Keep It Simple

Many users either cannot, or choose to not, receive e-mails in HTML format. Please review your e-mail backgrounds and signatures that you are using for University correspondence. Take off the colorful backgrounds or fancy fonts; just say no to angel backgrounds or dancing paws. It is also a good idea to include your telephone number as part of your signature to ensure the recipient can contact you---with or without their computer.

Join the Web Team

We need some eagle eyes. Have you seen a link that's broken, a fact that's misleading or out-of-date, or a typo or misspelled word on the University web site? Let us know by 5 p.m., September 6th. Send a note with the URL and the mistake, and we'll enter your name in our drawing for a thumb drive (512 Mb memory stick). We have five to give away for University use. It can be a win/win situation; you get a gift, and the University gets a better web site.

Your Role in Taking Roll

We mentioned the Attendance Roster program last month: ROST09RG. This new program allows you to print a daily hard-copy of enrolled students, and provides space for recording attendance. A newly added feature is an option that automatically provides a list of the courses by the faculty member logged in – similar to ROST01RG.   It will save you the steps of having to select your department, course, and section. You can select instead from your personalized list.

Academic Affairs has notified you of the campus Attendance Initiative. The program you will use for this is ATIN01MG; it will be available under Faculty Reports from September 5th thru September 7th. If you have not yet received information about this, please check with your department chair.

You've Got Mail ---To Send

Are you wanting to send an e-mail flyer, news item, or official statement to more than 250 students or prospects? We are offering a class this month to help train you on the best ways to design your mailer if you want it formatted with HTML. You can also learn the phrases to avoid to ensure you are not labeled as a spammer. We are continuing to evaluate ways to automate the process and place the timing and approvals directly in your hands as the sender. At this time, please just continue to enter a SamWeb Computer Services Work Order (WO) for the Helpdesk, selecting Mass Mails as the category.

Sharing Isn't Always a Good Thing

Before you post materials on your web site, you should answer the Fair Use questions regarding copyright. Purchasing a DVD or video for your class use does not automatically allow you to then stream the contents via the web.

The Newton Gresham Library has an excellent webpage covering copyright in general as well as information regarding the use of material on and from the Internet, Distance Learning, and Electronic Media. For more information contact Ann Holder, Library Director and Chief Copyright Officer or James Van Roekel, Director of Academic Instructional Technology and Distance Learning.

Training

Classes offered this month from Computer Services include e-mail formatting, Orientations for new staff and new faculty, and Bb classes. Refer to the schedule for the times and locations. We would be glad to provide departmental or one-on-one training. Please contact us to request training.

The Newton Gresham Library is offering classes on RefWorks and Research Databases. They have designed the classes to target your specific research areas. Check out the Calendar and find a time to learn more.

Blackboard

• Teaching Assistants in your Bb Class: Adding TAs to your Blackboard courses is now done through the SamMenu. You can add or remove TA's with the Blackboard TA Entry Maintenance program (BLUL01MG) in the Computer Services section of SamMenu. This way, twice daily when new Bb rosters are built, the TA will be saved in your class. For more details, refer to this guide.
• Course Copy/Cleanup Deadline: Now is the time to archive your Fall 2005 courses as we will be disabling them on the 25th of September. If you need any documents, files or other information from your Fall '05 courses, be sure to copy it into your Fall '06 courses or archive it for later use. Not comfortable with copying or archiving your Fall '05 data? Attend one of our Blackboard "Fall Into Spring-Cleaning" courses this month.

For more Blackboard Questions and Answers, stop by the Blackboard FAQ pages in Blackboard Central .

Purchasing Stuff

Please check with us BEFORE you order peripherals such as scanners, cameras, printers, smart boards, or memory sticks. We can help make sure your purchase is compatible with your University equipment and the local area network. Don't spend lots of money---and then find out it won't work! Do a WO for a Purchase/Quote Request.

Some users have recently bought memory sticks (flash drives, thumb drives) that require workstation administrative access. These thumb drives won't work in a computer UNLESS you are the workstation administrator. That obviously presents a problem if you are trying to quickly use your memory stick at someone else's computer. Our department currently has in stock 512 Mb mass storage devices (commonly called by Sony's copyrighted name memory sticks) for $25. Whether you purchase through Computer Services, or elsewhere, please ensure your flash drive is labeled USB Mass Storage Compliant.

School is In ---Seven Security Tips for Students (and for you)

Microsoft has posted a reminder checklist for students. It's good information for others too.

E-Mail Setups

All mail clients need to be configured to use smtp.shsu.edu for sending email from campus. Users should NOT be using IP addresses, or other names, e.g., unxmail.shsu.edu.

Workstations on the University local area network will be automatically updated. You will need to personally change your laptop e-mail setup to indicate "smtp.shsu.edu."

What's Good, What's Not and What's Happening When?

The Helpdesk provides support for university equipment and software on the local area network. Each month's Update will include the versions of software and minimum requirements for hardware with the new or changed information highlighted and bolded.

• Memory Sticks: Purchase (and encourage your students to buy) flash drives that are USB Mass Storage Compliant.
• Operating Systems: The supported version of Macintosh machines is OS X, versions 2, 3, and 4. The supported version of Microsoft's Operating System is Windows XP.
• Software Packages: The supported versions of Office suites are Microsoft's Office 2003 and WordPerfect 12 for PC's and Microsoft Office 2004 for Macintoshes.
• Hardware Configurations: The minimum requirement for SHSU Local Area Network support for a PC is a 1Ghz processor, with 512mb RAM, and a 40GB disk. The minimum requirement for a Macintosh on the LAN is a 733 mhz processor, with 512mb RAM, and a 40GB disk.
• Computer Services may schedule significant periods of downtime for major system upgrades and maintenance. For your planning purposes, the weekend following each Graduation will be set aside for scheduled outages.

Approved for campus-wide e-mail distribution by Associate Vice President Jim Stevens