More WebAdvisor
Enhancements
Due
to some major updates in WebAdvisor over the summer, faculty now have
access to more information about the students who are enrolled in their
courses! WebAdvisor now has a student's e-mail address and photograph
as part of the roster information. Selecting "Class Roster With Student
Photo" will display the following record type:
Check
the Student Profile box and select Submit and you'll get a screen
with the student's local address, phone number, major and advisor. Many
faculty like to cut and paste their roster information into Excel. However,
the photos complicated the process. A "photoless" roster option
is available by selecting "Class Roster Without Student Photo."
This new feature is available for Advisee records as well.
The Need for Speed!
As the number
of users on our network continues to increase, so does the need to add
to our bandwidth. Increasing our bandwidth allows more users to use the
internet at faster speeds. We have just increased our bandwidth allocation
from 16 MB to 20 MB. What does this mean for the user? Let's compare .
. . using a 56.6 Kbps dial-up modem, it could theoretically take 2 hours
to transfer 50 MB of data (about 35 diskettes). Using a cable modem, that
same file might take 3 minutes. At 20 mbps, it could take 20 seconds!
We use words like "theoretically" and "might" and
"could" because although these transport methods transfer data
at these speeds it is only under optimal circumstances. Considerations
have to be made for the number of users that might be accessing the same
resources at any given time. What the increase in bandwidth does mean
for certain, though, is an increase in network capacity for the growing
number of workstations on campus!
Clean
Access Agent
Over
the summer a network security system was implemented to improve wireless
network security and help insure that the notebook computers used in classes
will be free of viruses and similar threats. ITS has taken care of installing
all the necessary software on the checkout laptops used for classroom
instruction. When using the laptops in the classroom students will be
required to "authenticate" to the network, meaning they will
be presented with a login box and will be required to enter their Coastal
UserName and PIN. During this process there will be no transfer of files,
software installation or updates performed so classroom time will not
be lost.
If you use a laptop computer in your office and in the classroom please
contact your IRC for instructions on installing the necessary software.
It is a simple process that should only take a few minutes. If you prefer
to install the application yourself please go to the following link: http://www.coastal.edu/its/ccuunwired.pdf
(This is an Adobe file that will open in Adobe Acrobat). Staff members
who have a laptop computer with wireless access will also follow the above
procedure when using their laptop in academic areas.
To see a list of all wireless areas on campus please go to the Wireless
Access Areas page.
ITS
- Protecting You Against Unwanted Email!
We
all know how it feels to open our Inboxes in the morning and see a list
of unsolicited email messages! ITS implemented the Barracuda Spam Firewall
system last year in an effort to combat these nuisance and potentially
harmful messages. The Barracuda is an integrated hardware and software
solution that offers complete protection of the email server. Below is
a graphical representation showing how many unwanted messages are blocked
before they get to your Inbox! Note the red segments of the columns
which represent blocked spam messages. The Network Administrator is continually
updating the list containing known senders of spam in an attempt to protect
the user from receiving mail they just don't need or want!
WebCT Breaks New Ground . . . and a Few Records!
Last
year Coastal Carolina University was asked to participate in the Campus
Partners Program offered by WebCT, a provider for online learning systems.
As participants in the program we installed and evaluated WebCT Campus
Edition 6.0 and participated in training sessions with Brown University,
Grant McEwan College and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The
final release of the software will be within the next several weeks and
we will be ready to initiate our Pilot Program. We anticipate WebCT CE
6.0 will be available for all faculty in early to mid 2006. To learn more
about the new and improved features of WebCT visit the CE
6 Orientation site.
And for breaking a few records . . . this fall semester we have over 400
course sections with over 6,000 students enrolled in WebCT. And the semester
is barely underway! In comparison we had 350 course sections with 5,300
students in the fall 2004 semester.
How
Do I . . .
Question:
Keep people off my computer when I am away from my desk?
Answer:
Most of us at Coastal have jobs that involve sensitive data that
relates to students, finances, research, etc. Information Technology Services
strongly encourages every faculty and staff member to protect
their files by using a screen saver password. It is easy to do!
- From your desktop
right click anywhere and select Properties from the Display
Properties box that opens.
- Click on the Screen
saver tab.
- Select the check
box to the left of On resume.
- Enter the number
of minutes of inactivity that should pass before your screen saver activates.
- Your screen saver
password is the same as your logon password (PIN).
- When you begin
working again you will be prompted to type your password in to unlock
your computer.
IMPORTANT!
To lock your workstation quickly, press Ctrl + Alt
+ Delete, and select Lock Computer.
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