circulating" »

June 21, 2007

Help Desk Closing for ITS Picnic

Each year, the Information Technology Services Department celebrates the accomplishments of the academic year with a picnic style lunch. In order to attend this picnic, the Help Desk will close on Friday, June 22, from noon until 2:00 PM.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services during this time, please dial (704) 894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please email the Help Desk or leave a voicemail by dialing (704) 894-2900 and selecting option 1 or 2. Messages will be responded to once the Help Desk reopens Friday afternoon.

*The Help Desk summer schedule is Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. In August, the Help Desk will return to normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

May 15, 2007

Help Desk Closing for Memorial Day

The Help Desk will close early for the Employee Picnic at noon on Friday, May 25 and will remain closed on Monday, May 28, in observance of Memorial Day. We will return to normal operating hours on Tuesday, May 29.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial (704) 894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please email the Help Desk or leave a voicemail by dialing (704) 894-2900 and selecting option 1 or 2. Messages will be responded to once the Help Desk reopens.

*Our normal business hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Beginning Monday, June 4, the Help Desk will begin its summer schedule 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.


Have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

April 27, 2007

Language Resource Center (LRC) Usability Survey

ITS is conducting an online survey of the new computers and dual-boot configurations in the LRC. Dual boot allows you to choose to work in either Windows XP or Mac OS X from the same machine. Restarting any of the computers in the LRC while holding down the option key lets you select your preference for Windows or Mac. The survey includes questions about users' opinions on the new iMac computers and their behaviors with the dual-boot configurations. LRC users will see a pop-up window at login that asks them to take a 2-minute usability survey. This survey will be closed on the last day of this semester. Stay tuned to the blog...we will share the survey results here.

March 29, 2007

Email Server Upgrade Planned

This summer, ITS will be upgrading the college's email system with new hardware and Exchange Server 2007, the latest version of Microsoft's email server application. ITS is currently testing the new version and will keep you updated as we progress. Several improvments/changes can be expected with the upgrade...

Continue reading "Email Server Upgrade Planned" »

March 20, 2007

Sign up to receive outage notices on notify-l

Do you want to know more about what might be happening to the campus network in the near future? Notify-l is the mailing list for those who want to know about anything that will impact the campus network, servers, or the Internet. Instead of sending all messages about events and outages to campus-wide distribution lists, we send to notify-l to get everyone that has a stake in the functioning of the network and servers. We encourage everyone to sign up. Here's how.

Send an e-mail to listserv@davidson.edu.

The e-mail should have a blank subject line.

The first line of the message should be:

subscribe notify-l

The rest of the email should be empty--no text, signatures, pictures, attachments, icons, or anything else.

You can also use these instructions to sign up for any of our other voluntary lists by substituting the other list name for notify-l.

November 30, 2006

ITS Holiday Schedule

As we all look forward to the holiday season, the ITS staff would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas.

The Help Desk will be closed from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM on Friday, December 1 and over the official college holidays: December 25-29, 2006, and January 1, 2007.

We will return to normal operating hours on Tuesday, January 2. Our normal business hours through January 12, 2007 are Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

If there is a campus emergency affecting campus servers or IT services, please dial 704-894-2900 and select option 4.

If you have a non-emergency request or problem, please send the Help Desk email or leave voice mail (704-894-2900, select option 1 or 2). We will be in touch with you when the Help Desk reopens.

Help Desk Opens at 8:00 AM beginning January 15

To better serve you, the Help Desk will open at 8:00 AM the first week of classes and continue through the spring semester. Starting January 15, the Help Desk business hours will be Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This change is in response to requests for IT assistance that arise prior to the start of classes as well as early administrative schedules.


Instructional Technology Labs - General Information
General Information for the CIT, LRC and Media Lab

CIT, LRC and Media Lab
On December 19, we will rebuild all machines in the CIT, LRC and Media Lab in preparation for the spring semester. If you have any material on these machines that needs to be preserved, please contact us for assistance BEFORE December 18.

