Faculty: Beginning of Semester Tech Checks

Good morning Faculty:

This edition is targeted at our Faculty and adjuncts who will be leading and stewarding courses this fall. Contents include ways to be ready to enter the classroom this fall!

• How to create a picture directory of students in your classroom
• Classroom tech checks and how to get help
• Using the early alert system
• Using Moodle to facilitate classroom communication
• Zoom and Google Meet access
• Calendaring, appointment slots, and Office hours in your Malone calendar

How to create a picture directory of students in your classroom

It is already done! All you need to do is open and print/save them from the Phiz. The Phiz is Malone University's picture and contact directory. It can be found in Malone Xpress using this icon:

In the Quicklinks portals. Once the Phiz is open, click the "My Groups" link in the top righthand corner. For more details instructions on how to use the Phiz and how to use the Phiz to get your automatically generated classroom picture rosters, click through to FAQ241.

Classroom tech checks and how to get help

Prior to the first day of class, we recommend that you check out your classroom and review the technical capabilities of your room. Nobody wants to be surprised in front of their class on the first day.

Whenever you encounter issues in the classroom there are a few ways to get the help you need. The preferred method during office hours (Fall Semester 2021 we are staffed Monday through Thursday 8am-7pm and Friday 8am-5pm) would be to press the button labeled "Help" on your classroom controller.

 

Pressing the Help button will text Malone's Information Technologies personnel that help is needed in your classroom. The panel will blink to indicate that a tech is on their way. Pressing the button again will send a second text to the group to notify them that the help request has been cancelled.

A secondary method of obtaining help for your class would be to call the helpdesk at 330.471.8428 and talk to one of our IT techs who will either solve your problem or be sure to get help sent your way.

 

The IT helpdesk is open from 8am - 5pm, Monday through Friday, This year the helpdesk phone support hours will be extended 5pm - 7pm on Monday through Thursday to better support evening classes.

 

If you require help outside of the normal 8am - 7pm hours, please call the helpdesk 330.471.8428 and select the option for emergency technological help to be connected to our on-call support staff.

Using the early alert system

We want ALL of our students to be successful. The early alert system allows us to intercede with a student before they get too far behind to catch up. Submitting an Early Alert allows the CSS and others who have a connection with a student to reach out to him or her and offer assistance and resources so that they can be successful!

When to submit student Early Alerts

• Have unexplained/excessive absences
• Multiple missed assignments
• Failure of test or quiz
• They share any hardships with you (i.e. financial, personal, health, spiritual, academic, etc)
• Plans to transfer
• Seems disengaged in the classroom
• Other concerns

How to submit an Early Alert

1. Open Malone Xpress and log into it
2. Click on Early Alert Messages on the left hand side of the page
3. Click on Add Student (this will open a pop up box) you can choose from all students or select the specific class the student is in.
4. Once you find the student’s name, click on it ( you can add multiple students if you would like) and when done Click add 1(or more) selected student(s) at bottom of box
5. Select your connection to the student
6. Select the type of concern you have
7. Select the Severity of the issue
8. Please share any details regarding the alert in the text box listed Details about this concern.
9. Select where you have interacted with the student regarding the alert. Yes or No
10. If yes is select you will then be asked add an intervention to the early alert
11. First choose what sort of interaction you attempted and then share any details that maybe related to the interaction
12. Finally when all is filled out click Submit Early Alert

Jenzabar has published a short video walking you through the process 

Using Moodle to facilitate classroom communication

Take the training in the Moodle Basics Course which all instructors at Malone have been enrolled. Per the Provost's communication you should - at minimum - use your Moodle course shell for:

• Posting and sharing of your syllabus
• A News Forum (a regularly updated, one-stop shop for general announcements to the class)
• Student Question Forum (a threaded discussion where students can ask questions of the instructor and of each other)
• Course Calendar (listing all assignment and evaluation due dates)
• Moodle Gradebook (grades entered and updated regularly so that students can track their course progress in real time)

If we are required to pivot to all-remote instruction at any point, having these elements in place will ease the transition for as long as it should last..

Zoom or Google Meet

Remember that you have access to full-featured (recording, quizes, Q&A, etc.) licensed accounts in both Google Meet and Zoom. 

