Self-Paced e-Learning from SAS

SAS is a software package providing data manipulation, statistical analysis and reporting. SAS is licensed by the university for student use at no cost to the student.

Included in the university license of SAS software is unlimited access to basic SAS Self-Paced e-Learning courses. These web based courses provide instruction on basic SAS software concepts, programming, data manipulation, analysis, and reporting.
Available Courses:
· SAS® Programming 1: Essentials
· SAS® Programming 2: Data Manipulation Techniques
· SAS® Programming Introduction: Basic Concepts
· Advanced SAS® Programming
· Querying, Reporting, and Analyzing Data Using SAS® Enterprise Guide®
To access these courses
· Go to https://support.sas.com/edu/viewmyelearn.html
· Create a SAS profile account using your e-mail address and a password.
· Enter the activation code(s) for each of the desired course(s).

Please call the Technical Support Center at 970.351.4357 in order to obtain the activation code for the desired course you wish to take.

SAS software will be needed to participate in these courses. SAS software can be obtained from The Barnes & Noble College Bookstore or is available in the following Labs:
· Candelaria 0345 PC Lab
· Gunter 1530 Lab, 1700 Lab
· University Center Computer Commons Lab

If your browser questions a website's security, stop, think and verify

When visiting the "https" secure sites of banks and online shopping retailers, you may see an onscreen warning, such as "There is a problem with the website's security certificate" or "Secure Connection Failed." Don't just click to continue or to make an exception. The warning may only indicate that there is a harmless temporary problem with the site or with the network. But it can also mean that the site is bogus or has been compromised by hackers, and someone is listening in on your conversation with your bank or retailer.
Be smart. Contact your bank or retailer by phone to find out if they know about a problem with their website or the network. Don't be the next victim of fraud.

Winter Break Classroom Changes

We have just finished the upgrade of technology in eight classrooms. These classrooms are part of the “FY10 Classroom Build Project” that will continue through the summer of 2010.

Five classrooms that didn’t have technology, are now equipped with a projector, electric screen and sound system with speakers.

Three rooms were upgraded from Projector Rooms to High-Tech Classrooms. High-Tech Classrooms have everything the Projector Rooms have plus an instructor’s lectern, laptop computer, document camera, VCR-DVD player and a push button room control system. All the rooms that were completed over the winter break are located in Candelaria Hall.

During the spring and summer, classrooms in Crabbe, Frasier, Guggenheim, McKee, Michener and Ross halls will be getting similar upgrades.

For more information about all the technology classrooms on campus, please visit the Smart Classrooms web site at www.unco.edu/smartclassrooms/smartclassrooms .

Banner 8 Implementation Update

We have reached phase II of our Banner 8 implementation. The test Ursa portal for Banner 8 is now available to the designated testing areas.

The new Banner 8 test link is http://Ursatest4.unco.edu. Use your firstname.lastname like you would use for production Ursa.

Please log on to ursatest4 when you need to access INB. INB links are available on the My Banner tab.

It is important for us to test the system in the same way you use Banner now. We will be contacting the student areas separately to test the student and faculty tabs.

We are planning on a Banner 8 go live date of 2/2/10. There will be a 3 day window prior to this date where Ursa and Banner INB will not be available.

Data Storage Expansion Project

UNC Information Technology department is expanding data storage for faculty and staff. The project will take place over the next 3-4 months and will be seamless to most areas. Storage is based on containers of space and will allow more flexibility when adding or removing disk space on an individual basis. For more information please contact the UNC Technical Support Center @ 1-4357.

Check Out Bear Logic For All Your Last Minute Holiday Shopping!

Bear Logic is UNC’s campus technology store, located on the first floor of the University Center. For the holidays, Bear Logic has stocked items that are highly requested for gifts. Great gifts like video game consoles, laptops, iPods, and accessories. Bear Logic has also special ordered things such as TV's, video cameras, some household electronic items, video games, and more! We are always happy to order items that are requested if they are available to us through our approved vendors.

Payment Plans
Employee Payroll
University employees may participate in the payroll deduction plan as long as they are approved through the Payroll department and have a purchase of at least $600 (we usually reduce to $300 for Christmas). The entire purchase is totaled with tax added and a $25 fee attached. Divide the total by 6 months and that is the payment amount that will be deducted from an employee's paycheck each month. You may only have one deferral in process at a time. If an employee leaves prior to a deferral being paid, the remaining amount will be subtracted from their last paycheck. If the remaining amount is more than the final paycheck, then the employee must make arrangements with Bear Logic for the remaining amount.