Language Resource Center (LRC)
Starting with the spring semester, the LRC will become the first dual-platform lab on campus. The lab will host 22 iMac computers (21 workstations and 1 instructor workstation), all of them running both Microsoft Windows XP and Apple OS X. Users can reboot the machine to switch operating systems. Instructions will be provided at every workstation, and instructional technology professional and student staff will be available for assistance. If you have any questions or would like to see a preview of the new machines, please contact Dr. Kyosung Koo (kykoo@davidson.edu).

If you have any questions about the labs, please contact your instructional technologist:

Paul Brantley (pabrantley@davidson.edu) - Sciences and Mathematics
Jason Brewer (jabrewer@davidson.edu) - Music
Kristen Eshleman (kreshleman@davidson.edu) - Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr. Kyosung Koo (kykoo@davidson.edu) - Languages and Classics

September 30, 2006

Have you met Mary Jones and Nikol Dishman?

Mary Jones is our new Director of Operations and Administrative Services. She oversees ITS business operations including budget coordination, capital project administration, financial analysis and reporting, software licensing, lease and contract management, purchasing, and office management.

Mary is not new to Davidson. She served as WDAV's Administrative Manager prior to joining the ITS staff.

Nikol Dishman is our new Analyst/Technical Lead on the ITS Help Desk. Nikol comes to us from the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice where she worked for the last eight years. For seven of those years, Nikol staffed their Help Desk. In her new role, Nikol will serve alongside Selah Bunzey and Julie Memrick.

Nikol has a BA in Communications, is a Certified Help Desk 2000 Professional, and is working on A+ certification. She has traveled extensively overseas and has worked in both Japan and Turkey.

We are pleased to have such personable, experienced professionals in ITS.

March 31, 2006

Welcome Jason Brewer!

Please join us in welcoming Jason Brewer as the new Audio Designer and Instructional Technologist for Music at Davidson College. Jason begins his career at Davidson on March 27 and will fill a dual role on campus. He will work closely with the new media services team to support live events, and he will also assist the Music Department with audio needs for Tyler-Tallman Hall and for teaching and learning. Jason's primary responsibilities include campus event spaces outside of the Union and Cunningham. He will also be a valuable resource to the campus on audio engineering needs.

Jason is completing his MFA in Music Engineering at Radford University. His undergraduate degree is in Music Engineering from the University of Miami. He is also a musician, performing locally at venues like Summit Coffee in Davidson.

Please welcome Jason to the Davidson family!

Introducing Rob Smith, Director of Systems and Networks

Please join us in welcoming Rob Smith our new Director of Systems and Networks. Rob began his new career with ITS on Monday, March 13 and is responsible for leading a team of system analyst-programmers, and network and telecommunications specialists. The Systems and Network team is responsible for supporting and developing the network, server, telecommunication, and cable television infrastructure and services for the campus.

As a long-time consultant to ITS, Rob is no stranger to Davidson. He assisted with the implementation of several large IT projects including Active Directory, Exchange Email, Macintosh integration, Virtual Private Network (VPN), and remote access to Library services.

Rob joins ITS with an impressive and rich set of technology leadership experiences spanning 14 years. Most recently, Rob led the implementation of large information technology projects at medium and large organizations including Goodrich Corporation, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the Carolina Panthers, Lockwood Greene Engineers, Samaritan’s Purse, and Heery International.

Rob is active in the community life of Mecklenburg County. He currently serves on the boards of the Boys and Girls Choirs at St. Peter’s, a music training school for young people around Mecklenburg County, and St. Peter’s Episcopal in downtown Charlotte. He has also provided volunteer technology services at a number of community organizations.

Again, please join us welcoming Rob Smith to the Davidson family.

February 28, 2006

NITLE Opportunities

Below please find information on a range of NITLE programs open for registration and participation. Please note also the calls for interest included here. We post such calls to gauge interest and to identify faculty and staff who may wish to help shape programming or projects in those areas.


The contact information for questions is: Alex.Wirth-Cauchon@NITLE.org or 734 661 2312.