Calendaring, appointment slots, and Office hours in your Malone calendar

Your personal University calendar is a powerful tool for collaboration. We recommend that you at minimum:

• Set your office hours
• Load your course schedule

This will allow others to see when you might be available. It will allow admissions to schedule prospective student visits, and will help your peers find open times to meet with you.

But you can do much more than that with your calendar. You can also:

• View the free/busy information for your peers to facilitate scheduling of meetings
• Create appointment slots and send that appointment slot calendar to your students so they can sign up for time with you.
• Schedule shared resources such as meeting rooms RH305, MH201, CC110, or FH39 for use.
• Schedule Google Meet meetings 

Here are a few guidelines to help you take full advantage of the features in calendaring...

Altering free/busy settings and scheduling availability to others without unnecessary details:

• A detailed guide can be found here, in FAQ 349.

Viewing your Malone calendar can be extremely helpful and convenient. A step-by-step process can be found in the links below:

• For Android phone users: FAQ 179
• For Apple phone users: FAQ 305

Virtual Reality Education:

• The Virtual Reality (VR) Lab is readily available to be scheduled for classes that offer an immersive, hands-on experience with virtual technology for students. An IT technician will be present at the reserved time to facilitate the entire VR appointment. For reservations or more information, please email Jacob Garwood (jgarwood@malone.edu) with your class name, the program you are interested in, date, and time.

Copiers and Chip cards and Faxing, Oh My!

Hello Malone Students, Faculty, and Staff:

In this edition:

• New Copiers are coming to campus. 
• New ID Cards with RFID chips. Changes to how we print, copy, and scan
• Touchless entry for WWF residence halls
• Faxing to the cloud

Some of you may have read my post back in May about upcoming changes to printing and copying on campus. The following info builds on that and covers the next couple weeks of changes.

 

Copier changeouts are imminent

Please note that we are in the last couple days of negotiations with our new copier vendor, Toshiba. I just left a meeting where one of their reps joked about having the truck circling campus while we finish the negotiations. He is not that far from reality with that joke. Toshiba has all of our new copiers staged in a nearby warehouse. We will begin swapping units as soon as the agreement is signed by both Malone and Toshiba and we have all of the software in place to support the hardware.

Part of the copier deployment will also bring some modifications to printers in and around campus. Some things to remember with these upgrades:

• ALL copiers will be color capable for printing, scanning, and copying; but will print black and white by default. Change your output to color in the print settings or at the copier when making copies.
• Students will now be able to make copies at any copier using their chip cards and charge those copies to their papercut balance. Previously students would have to scan a document to email and then print the document.
• You will now be able to print a document to a special "find me printing" print queue. Once the job /document is sent, you can walk up to any copier and print your document. Example: You can submit a document for printing from off campus, drive onto campus, find the closest copier, sign into the copier with your ID card, and release your print job/document. More information on how to use this will be sent out either in this blog or in the form of FAQs from the IT Help Desk

We expect all new copiers to be in place prior to the beginning of classes. 

No more copier codes - Using chipped Malone IDs with the Copiers

To use a copier to copy or to scan-to-email, you will need to have either an old ID card with an RFID sticker attached to the back (which we will provide) OR a new ID card with the RFID tag embedded in it. 

Departments: When we deploy your copier, we will work with the administrative contact and/or department chair/manager to get you set up. This will be a big change for the campus. 

Information Technology is working with both HR and Student Development on a strategy for getting new cards deployed to all students, faculty, and staff.

Touchless entry for Woolman, Whittier, and Fox [WWF] Halls

The WWF residence hall cluster has been upgraded to touch-free keyless entry. The same chip that allows a student or employee to use a copier on campus will also allow you to enter the WWF building (if you are permitted in the building, of course!). This is part of a longterm upgrade plan to take all keyless entry systems to more modern technology. 

Faxing gets cloudy

We don't do a lot of faxing on campus, but when we do, it will now be in the cloud. We are massively converting all campus faxing over to a cloud-based solution with XMedius. We will work with individual departments to train them on how to use the new system. Faxing costs will be charged and decremented from personal and departmental Papercut printing accounts automatically.

Printing & Scanning On Campus

Hello Malone University Students, Faculty, and Staff:

This tech update concentrates on printing, scanning, and copying on campus. Enjoy!

