OIT News

Name Change for UMBC's Wireless Network

2008-07-02T19:35:10Z

The Division of Information Technology is upgrading UMBC's wireless infrastructure to better improve performance for the campus community. Beginning on July 8, 2008 we will begin migrating buildings that contain OIT managed wireless access points. Each building will take approximately 15 minutes to migrate. IMPORTANT: New Wireless Network Names - 'UMBC Campus' Replaces the old 'Tsunami' network - 'UMBC Visitor' New Network for Visitors and Wireless Devices (e.g. iPhones) One important change to note is there will be two new wireless network names (i.e. SSID). The first one is called ‘UMBC Campus’ which will be replacing the old ‘Tsunami’ name. The majority of our campus wireless users will use the new ‘UMBC Campus’ wireless network. This network will require a myUMBC Account. The second wireless network is named ‘UMBC Visitor’. This network does not require a myUMBC Account. This new wireless network should be used by customers that have wireless devices (e.g. iPhone, iPod Touch etc.) which don’t typically work well with the UMBC wireless authentication page. The ‘UMBC Visitor’ network will not allow access to campus resources such as Active Directory. We recommend that customers use the ‘UMBC Campus’ network, which requires a login, to access these type of resources. Access to the old ‘Tsunami’ network will be removed from service on Monday, July 14, 2008. At that time all wireless users should be using the new ‘UMBC Campus’ or ‘UMBC Visitor’ wireless networks. Help in configuring your wireless can be found on the wireless support site.. Migration Time Line Tuesday July 8th: Engineering Building as the initial test Wednesday July 9th: ITE Physics Library Sondheim University Center The RAC Chemistry Central Plant Alumni House Thursday July 10th: ACIV Administration AcServ Fine Arts Math/Phy PPlant Stadium Friday July 11th: Biology PPolicy SouthCampus TRC Multitenant

New Media Studio Wins 2008 Center of Excellence Award

2008-06-26T17:32:55Z

UMBC's New Media Studio (NMS) has won a prestigious Centers of Excellence Award, presented annually by the New Media Consortium (NMC) during its summer conference.]]> Pictured L to R: Paul Iwancio, Bill Shewbridge and Aaron Weidele. At a presentation on Friday, June 13, during the NMC summer conference held at Princeton University, Studio Manager Bill Shewbridge, Video Producer Paul Iwancio and Multimedia Designer Aaron Weidele received the NMC's Centers of Excellence award for the Studio's "leadership in capturing and disseminating digital stories across the institution," according to NMC CEO Larry Johnson. Patterned after the MacArthur "Genius Grants," recipients of the NMC Centers of Excellence award are nominated and selected anonymously by one's peers. "This is the biggest award a center like ours could receive" says Shewbridge, who has led the Studio since its creation in 2002. "We are very honored." In recent years, the Studio has partnered with the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS) in Berkeley, California, to host digital storytelling workshops on campus, as a way to promote and support its use as a form of creative expression as well as a teaching and learning strategy. In fact, the week before receiving the award at Princetown, Shewbridge and his colleagues completed another digital storytelling workshop with CDS staff, and extended the usual three-day program to a five-day "train the trainer" agenda for participants from last year's workshop (click here for a brief video about the workshop process). In addition, two UMBC instructors (Jason Loviglio and Beverly Bickel) joined Shewbridge in a separate conference presentation on how they used digital storytelling techniques to incorporate visual assignments in their Spring 2008 courses.

In addition to Iwancio and Weidele, other UMBC conference participants who attended the Centers of Excellence award ceremony gathered for a group photo and included (L to R): Adriana Val and Ed Beimfohr (back row); Heather Linville, Polina Vinogradova and Jack Suess (middle row); and Beverly Bickel and Jason Loviglio.

The Studio's 2008 Centers of Excellence award follows a 2007 Telly Award for the Charlestown Digital Stories project, in which Studio staff and UMBC students have helped create more than 30 digital stories from personal photos, memories and scripts developed by Charlestown residents. This year, UMBC joined the Rochester Institute of Technology as 2008 recipients. Past recipients have included Case Western Reserve, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, UT Austin and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. For more information about digital storytelling at UMBC, visit www.umbc.edu/stories. In addition, an email listserve has been created for announcements, tips and FYIs.