Extreme Makeover: Collegiate Edition—Understanding, Defining and Managing Accessibility to Technology at Your College or University, March 23 – 24, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York
Collaborative and Technology-Assisted Approaches to Teaching Arabic, March 24 – 26, DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana
Student Music Composition Contest: Submissions Due
ARTStor Workshop, April 13, The University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
History Collaboration: Call for Interest, For historians at NITLE participating colleges who teach about the American South
Virtual Latin Tutor: Call for Interest

Extreme Makeover: Collegiate Edition—Understanding, Defining and Managing Accessibility to Technology at Your College or University
Thursday, March 23 (9:30 a.m.) ­– Friday, March 24 (1:00 p.m.)
Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York

For instructional technologists and/or other administrators at NITLE participating colleges responsible for developing and administering accessibility plans for student and faculty spaces

Local and regional experts will discuss the topic of accessibility to technology and the legal, ethical, and practical requirements that Universities and Colleges face when creating technology spaces. What impact does accessibility have on lab spaces? What devices are most practical and most effective in meeting law or standards? Are there ADA standards and what are our legal requirements? These questions and more will be answered in this important set of sessions on a matter we all face in the technology field. By hearing from legal experts, colleagues, and advocates for the disabled, both instructional technologists and other college administrators can learn and act upon our accessibility issues in the collegiate setting.

This event is one of a set funded by the last round of grants issued by the Center for Educational Technology.

Registration deadline
Open to first 20 MANE respondents and first five respondents from NITLE participating colleges outside the MANE region. NITLE will cover the full costs of event participation including travel, lodging and meals.

Register online

http://pages.slc.edu/~support/conference/

More details

http://nitle.org/index.php/nitle/opportunities/anticipate/extreme_
makeover_collegiate_edition_understanding_defining_and_
managing_accessibility_to_technology_at_your_college_or_university


******************
Collaborative and Technology-Assisted Approaches to Teaching Arabic
Friday, March 24 (4 p.m.) – Sunday, March 26 (lunch)
DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana

For faculty, chief academic officers, and other staff members at NITLE participating colleges who are interested in introducing curricular offerings—or enhancing their institutions’ current offerings—in the Arabic language and developing collaborative approaches to teaching Arabic. Teams composed of a faculty member and an academic officer are encouraged.

Participants from affiliated colleges and universities will meet to discuss their shared interests in beginning to teach or enhancing curricular offerings in Arabic. During this meeting, interested faculty, staff and administrators will consider current offerings at participating colleges as well as in higher education more generally, and learn about some of the technological tools available to assist in the learning and instruction of the language.

A follow up discussion will be held to consider what solutions might be most useful on each campus, and the degree to which technology assisted collaboration may be useful in implementing them.

Sponsored by Al-Musharaka, a NITLE collaboration advancing teaching and curricular development in Arab, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies


Registration deadline
Friday, February 24

Registration process

Interested faculty should submit their names to their campus liaison. Liaisons should forward names and e-mail addresses of approved participants to Alex Wirth-Cauchon at alex.wirth-cauchon@nitle.org. NITLE will cover the full costs of event participation including travel, lodging and meals.

More details

Contact Michael Toler, meeting leader

Relevant links

http://almusharaka.nitle.org

******************

Student Music Composition Contest: Submissions Due

Student composers enrolled at NITLE-participating colleges and universities are invited to submit scores for the fifth annual Student Composition Contest. Undergraduate composers at participating colleges benefit from the opportunity to have their work evaluated. Winning compositions will be performed professionally at the Music Technology Workshop & New Music Festival in June 2006.

This opportunity is offered by the Orpheus Alliance, a NITLE collaboration advancing teaching, performance and composition in music. Contact Patricia Gray for more information.

Sponsored by the Orpheus Alliance, a NITLE collaboration advancing teaching, performance and composition in music


Submissions due
March 10, 2006

For more information about eligibility, guidelines, deadlines, and formats for submission, please visit http://www.colleges.org/techcenter/music/contest.html.