• Papercut - not just an annoying flesh wound.
• Scanning on campus
• Copier replacements & future features
• May training starts Monday, 20 May 2021
• OnBase training

Papercut - not just an annoying flesh wound

We use a print job tracking system called Papercut. You can access things like print balance (students) and job history (students, faculty, and staff) by clicking the papercut icon in the quicklinks on Malone Xpress. It will also give you fun facts such as your printing's environmental impact. I myself have used 10.2% of a tree's worth of paper since we started using this instance of Papercut back in August 2009. 

The icon in Xpress looks like this:

Department chairs and supervisors can reach out the IT Help Desk to inquire about reports of the activity on their printers and copiers too.

Papercut Upgrade for this fall. We'd also like to mention that we will be upgrading Papercut so that it will manage all of our copying on campus. This will start somewhere around the beginning of July. Stay tuned for more information!

Scanning on campus

Did you know you can walk up to ANY copier on campus, scan a picture or document, and then email it to yourself?  This feature will not change; anyone can do this.

Starting this summer and fall, you will be able to sign into a copier using your ID card to do this. Staff and faculty who use our document imaging system -- OnBase -- can also use the copiers to scan documents into OnBase.

Copier replacements & future features

We have been trailing two separate vendors in a few locations on campus. We hope to come to a decision about which vendor's copiers will be on campus for the next five years. No matter which manufacturer is chosen, all copiers will:

• be capable of printing and scanning in color.
• be card-reader enabled to allow individual students, faculty, and staff to sign into them and use them
• set up so that if you print a document to a special "find me printing" print queue, you will be able to walk up to any copier and print your document. Example: You can submit a document for printing from off campus, drive onto campus, find the closest copier, sign into the copier with your ID card, and release your print job/document.

May training 20-27 May 2021

We have a limited May training schedule this year which has already begin. You can still sign up for future sessions. Sign up here!

Web-based OnBase training

This is a reminder that we have a campus site license for Hyland training. Hyland - an Ohio-based company - is the who makes and supports our Document Imaging system OnBase. Anyone with a malone.edu email address can sign up for OnBase/Hyland training. Visit https://training.hyland.com and create an account using your malone.edu email. Here are some courses that we recommend:

• OnBase Unity Desktop Client Training
• OnBase Web Client Training
• Envelopes and Notes training

While you can only access our OnBase documents from either on campus or with special VPN access, you can access these training resources from anywhere on the Internet.

Ways to use tech to further the University's Mission

Hello Malone Students, Faculty, and Staff:

This week's IT blog is a slight lane change from what you might be used to seeing. In this edition:

• Why do we do what we do? Students who go out and, "...serve the church community and world."
• Seven ways to use tech to further the mission.

Have a blessed week!

-Adam

Why do we do what we do? Students who go out and "... serve the church community and world."

I have a personal mission statement. "I help others help others [often through technology]." This is why I love my job as the Chief Infomation Officer at Malone University. Because my team and I keep tech running, the campus at large gets to send several hundred men and women out each year to serve. As our campus mission states: 

"...to develop men and women in intellectual maturity, wisdom, and Christian faith who are committed to serving the church, community, and world." 

We get excited when we hear about what our students, faculty, staff, and alumni are doing. Students, faculty, staff, and alumni who are having lasting personal impacts on the people around them. Just this past month we've had two great examples (I am sure they are more than just two!). The first is in the Canton Repository about women's softball making a dying girl's dream come true and the second - also in the Rep - about grad students helping residents of the Haven of Rest shelter. We love our students! If we can play even a small part in our students and alumni caring for others, we happily jump into that effort. We leap. We help others help others.

I recently spoke with my team and was pleased to hear that many of them echo a similar missional attitude. I asked them what Malone was here to do. Comments such as "furthering God's kingdom," "forwarding the mission of the University", "molding future leaders and professionals", or help students "develop as a person" were the rule -- not the exception -- to their answers. 

Seven ways to use tech to further the mission

The following ideas are simple suggestions for how to use the tech resources we have on campus to better serve our students. This list is targeted at staff and faculty, but I am sure there are some things that students will also find useful.

