Announcement

Introducing: ITStatus.clarku.edu

Screenshot of ITstatus.clarku.edu webpage, showing text "all systems go" with a green checkmark

ITS is excited to introduce ITStatus.clarku.edu, a systems status page dedicated to Clark applications, networks and systems.  

ITStatus.clarku.edu will have up-to-date information on which applications are running smoothly, a schedule of planned maintenance, notices about possible current issues, and a history of previous outages.  

Visit the page if you are experiencing issues with a certain application. If you’d like to receive updates about applications’ maintenence, outages, and service, you can also subscribe to email alerts on the page so you’re always up to date. You can access it directly at ITStatus.clarku.edu, or by visiting the ITS website, where the site is linked in the footer section of every page.   

If you have questions or feedback about ITStatus.clarku.edu, please contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@clarku.edu, or 508-793-7745. 

CUWeb is Getting an Upgrade!

Screenshot of updated CU Web langing page

Working together, The Office of the Registrar, Human Resources, Payroll and ITS are excited to launch an updated version of CU Web early in the spring semester. CUWeb—which can be accessed anytime through the ClarkYOU portal—is the internal website that hosts important information for all members of the Clark community, such as class registration, advising information, personal information, timesheets, leave reports and other HR and Payroll administrative forms.  

Why is Clark making this change?

We want to provide an easier, more modern and more comprehensive experience in CUWeb so you can spend less time clicking and more time doing what you do best: learning, teaching, and working. Support for our current version of CU Web will soon be discontinued, so Clark is proactively making this change.  

What will be different?

CUWeb will look different, but the functionality will mostly remain the same. However, the upgraded version will provide students, faculty, and staff more useful information. For example, all Clarkies will be able to update their chosen name and pronouns in CUWeb, and faculty members will be able to view more information about their advisees, including their current courses and other advisors in one easy-to-use profile.When is this happening? 

The updated version of CUWeb will be available at the end of January 2024 for all Clarkies. 

What if I need help?

The Office of the Registrar and ITS will be releasing more information, including video guides and workshops, in the spring semester prior to the updated version’s launch so everyone feels confident and comfortable navigating the new CUWeb.  

If you have any questions about this exciting change, please email the Help Desk and ITS will work to get your question to the correct department. 

 

Say Goodbye to Windows 7

Windows 7 Logo

Windows 7 Logo

Nothing lasts forever, and Windows 7 is no exception. Microsoft will stop providing critical updates to Windows 7 on January 14th, 2020. Without critical updates, Windows 7 will quickly become a vulnerable target for electronic attack.

To protect the security of your computer and data, and Clark’s shared computing resources, Windows 7 computers should be upgraded to Windows 10 for the start of the Spring Semester (January 13th, 2020).

Students

If you’re still using a personally-owned Windows 7 machine, you should plan on upgrading before returning to campus for the Spring Semester. You should check that your computer can support Windows 10 and then if so, order a single free copy of Windows 10, by visiting and logging into our Software Purchasing page.

Faculty and Staff

If you’re using a campus-provided machine with Windows 7, you should have received communication from the Help Desk on what your options are. If you’re unsure on what those are, give the Help Desk a call at 508-793-7745 or drop us an email at helpdesk@clarku.edu

If you bring a personal Windows 7 machine to campus, you should plan on upgrading before returning to campus for the Spring Semester. You should check that your computer can support Windows 10 and then if so, order a single low-cost Windows 10 download, by visiting and logging into our Software Purchasing page.

New and Improved ITS Website

ITS is excited to announce the redesign of the ITS Website (https://www.clarku.edu/offices/its/). A team of ITS staff members, in collaboration with MarCom, worked for the last 6 months to design and organize a new website to be more ‘on-brand’ and easy to use. The team’s main goal was to listen to feedback about how you want to find information and build a site that meets your needs. And as a bonus, you can see many familiar Clarkies featured in new photos throughout the site.

While there are lots of new features to talk about, there are three that we’re most proud of.