End of UMBC Modem Services June 2009

2008-06-21T04:06:27Z

UMBC was an early pioneer in offering modem service for Internet connectivity and we are currently among the last universities in Maryland still offering this. Next year, June 30, 2009 will mark the end of UMBC’s dial-up modem service for the campus community. After June 30, 2009 UMBC will no longer provide any dial-up Internet modem service for UMBC faculty, staff or students. UMBC has offered this free service for more than 15 years. Over that time we have seen modem use decrease dramatically, especially as faster alternate methods such as Cable modems and DSL became commonly available. Unfortunately, as time has passed our modem infrastructure has also aged making them more expensive to maintain. We are now at a point where we would need to make substantial new investments to maintain modem service. There a number of extremely cost effective alternatives, including a number that support high-speed access. We have listed a number of these options below. NOTE: These options are only recommendations and are in no way affiliated or supported by the University. It is up to individuals to assess their needs and work with the vendor they feel is appropriate for their situation. Modems: www.netzero.net www.earthlink.net DSL: www.verizon.com/dsl Broadband:www.comcast.com/highspeedoffer www.verizon.com/fios

OIT Publishes SP2008 Most Active Blackboard Courses

2008-05-20T16:09:33Z

OIT has again published UMBC's "Most Active Blackboard" courses reports for the Spring 2008 semester, based on an "average hits per user" approach. For the second straight semester, one department (Information Systems) and one class (PSYC 100 "Introduction to Psychology) have taken the top spot for most active discipline and undergraduate course, respectively. For more information, visit www.umbc.edu/blackboard/reports.]]> Highlights (based on student activity ONLY): Most Active Graduate Course: IS 634 "Structured Systems Analysis and Design" taught by Heather Holden, Carlton Crabtree, Carolyn Seaman (avg hits per student: 2,685). Most Active Undergraduate Course: PSYC 100 "Introduction to Psychology" taught by Linda Jones, Eileen O'Brien, Brian Jobe (avg hits per student: 1,632). Note: PSYC 100 was also the most active undergraduate Bb course for Fall 2007. Most Active Discipline: Information Systems (84 Blackboard courses). Note: Information Systems was also the most active discipline for Fall 2007. Most Active Community: Geography and Environmental Systems Department managed by several GES faculty (avg hits per user: 533). Total Number of Blackboard Courses (including those with multiple sections): 1,034 While activity alone is not a measure of quality, OIT publishes these reports so faculty can seek each other out about what does (or doesn't ) work in using Blackboard. Toward this end, faculty may also want to try out the new "Average Hits Per User by Final Grade Distribution" reports announced on March 6. For more information about the Blackboard Reports project, contact John Fritz at 410.455.6596 or fritz@umbc.edu.

Matlab 2008a is now available.

2008-05-05T16:35:02Z

Matlab 2008a has been made available on OIT's GL and Research Systems (both Linux and Solaris). The license has also been renewed and updated for another year. The default 'matlab' is still 2007a on these systems until the end of the semester, but you can use 2007b or 2008a directly as follows: 2007b can be run directly out of AFS via - /afs/umbc.edu/software/matlab/r2007b/bin/matlab 2008a can be run directly out of AFS via - /afs/umbc.edu/software/matlab/r2008a/bin/matlab The Windows version of 2007b is installed in OIT supported labs and the software is available via MyUMBC. The Windows version of 2008a will be available in the labs after this semester wraps up. It should be available via MyUMBC in the next week or so.

Using Blackboard for Job Search or RFP Committees

2008-05-03T05:45:56Z

When the 20-member Provost Search Committee identified its four finalists, it did so using a Blackboard community to review AND rank all applicants online before meeting face-to-face to discuss their differences. Similarly, the Alternate Delivery Program has frequently used Blackboard to review faculty proposals to receive a one-time course development stipend to redesign an existing course for hybrid delivery in summer or winter sessions. ]]> Key Steps 1. Members review candidate materials or RFP proposals on the Bb community discussion board or blog. 2. Members post an initial "vote" by changing subject line of their reply to "yes" or "no" or "maybe." 3. Optional: Members use body of their reply to explain their "vote" 4. Members meet face-to-face as a group to "negotiate" their online voting differences and reach consensus "Show & Tell" videos

For Bb Leaders: How to Post Applicant/RFP Materials So Committee Members Can Review Them

For Bb Leaders: How to Set Up a Discussion Board So Members Can "Vote" On Applicant/RFP Materials

For Committee Members: How to Vote and Comment on Applicant/RFP Materials

SP2008 UMBC Blackboard Update

2008-05-03T05:42:04Z

UMBC Blackboard update is provided by the Office of Information Technology for students, faculty and staff using Blackboard at UMBC. If you have questions or suggestions, contact John Fritz (fritz@umbc.edu or 410.455.6596) or Bob Armstrong (rarmstro@umbc.edu or 410.455.3885). For more information about using Blackboard, login via myUMBC or visit http://blackboard.umbc.edu. HEADLINES 1. SP2008 Course Shells Expire on 6/15 2. SU2008 Course Shells Created on 4/30 3. OIT Publishes FA2007 Blackboard User Survey Results 4. New myUMBC Tools Show How Good Students Use Blackboard 5. UMBC Joins Two National, Online Learning Faculty Development Networks 6. Job Opening: UMBC Blackboard Graduate Assistant 7. FYI: Using Blackboard for Job Search or RFP Committees 8. FYI: OIT to Upgrade Labs to MS Office 2007 (PC) & 2008 (Mac) 9. FYI: BbWorld'08 World Conference is July15-17]]>

