IT for Faculty

Technology solutions enhance your classroom instruction and campus experience. With OTS here at UB, you can record lectures and add supplements to post online; access campus files from your phone or personal laptop; hold video conferences with anyone, anywhere who has access to the internet, and more. Read on to learn more about how you and your students can benefit from technology.

 What you'll find here:

 

General Technology

A NetID is your access to campus technology. This account is created after you are hired. Once you have your

employee ID number you can visit www.ubalt.edu/getmynetid to look up your netID and set your password.

The MyUB Portal gets you into email, online storage drives, timesheet, and personal information as well as HR and university announcements. Portal is also where you access the My Faculty Center, which allows you to view your course schedule, class rosters, and to post student grades. More detailed instructions are available on the Records and Registration page.

Telephone/Voicemail may be provided by your department. UB uses IP phones that offer voicemail, speech dial service as well as standard abilities like speakerphone, redial, call transfer, etc. Visit the Campus Phones page to learn more.

Software discounts for Adobe, Microsoft, and other software products are available to faculty for personal use. You can purchase discounted software or participate in a software loaner program. The UB bookstore also offers discounted rates.

Online Storage Drives provide storage space for personal use (M: drive), webpage files (H: drive), class files (S: drive), or departmental/cross-departmental files (R: and T: drives). These can be accessed through MyUB and from campus computers. Learn more about network drives on the Computer Accounts page. You can also request space on the H: drive for students. Visit this page for more information.

WiFi and Mobile Services: You can access a secure Internet connection almost anywhere on campus with your laptop or mobile device. Two networks are offered for wireless: ubalt-secure (recommended) and ubalt-guest. You can also use the ubalt-secure network on your smart phone; UB supports both Android and iPhone, as well as a Computer Labs Mobile App and Mobile Email Access.

Learn more about wireless access and get a full list of locations and printer options on the Wireless Access Info page. For more information about mobile access, visit the MobileIT page.

Online Security is important for protecting your identity. Never give out personal information or confidential data over unsecured connections, such as emails or web pages, and don't leave it on portable storage devices (such as flash drives). OTS will never contact you to ask you for your password; any request for personal information or passwords from any company or party should be verified by phone or in person.  For more about Internet safety and security, visit the Online Safety page.

Contacting OTS for support and guidance is as easy as sending an email or picking up the phone. The OTS call center is located in the Academic Center, room 101. They can also be reached via phone at 410.837.6262 (or just 6262 from a campus phone) or by email at callcenter@ubalt.edu. Visit their Contact Page for office hours and other useful information.

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Technology For Teaching

Whether you are teaching an online class or teaching face-to-face, technology enhances the teaching and learning experience. The list below will help you navigate available resources and may even get you thinking about new ways to use technology when teaching.

Sakai is UB's online learning platform. You can use it for classes that are conducted entirely online or as an enhancement tool for classes that meet in person. In Sakai, you can upload your syllabus and other documents, post class announcements, assign tasks, create discussion forums, and more. Access it through Portal or at http://ubonline.ubalt.edu.

Lecture capture, via Panopto Course Capture, enables you to record the video and audio of a lecture or presentation and package it with visual aids like a slideshow, screen capture or document camera image. The packaged presentations are made available to your audience on the web, allowing them to watch the presentations live or on demand.

Classroom Technology puts audiovisual and computer technology at your fingertips in the classroom. All classrooms have some available technology. You can schedule delivery of additional technology, including a portable computer lab.

The end of VHS: For some time now UB has been unable to purchase new VHS players. Eventually we will no longer support VHS technology in the classroom. If you have VHS tapes that you would like to use for teaching, our recommended solution is to convert your class materials to a digital format. We have equipment available in the Classroom and Media Services unit to convert VHS material directly to DVD. Conversion requires some time and preparation, but may ultimately make your life a whole lot easier. It is legal for you to make a digital copy of any of your legally-obtained material. Our goal is to make this transition process as simple and as painless as possible Contact OTS if you have questions, want to discuss your options, or have materials you need to convert.

iRubric is a grade book enhancement tool being piloted in the Summer and Fall of 2012 for Sakai. With it, you can create a web-based rubric tied to the grade book tool in Sakai. You can assess student coursework through a point-and-click interface; once you've completed evaluation, grades are calculated and delivered seamlessly to the Sakai grade book.

Technology lending provides an option to borrow technology for personal use or to arrange borrowing for student assignments. Visit the Equipment Delivery and Loans page to request technology/AV or to get technology training and support. You can also arrange to have equipment reserved for students working on assignments through the Technology for Students program.

File space for sharing files with students is available without giving up space in your email account. Faculty members can request space on the shared S: drive, then post files for students to access via the Portal or campus computer.

You can also request an FTP drop box where students can submit assignments. This helps with instructors who are not using Sakai for their classes. If you're interested in either option, contact the OTS Call Center.

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Connect

In today's world, instructors need to be creative with connecting to students and colleagues. A variety of tools can help you make those connections and keep in touch and informed.

Video conferencing brings people together regardless of their location. It's a great option for meetings, including holding office hours for students. Learn more here about UB video conferencing options.

Email at UB is through Microsoft Exchange and provides a full-featured email account with a UB address book, personal calendaring, junk mail filtering and more. You can access all features on and off campus. Visit the email page for setup instructions for off campus and mobile devices.

Email Distribution Lists allow you to quickly address emails to a group of people. You can choose from four types of mailing list, including lists for each class you teach. Learn more at http://www.ubalt.edu/lists.

UB Communication tools include the Daily Digest, Calendar, and Portal Announcements. As a faculty member you will receive a daily message highlighting university opportunities. The calendar is a way to see what's happening throughout the university. You may be offering an event or special speaker you may want to advertise on the calendar to let others have an opportunity to attend. Finally, the announcements in Portal are specific to your role at UB. You may see announcements related to human resources, or specific ones for your department. You can use all of these tools to get the word out to more than your students. Contact the OTS Call Center for information about using these tools.

Remote access to your on-campus computer files and drives allows you to work as though you were on campus. The UB-supported programs, Citrix and VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure), let you view and edit documents from a Mac or PC; Citrix also allows access via iPad or iPhone. Click to learn more and download the software.