1. Keep your Calendar up-to-date and share your free busy information

Each student, faculty, and staff member has access to a personal calendar through Google workspace (this is the new name for Gsuite). Keeping your calendar up-to-date means that Admissions can schedule students to meet with Faculty, peers can easily coordinate meetings. This straight-forward act can save a lot of time and frustration when trying to get people together. 

Setting up and maintaining this is as simple as one, two three...

One. Set your business hours. Go into your calendar settings and browse to the  "working hours" section. Set your business hours where you are available for meetings. It will look something like the image above when it is set up correctly!

Two. Make sure that you have shared your free/busy information to all of Malone University. In the "Access Permissions" section for your personal named calendar, make sure the "Make available for Malone University" checkbox is checked and that the menu next to it says "See only free/busy (hide details)" option is selected. This will allow others to schedule meetings with you when you don't already have a meeting.

You can also selectively share your calendar information to associates and peers using the "Share with specific people" section just under the "Access permissions" section. I share my meeting details with my staff so they know where I am.

Three. Maintain your schedule. If you have classes, schedule them on your calendar. If you have a meeting or are going to be away, then put it on the calendar. Don't be afraid to set up blocks of time to indicate when you can't meet too!

2. Use EDUROAM for your wifi connection

There are two networks on Malone's campus, EDUROAM and Malone-Guest. Choose EDUROAM for your best wifi connection. Follow the guidelines in FAQ188 to connect. Be sure to use your full email address for the username!! EDUROAM also lets you connect to different wifi all over the world. View all the places that EDUROAM is available at https://www.eduroam.org/where

3. Chat

A relatively new feature in Google workspace is "Chat." This is an instant messaging and group chatting app that behaves a lot like Slack if you are familiar with that tool. The IT department uses Google Chat to interact with each other both one-to-one and many-to-many through the use of rooms. There is also a chat app available for your smartphone (iOS and Android). 

Google Chat allows you to send data and information back and forth quickly using your PC or smartphone. Remember to not send sensitive information using this channel. Use it in a similar fashion as how you use email. Rooms can be set up for committees, projects, whatever.

4. Leverage lecture capture and recording facilities in Google Meet and Zoom

We have been using Zoom and Google Meet all year to meet both in and out of class. Be sure to use the record function to record presentations and lectures so that you can use them later or provide them to students for review.

5. "Help" button in the classroom

If you run into trouble in the classroom, look for the "Help" button on the black control panel located in nearly every classroom on campus. This will page IT personnel who will come to your assistance.

6. Meeting spaces with wireless video tech

I know we have gotten out of the habit of meeting in person, but - when the time comes again [and we hope very soon!] - be sure to check out the meeting spaces with wireless video tech located throughout the library Timken Center for Student Success and the RH300 "Hub" meeting space. These standing tables and wall-mounted TVs offer wired and wireless video for Apple and Android devices. HDMI ports enable a quick connection for your laptop or other wired device too!

7. Malone phone from home

Staff who need to work from home have the ability to use a softphone on their smartphone or computer which will allow them to be contacted to/from their Malone number. Be sure to contact the Help Desk if you want to be set up with this functionality. FAQ389 has additional details.

Tech update for 19 February 2021

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

Here's what's new in tech on campus this week.

• Qtrak package delivery
• Classroom monitor fixes
• Course list "in-person" or "online" data available in the Phiz
• Always back up your data!

Qtrak package delivery

If any of you have had a package delivered on campus recently, you may have noticed you've started getting emails when the package is on campus or ready for pickup from the mailroom. We have implemented a new package tracking system on campus so that we can serve you more efficiently. 

Since implementation, grounds and mail room staff have delivered 1,964 packages (as of 18 February) and counting! Be sure to let the mail room know if you have any questions or feedback about the system. Stay tuned for more improvements to package delivery on campus!

Classroom monitor fixes

One of the biggest changes to our classrooms - in addition to the Owl cameras - is that we have enabled three outputs/screens in the hyflex rooms:

• Primary monitor for presentation notes and stuff that is kept off-screen from student view
• Secondary monitor for use as a screen to see your remote students
• Projector screen to show students in the room your slide deck or other content.

We have a number of faculty and instructors who want to change these. The most common variation is where the Secondary monitor mirrors the projector output.