Student deferral
The student program is similar to the payroll plan except that students must be in good standing with the university. This is determined by reviewing their account balance and verifying that they are an enrolled student. Students pay their account over 6 payments, but the first payment is required at the time of purchase. The remaining 5 payments will show on their account monthly. Students may only have one deferral at a time. Note: Student employees do not qualify for the payroll deduction plan; they must be processed under the student plan.


These plans are not just available for the holidays, take advantage of them anytime!

Exam Scanning Survey Available Online!

If you use the Exam Scanning Services on campus, please take the survey located at www.unco.edu/it. This survey will help Information Technology assess how to better help you and your exam scanning needs in the future. Hard copies of the survey are also available at the Carter Hall Exam Scanning location, if you prefer to fill it out that way. Thank you!

Important Guide for Cleaning your LCD Screens Properly

Information Technology recommends you follow this helpful guide on how to clean your LCD screens. These screens are located on your computer, television monitors, and PDAs. These screens are susceptible to collect dust, lint, and finger smudges. A common mistake is to clean it like glass; however these screens can become damaged if the proper steps are not taken. Please refer to the following link http://www.cleanlcds.com/ to find this information and more, including a step-by-step guide to cleaning this type of screen. Also included is a list of materials needed for proper cleaning (cleaning fluid and cleaning cloth). These items are also available for purchase from this website. However, you may also get these materials at Bear Logic (UNC’s computer store), located on the first level of the University Center.

Information Technology’s Fall 2009 Newsletter is Available

Information Technology’s fall 2009 newsletter,“Technically Speaking”, is now available. It is the purpose of the newsletter to inform the campus of current and future Information Technology initiatives in an effort to promote effective communication. Blackboard, Banner, lifetime email accounts, new smart classrooms, and much more is available in this issue. Copies are in faculty and staff mailboxes today! Technically Speaking is also available online on the Information Technology website, or you can follow this link http://www.unco.edu/it/ITNewsletters/Fall2009.pdf.

New Upgrades Complete (ODS, EDW, and Evisions)

The Operation Datastore(ODS) and Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) were successfully upgraded over the weekend. The ODS/EDW system is now on version 8. This upgrade was a prerequisite for the Banner 8 upgrade planned in Feburary 2010. The Operational Data Store (ODS) is a short-term data storage, structured to facilitate easy operational reporting from Insight. Because report queries can exhaust a system's resources, the ODS exists apart from the Banner ERP database to help conserve the resources of the transactional system for daily operations.


Evisions Upgrade planned for 11/23/09 5am -7am. Evisions products(Intellecheck and FormFusion) are used with the University Banner software to provide document enhancement, distribution solutions, and enhancements to payment methods. The upgrade will allow for software to be delivered securely through a web client and will no longer require client installations. The new system has been tested in test environment by Information Technology and functional units on campus.

UNC's Operation Datastore (ODS) In the Process of Being Upgraded

Information Technology is upgrading the campus Operation Datastore(ODS). This system provides data to Insight and Webfocus reporting tools. IT will be upgrading to ODS 8 in preparation for the Banner 8 upgrade this spring. We have tested the new version of ODS against all of the Production Insight reports. Insight will be unavailable from 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, through 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 23, while Information Technology upgrades the system that provides data to Insight and Webfocus reporting tools. IT can help test reports in development or make sure a mission-critical report is working on the new version. For more information, contact Bret Naber at bret.naber@unco.edu.

Maintenance Windows

Regular preventative maintenance on the UNC servers is conducted every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday from 5-7am. During this period of time, access to various applications such as email, Banner, BearDrive, etc. may be disrupted. Maintenance does not typically occur on all systems on the same date and time; it may be possible to access certain applications during the regular preventative maintenance. However, if you cannot access a university system, please try back after the scheduled maintenance window (outside of 5-7am on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday). Hopefully, preventative maintenance times will not conflict with any major events. However, if it is imperative that you have access to a system during our regularly scheduled maintenance time period, please notify the Technical Support Center as soon as possible and they will try to work around your needs.

UNC SharePoint = A Web Based Collaboration Tool!

Microsoft SharePoint is a unique online collaboration tool that can be accessed from your web browser, without having to install anything to your computer. SharePoint was designed to make collaboration between members of a team (the member must be an employee of UNC) efficient, effective, and comprehensive. With SharePoint, people can have access to resources and knowledge shared by their entire team. The features within SharePoint include: a calendar, file sharing, task assignment, announcements, surveying, helpful links, RSS feeds, and posting messages to Microsoft Outlook.

