Posted by Carlyn Foshee Chatfield on March 9, 2012

Returning Student and Faculty Communications

We had 15 people in today's coffee shop and a nice discussion on different communications channels to try.

Notes from the Chat session:

• • ITCOMM CG Leader 1: Student exchange - Technology Tailgate at CMU

  • ITCOMM CG Leader 1: hot dogs and tailgate food, Pittsburgh is such a football town

  • Carlyn @ Rice: UNF is sending a flier to all faculty. Rice offers training sessions on Education Technologies (how to use podiums, A/V and Course Management System)

  • Carlyn @ Rice: UTElPaso - laptopsonly when you show up at IT

  • Debbie - Moody: For the past several years, we have had access to our undergraduate faculty "Faculty Institute." This is a time before the beginning of the school year where faculty has different kinds of training and updates. Our department (Education Technology Services) gets three hours to give updates and provide "mini training" on different subjects.

  • Debbie - Moody: We also provide new training for full- and part-time faculty. We give a good overview of available technology to them.

  • Carlyn @ Rice: UTEP - web page for faculty, targeted to new faculty, but open to all; includes tips for "new to El Paso" but will include tips from all over campus; links to existing information only, not create anything new.

  • Carlyn @ Rice: UTEP - open house in technology center, too.

  • Carlyn @ Rice: UTEP - new faculty session in September/October

  • Carlyn @ Rice: Georgetown and Rice both rely on electronic communications, not working as well as we'd like

  • Alison Cruess - UNF: Univ of North Florida sends out an electronic newsletter called "Technology Update" just before each term starts. We also conduct a Student Technology Session during the first two weeks of each term that covers Blackboard, email, the portal, etc. We repeat them several times at different times of the week.

  • Carlyn @ Rice: Princeton takes advantage of university-level events, like a vendor fair for new and returning students - faculty also attend

  • Carlyn @ Rice: Princeton also uses an electronic newsletter - once per semester and summer

  • Carlyn @ Rice: 10 articles max, include title and short teaser with link.

  • Debbie - Moody: We also take advantage of monthly letters that the dean sends out to all of our faculty during the summer. If we have something important to communicate we ask to get a paragraph or so into a letter. Since it comes from their boss, faculty tend to read the letter so see our information.

  • Alison Cruess - UNF: Heer is a sample of our Tech Update for faculty: http://www.unf.edu/anf/its/tech_update/Technology_Update_Spring_2012.aspx

  • Carlyn @ Rice: Univ Kentucky - IT got bumped out of orientation presentations, but still have a table there.

  • Carlyn @ Rice: resources for giveaways: PGI and 4Imprint

  • Ashley - University of KY: Tech Tips Brochure & webpage...http://www.uky.edu/ukit/content/students

  • Carlyn @ Rice: At Rice, Admission handles everything up to deposit. Once they are committed, the UG Dean's office takes over communications. IT gets 2-3 "pings" in the electronic reminder process managed through the student information system.

  • Ashley - University of KY: http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/KBook/

  • Carlyn @ Rice: Rice is also using Flash Drives for new students - it has the files they need to connect to the network, then we encourage them to think about back up

  • Allison - Texas A&M: http://it.tamu.edu/files/nfobrochure.pdf brochure given to new faculty at their orientation. Also available online

  • Allison - Texas A&M: http://it.tamu.edu/files/ITforNewEmployees.pdf - this is a companion piece for all employees - given out at new employee orientation

  • Allison - Texas A&M: http://it.tamu.edu/files/nscbrochure.pdf - for new students

  • Carlyn @ Rice: TAMU - how are you getting email addresses for the new students, new faculty?

  • Allison - Texas A&M: printed newsletter for employees http://it.tamu.edu/files/possibilities_newsletter_spring2012.pdf

  • Allison - Texas A&M: e-newsletter for students http://it.tamu.edu/news/2012/04/GigabITe-Spring2012.php

  • Carlyn @ Rice: iforgot.rice.edu - NetID password reset sends PIN and link to the cell phone you have listed as emergency contact.

  • Carlyn @ Rice: UTEP - cloud access to software?

  • Debbie - Moody: Has UTEP implemented VDI on your campus?

  • Carlyn @ Rice: mydesktop by Citrix is software tool/provider for UTEP

  • Debbie - Moody: Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

  • Becky Grant - University of Oklahoma: We are using a new knowledge base - itanswers.ou.edu - that we are going to communicate heavily to students at move in.

  • Debbie - Moody: All of our full-time faculty receive a laptop that is owned by Moody. They get replaced every four or so years.

  • Nicole Kegler: Georgetown University: I have to sign off but, thank you for a great meeting!

  • Carlyn @ Rice: docs.rice.edu is our knowledge base but I never thought about really promoting it as a benefit. It has been a tool that the Help Desk will use to send links to things.

  • Becky Grant - University of Oklahoma: https://ouit.zendesk.com/home

  • Debbie - Moody: I just looked at the OU site. It is nice!

  • Becky Grant - University of Oklahoma: Thanks!