IT@UMN News

Change of Venue: IT@UMN News Moves to Google Group

2013-04-03T20:56:39Z

To better streamline our news distribution, IT@UMN news will no longer deliver news and information via this blog, but will use the IT@UMN Google group for all our communications. All those who have subscribed to this blog and are not already members of the IT@UMN Google group will be added to the group.

IT@UMN emails can be easily recognized and (if you like) filtered by categories that will appear in the subject line:

[IT@UMN] Messages from the VPCIO, IT Governance, IT@UMN Community building, staff recognition, etc.
[IT@UMN][news] relevant journal, blog, and news article publications
[IT@UMN][services] IT service updates, service disruptions
[IT@UMN][good practices] safe computing, tips & tricks
[IT@UMN][activities] professional development opportunities, conferences, events
[IT@UMN][demystifying] definitions of IT jargon, processes, acronyms, initialisms, and leadership profiles

Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Thank you,
Jen Bentrim
Chair, Task force for IT Community
IT Leadership Community of Practice

Beware of password phishing through Google Forms

2013-04-02T20:30:51Z

Don't be tricked into handing over your confidential information and sensitive data to online scammers. Internet login and password phishing attempts via Google Forms has led Google to add the the text "Never submit passwords through Google Forms" to the bottom of all legitimate forms created in Google Docs.

]]> Here's an example of a Google Form used in a password phishing attempt. Note the warning that appears below Submit.

In addition, be aware that any legitimate Google Docs shared with you will never include a list of email providers with which you are asked to log in to access the document. The example shown here is from a recent successful phishing campaign.

If you ever receive a form requesting your password, or receive a doc asking you to log in with an email account, forward it to phishing@umn.edu.

Call for Proposals: CIC CIO TechForum, Oct. 2013

2013-03-25T20:24:06Z

Enter your proposal to present at the CIC CIO TechForum 2013, "IT: The Future is Engagement" scheduled for October 8-9 at Ohio State University. The Call for Proposals deadline is Friday, April 22 by 5 p.m. (CT).

The TechForum will challenge IT professionals across CIC campuses to think deeply about how changes in higher education and technology affect our universities and the IT environment on our campuses. Further, presenters should consider the ability of IT to enable change and transform the environment.

For more information about the theme, descriptions of the conference tracks, information about the types of sessions the planning committee is seeking, and to submit a presentation proposal, please visit the TechForum website.

The CIC is the nation's premier higher education consortium of top-tier research institutions, including the Big Ten Conference members and the University of Chicago. Through collaboration CIC members save money, share assets, and increase teaching, learning, and research opportunities.

Find the CIC on Facebook.

Register for Spark Fest: Twin Cities Digital Humanities

2013-03-25T18:55:19Z

Have you been following developments in digital humanities? Are you ready to take the plunge and learn how to develop projects? Would you like to meet others who are interested in this emerging field? Would you like to take your digital humanities projects to the next level?

This research retreat will offer inspiring examples of digital humanities scholarship, provide an opportunity to discuss tools and issues at the heart of the research, and allow you to network with potential research partners. This symposium is aimed at scholars (faculty and graduate students) from humanities and computer science fields, academic technologists, programmers, research consultants, librarians, and other academic support staff from Minnesota. Since this mode of research requires collaboration and partnership, we are aiming for a diverse set of attendees that will spark new research.

It's Time to Register!

The free symposium will open on May 14 with an evening reception at the Weisman Art Museum (University of Minnesota) and a talk from Matt Jockers (University of Nebraska). The following symposium day, May 15, takes place on the University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus and features a plenary address by Mark Tebeau (Cleveland State University), a showcase of local digital humanities projects, and afternoon discussion sessions.

Registration is limited to 125 attendees. Priority will be given to participants from sponsoring institutions. To join us, go to the Spark Fest website.

Mark your calendar for Annual Education Day

2013-03-13T18:24:23Z

The College of Veterinary Medicine's Annual Education Day event will be held on Friday, May 31, 2013 in the Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine building on the St. Paul campus.

A poster session will give individuals, units, and teams the opportunity to share their achievements and initiatives in the following categories:

Graduate education and mentoring
Active learning
Technology in education
Universal design
Course design
Collaborative learning
Curriculum/curricular changes
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects
Student mental health
Course coordination

Submit poster titles, abstracts, and PDF versions of your poster to Lynn Lura by May 27.

The 2013 Education Day event will include speakers and an awards ceremony; breakfast and lunch will be provided. More details will be shared as soon as they are available.

Drupal web CMS public presentation scheduled

2013-03-11T17:00:13Z

Phase 2, the University's Drupal web content management system (CMS) consultant will hold a public presentation scheduled for 1:30-3:00 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in STSS 230.

]]> Phase 2 representatives will talk about their progress in designing an enterprise Drupal environment for the University. The event also will be available online for those unable to attend in person, at https://umconnect.umn.edu/drupal.

ITLCoP February meeting recap

2013-03-01T21:08:02Z

The IT Leadership Community of Practice (CoP), comprised of IT leaders systemwide, met Friday, Feb. 22, for a day-long working meeting. The meeting centered primarily around the development and effectiveness of existing and new CoPs, formal and informal. A summary of topics and action items resulting from that meeting include:

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All IT staff and colleagues Universitywide were encouraged to attend the IT@UMN community event Feb. 27. One goal for this event was to share with them the first two of the "four i's," initiate and inquire.

