New Regular Hours (effective Fall '22):
Academic Break Hours
The TSC will be closed when the University is closed. If classes do not meet on a Friday or Monday, we will be closed on the Sunday.
Summer 2022 Updates
Blackboard will not be available after 8/31/2022
ISU's contract with Blackboard expires on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. After that date, no one from ISU will be able to log into Blackboard; the https://blackboard.indstate.edu website will be defunct. No data will be retrievable from Blackboard.
Student submission data for previous courses in Blackboard has already been provided to the Registrar and Financial Aid, so faculty do not need to retain that information for administrative reporting purposes.
An announcement will go out every Tuesday as a reminder. This announcement includes instructions on how to retrieve and save data from Blackboard.
Canvas Proactive Support
We have implemented “Impact” for Canvas. It is proactive support that coaches students and faculty working in Canvas to help them find tools, coach best practices, and connect them to support resources when necessary. Look for the blue circle in the lower right corner of Canvas to access this support.
Change to Help Desk Hours
OIT’s Help Desk hours will be Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., and Sundays 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sundays are phone support only. This change was made based on thorough analysis of call and appointment volume to “right-size” our support services.
Computer Upgrades and Replacement for Faculty and Staff
Changes to the environment, coupled with the age of some equipment on campus, has caused some customers performance and reliability issues with their computers. Faculty and staff can contact OIT to request an evaluation of their computer hardware for possible upgrades or replacement. The review can be requested by clicking here, on the Needs Consultant Appointment.
Cybersecurity Experiential Learning
We are bolstering our security operations services with opportunities for students who are interested in experiential learning in the field of information security. This initiative will enhance security monitoring, alerting, and assessment of ISU's technological environments, while providing on-the-job knowledge, skills, and abilities that supplement a college degree.
Enhanced Workstation Security
OIT is poised to enhance workstation security by transitioning from the current McAfee security suite to enterprise Microsoft Defender antivirus, Bitlocker encryption, and Data Loss Prevention solutions. Macintosh systems will also see the introduction of centrally managed security baselines that include improved support of disk encryption and data security solutions.
Computer workstations on campus will be aligned with a verified trust model, assuring that ISU's critical data and applications are accessed by modern authentication and authorization safeguards.
L: Drive Migration
Continuing with OIT’s efforts to provide services efficiently and securely, OIT will be migrating the L: Drive to a new centrally managed Microsoft server. The change will require all users of L: Drive to restart their computers and check their L: Drive content and access to ensure transfers were complete and accurate. Our current target date for “Restart Monday” is October 17th. We will send out additional communications in the coming weeks about this change.
Microsoft Hosted e-Tools Training for Students
Microsoft is offering live, online training for ISU students. Sessions will be taught by a Microsoft Certified Trainer and will allow for Q&A. If faculty are interested in providing credit for students who attend the training sessions, contact Kristie.Bigler@indstate.edu for attendance verification. The registration links below can be shared with students.
MySAM Upgrade
MySAM has been upgraded to a new dynamic interface. Its responsive dashboard allows students to even use it on their phone! The worksheet audit continues to monitor a student’s progress toward degree completion. The Plan remains the place where students and advisors plot out the courses they need to take each term to stay on track to graduate on time.
OIT Tool Talk
Each week OIT is hosting a 20-minute e-tools learning session followed by 20 minutes of Q&A. There will be a new topic each month. Stop in to brush up on some basics or stick around for the Q&A to dive deeper into the topic with the IT Business Analyst. Point your browser to: http://aka.indstate.edu/tooltalk every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.
Schedule Builder
Schedule Builder is a brand-new product that allows students a more wholistic way to register for classes. Linking from MySAM or their Student Profile in the Portal, students can add courses to a shopping cart in a variety of ways, including straight from the MySAM plan. Students can even incorporate work, practices, and other extra-curricular activities when building schedules. Schedule Builder will make registration much more efficient.
SharePoint Migration
We are currently reaching out to departments and individuals who have content in the “old”, on-premises, SharePoint system. We are assisting when needed with transferring the data to the Cloud version of SharePoint. This effort is well under way, and we expect to conclude it before the end of the fall semester.