The calendar is beneficial because it gives a snapshot of important events coming up (meetings, vacation, absences, and holidays). With the file sharing feature (this is similar to a swap drive) documents can easily be accessed by persons within the team, allowing many people to work a particular document. Tasks can be assigned through SharePoint. This makes it easy to delegate and keep track duty assignments for your team. Posting an announcement can be done on SharePoint in order to inform your team of important news. If you are interested in feedback from your team, you can use the survey feature. This feature allows you to collect helpful data on how to improve within your team. If there are helpful links to websites that are relevant to your tasks and duties that your team performs on a regular basis, they can easily be posted onto the SharePoint page for all to readily access. An RRS feed can be subscribed to so announcements that are sent to the SharePoint will also be sent to your Outlook email account.

SharePoint was designed to keep people in touch with co-workers in an effort to facilitate and improve collaborative efforts. To get Microsoft SharePoint for your team, please visit www.unco.edu/it/supportu.htm and search “SharePoint Creation”. Follow the link “SharePoint Site Creation Form”, fill out the form, and fax it to UNC’s Technical Support Center at (970)351-1354 and a representative will assist you. For more information on using SharePoint and its many features, please refer to this tutorial http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepointtechnology/HA102055631033.aspx.

Academic Computer Refresh Program (ACRP) AKA “Faculty Refresh”

Information Technology is beginning the fourth year of the Academic Computer Refresh Program (ACRP). The purpose of the ACRP is to ensure that all fulltime faculty and staff within each college are equipped with a computer that is less than five years old. Starting in December, approximately one quarter of all computers assigned to fulltime faculty and academic staff is refreshed. Historically computers refreshed were determined by the age of computer regardless of who they were assigned to. Due to recent improvements with the centrally managed asset management database, refresh decisions will be based off of the computers that are assigned to each fulltime faculty and staff member within each college. A list of fulltime faculty and staff members will be provided to college Deans or their delegates to verify that all fulltime faculty and staff are identified. After the list is approved, Information Technology will compile a refresh list based off of the newest computer assigned to each fulltime faculty and staff member within each college. All computers on the list purchased prior to Fiscal Year 2007 will be selected for refresh this year. Information Technology will email all faculty and staff on the list and survey them to identify a computer which best fits their needs based off the selected standard hardware configurations.

The Standard Computer Hardware Configurations are selected annually by a committee consisting of representatives from Information Technology, NHS, HHS, MCB, PVA, University Libraries, UNC Foundation, Auxiliary Support and The Office of Academic Affairs. The goal of the committee is to select a computer configuration which meets the needs of faculty and staff while remaining fiscally responsible. The standard configurations this year feature upgraded memory and hard drive storage space. Monitors will be excluded from all Windows based desktop computers. Information Technology conducted research and found that based off of an average usage of 8 hours per day, a standard LCD flat-panel monitor should last 10 to 15 years. Follow this link http://www.unco.edu/bearlogic/PDFs/Computer_Refresh_FY10.pdf to a website outlining this year’s standard configurations. If a faculty or staff member deemed for computer refresh feels that the standard configuration does not meet their needs, they will work with Information Technology technicians to design a system that meets their special requirements and also be fiscally responsible. The cost of any upgrades to computers will be the responsibility of the department.

Once a computer has been refreshed, Information Technology will work with each college to reassign the computer to any part time faculty, graduate assistant, or student employee. This allows the oldest computers within a college to be replaced with four-year-old trickledown computers.

Information Technology’s Annual Report for Fiscal Year 08-09 is Available Online

Information Technology has published an annual report for FY 08-09. The report is meant to provide information about Information Technology’s activities that took place in FY 08-09. Within the report there is information on Information Technology’s strategic plan (which was guided by the university’s academic plan) and completed projects for the fiscal year that support each goal. Also, one will find articles highlighting a few of the new technologies that had been implemented. These articles describe what the technologies are, how they are used, and how they benefit the campus. Lastly, the annual report illustrates, with helpful graphs, Information Technology’s funding and expense sources, BearLogic’s (UNC’s technology retail store) revenues and expenses, received Technical Support Center (TSC) calls by category of support, a break-down of most frequently used applications (Word, Excel, SAS, SPSS, etc.) used in the computer labs, and much more! Please check Information Technology’s annual report at http://www.unco.edu/it/aboutus/IT_annualreport.pdf and find out how IT has been benefiting the campus over the past fiscal year.

Information Technology will move your Computer for Free!