As the IT community grows from three fCoPs to 11, it is critical that staff are encouraged to participate, and to prioritize their time and participation (getting the right people in the right CoPs).

The ITLCoP is committed to improving the effectiveness of fCoPs. A lot has been learned from the first fCoPs that were initiated, and those experiences will be shared in an effort to help the new fCoPs as they get started.

The Data and Reporting fCoP is currently on hold in order to give people the time needed to help EDMR develop the data and reporting strategy.

The ITLCoP will encourage broader representation for communities of practice in areas other than IT, wherever possible.

The group is working to develop specific strategies to improve its ability to engage all colleagues across all system campuses.

For more information on formal and informal communities of practice, visit the IT@UMN website.

New scheduling software system debuts in March

2013-02-27T21:16:13Z

Ad Astra has been selected as the new University-wide classroom scheduling software system. A contract was signed in late September 2012 and implementation began in early October. It will support classroom scheduling with improved efficiency and functionality and be used across all University campuses.

]]> The new scheduling system will allow students, staff, and faculty to reserve a classroom for studying or events. So long as a class is not scheduled, the rooms are available for use. Training sessions will be announced soon for those wishing to learn how to schedule events or study space.

Astra Schedule is scheduled to go live on Monday, March 18. Be sure to check for future updates.

IT@UMN Event Slides

2013-02-27T19:36:08Z

See the slides prepared for today's IT@UMN event!

IT@UMN Event Twin Cities (PDF)

IT@UMN Event UMD (PDF)

More IT@UMN Event Hangouts

2013-02-27T19:08:56Z

Everyone who works in IT or is interested in IT at the University of Minnesota is welcome to join hangouts as part of today's IT@UMN event! You will first need to join the IT@UMN Community.

Application Development Hangout

Sports Fans Hangout!

Emerging Technologies Hangout

If you have problems joining a hangout, please email Susan McKinnell at skmck@umn.edu.

IT@UMN Event Duluth Hangout

2013-02-27T18:59:30Z

Duluth IT and IT-interested staff, you can participate in today's IT@UMN event at 1:00 p.m. via the Duluth Google hangout. Please join in!

Article about UMN Faculty Fellows in EDUCAUSE Review Online

2013-02-26T15:29:31Z

"Why IT Matters in Higher Education" is the tagline for EDUCAUSE Review Online (ERO). This concept perfectly frames the article written by members of the UMN Educational Technology Services team--Lauren Marsh, Kimerly Wilcox, and D. Christopher Brooks-- Engaging Faculty as Catalysts For Change: A Roadmap for Transforming Higher Education, published in the current ERO issue.

The article describes UMN's Faculty Fellowship program and showcases the report collaboratively created by the 2010-11 cohort of faculty fellows. The report presents a roadmap for a "holistic vision of a university culture that supports excellence in teaching and learning with technology." The ERO article also features videos of Associate CIO Brad Cohen and University faculty members John Bryson and Aaron Boyson. Read the article.

Nominate an Awesome U of M Employee: IT@UMN Outstanding Service Awards

2013-02-25T15:25:50Z

Time is running out for IT@UMN Outstanding Service Award nominations! Nominations must be submitted on or before March 8, 2013. Anyone can nominate University of Minnesota employees from any unit or college whose work supports Information Technology at the University. We hope that you'll take advantage of this chance to speak up on behalf of someone who does awesome work to support IT. Nominate someone today by filling out this short nomination form.

The IT@UMN Outstanding Service Award is designed to recognize special contributions that are above and beyond the normal scope of job responsibilities. A recipient of this award is someone who makes outstanding contributions to the objectives of IT@UMN, and achieves high performance in going above and beyond the responsibilities of their position. Learn more.

Web Stats Powered by Urchin to be Discontinued: Google Analytics Available

2013-02-22T14:49:32Z

As was first communicated on August 29, 2012 the University of Minnesota (UMN) Web Stats service powered by Urchin will be retired. Urchin is no longer being supported by its vendor, Google. To track your web statistics going forward, Google Analytics is available.

Please be advised of the following important dates:

September 2012: Urchin account holders were advised to begin to set up their websites to use Google Analytics. All sites should be set up by April 1, 2013. Instructions for using Google Analytics are below.
April 1, 2013: No new web stats will be collected through Urchin, however reports based on data collected up until April 1, 2013 may still be obtained.
September 1, 2013: Urchin is decommissioned. Urchin web stats reports are no longer available.

Using Google Analytics

Before you Begin

To set up tracking web stats with Google Analytics, you must have access to the source code for your website. If you do not have access, contact your unit's web developer or administrator.

Getting Started

To begin, visit the Google Analytics web page. The first time you enter Google Analytics, you will need to create an account by clicking the button at the top right. Instructions for setting up your website(s) and customizing the kind of data you'll collect are provided.

Please email the UMN Web Stats support team with any questions or concerns.

UMN MOOCs Announcement Makes News

2013-02-21T15:17:24Z

The University of Minnesota announced yesterday that it will offer five Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) through Coursera. Read the Star Tribune story, "University of Minnesota signs on to offer free online classes".

Learn more about the MOOCs offered by the U of M through Coursera--and if you're interested--sign up!