Blackboard Upgrade
The Blackboard service will be down the morning of 12/29 from 8:00 – 9:00
for an upgrade to the latest version of the software. Blackboard 8.0 (http://www.blackboard.com/release8)
improves the performance of the software and introduces a number of new features
including a completely redesigned Gradebook. Regular information sessions covering
these new features will be offered by the FTIC beginning in December. Watch the
daily FSA email digest for upcoming dates, times, and locations.
Blackboard Course Availability
Blackboard Courses are created and populated with students
six weeks before start of each semester. Up until one week
before the start of the semester these courses are marked
as “unavailable,” meaning only instructors can
see/access them. Instructors can make their courses available/unavailable at
any time via the control panel (Settings >> Course Availability).
Shortly after the end of each semester all Blackboard courses will again be
set as unavailable. These courses will then remain in the system for a period
of one year. Instructors can “hide” these courses from their My Courses
panel if they wish by clicking on the pencil icon located in the upper right
corner of the panel.
Heartland Printing
Student Print Management System For the Spring
2009 semester we anticipate implementing the Heartland Printer
Management System. Final testing of the system
continues this week in preparation for the installation over
Christmas Break. This system will be installed on all
classroom and lab network-attached laser printers. Implementing
this system will allow the University to provide no-cost printing
to all students who are reasonable about their printing.
Each student’s Carroll OneCard will be funded with $25
specifically for printing at the beginning of each semester. The
printing account can only be used for printing – it is
not available for vending or other services attached to the
card. The $25 can be used to obtain 500 black & white
pages at 5¢ each, 50 color
pages at 50¢ each, or any
combination thereof. Once the $25 printing fund has been
expended, the system will automatically begin to deduct from
the Carroll Cash balance on the card. For this reason,
it is imperative that the card be activated. Without
the activation, the student will not be able to print properly.
If a specific class requires a significant amount of printing,
the faculty member can contact the Information Services Help
Desk to request that their students printing account be increased. However,
it would be good practice to review the need for printing before
requesting an increase. Not only is this fiscally responsible,
it is a huge help to the environment.
Feel free to direct any questions about this program to me
directly at burke@jcu.edu.
Office 2007
Microsoft Office 2007 Installation Update
Since Summer 2008, all new FSA systems have been delivered with Office 2007 installed
instead of Office 2003. Also, all classrooms and labs are now running
Office 2007. Additionally, approximately 300 office systems have been
upgraded to Office 2007. This leaves over 600 still running Office 2003. If
you have systems in the latter group, we recommend you upgrade to Office 2007
by the end of the fall semester. To do this, you should first verify
the system’s configuration meets the following recommendation:
a 2 gigahertz processor (all
of our ThinkCentres meet this qualification)
1 GB RAM
To check your system’s configuration, right-click
on the My Computer icon on your desktop or in the Start Menu
and select the Properties command to reveal the following popup
window:
If your system meets these qualifications, here are the steps
to upgrade to Office 2007:
Click on the Start menu button
Select CONTROL PANEL, then ADD OR REMOVE PROGRAMS
If your system needs additional RAM or you are still unsure
after the previous steps, contact the HelpDesk for pricing
and/or assistance, ext 3005.
If you are not yet running Office 2007, you should perform
this check as soon as possible to ensure your system is ready
for the upgrade.
After the Fall 2008, any systems still running Office 2003
will be upgraded to Office 2007 before the start of Spring
2009.
Office 2007 Training
Office 2007 has many
enhancements and a significantly different look and feel than
Office 2003 which led Human Resources to offer professional,
on-campus training to help facilitate the transition to the
new version. Sixteen (16) general sessions
were held for Office 2007 in which 267 FSA participated. Five
(5) separate sessions were also held for Access 2007 and 38
employees were trained. The
HR sponsored on-campus classes are no longer available, but
Microsoft has a wealth of good, online training modules available. Here
is a link to help you get started: Microsoft Office
Online Training
Using Apple Laptops with Classroom
Lecterns
Apple laptops can be connected to the classroom projector
system via the lecterns with the proper video cable. There
are various models of Apple laptops and they have different
video connectors. If you or a guest need to connect to a classroom
projector system with an Apple laptop, you must provide the
correct Apple video to VGA cable. Please contact the HelpDesk at ext. 3005
if you have any questions.
Client Services Survey
Beginning
in December, we will randomly survey our customers to help
us gauge and improve our services. After placing a call
to the HelpDesk and/or receiving service from an IT
desktop support specialist, you may receive an e-mail requesting
you complete a survey concerning your most recent IT support
interaction. The survey is web-based and will only contain
five to seven questions. It
is our goal to provide you with the best customer service possible. Your
participation in the survey will enhance our ability to
accomplish this goal and it is greatly appreciated.