The subject of a recent blog pertained to the transition of tracking computers from Asset Management to Information Technology. Information Technology is now tracking all computers and printers less than $5,000 and will be coming by each department to do a physical inventory (please refer to the Inventory: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You blog for details). Because Information Technology is now tracking these computers, we ask that you do not move them to another location without contacting the Technical Support Center, (970)351-HELP; so we can assist you, at no charge. Information Technology asks this for three main reasons. First, we can make sure that the computer is set up properly for you and so that you continue to have available access to the parts of the network that you need. The second reason is that of security. There may be information on your computer that is sensitive and should be removed prior to being transferred to someone else within your department. The final reason is so that Information Technology can keep an accurate inventory; this also helps when it comes time to have your computer replaced within the faculty/staff “refresh” program. Again, please call (970)351-HELP if you need to move your computer to another office or do not need it anymore, Information Technology would be happy to move it for you, free of charge.

Innovative Technology Committee Evaluating Windows 7 and Apple OS 1.6 “Snow Leopard”

Information Technology, the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL) and other academic representatives have assembled technical staff and trainers to test and evaluate new software in a controlled environment prior to campus wide deployment. This assembly is referred to as the Innovative Technology Committee. Two software programs that they are currently evaluating are Windows 7 and Apple OS 1.6 “Snow Leopard”. The evaluation of both of these software are in Phase 2 – Detailed Testing and Compatibility. There are four phases that encompass the evaluation process; Phase 1 – Technical Overview and Research, Phase 2 – Detailed Testing and Compatibility, Phase 3 - Early Adopters (pilot group that uses the software in everyday business), Phase 4 – Campus Deployment. The initial testing of Windows 7 indicates improvements from Windows Vista. The committee will continue to test and identify any problems with the operating system. ITC will move to Phase 3 after Windows 7 has been officially released from Microsoft. As far as “Snow Leopard is concerned, ITC is testing to verify that there are no compatibility issues within our Apple enterprise environment. At this time, Bear Logic will not sell upgrades to UNC Faculty and Staff until the committee has completed Phase 2 testing and is prepared to fully support the upgrade. If you are interested in becoming an Early Adopter of Apple OS 10.6 please contact the Technical Support Center at 351-4357. To follow the evaluations of these software through the phases, please visit www.unco.edu/it/aboutus/innotech; also there, are more detailed explanations of what each phase entails.

Inventory: Coming Soon to a Computer Near You

Information Technology is now tracking all technology assets (computers and printers) less than $5,000 on campus. This responsibility used to belong to the Property Control department. Soon, representatives from Information Technology will be scheduling appointments with each college to do a physical inventory. After each physical inventory, Information Technology will update the existing information and send a report back to a designated contact in the college. IT will then ask that the updated information be reviewed to make sure that it is accurate; IT will also ask that the list of staff and faculty members be reviewed and updated; in order to better accommodate the faculty/staff computer “refresh”. The “refresh” program is a four year refresh program aimed at keeping the technology current. IT will not track any non-computer items, those items will still be accounted for by Property Control.

New Blackboard Support Model!

UNC Instructional Designers and Technical Support Center (TSC) have formed a team to take care of Blackboard support needs at UNC. Calls for Blackboard support to the TSC (970-351-4357) will be recorded and immediately triaged to the best resource to resolve the issue. Beginning September 28th for a two to three week period, Instructional Designers (ID) will rotate into the Technical Support Center to respond to Blackboard calls. When an ID is not physically in the Center, one will be “on call” and readily available to assist with BB support during normal working hours. This support model will be monitored and evaluated for its performance and faculty satisfaction along the way. With time this model will become the long-term solution for Blackboard support; making it a more robust and reliable resource for UNC faculty and staff.

September is National Campus Safety Awareness Month, and October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

We are currently in September, which is National Campus Safety Awareness month. The main goal of NCSA month is to create awareness on campus about how to make sure that its students, faculty, and staff exist in a safe environment. NCSA month emphasizes that the best way to create awareness for campus safety is through collaboration; between the different campus populations of faculty, staff, and students. For more information, please visit www.ncsam.org. October is upcoming, which is National Cyber Security Awareness month. One main element that is being emphasized by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this year is that file-sharing can be dangerous. For example, when you are connected to file-sharing programs (e.g. sharing music, games, or software) you may unknowingly allow others to copy private files; even give them access to private folders. File-sharing can be an excellent method for viruses to infect your computer. This information and more about file-sharing is contained on table tents and post cards that will be deployed around campus. For more about cyber security, please visit UNC’s cyber security website.

Academic Alert, Which Helps Faculty Alert Advisors of Struggling Students, is now Live!

