Resources

October 2024, Resources, Tool Spotlight, Zoom

Tool Spotlight: AI Companion in Zoom

Take your meetings to the next level with AI Companion, a recently added feature within Zoom meetings. When enabled by the meeting host, AI Companion will automatically summarize a meeting hosted on Zoom, organizing different topics into chapters and automatically identifying highlights such as next steps. AI Companion automatically shares its summary with the meeting host, who can then choose to share the summary with other participants. Stay focused and save time! 

How do I use AI Companion? 

When hosting a Zoom meeting, simply click the AI Companion button located in your Zoom toolbar.  

Screenshot of Zoom toolbar, showing different tools such as React, Chat, Share, and Meeting AI Companion

After the meeting ends, you’ll receive an email from Meeting Summary with Zoom AI Companion, which you can choose to share with others. If you’re having trouble finding the meeting, check your “Other” tab in Outlook. 

Screenshot of email sent by Zoom AI meeting companion

Where can I learn more? 

Click here to view a short course on LinkedIn Learning to learn more about how to use AI Companion effectively. If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@clarku.edu or 508-793-7745.   

Get to Know Us, Resources, September 2024

Get to Know Us: ITS Bot

ITS Bot is an automated support assistant designed to answer ITS-related questions quickly and connect you to the Clark-supported technology solutions you need. Say hi to ITS Bot here! 

ITS Bot has been answering questions on the Clark ITS website since 2023. Prior to arriving in Worcester, they “grew up” in Raleigh, NC with over 700 siblings as part of the Ivy AI family. ITS Bot and their family now work at state offices, hospitals, and colleges across the country.  

What do you do? 

I sort through all the information on the Clark ITS website in a few seconds to provide you with relevant information and guide you to the right place so you can save time and learn more. I can also help you open a ticket with the Clark ITS Help Desk, to get the right help for your question. Best of all, I am available twenty-four hours a day, and just a browse and a click away. 

Can you help me do other things, like register for classes or pay my tuition bill? 

I can only help with ITS questions right now. You can always call the Clark University main phone number at 508-793-7711 to be routed to the correct office for your request.   

Are you a real person? 

Nope! I’m an AI assistant. However, I do get occasional support from my human coworkers, so please be kind during our conversations 😊  

Resources

Teaching with Technology – Fall 2024

ITS is excited to support your teaching during Fall 2024 and have included a range of services below.

If you have any additional questions, concerns or suggestions, we recommend contacting the Help Desk (helpdesk@clarku.edu) so that we can direct your request to the most appropriate department for the quickest response.

Table of Contents

Banner

Banner is Clark University’s Student Information System and is used to allow students to enroll in classes, receive grades, and make progress towards their degree.

The Registrar offers a resource page for faculty with step-by-step guides on how to do common tasks within Banner. Click here for more information.

Classroom Technology

ITS managed classrooms have a range of technology available to support teaching and learning. All classrooms have standard technology including a desktop computer, a projector, and the ability to connect a laptop.

Additionally many classrooms have additional technology including:

    • Smart Monitors that allow you to display and write on a virtual projected whiteboard and annotate displayed files.
    • Cameras to support remote participants on Zoom (either table-mounted OWL cameras, or wall-mounted cameras with microphone arrays)
    • Screen Share technology from Solstice to allow wireless presenting from faculty or student tablets, phones or laptops

Other Technology

We know that faculty have different needs for teaching. We have available a stock of other technology for short and long-term loans where appropriate, including video & web cameras, document cameras, tablets and much more. Please email the Help Desk for more information.

Student Access to Software

Software on Campus

ITS maintains a wide range of software across campus for student use – in classroom locations, and in lab environments.

Software on Personal Devices

Students are able to download and install many useful software applications on their personal devices – including Microsoft Office, Sophos Antivirus and much more..

VLabs

Students with a Chromebook, or Apple-users who need access to Windows-only applications, may be able to access some software via our VLabs service. VLabs is an application streaming service that offers you the ability to connect to a desktop environment and stream certain software from your browser, regardless of your operating system or device specifications.

Other Software

If you’re planning on using a software that is not listed on the webpages above during this academic year (and particularly during the Fall semester), please contact us at helpdesk@clarku.edu as soon as possible so that we can discuss your request.

Communication

Communicating openly and regularly can help minimize an inbox onslaught of one-off questions.

Clark Announcements/Mail

The easiest way to communicate with your class is to use the Announcements forum or Mail in your Canvas course. Faculty and TAs can create a post to an announcement forum, and students will receive the message as an email to their Clark University email address.

Canvas

Clark University uses Canvas as a Learning Management System.

Click here to access Canvas, or use the link in the ClarkYou portal.

More Canvas Support

Zoom

All Clark community members have fully licensed accounts (previously called Pro accounts), which allow meetings for up to 24 hours, with up to 300 participants.

Click here for more information on Zoom including how to log in with your Clark account, best practice recommendations, and how to access support.