Relevant links

http://orpheusalliance.nitle.org

******************

ARTStor Workshop

Thursday, April 13 (afternoon), introductory workshop
The University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia

For faculty, librarians, technologists, and other staff members from NITLE participating colleges who are interested in using ARTstor in teaching or other campus work and who are new or relatively new to using ARTstor. This workshop is especially appropriate for those whose institutions have subscribed to ARTstor.

Friday, April 14 (morning), advanced workshop
The University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia

For faculty, librarians, technologists, and other staff members from NITLE participating colleges who are already experienced at using ARTstor but want to learn in more detail how to use its advanced tools. This workshop is especially appropriate for those whose institutions have subscribed to ARTstor.

In the introductory workshop on April 13, participants are introduced to the basics of ARTstor's functionality so that they can begin using it. The workshop, which begins with an overview of the ways in which liberal arts colleges are using ARTstor institutionally, covers the nature of ARTstor, ARTstor's users, and its basic functions. It includes a hands-on demonstration of the ARTstor Digital Library Charter Collection and familiarizes participants with the tools to use the images actively for educational and scholarly activities. Participants will explore the three levels of usage—unregistered user, registered user, and instructor—and will create image groups as a registered user. The presenter will also demonstrate the use of the Offline Image Viewer 2.5, an ARTstor classroom presentation tool. Participants will work hands-on with basic features of the offline image viewer.

In the workshop for advanced users on April 14, participants who are already using the basic features of ARTstor will have the opportunity to work with advanced features and tools such as the Offline Image Viewer and the Personal Collection Tool.

Registration deadline
Monday, March 13

Registration process

Interested faculty should submit their names to their campus liaison. Liaisons should forward names and e-mail addresses of approved participants to Alex Wirth-Cauchon at alex.wirth-cauchon@nitle.org. NITLE will cover the full costs of event participation including travel, lodging and meals.

More details

Contact Bret Olsen, workshop leader, bret.olsen@nitle.org

Relevant links

www.artstor.org

http://codex.nitle.org

******************

History Collaboration: Call for Interest

For historians at NITLE participating colleges who teach about the American South

NITLE has entered into discussions with colleagues at the University of Virginia's Center for Digital History regarding possible participation in a project that involves students in the collaborative development of resources for the study of southern American History.

The project operates in two dimensions:

1) students are involved in researching and developing entries for a database of events in southern history

2) the entries are geo-referenced so that maps can be created showing the distribution of certain types of events across space and time

Students use this map interface as a means of accessing the entire collection of database entries, using patterns suggested by the maps as a starting point for research projects that explore trends in southern history.

To explore the database and the maps and access the detailed syllabus, please see http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/SHD/

To express interest in participation

Contact Nancy Millichap, nancy.millichap@nitle.org

Pending substantial interest, NITLE will hold a meeting in Spring 2006 to explore possible involvement with this project.

******************

Virtual Latin Tutor: Call for Interest

Sunoikisis, a NITLE collaboration advancing teaching, curricular development and scholarship in Classical Studies, is exploring the development of a Virtual Latin Tutor. Latin tutors at individual campuses would collaborate to staff the Virtual Tutor.

Tutors would commit to log in to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) for certain, set hours. During this time, they would make themselves available to answer questions from students of Latin at their own or other NITLE-participating colleges and universities. Sunoikisis would provide a wiki for longer text discussions so that students could post longer passages and both student and tutor could edit them. Faculty at participating institutions would be responsible for distributing the AIM username and wiki URL to their students.

Departments already paying for tutors of Latin or exploring their options in this area may be especially interested in exploring the development of this collaborative program.

To express interest in participation

Contact Rebecca Davis, rebecca.davis@nitle.org

Relevant links

http://sunoikisis.nitle.org

******************

Alex Wirth-Cauchon, Ph.D.
Participant Relations
NITLE: National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education
535 W. William
Suite 302
Ann Arbor, MI 48103

E-mail: alex.wirth-cauchon@nitle.org

voice: 734-661-2312
fax: 734-761-3939
mobile: 734-678-0183

aim:alexatnitle
http://www.nitle.org

About Announcements

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to ITS News in the Announcements category. They are listed from newest to oldest.

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