Currently, a new software program went live this past week that will assist faculty and advisors with struggling students. From the 3rd week through the end of the 4th week of the semester, the faculty will be able to use this reporting tool to help them identify struggling students to academic advisors. Academic Alert is a new program that can be found under the “Faculty” tab in URSA. When faculty open the Academic Alert channel, they will see all of their classes listed. Under each class, certain students will already be identified for the faculty as potentially “at-risk” students. This will be based on their enrollment status (e.g. first-time students, student athletes, and students already on academic probation). Faculty can then specify what is going on, if anything, with a brief synopsis under the students’ name. Academic Support & Advising runs a report frequently that will show which students were identified by faculty through this program, and then intervene appropriately. This new tool should be a helpful way to identify and reach out to students whom may need help to realize academic success. Please see above for screen shots of what you will see once inside Academic Alert.

Improvements in the New Version of Grader!

There is a new version of Grader that will be piloted soon. A few new features are available in this new version. The first new feature is called single sign on functionality; which means that once you have signed into Ursa, you do not need to sign in again to Grader; simply click the Grader tab to gain access. Another feature includes being able to look at previous semesters of Grader materials as they accumulate; you will be able to look at the four most recent semesters. The upgrade also advances the help that you receive when you are in the Grader application; help documentation is integrated into the application to better assist you with questions you may have. Finally, navigating the Grader tab has never been easier; many steps have been taken so that this upgrade delivers an improvement in finding what you need in Grader! If you are interested in being a member of the pilot group and helping determine the go-live date for the new version of Grader, please contact Bret Naber, the director of Applications Development and Database Support, at Bret.naber@unco.edu.

Attention Mac Users!

There have been a few changes that have been made through Information Technology to accommodate Macintosh users around campus. Information Technology deployed servers to enhance the support of our Apple computer environment. Beginning this fall, IT is performing automated security updates to the Apple computers. These updates will be implemented conveniently from servers to your Apple computer; you will likely not even know when the updates have occurred. Additionally, the login page will look slightly different due to a couple of changes. The “computer use policy”, is now on the same screen as the login window. Also, the way you login will be simplified. All you need is your PDID (first.lastname) to login, which is the same login information as you would use to access your email, or your Ursa account. It is the goal to be able to access all of your important UNC accounts through this one user name; this is another step toward that goal. Another goal of IT is to create a common configuration within campus computer labs. Common configuration is important because the most frequently used software is installed within each computer lab. This way, you will not have to go across campus to use a certain application such as Quark, Photoshop, Google Sketch Up, or InDesign. The look of the content on the computers will appear similar too; in order to simplify the navigation and use from computer to computer; whether it be in the University Center, Frasier, or Candelaria.

Check Out the New and Improved Information Technology Cyber Security Website!

This is just a quick reminder that there is a major resource for information that is meant to help protect you and your identity. Information Technology has a webpage that specializes in cyber security education and awareness www.unco.edu/cybersecurity . This webpage has information for students, faculty, and staff on how to help protect you against identity theft, viruses, and improve your cyber security knowledge. The webpage has been updated with more information, more topics, and has been reformatted with a different layout; which will make navigation easier. For training on cyber security you can contact the Technical Support Center (351-HELP), to take an online course. This online training offers more on how to protect you, by using helpful informative documents, and visual aids which include short videos on common information security precautions and common computing threats. If you would rather receive information in person, please call the Technical Support Center (351-HELP), and they will arrange for a certified Information Technology security analyst to come out to you. Have a wonderful first week of classes!

Get the Most Out of Your Smart Classroom Experience!

Technicians from Information Technology have tested projectors, speakers, doc cameras, and DVD players within each smart classroom on campus over the last couple of weeks making sure they are fully operational for the upcoming Fall semester. To get the most out of your smart classroom experience, Information Technology recommends that you visit the classroom that you will be teaching in and familiarize yourself with all of the controls on the podium. Another way to learn about your classroom and about smart classrooms in general is by visiting this link, which is on the Information Technology website. This page will give you information on technologies which are included in your smart classroom, as well as direct you to smart classroom training, and smart classroom support. As a reminder, support is always available to you. From Monday through Thursday 7am-7pm and Friday 7am-5pm, you will have access to onsite support; this means that you simply need to pick up the phone located on podium (which will automatically dial the Technical Support Center) and inform the representative of your problem and they will dispatch a technician immediately. Smart classrooms calls are top priority for the Technical Support Center. Outside the aforementioned hours, support will still be available to you. Simply pick up the same phone at the podium, and a representative will assist you over the phone. Please use this resource for any problems that might occur with the equipment. For training on how to use the equipment in these rooms, please refer to the smart classroom link, or contact CETL to schedule a training session. For more information about the types of smart classrooms please visit the link or visit the most recent newsletter and visit the article titled, “More Smart Classrooms Being Added”. Have a wonderful week!