Information Technology

March 2014

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Division of Information Technology
P.O. Box 6888
Radford, VA 24142
Phone: (540) 831-5173
Fax: (540) 831-6217
Email: cio@radford.edu

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Division of Information Technology
Radford University

Multimedia project highlights amazing research project

Over Spring Break, while many members of the Radford University community enjoyed warmer weather and maybe even a walk on the beach, a group of RU students and a handful of high school students from the Southwest Virginia Governor's School braved bone-rattling temperatures and shivery arctic winds at Barrow, Alaska, all in the name of science.

This year, Multimedia Producer Jaslyn Gilbert joined three professors, 12 Radford University students and two Governor's School students on the journey.

Approached by the Department of Physics, which was looking for a way to highlight the innovative Arctic Geophysics project, Web Strategy and Interactive Media (WSIM) worked to create a multichannel communication plan that included multimedia, social media, a website and a short documentary. Throughout the trip, WSIM posted photo galleries and short videos captured by Gilbert on a special website created for the project and through social media. Gilbert also produced a culminating short documentary.

"WSIM saw this as a great opportunity to show our various constituents one of the unique undergraduate research experiences Radford University offers its students," said Jaime Hunt, director of WSIM. "We are thrilled we were able to put this plan together and, thanks to the talents of Jaslyn Gilbert, highlight an important and interesting project for our campus."

To see the multimedia produced for the trip, as well as the media coverage generated by the journey, visit www.radford.edu/alaska.

For more information about working with WSIM on multimedia or digital marketing projects, email webcomm@radford.edu.

RUmobile receives major upgrade

Radford University's mobile application, RUmobile, received a major upgrade this semester. RUmobile 2.0 is significantly faster and includes the same functionality as prior versions in a sleeker, easier-to-use interface.

The app also includes a few new features, including the ability to view which washers and dryers are in use in residence halls and an enhanced dining app.

Other features that existed in previous versions that are included in the upgrade are:

  • Campus Directory
  • Emergency Contacts
  • Map of Campus
  • Building Hours
  • Dining Menus
  • Bus Routes
  • NextBus Bus Prediction Tool
  • RU News
  • Athletics News
  • Upcoming Events
  • Big South Network News
  • Mobile D2L
  • Final Grades
  • Class Schedules
  • RU Express Balance
  • Printing Balance
  • Social Media Feeds

Current users should visit the Apple Store or Google Play to download the upgrade. New users can search for "Radford" on the App Store or Google Play or visit www.radford.edu/rumobile.

Banner upgrade update

The Division of Information Technology is planning an upgrade to all modules of the Banner administrative system.

This upgrade will provide necessary functionality required for regulatory mandates and will bring all banner modules up to the currently available releases.

Banner INB and Self-Service Banner (SSB) will be impacted. In most cases there will be few changes noticeable to the campus user community.

Implementation planning is currently underway in the university's administrative offices and within Enterprise Systems. The banner upgrade is scheduled for availability in production on May 19.

Improvements coming soon to account and password management

RU is currently implementing a new account management system that will provide significant improvements to the way you manage your RU accounts and passwords.

Commonly known as an identity management system, the new system will provide enhanced capability when activating new accounts and when resetting your expired or forgotten passwords. This system will also ease the management of student organization and department email accounts.

Future enhancements will include online account requests and streamlining processes related to granting access to systems, such as Internet Native Banner.

Keep an eye out for future communications as we get closer to rolling out the new system to the campus community.

May 2014 Our Turn

Mark your calendars for May 2014 Our Turn. This series of workshops geared toward enhancing technology skills will be offered Tuesday, May 13 through Friday, May 16. Planning is underway for sessions on topics including:

  • What's new in Desire 2 Learn (D2L) 10.3
  • Video streaming solution, new options and tools
  • Open lab on Friday to provide individual assistance for faculty teaching summer sessions
  • Optimizing technology in the classroom
  • iPad tips and tricks
  • What's new in Microsoft Office 2013

An email will be forthcoming from the Faculty Development Center that will include a complete list of the May 2014 Our Turn schedule. You can also check the CITL training website at http://www.radford.edu/content/CITL/home/training.html, where registration will be available as the courses are added.

Desire 2 Learn (D2L) enhancements May 13

Desire 2 Learn (D2L) will be upgraded from version 10.1 to 10.3 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13. D2L will be unavailable during this period.

Notable enhancements include:

  • Evaluate Non-Submissions: Instructors can now evaluate and provide feedback to users with no drop box folder submissions within the drop box. Previously, feedback and grades for students who did not submit an assignment to the drop box could only be posted in the gradebook area.
  • Discussion Board Tool: The look, feel and organization of the discussion board tool provide a more streamlined experience when participating in discussions.
  • Floating Table of Contents: The table of contents in both the discussion board and content tool has been relocated. The table of contents is now available as a pull out menu that will float as you scroll up and down the page. This floating pull-out menu can be pinned to the page so that it is permanently available or hidden from view.
  • Quizzes:
    In the previous version, Add/Edit Questions was located on a separate tab. Quiz Questions are now located on the first tab, the Properties Tab.

    New Assessment Tab: The Grade Item, Rubrics and Attempts have all been combined into a new tab titled "Assessment."

    Submission View Time Limit: You can now limit the amount of time students can view their quiz submissions.

Meet the DoIT Staff

Wendy SmithWendy Smith
Budget Manager

How long have you been employed in the Division of Information Technology at Radford University? 1 year, 7 months

Family: I have two daughters, Laikin (13) and Kaitlin (19), and a son-in-law, Nathan. Kaitlin and Nathan live in Alaska on Elmendorf Air Force Base.

Hometown: Pulaski, Va.

Education: Graduated from Liberty University in business management with a minor in computer management information systems.

Interests/Hobbies: Reading! I do enjoy music, but I'm a lyrical person so the words mean more than the music. I love collecting teapots.

Favorite vacation destination: Cruising the Mediterranean Sea

Favorite part of your job: The people… IT people are the best!