Student Dual Monitor BYOD Stations
OIT has started to evaluate the effectiveness and interest in BYOD (bring your own device) stations for students on campus. We will have a limited number of dual-monitor, laptop ready stations set up in the Library, HMSU Commuter Lounge, the Linda Eldred Center and TA246 beginning this fall. These stations will allow students to plug in their personal laptop and experience the convenience of using dual monitors with an external keyboard and mouse.
Summer Classroom Updates
Seventy (70) classrooms across campus have now been upgraded to Shure microphone systems. These systems improve lecture capture audio including full room audio capture. All general classrooms have been upgraded to laser projectors.
New settings for accessing your ISU email on mobile devices
In February and March, OIT will deploy new Active Sync settings for accessing your ISU email on iOS and Android devices. You will receive an OIT Communications email shortly before the deployment affects your area. The Active Sync update will enhance ISU’s data security on user devices ensuring devices connected to ISU email comply with existing standards.
If you haven’t already secured your device, when the new setting is enabled you will be required to enable security features on your device, like Lock Screen Passcode (on iOS devices), and PIN (on Android Devices). Your email application will check to make sure these requirements are met and will prompt you to do so if not. On Android devices, this will enforce screen lock rules. If these password settings are not supported, your device will not be able to connect to your ISU email account.
Another feature to note is the “Remote Wipe of Application Specific Data”. This has been tested and confirmed to refer only to ISU email downloaded to the iOS or Android device. Active Sync enables administrators to remotely wipe Outlook data within the app itself and does NOT trigger a full device wipe. This security feature is only triggered when a device becomes compromised or is reported stolen.
For complete details on what to expect, including screen shots, visit the Standard for ISU Email Security for Mobile Devices knowledge base article here: https://indstate.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1851/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=132653
If you have any questions or concerns, please call the OIT Technology Support Center at 812-237-2910.
New ISU Portal - Soft Launch
On December 20th, 2021 – Indiana State University will launch our next generation portal for all students, faculty and employees. After December 20th, 2021 – the current portal will no longer be accessible from MyISU.indstate.edu (or isuportal.indstate.edu) – as we will change those URLs to point to: portal.indstate.edu. There are many advantages to moving to this new portal – in addition to some significant cost savings to the university!
The Portal Migration Project history can be found on the Strategic Enrollment Management project site.
From now until December 20th, 2021 is our “Soft Launch” period where we will be performing User Acceptance Testing. During this Soft Launch - we are asking our partners to view, test and edit their documentation for this new user interface - and to download the new Mobile Application for testing. Our MyISU Mobile Application is available in both the Apple iTunes Store and the Android Play Store - Just search for: MyISU.
Be Aware of Fake Email Job Offers
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is—it's hard to imagine many scenarios where a company would offer you a job, unsolicited, via email.
These fake job offer emails from an "employer" might ask to speak to you briefly on the phone, but most of your contact with the "company" will be via email or text. The "company" typically will ask you to send money from a personal account to another account, or they may be simply trying to obtain your personal information. Their goal may also be to send you a fraudulent check to cash, with the request to buy some “supplies” and transfer some of it back. Once the bank discovers that the check is fraudulent, they will hold you responsible for paying all of it back. No legitimate employer moves money around like this.
These fake job offers are often from a Yahoo, AOL, Gmail, or Hotmail account, although scammers occasionally use a fake company domain name.
Legitimate hiring managers do not use a personal email address, or send emails to random individuals. No reputable company will offer you a job without even knowing who you are without a formal application process!
Be safe, and have a great semester!
Changes to OIT Customer Support
Full time and student staffing challenges coupled with technology and budgetary concerns have changed our campus environment in ways which require an adjusted support model for IT concerns. To standardize customer support across the institution and ensure the most effective, timely and efficient customer service possible, Effective August 9 2021, OIT is centralizing all customer support to flow through established help desk channels.
