With the start of the semester upon us, we wanted to remind you of the many tools and resources that are available to support you and your students.

Please contact us if you would like to talk more about any of these tools. You can also check out our UIS Knowledge Base for quick access to articles and support materials about services. We look forward to hearing from you!

Classroom Technology

Our classrooms and labs have had some major changes in preparation for the fall semester! We have upgraded all our Windows classroom and lab computers to Windows 11. One important thing to note is that the log out process is slightly different. You will click your name at the bottom of the screen, then click the 3 dots and select Sign out.

Last fall we launched 35 upgraded classrooms with hyflex features as well as additional teaching and learning tools such as a second monitor, an annotating monitor, a document camera, and BYOD capabilities. These classrooms support the HyFlex teaching pedagogy, where students can choose to learn in person, remotely via Zoom, or asynchronously. In addition, we have three small huddle rooms that are perfect for small group Zoom sessions, recordings, online conference attendance/presentations, interviews, etc. To request a tour of these classrooms, please reach out to Kara McElwrath at kmcel2@uis.edu.

Kaltura Capture: Screencapturing Has Never Been Easier

Kaltura Capture  makes it easy for users to create and upload videos to Kaltura through our Learning Management System [Canvas] or through UIS MediaSpace, available for Windows or Mac. Recorded videos can be a combination of webcams and/or screen recordings. Kaltura also allows you to create video quizzes, splicing questions throughout your video.

Please visit the Kaltura Capture webpage for installation instructions.

Technology Support for Your Students

Please encourage your students to reach out to ITS for technology assistance - including our short-term check out program for a laptop or webcam, support using Canvas, and so much more. We are available to support students (and faculty!) via email, phone, live chat, or in person.

Classroom Technology Concerns? We Want to Know!

While we strive to ensure classroom technology is working smoothly, when there are issues, ITS wants to make it easy for faculty to report concerns. For those of you teaching on campus, you will see a Report Issues shortcut on the desktop of the instructor station in each classroom/lab. Simply double-click that icon to report any issues or concerns you may have. We will follow up with you to address them.

We would also like to remind you to sign out of the computer and turn off the touch control panel at the end of each class. This ensures a more reliable experience for the faculty using the classroom after you.

We welcome all feedback, so please do not hesitate to share any issues and recommendations with us. We rely on your feedback to help us improve our services.

Taking Attendance for On Campus Courses - Including a Picture Roster

For faculty interested in taking attendance in on-campus courses, ITS offers a web-based application. This app  also includes a picture roster of your students so you can learn to know their names and faces even if you do not use the app to take attendance! You can check out the Attendance App to learn more and access a picture roster for your course.

Conferencing and Online Courses/Meetings

Zoom is UIS' campus solution for online collaborations, allowing users to communicate in live-time via instant message, audio and/or video chat, and desktop sharing. Zoom is a great tool for communicating with online students - to host class sessions, to offer office hours, for students to collaborate on group projects, and more. Please check out our Zoom webpage for information on how to download and start using Zoom.

Instructional Software: When and Where You Need It

In an effort to improve the ease of access of instructional software, users may take advantage of Citrix Virtual Desktop. This process allows users (whether on or off campus) to access a virtual computer that runs software for which UIS has licensing. Citrix Virtual Desktop runs on all platforms, including mobile devices. Citrix has been upgraded to Windows 11, and the semester-long storage quota has been increased to 1 GB. Please note that Citrix does not require a VPN connection.

Assign Technology Training Videos Through Canvas

UIS has a  great solution for getting the training you need when you need it - LinkedIn Learning (formerly called Lynda.com). LinkedIn Learning offers video tutorials on hundreds of different software applications; links to these videos can be posted in Canvas, making it easy for students to gain the skills they need to be successful. Additionally, LinkedIn Learning also offers 48 Certification Preparation Practice Exams available for free to UIS for certifications from leading providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, CompTIA and ISC2.

Additional Software Offerings

ITS is committed to ensuring that faculty have access to the software they need including the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, SPSS, and Qualtrics. Be sure to check out other software offerings and how to download them from our Instructional Software webpage.

Faculty can also take advantage of Office 365 to download Office applications on their personally-owned devices, free for use. Office 365 also includes use of the Office mobile apps, allowing you to create and edit Office documents on your mobile devices.

If you are interested in using any of these  tools, we would love to hear from you! Email us at ITSTraining@uis.edu.