We have set up FAQ396 to explain how to use multiple screens. It includes a video tutorial on how to set up each configuration using shortcuts/icons on each classroom desktop which make all the changes for you!!

Course list "in-person" or "online" data available in the Phiz

Attention Faculty: Many of you already know that you can pull a picture directory of your student by course in the Phiz. The Phiz now also contains whether a student will be in person or remote for class.

If you sign into the Phiz you will now see a green checkmark, a yellow warning, or a red remote sign for each student. Similar to your own personal COVID status:

• Green checkmark: They can report for class! Means the student filled out a COVID survey today and is symptom free
• Yellow exclamation: They can report for class! Means that they have not yet filled out the survey for today, but have not reported symptoms or been contact traced or have some circumstance that requires them to be remote today.
• Red Octagon: They will NOT be in class. They have opted out of being in person or have some circumstance that means they will not be in class today. This does NOT mean they have COVID. It means that they will not be in class today.

You can read more about the XPress COVID daily symptome tracker here.

Always backup your data!

We have had a rash of hard drive failures these past few months. This is a general APB that you should always back up your data. Whether it is important work, school, or personal information, it is always a good idea to keep a backup! Take a look at FAQ404 for recommendations on how to back up your data using Malone and external resources.

Welcome Back to Campus: Tech edition

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

Welcome back to campus. Here are some changes, updates, and reminders about tech on Malone's campus for the start of 2021 Spring Semester!

• COVID Daily Symptom Tracker
• COVID Surveillance testing info
• Watch out for COVID-themed Spam and Phishing emails!
• New and updated classrooms for spring
• Copier (and printer) RFP

COVID Daily Symptom Tracker

You may have noticed a new addition to Malone Xpress when you signed in. The daily symptom tracker is a tool that we have set up as another layer to slow the spread of COVID-19 on our campus. Fill out your survey daily to let us know that you're ok. If you start having symptoms, let us know and we will work with you to make sure you have what you need to be tested, weather, and ultimately recover from the virus.

  

Green checkbox: Means that you have filled out the daily survey and have reported no symptoms.

Yellow alert!: Means that you have not yet filled out the daily survey.

Red Remote: Means that you are learning remotely because you have: 

• chosen to be remote, 
• have reported symptoms, or 
• are either in quarantine or isolation.

COVID Surveillance testing info

We have begun randomly testing the students who take classes on campus, both commuters and residents. We are testing 3% of students weekly through Spring semester. If you are chosen, you will receive an email with instructions on what paperwork to complete and how to download the Navica app and set up a profile.

Many of you asked about the guidelines for being chosen. They are as follows:

• Resident and commuter students who are NOT completely online students
• Who haven't gotten a surveillance test in the prior 3 weeks (this includes athletic testing and surveillance testing) on campus
• Who are not already in quarantine, isolation, or shelter-in-place according to our records.
• Who are recovered but it has been more than 90 days since they first experienced symptoms.

We mistakenly sent out a copy of the email to everyone on Friday afternoon. We do apologize for the error, but it did give you a preview of the instructions. Questions about surveillance testing can be sent to healthcenter@malone.edu .

Watch out for COVID-themed Spam and Phishing emails!

Campuses and businesses all over the country have seen an uptick in COVID-related phishing schemes. Be on the lookout for fakes.  Know that Malone will never ask you to provide information via email. The ONLY two ways that we will ask for COVID-related information or information related to your care for COVID are through the COVID tracker on Malone Xpress or through the COVID intake form on the Malone web site. 

New and updated classrooms for spring

We have brought JC201 a new tablet armchair room that seats 49 students (COVID capacity). 

FH24 in Founders has also been reactivated now that it is done storing books from the library/Center for Student Success renovation. 

To view the status of all classrooms and meeting spaces on campus, their COVID capacity (reduced seating for social distancing) and whether they are equipped with Hyflex cameras and equipment, visit this published Google Sheet (sign in with Malone.edu credentials required).

Copier (and printer) RFP February through June

We wanted to give students, faculty, and staff a heads up that we will be undergoing a "request for proposal" or RFP to replace the copiers and some of the printing on campus. We are gathering requirements for the replacements NOW and plan to evaluate a couple manufacturers' units around the month of March with an eye to replace all copiers on campus during the month of June with the new contract.