Pages curated just for you

Screenshot of the ITS Website with For You highlighted

Screenshot of the ITS Website

The ‘Get Started’ button on the menu bar, and the ‘Info For’ button in the top right allows community members, particularly those new to campus, to visit pages with links and information curated to meet their specific needs.

Incoming students can quickly and easily get computer purchasing advice, learn which software is available on campus, and learn how to connect to WiFi. New faculty can activate their accounts, see photos of their classroom, and learn more about Moodle. By getting all of the important links for our community members in one place, we hope to make those first few weeks on campus as easy as possible.

Explore Services

The easiest way to find an answer to an ITS question is the new Explore Services page. This directory offers links to all of our services from A to Z. Our research showed that most users come to our site looking for specific information, and we’re confident this will allow them to find what they need as quickly as possible.

Get Help

Need more help? The Get Help link will connect you with the Help Desk by allowing you to create a ticket, as well as highlighting answers for our most asked questions. Additionally, the contact information for the Help Desk is at the bottom of all of the ITS site pages.

We hope you like the new site as much as we do, but if you’re looking for something that has moved, or you have any feedback, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Saying Goodbye to Summer (in Moodle)

Five Adirondack Deck Chair in the sunset

by Flickr user Lawrence Lazare (https://www.flickr.com/photos/scrappymc/)

To comply with copyright and Fair Use guidelines, student access to Summer 2019 Moodle courses will end on September 30th.

For students, this means that your Summer 19 courses will be hidden on September 30th and that course materials will no longer be accessible. So now is the time to make backups of any assignments or resources that you may need in the future. If you require access to a course beyond September 30th, your faculty member should let ATS know in order to make alternate arrangements.

Faculty access to Summer courses won’t change. However, if you have a student finishing an incomplete that will need continued access to one of your courses, you should reach out to your ATS liaison.(Click here to find the contact information of your departmental liaison.)

New Card Readers On Campus

The One Card Office and ITS are pleased to announce that, over the summer, the card readers on doors across campus will be upgraded. Instead of having to swipe your card, you will be able to tap your card flat against the reader to open doors (the tap directly against the center of the reader should last approximately one second). You will also be able to quickly see if a door is locked (red light on reader) or unlocked (green light on reader). The new readers look like the following, and may be mounted vertically or horizontally.

 

To ensure you are ready for this transition, there are a couple things you should do.

  1. Look at the back of your Clark ID. If the back of your ID looks like either of the two samples below (Note: The specific numbers that are highlighted may not be the exact numbers on your ID) then you have the ID required to use the new readers and you don’t need to do anything else. If you’re ID doesn’t look like either of the samples, then you should stop by the OneCard Office on the third floor of ASEC to get the correct ID (hours and location at https://www.clarku.edu/onecard).
  2. If you have the correct ID, there are two test stations on campus you can visit to test your ID and make sure it is not broken, and to make sure you are familiar with how to use the new card readers. There is one test station at the exit to the cafeteria (to the left of the popcorn machine) and a second at the ITS Help Desk in the Academic Commons. You can tap your ID against the test reader, and if it beeps, your ID is fully functional and you’re ready to go. If you don’t hear a beep, there are details on what to do at the test station.

Taking the two steps above will help ensure that your access to buildings is not interrupted as part of this transition.Thank you for your assistance as we work together to improve the security of Clark’s campus.

Welcome to the First Issue of Bits&Bytes

Welcome to the first issue of the new Clark ITS virtual newsletter, Bits&Bytes.

Bits&Bytes is a newsletter published by Information Technology Services that is emailed to faculty and staff throughout the year.

Each issue of Bits&Bytes contains articles, tips and tricks, and resource references to help you discover the breadth of tools and services available at Clark, and to help you navigate the ever changing world of information technology.

If there is a particular technology or IT resources you’d like to know more about, please click on the link on the right hand side to provide feedback or request a topic.

We look forward to hearing from you, and welcome to our newsletter!