Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Mac Users: Do Not Upgrade Macs to Monterey - Yet

Information Services strongly recommends holding off on upgrading to macOS Monterey on your DePauw-owned Apple computer until the operating system is more stable. 

Apple released its newest operating system, macOS Monterey on October 25, 2021. However, many Apple users are reporting issues with power and USB connectivity after upgrading to this latest OS version. These issues affect any Apple computer that does not have the new M1 chip and most Apple computers on campus do not have this chip. Please do not upgrade to macOS Monterey at this time.

Some recent articles about problems that have been reported:

If you have any questions, please contact the HelpDesk

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

October Cybersecurity Awareness: Password Security

To kick off Cybersecurity Awareness month, Information Services would like to remind you to protect your personal data by using strong passwords. Password security is your frontline defense to ensure that hackers cannot access sensitive data. For more on password security, see Dropbox's helpful tips on how you can improve your password security.
Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

October is CyberSecurity Awareness Month

October is CyberSecurity Awareness Month, a global effort to help everyone stay protected whenever and however you connect. Throughout October, Information Services will provide campus with information and resources to enrich everyone’s understanding and practice of Information Security (InfoSec).

Tech-Notices: Keeping Campus Informed
Did you know that all students, staff, and faculty at DePauw are sent tech-notices to keep you informed about important information from the IT department, such as maintenance outages, upgrades, new technologies, virus alerts, and more. Learn more here.

Thursday, August 12, 2021

Moodle - Beginning of the Semester Information - Fall 2021

 From Jin Kim, Instructional Technologist and Moodle Administrator

As we start the new semester, I'd like to share with you some helpful information regarding Moodle.

  • Information Services will be conducting routine Moodle maintenance on Sunday, August 15, from 10 am to 3 pm. During this time, there may be some periods when the Moodle system is unavailable. Please contact us at moodle@depauw.edu with any questions or concerns.
  • All Fall 2021 courses have been generated on the Moodle system. If you are new to DePauw Moodle, please note that, prior to the first day of an academic term, you will find that term's courses at the Dashboard, listed as Future Courses.
  • As you consider how you will store and share video for your classes, FITS would like you to keep in mind:


    • Zoom’s available cloud-recording space for DePauw accounts is limited

    • Moodle’s available storage space is limited

    • Your DePauw Google Drive storage space is unlimited 

    For these reasons, we urge you to place any videos that you need for long-term storage/sharing on your Google Drive. To upload video files to your Google Drive, go to your Google Drive with your DePauw Google account at https://drive.google.com/ and drag/drop files there. You may then share links to those recordings via email, Moodle, etc. Last September's guidance regarding how to move Zoom-cloud recordings to Google Drive provides additional detail. Please click here to manage your old Zoom cloud recordings, and delete those that you no longer need.

  • Course Visibility - All courses are initially set up as hidden to students, so you can create your course privately. When you are ready for your students to access the course, make your course visible to students under the Gear icon at the course title bar/Edit Settings/General/Course visibility. To avoid student confusion, please create a reminder for yourself to make it visible at the proper time.
  • Drop/Add Adjustment Period - Changes in enrollment are completed automatically during the adjustment period. There may be a couple of business hours time lag between the time the Registrar processes the drop/add request and the change is seen in Moodle. Please note that Moodle enrollment only applies to the currently active term. If you need a class roster updated for a future term, please contact moodle@depauw.edu.
  • Library Course Reserves - Visit the Putting Items on Reserve library page for instructions on placing electronic items on reserve for access through Moodle. Please contact Access Services at rowlending@depauw.edu if you have any questions.
  • Course Request Form - To request a non-academic course on the Moodle server, complete the Course Request Form.
  • Here is the Moodle-related resource video we created in the last year. (What Can Moodle and Google Do For My Class, Near and Far)
  • Please note the following schedule of Moodle Intro sessions to learn the basics of Moodle. (Please RSVP here)
Intro to Moodle (Julian 108)
Thursday, August 19, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Intro to Moodle (Julian 108)
Monday, August 23, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Intro to Moodle - Open Lab (Julian 108) - RSVP not needed
Tuesday, August 24, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Wednesdays, August 18, 25, September 1, 8, 15 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Tuesdays, August 24, 31, September 7, 14 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

To arrange a video or face/face consultation with FITS team members at other times, or if you have any other questions, please email fits@depauw.edu.

Start of Year Info for Faculty from Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS) - Fall 2021

Dear Faculty Colleagues,
As we continue to prepare for the start of the fall semester, please remember that you can contact Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS) with your instructional technology needs.

FITS provides assistance for faculty members who wish to explore and develop uses of instructional technologies in their teaching, assignments and assessments through one-on-one consulting, workshops, and discussion sessions.

Beginning next Wednesday August 18, our office resumes a limited schedule of hours for virtual no-appointment necessary drop-in support (via Zoom, posted on our Calendar of Events).


  • Tuesdays 10am-Noon

  • Wednesdays 2-4pm

Our staff members are also available to meet with you either in-person or virtually by appointment. Please drop a note to fits@depauw.edu to arrange a consultation, or contact any of us individually:

FITS has student ITAP Associates available to help provide in-class, out-of-class or virtual workshops for your students in project-specific technologies like video editing, collaborative documents, 3D modeling, pivot tables and more. Drop us a note with your questions regarding student-led sessions.

Our FITS website offers resources related to teaching/learning (including video archives of last year’s presentations related to mixed-mode instruction), and our Calendar of Events. Other resources we hope you will engage with, include:

  • Keep Teaching At DePauw: A Moodle site to help DePauw faculty members remotely sustain our community of practice, by sharing and discussing our successes, strategies and challenges.

  • Information Services Helpdesk: Offering technical support for DePauw students, faculty, and staff members. Email helpdesk@depauw.edu or phone x4294 for assistance with technical issues such as account access, classroom tech issues, etc.... 

  • DePauw Libraries: Offering electronic reserves, research databases and more. 

 

You can find out more about other campus resources for instructional technologies through the following:

DePauw’s traditional classrooms will be equipped this year, with tripod-mounted USB webcams and USB conference speaker/microphones. FITS has created a brief video introducing these devices, that you may view here

We look forward to helping guide you through a successful semester!

Your FITS Team,

Veronica, Jin & Beth