Panopto

If you’re planning on pre-recording your lectures or having your students record presentations, we recommend considering Panopto, Clark’s internal video streaming service. It allows you or your students to upload or record videos, voice-over Powerpoints, or podcasts.

If you use movies/documentaries as a teaching tool, our digitization service can often make these available to your students in Panopto. This will allow your students to watch material before class discussions, while writing analyses, or when studying for exams. We ask that you first search the library to see if the movie is available through the media databases (click here to search through Kanopy and Academic Video Online). If your media isn’t available through those services, click below for more information on our digitatization service.

Support

Academic Technology staff members Don and Dorothy, will be available all semester to support you with any pedagogical or technology needs. Click here to learn more about ATS consultations.

For any other technical questions for you or your students, the Help Desk is open daily, including weekends, and late nights. Click here to contact the Help Desk.

Announcement, March 2024, Resources

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. 

March 2024, Resources

Everything You Need to Know About Poster Printing

Close up of an offset printing machine during production

With ClarkFEST right around the corner, it’s time to prep and print those posters that show off all your hard work! Keep reading to make sure the poster process is quick, simple, and stress-free.  

Step 1: Make your poster using provided templates 

To avoid delays in printing your poster, use the templates provided by Clark ITS to make sure it’s properly sized. 

Step 2: Submit your poster file to ITS 

To submit your poster for printing, you’ll need to upload the file in PDF or PPTX form and provide some additional information. Please note the submission deadline for ClarkFEST is April 15th. If your poster is not for an event, it needs to be submitted at least 3 business days in advance. 

Click here to submit your poster file 

Step 3: Wait for a confirmation email 

ITS will get to work processing and printing your poster. Once it’s ready, we’ll send you a confirmation email with pick-up details. 

Step 4: Pick up your poster and pay (if necessary) in cash 

Printed posters can be picked up at the ITS Help Desk once you’ve received confirmation that they are ready. For ClarkFEST, each participant is credited $25 for printing. This amount covers the standard 3 ft by 4 ft matte poster. If your poster is larger, heavily inked, or printed with a glossy finish, it may cost more than $25, in which case the participant is responsible for paying the difference.  

If you’re printing a poster unrelated to an event such as ClarkFEST, ask your professor or department administrator if you’ve been issued a print credit for your project. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay out of pocket once your poster is ready.  

When you go to pick up the poster from the ITS Help Desk, please bring exact change in cash if necessary. 

Step 5: Show off your work 

Conducting research and creating a poster is no small feat, and you’ve done it! Take some time to congratulate yourself before you present your awesome work 😊  

If you have any questions about poster printing, please contact the ITS Help Desk. 

March 2024, Resources, Tool Spotlight

Tool Spotlight: Adobe Audition

Screenshot of Adobe Audition software, with audio waves shown in green

Ever thought about starting a podcast? This form of audio entertainment has exploded in popularity in recent years and continues to grow: in the next 5 years, Statistica predicts there will be over 100 million podcast listeners in the US alone. The software Adobe Audition is one of the most popular tools used to create and edit podcasts, and it is available to Clark faculty and staff. It can also be accessed by students on public university computers.  

In Adobe Audition, you can record or upload audio, remove background noise, add effects, trim and rearrange audio clips, and much more. Audition also works with Premier Pro, Adobe’s video editing software, to edit the audio track of a video clip to make sure whatever you’re recording sounds its best.  

To learn more about Adobe Audition and test it out, ITS recommends the following resources: 

As a reminder, all members of the Clark community have free access to LinkedIn Learning through their Clark account. Click here to sign in and activate your account. 

February 2024, Resources

Educause’s 7 Things You Should Know About Generative AI

 

Wires leading to a glowing computer key labeled AI

In 2024, generative AI is on track to become more powerful and more present in our daily lives. You may have noticed Amazon now uses AI to summarize customer reviews of its products; or heard that AI might be integrated into Google Maps soon. While AI undoubtedly affects the ways we interact with the internet in our personal lives, it also creates unique challenges and opportunities within the field of higher education.  

EDUCAUSE, a national organization for the advancement of technology in higher education, recently evaluated academia’s relationship to generative AI. A year after the media frenzy that marked early 2023, EDUCAUSE summarizes what you need to know about AI and its implications for institutions like Clark University moving forward.  

Click here to read this highly recommended article: 7 Things You Should Know About Generative AI 

Special thanks to Alexander Magid, Clark’s Information Privacy and Compliance Analyst and member of EDUCAUSE’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Advisory Committee, for recommending this article. 

Resources

Sharing Clark Passwords in LastPass

One of the most useful features offered by LastPass is the ability to securely share usernames and passwords with other people.

Sharing Passwords within Clark

Whether passwords need to be shared with one Clarkie or a whole Clark department, the best method for sharing passwords is by using Shared Folders. Passwords can be stored within a Shared folder and access to the folder can be restricted to certain individuals.