The quickest and most efficient way to report an incident or to make a service request is to call our help desk at extension 2910. Our technicians have remote-access tools and are able to resolve most issues over the phone. Users are also able to request help by submitting a ticket through MyISU Portal or emailing it-help@indstate.edu, although the response times for these submissions will be longer than for direct calls to 2910. Direct calls and/or email to OIT personnel are strongly discouraged as this interferes with the standard flow of support and will delay response time.
Current open hours are posted on our website: https://indstate.edu/oit. The OIT website also offers access to our online service portal and knowledgebase.
ISU Changes Email Retention Standard
ISU is changing the email retention standard. Specifically, the current default setting that causes mail to be deleted once it is six-months old is being eliminated. Email retention tags you have set will remain in force. This change will take effect December 1, 2020. Nothing should really change, except that untagged emails in your Inbox and Sent folders will stop being deleted automatically once they are six months old. For information about the new standard go >>here<<. For FAQs about email retention, go >>here<<.
OIT What’s Up
The Office of Information Technology will be presenting a series of web conferences starting Wednesday, June 10 through August 5, 2020 on a variety of topics to help faculty and staff as we prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. Please mark your calendars and be looking for more information on how to access the presentations.
All meetings will begin at 9:00 a.m.
Please Register in advance for this meeting: https://indstate-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIqduihrjIpGdCQxCVlRC3AwEF2LUQap8yu
Faculty and Students Invited to Attend Virtual Demonstrations of Potential Candidates to Replace Blackboard
The LMS Evaluation Steering Committee encourages faculty and students to join us (virtually) for product demonstrations of potential Blackboard Original replacements: Blackboard Ultra, Canvas by Instructure, and Brightspace by D2L.
Each vendor will have a day to present on four different topics. The vendors will host the sessions virtually through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra or Zoom. See the available sessions below. Your participation and feedback are critical!
Demonstration Schedules:
| Blackboard Ultra, Monday May 18th | |||
| Topic | Time | Links to Virtual Sessions | |
| Blackboard Ultra General Overview | 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Blackboard Demo 1 | |
| How Blackboard Ultra Supports Students Success | 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM | Blackboard Demo 2 | |
| Break | 11:15 AM – 12:45 PM | ||
| Gradebook, Assessments, & Assignments in Blackboard Ultra | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Blackboard Demo 3 | |
| Sample Course Migrations in Blackboard Ultra | 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Blackboard Demo 4 | |
| Brightspace, Tuesday May 19th | |||
| Topic | Time | Links to Virtual Sessions | |
| Brightspace General Overview | 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Brightspace Demo 1 Meeting Password: 526509 |
|
| Brightspace Supports Students Success | 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM | Brightspace Demo 2 Meeting Password: 665402 |
|
| Break | 11:15 AM – 12:45 PM | ||
| Gradebook, Assessments, & Assignments in Brightspace | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Brightspace Demo 3 Meeting Password: 586012 |
|
| Sample Course Migrations in Brightspace | 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Brightspace Demo 4 Meeting Password: 516472 |
|
| Canvas, Thursday May 21st | |||
| Topic | Time | Links to Virtual Sessions | |
| Canvas General Overview | 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Canvas Demo 1 Meeting Password: pandas2020 |
|
| How Canvas Supports Students Success | 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM | Canvas Demo 2 Meeting Password: pandas2020 |
|
| Break | 11:15 AM – 12:45 PM | ||
| Gradebook, Assessments, & Assignments in Canvas | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Canvas Demo 3 Meeting Password: pandas2020 |
|
| Sample Course Migrations in Canvas | 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM | Canvas Demo 4 Meeting Password: pandas2020 |
|
Questions About the Demos?
Email any questions/feedback to the steering committee at ISU-LMSEvaluation-SteeringCommittee@indstate.edu
Security Alert- Coronavirus Phishing and Malware
Malicious actors are currently using the Coronavirus as a topic for sending phishing emails and spreading malware. These criminals may send an email claiming to be from legitimate organizations with information about the coronavirus, or one that might ask you to open an attachment to see the latest statistics. If you click on the attachment or embedded link, you’re likely to download malicious software onto your device or be directed to a fake login page that harvests your credentials. Attackers have already tricked users into downloading a fake Coronavirus map that installs malware on the victim's device.