Job Opening: Blackboard Graduate Assistant

2008-05-02T17:15:39Z

OIT’s Instructional Technology & New Media unit seeks a graduate assistant to provide Blackboard support to students, faculty and staff. The person will assist with routine Bb system administration functions (e.g., course & community site creation), and development of Blackboard user support procedures and documentation. Candidates will be expected to work well in a collaborative team environment and to communicate effectively with customers from a variety of academic and administrative departments. In the past, special projects have included design and development of the following: UMBC Blackboard Reports UMBC Blackboard Help ]]> Qualifications The qualified candidate must be an officially registered UMBC graduate student with demonstrable experience providing end-user support. The candidate must have good problem-solving skills, strong analytical and organization skills, and excellent oral/written communications skills. Experience with web application development (ideally using PHP & MySQL) is preferred. Compensation & Hours Term (9 Month) Closing Date: Open until filled Compensation: TBD by Graduate School policy (typically stipend, tuition & health) Hours: • PT (20 hours/week) in Fall & Spring • FT (40 hours/week) possible in Winter & Summer Application Process | Show Me (video) 1. Login to Blackboard via myUMBC or directly at http://blackboard.umbc.edu 2. Search for and “Enroll” in the “Blackboard User Group” organization on the Bb Community tab 3. Complete the “UMBC Bb GA” application by attaching the following: - Cover Letter (include a brief description of how you use Blackboard now) - Resume or CV - Unofficial PDF version of your transcript from myUMBC - Names of three references and how they know your work - Note: You can “save” your application and come back, but can only “submit” it once. Send an email to blackboard@umbc.edu when you have submitted your application using the process described above, or if you need help doing so.

OIT to Upgrade Labs to MS Office 2007 (PC) & 2008 (Mac)

2008-05-02T14:50:10Z

This summer, OIT will be upgrading the Microsoft Office suite in all labs for the start of the Fall 2008 semester. Windows XP machines will be upgraded to Office 2007, and Apple machines will be upgraded to Office 2008. Microsoft Vista is tentatively scheduled to be installed in the OIT labs beginning in Fall 2009.]]> UMBC Training Centers to offer "bridge" training for users accustomed earlier versions of MS Office as they make the transition to Office 2007 (PC) or Office 2008 (Mac). Details will be announced on the OIT News site at a later date.

CS Major Wins "Students & IT" Focus Group Drawing

2008-04-30T20:08:24Z

Junior Computer Science major Andrew Winder won the iPod Touch "door prize" drawing at yesterday's UMBC student focus group sessions for the 2008 "Undergraduates and IT" study sponsored by the Educause Center for Applied Research (ECAR). Pictured with Andrew is Judy Caruso, principal investigator of the 2008 ECAR study, and Director of Policy and Planning in the CIO's office at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Thanks to all of the students who participated.

Students Provide Insight Through Fall Blackboard Survey

2008-04-29T13:55:37Z

As we've done in the past, OIT again conducted it's Undergraduate student survey in Fall 2007 with 759 students participating. The survey was divided into several sections including general demographics, an open-ended section for students to recommend instructors that they perceive to be strong users of BlackBoard, tool usage and functionality, and suggestions for improvements. The most original comments were received when students were asked to recommend an instructor who they viewed as a strong user of Blackboard. Respondents listed numerous faculty members with the following faculty receiving the highest number of positive comments:

Phil Sokolove (Biology)
Lili Cui (Physics)
Clayton Laurie (History)
Tara Carpenter (Chemistry)
Eileen O’Brien (Psychology)

Lili Cui and Clayton Laurie have also been highlighted in the Interviews section of the Blackboard Best Practices site as faculty who use Blackboard well.]]>

Posting Course Content (91%)

Announcements (80%)

E-mail (54%)

Discussion boards (47%)

Major advantages to the use of Blackboard were:

24/7 access to course content (78%)
Prompt visibility of posted grades (56%)

The biggest disadvantage to using Blackboard was the reliance on technology (53%) and the most needed improvements were server reliability and performance (59% combined). Overall, the respondents scored faculty as “Good” (59%) when it came to the use of Blackboard. Students provided a number of suggestions for improving Blackboard including:

More online student help
Mandatory usage of Blackboard for all faculty
Improved design and functionality
Improve performance and reliability

Respondents provided a number of suggestions in how to improve Blackboard that included providing more online student help and mandatory usage of Blackboard for all faculty. The respondents overwhelmingly supported Blackboard as a great tool despite its occasional problems. Other input included the suggestion for Blackboard.com to improve its design and functionality and the most received comment was the need to improve performance and reliability. Respondents noted that the system always seems to be down. From this sampling of undergraduate students, it appears that Blackboard is perceived as an asset to the educational process at UMBC. Faculty that incorporated the use of Blackboard into the classroom setting received appreciation from undergraduate students. OIT needs to continue to address issues that impact usage in order to increase end-user acceptance of this online course management tool. Complete survey results can be found online.

Course Shells Created for Summer 2008

2008-04-29T13:34:43Z

Today, May 1, 2008 OIT created an empty Blackboard course shell for all Summer 2008 courses listed in the UMBC Schedule of Classes with assigned instructors. Courses that don’t have assigned instructors will be created as they are added to the Schedule of Classes by the Registrar’s office. Only officially registered students should be automatically enrolled in all Bb courses. Students who have dropped will be "disabled" in the course once they have completed the process in myUMBC. Students that have been disabled will be clearly noted in the roster inside each course shell. All courses for both summer 2008 sessions will be conducted on the Blackboard production server. ]]> Notes:

To copy content from an old Bb course to a new course shell, click here.
To request a new course shell earlier than the typical month all course shells are created before a semester starts, click here.
If you no longer need an old course, please submit a request to delete it.

Spring 2008 Course Shells Expire on 6/15

2008-04-29T13:33:30Z

Spring 2008 Bb course "shells" are set to expire on June 15, 2008 after grades are due. This means the course will automatically revert to being unavailable to students, but faculty will still see the course link. This will help students who frequently complain about having numerous links to old courses in Blackboard. They can request ongoing access from the instructor, who can override the duration settings manually. This may be helpful for processing incompletes, but the majority of students will not have to request to be un-enrolled from old courses. If you don’t need your old Bb course site, please consider deleting it by completing the “Bb Course Delete” request form on the Bb Blackboard Help tab.

FYI: BbWorld'08 World Conference is July 15-17 in Las Vegas

2008-04-29T13:00:36Z

Registration for the BbWorld '08 conference has begun. The conference is being held in sunny Las Vegas from July 15-17, 2008 and is described as a "client-centered program built on client feedback, innovation and success." To register for the conference, just complete the form on the Blackboard website. Several staff from OIT will be attending the conference and we look forward to seeing you there.

Bogus E-mails From UMBC.EDU

2008-04-10T04:13:51Z

Recently UMBC e-mail users have been receiving bogus e-mail messages, From: UMBC.EDU ONLINE SERVICE, requesting sensitive information. A sample fraudulent e-mail message is below. E-mails such as these are known as Phishing (Click HERE for more information on Phishing). These e-mails are fraudulent and have not originated from the Office of Information Technology at UMBC. Under no circumstances should you reply to these or other similarly worded e-mails. The fraudulent e-mails are requesting information such as: Email Username : EMAIL Password : Address : City : The Office of Information Technology Will NOT: • Request Your Username in Unsolicited E-mails • Request Your Password • Send You an Unsolicited Attachment • Request Other Sensitive Information (e.g. SSN, Banking Information, Date of Birth, Address etc.) Under no circumstances should you respond to unsolicited e-mails, web links or attachments. If in doubt don’t open it and contact the OIT Help Desk for assistance. helpdesk@umbc.edu 410-455-3838 Sincerely, Michael Carlin Assistant VP, Infrastructure and Support Office of Information Technology ------BEGIN BOGUS EMAIL SAMPLE---------------- From: UMBC. EDU ONLINE SERVICE [mailto:sjmain@btinternet.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 1:53 PM To: pe_doggezzidik@yahoo.com Subject: Dear UMBC.EDU Email Account Owner: ACCOUNT VERIFICATION NOTICE!!! Dear UMBC.EDU Email Account Owner, This message is from UMBC.EDU messaging center to all UMBC.EDU email account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail account center. We are deleting all unused UMBC.EDU email account to create more space for new accounts. To prevent your account from closing you will have to update it below so that we will know that it's a present used account. CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL IDENTITY BELOW Email Username : EMAIL Password : Address : City : Attention!!! Account owner that refuses to update his or her account within Seven days of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently. Thank you for using UMBC.EDU! Warning Code:VX2G99AAJ Sandra Andrews ONLINE SERVICES --------END BOGUS EMAIL SAMPLE---------