Anyone can create a shared folder and can manage access to the passwords within it. By default, any individual added to a shared folder has access to view and edit all passwords within the folder, though you can modify this. Additionally, if you want to just share access to a single password in the folder, that is possible too.

Here are some handy links to LastPass instructions on Shared Folders:

Sharing Passwords outside Clark

It is possible to share passwords to individuals outside the Clark community. To prevent accidental sharing of large quantities of passwords to outside parties, sharing Shared Folders to parties outside of Clark is not permitted. Instead, each password must be individually shared. An important caveat to note is that passwords within Shared Folders cannot be shared on their own and must first be “cloned” to a non-shared folder by right-clicking on the password and selecting “clone”. Keep in mind that the cloned password is not linked to the password in the shared folder, so changes to either will need manual updates. We recommend you share passwords with people outside of the Clark community for a limited period of time. Once the recipient has the credential they need, sharing should be disabled.

How NOT to share sensitive passwords

  • Never share passwords by email
  • Never share passwords by text message
  • Never share your personal Clark password or MFA information with anyone
  • Never leave passwords recorded in unsecured areas. Examples: post-it notes, white boards, shared digital resources such as OneNote or Word documents on a file share, or any locations where unauthorized individuals may have access
  • Avoid recording or sharing passwords in third party applications such as chat windows, browser plug-ins, Outlook, Dropbox, Google Docs, or other systems not explicitly designed for password storage
  • Immediately change passwords that may have been compromised, particularly if they were subjected to any of the insecure sharing methods above

Resources, Teams Phones

Phone Services: Transition to Microsoft Teams Phone

Over the coming year, Clark will transition from using our traditional phone infrastructure for making and receiving voice calls to using Microsoft Teams.  This change will allow you to make and receive calls in your existing Teams client on your computer, smart phone, or Teams compatible desk phone. 

As our modality of working has recently evolved, we must be more flexible in the way we communicate. Using a modern cloud service, such as Microsoft Teams, for our phone system allows us to be more agile and provide phone service to on-campus, hybrid, and remote employees, allowing for quality support and engagement for all our community members. 

Additionally, Clark University’s current system, initially implemented in 1984, is becoming more challenging and expensive to maintain. This old technology needs to be replaced with a service that can grow in flexible and reliable ways. 

Using Microsoft Teams as our phone system offers multiple benefits, including: 

  • Unified Communication: Consolidating many of our communication tools into a single, integrated platform for voice calls, video conferences, and instant messaging. 
  • Mobility and Flexibility: Access Teams Phone from any device, ensuring that you can stay connected whether you are on campus, at home, or on the go. 
  • Familiarity on Campus: Microsoft tools are well-known and widely used on campus, ensuring a familiar user interface to minimize the learning curve associated with the transition. 

We will transition most users to Teams Phones during 2024.  

Over the last year, during the initial phases of the project, we have successfully and seamlessly transitioned more than 100 users to Teams Phones. Remaining departments and individuals will be contacted in the coming months to schedule a time for the change. 

To facilitate a smooth migration, our telecommunications team will be working closely with the Help Desk staff and Technology Trainer to provide training and resources to help you become familiar with Microsoft Teams phone features and functionalities. Visit our Teams Phone Transition webpage for answers to your questions, links to support, and more information on the project. Additionally, our support team will be available to assist with any questions or concerns you may have. 

Should you have any immediate questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@clarku.edu, or 508-793-7745. 

Thank you for your continued support as we work together to modernize and enhance our working and learning environments. 

Resources, September 2023

OneCard’s New Home at the ITS Help Desk!

OneCard ID featuring the Clark University logo, a picture of athletics' cougar mascot, and the name Jonas Clark.

At Clark University, OneCards are a little like magic: they can check out library books, grant access to cool campus spots, buy study snacks, and print papers.  

Over the summer, the OneCard office moved to Academic Commons on the first floor of Goddard Library. OneCard operations are now managed by ITS and the new Campus and Card Access Coordinator, Sean Ryder. Sean provided some important answers to frequently asked OneCard questions. 

Where is the OneCard office now?

The OneCard office is now located in Academic Commons 107E, just past the ITS Help Desk. If you need to pick up your OneCard, please check with Help Desk staff.  

Why can’t I swipe into a certain room or building?

Some buildings and classrooms are restricted to certain groups or people during certain times, such as professors or staff. For example, some scientific labs on campus are only available to the professors or researchers working there as a safety precaution. To request access to a certain space, please email onecarddoor@clarku.edu. 

How do I add money to my OneCard?

Students can add funds to their OneCard by logging into their ClarkYOU portal and selecting “OneCard Balances” from the Web Services menu. Deposits may also be made with check, cash, or credit card at the Cashier’s Office. Please allow 1 hour for any deposits to be reflected in your OneCard balance. 

Who should I contact if I have questions or issues?

Please contact the Help Desk by emailing helpdesk@clarku.edu or calling 508-793-7745.