Be very careful of any email related to the Coronavirus that appears to be a CDC alert, health advice, or something that might even look like it's from ISU.
If you want information on coronavirus, rather than clicking on a link in an email you did not request, our advice is to go directly to the cdc website: www.cdc.gov
And, as always, practice good email safety tactics:
OIT Performance Metrics and Results
OIT monitors key performance indicators on all services, and we are now sharing our results with customers. Please click on the preview image below to access our current infographic. If you have questions or comments about this information, please contact Lisa Spence-Bunnett at 812-237-2100 or lisa.spence@indstate.edu.
October is Cyber Security Awareness month.
Throughout the month, you will receive information and recommendations intended to provide you with knowledge, tips, and techniques to stay safe online. Weekly cyber security topics during the month are:
MFA (Multi Factor Authentication)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security enhancement that requires two forms of verification when logging into your account, and adds critical protection for user sign-ins and transactions. You likely already use MFA to access your bank account at an ATM (swipe your bank card + enter your PIN) and online accounts (enter your logon credentials + a numeric code sent to your phone).
MFA activation involves changing some settings in your Office 365 account and registering an authentication device (mobile phone, tablet, or office phone). OIT will host support sessions that faculty must attend on or prior to March 15, 2019, to complete the setup and activation process. When you attend a support session, OIT will activate you. If you are not activated in this time period, you will not be able to access your ISU email as of March 16, 2019.
Go here to see the days, times and locations for support sessions, and to register to attend a session, Bring your laptop and smartphone, and your tablet if you use one: https://challenger.indstate.edu/workshop/user
Please call the Technical Support Center at 812-237-2910 if you have technical questions. If you will not be on campus to attend one of the sessions prior to March 15, 2019, please call the Technology Support Center at 812-237-2910 to request a remote MFA activation session.
Unified Communications
As previously announced the University is in the process of implementing Unified Communications. This implementation requires a conversion of telephone lines from the existing telephone switch to Skype for Business. A tentative implementation schedule is available >>here<<.
Please note, this schedule may change based on input from departments. Email feedback regarding the tentative schedule to UnifiedCommunications@mail.indstate.edu
Presentation material used by OIT for the 5/22/17 President’s Advisory Council is available >>here<<.
Banner Extended Upgrade
The Banner Administrative System was upgraded to allow for new, improved user interface and additional functionality. Banner 9 Administrative Pages will soon be replacing the old Banner 8 INB Forms. This upgrade makes Banner 9 Administrative Pages available through the MyISU portal for authorized employees.
When did this happen?
Friday, February 9th from 6pm through Saturday, February 10th until 12pm noon.
Who was impacted?
All users of the Banner Administrative System. This includes:
· Student, Faculty, Employee Self-Service
· Argos Reporting against Banner Data
· Blue Reports will have a delay in their data refresh
· Product integrations, including:
o E-Commerce Payment Integrations
o ISU Transcript Request Processing
o High School Transcript Processing
o Some Customer Interaction Center (CIC) Screens
Why was this done?
To stay current with the product releases, to add new functionality and to retain a supported environment.
What do I do if I have questions or issues?
If you experience technical issues outside of the maintenance windows, please reach out to the Technology Support Center at 812-237-2910.
Network updates, January 2, 2018
What is happening?
Software updates will be applied to campus core networking systems.
When is this happening?
January 2, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Who is impacted?
All users of the network (Wired, Wireless and Servers) may experience brief drops in service during this maintenance. This includes both inbound and outbound Internet traffic.
Why is this being done?
To apply performance and security related updates to core networking equipment operating systems.
How will this impact me?
Users will experience brief drops in service during this maintenance window. Some equipment and systems may need to be restarted / rebooted after the maintenance window to re-establish proper network operations. OIT System administrators will check systems to ensure that services are operational. No further changes will be needed by users or server administrators. An update will be posted to the system status page (http://systemstatus.indstate.edu/) before, during and after the maintenance takes place as well as any necessary OIT Alerts.
What do I do if I have questions or issues?
If you experience technical issues outside of the maintenance windows, please reach out to the Technology Support Center at 812-237-2910.
