Hofstra ITS

Innovations

Fall 2020

Welcome back!

As the University community returns to campus, ITS is looking forward to collaborating with our students, faculty, and staff as we adapt to new ways of teaching, learning, and working. We've spent the summer preparing for your arrival and have several new developments to share with you.

Inside

NEW IN SERVICE & SUPPORT

A Unified ITS Service Desk, Now Located Adjacent to Hammer Lab

ITS has combined our previously separate student, employee, and classroom Help Desks into a new, unified ITS Service Desk with a team of professionals and students trained to help every member of the campus community. In addition, we've added online access to an ITS Service Portal for self-service help and to track your requests.

These changes allow ITS to provide enhanced service, with a more centralized and accessible location adjacent to Hammer Lab (Room 125A Axinn Library East), and new extended hours during the academic year.

The new unified Service Desk serves as the front door to ITS, and it's the place to start whenever you have a technology question or request.

Please note: To allow for physical distancing, all in-person service will be by appointment only for fall 2020.

Extended Service Desk hours for fall 2020:

  • Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (5 p.m. when classes are not in session)
  • Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Closed on designated University holidays

To connect with the ITS Service Desk:

  • Visit the ITS Service Portal to:
    • Search our knowledge base for answers to frequently asked questions and common solutions
    • Request account access, technology items, or services
    • Submit a new Service Desk ticket, or check the status of an existing ticket
    • Schedule an appointment for in-person support
  • Call +1-516-463-7777
  • Email help@hofstra.edu

Changes related to repairs of personally-owned technology

After several years of declining use, the Computer Repair Center, formerly located adjacent to Hammer Lab, has closed.

Fear not! The ITS Service Desk is committed to assisting you. If you have an issue with your personal technology equipment, please schedule a visit or call, and our team will recommend a solution.

For Hofstra-owned technology, all service and repairs will be handled by the ITS Service Desk.

NEW IN CLASSROOMS

More Than 100 New Remote Teaching and Classroom Recording Systems

The ITS EdTech team, in collaboration with Facilities, Special Events, the Office of the Provost, the University Registrar, and the schools, has installed lecture capture equipment in 100 additional classrooms. Additionally, the University's Kaltura subscription has been upgraded to allow for unlimited storage and bandwidth.

View the ITS Classroom Technology Directory to check the technology equipment in specific locations.

NEW IN TEACHING REMOTELY

Resources for Recording and Teaching Remotely From Inside the Classroom

If you're teaching on campus this semester, we encourage you to review our latest tutorials for teaching in standard and non-standard classrooms. Included are instructions on how to set up your class with Zoom, how to teach and

Hybrid and Online Teaching Resources Blackboard Course

This newly re-designed Blackboard page includes video tutorials for popular tools such as Blackboard, VoiceThread, Respondus, and Zoom, webinar recordings, and a downloadable Blackboard template. All faculty are already enrolled. Faculty can visit their Blackboard Courses page or click here to access the course.

NEW IN INFRASTRUCTURE

Campus Internet Bandwidth More Than Doubled

The campus connections to the internet have been redesigned and upgraded, improving our network speeds, enhancing streaming, and building secure direct access to global research networks through Internet2.

All in, the campus connection has doubled in size to a total of nine gigabits per second with a design that's more resistant to regional outages. The University's connection to the global Internet2 research network has now tripled in size with the ability to grow further when we need it.

The new design also brings access to a rich Content Delivery Network allowing us to balance internet performance by allocating more network resources where and when you need it – whether you're sharing research data with a campus that is half a world away, or hanging in the residence halls on the weekends competing in e-sports or streaming your favorite shows. And all of this happens automatically behind the scenes – you don't have to do a thing.

Outdoor Wi-Fi Added in Key Locations

Our Digital Infrastructure team has added lots of outdoor Wi-Fi in several key locations across campus.

New coverage serves outdoor areas adjacent to Axinn Library, Brower Hall, C.V. Starr Hall, Hofstra Hall, McEwen Hall, Memorial Hall, and the Zarb School of Business.

NEW IN ACADEMIC SOFTWARE

Adobe Creative Cloud Now Available for Home Use by Students in Designated Courses

Home use of Adobe Creative Cloud is now available to students taking designated courses for which access to one or more Adobe apps is a course requirement. ITS is working with deans and faculty to compile a list of designated courses. Students who are eligible for home use of Adobe Creative Cloud will receive additional information from their instructor. All students will continue to have access to Adobe Creative Cloud in our on-campus computer labs.

MATLAB and Simulink Software Now Available to All Students and Faculty

The University recently purchased a site license for both MATLAB and Simulink, and both applications are now available to all students and faculty. Students can access these apps on Pride Desktop and in our on-campus computer labs. MATLAB and Simulink can be installed for faculty on their Hofstra-owned computer.