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Q/A: Parents' IT questions at New Student Orientation

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

Q. My student just got their eID. How soon will it be activated?
Almost immediately.

Q. How many students are using laptops in classes?

  • In the residence halls, about 98 percent of students have laptops.
  • Less than 25 percent of K-State students overall are using laptops in classes.
  • More students are starting to use laptops in K-State’s technology classrooms.

Q. Will K-State faculty/staff ever ask for my student’s eID password?
Never in an e-mail, and only rarely under other circumstances. The IT Help Desk or any IT staff member would only ask for the password as a last resort or in an extreme situation to get the user up and running as soon as possible — and only when the user has initiated the request for help.

Q. How are security cables used to protect laptops?
Continue reading “Q/A: Parents' IT questions at New Student Orientation” →

New audio conferencing bridge at KRN

Posted on by IT editors

The installation of the new Avaya VOIP audio conferencing bridge at Kansas Regents Network/TELENET 2 is complete and it’s up and running. This bridge is a planned replacement for the Spectel bridge that had reached the time of its “planned obsolescence” when it would no longer be supported for maintenance. Continue reading “New audio conferencing bridge at KRN” →

New Q-Center computer studio classroom in Cardwell Hall

Posted on by Nick Brown

In February, Information Technology Services staff completed the addition of technology to the new Q-Center in Cardwell Hall, Rooms 144-145. The lab officially opened Monday, April 13, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Q-Center ribbon-cutting ceremony April 13, 2009
Q-Center ribbon-cutting ceremony April 13, 2009 with (left to right) Dean Zollman, department head of Physics; Provost M. Duane Nellis; and Louis Pigno, department head of Math

This new lab has 20 computers with space for 60 students.  A partition in the middle of the room allows it to be divided in half so that two different classes may be held simultaneously.

Continue reading “New Q-Center computer studio classroom in Cardwell Hall” →

Updated web search went live Aug. 27

Posted on by Neil Erdwien

The updated K-State web search went live Wednesday, Aug. 27. K-State Search can be accessed by going directly to search.k-state.edu, using the search box at the top of the K-State homepage, or webpages that have the search box in the K-State brandbar.  New aspects include:

  • K-State students can now control and selectively omit some of their personal information displayed from People Directory search results.  Many students had asked for this ability, which is controlled through their eProfile.
  • Improvement of webpage search results has been achieved by moving to the Google Search Appliance.
  • The format uses standard K-State page format and tabs for viewing search results by category (web, people, directories).  See the Aug. 19 Spotlight article for more about the new search engine’s look and feel.

For more information see Media Relations’ news release today.

TELENET 2, K-State at Salina host high-def video conferencing

Posted on by smwhite

John Allard, TELENET 2, and Joe Krause, Continuing Education at K-State at Salina, co-wrote a successful Kan-ed grant proposal resulting in new PolyCom high-definition (HD) video conferencing equipment for both K-State campuses. On Aug. 14, the TELENET 2 equipment was installed in Dole Hall,  and potential users from both campuses were trained.

The equipment in Dole Hall can operate at speeds from 128 kbps to 1,920 kbps and has the capacity to bridge three additional sites. The equipment setup is ingenious in that two PolyComs are connected to the 42-inch monitors to allow both IP and ISDN connectivity.

The K-State at Salina equipment installation is in progress.  It is being placed in the library in a room renovated for that purpose.

To request a demonstration of the TELENET 2 equipment in Dole Hall, call 785-532-5995.

Implementation of new Student Information System (iSIS) continues

Posted on by Aimee Hagedorn

When K-State students left for summer break the implementation of the new student information system known as iSIS was nearing completion. Financial aid applications were processed and aid awarded in iSIS, and enrollment for the 2008 fall semester was also completed in the new system. Since then additional functionality has been made available for K-Staters including:

  • Updating personal information
    Students are able to update their personal information (home (local) address, permanent address, phone number, etc.) online
  • Managing student account information
    K-Staters view and pay bills online, view holds on account

After the first of September, transcripts requested by active students will be printed from iSIS.  To ensure accuracy of this new transcript, the Registrar’s Office staff will closely scrutinize every transcript prior to release which may cause a slight delay in the release. Stay up-to-date with iSIS by visiting www.k-state.edu/isishelp/students.

Wildcat Watch: TV programming for students debuts Sept. 8

Posted on by traci

For the busy K-State student, a newly developed television program, Wildcat Watch, will feature a weekly calendar, brief interviews, and updates on subjects of interest to students. Wildcat Watch, produced by the Educational Communications Center and a student crew, will debut on K-State TV (cable channel 8) at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 11 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, and will repeat throughout the week (see www.k-state.tv for replay information). View a new Wildcat Watch each Monday and also watch segments online.

“This new program is dedicated to informing students about upcoming events on campus,” said Tyler Traxson, co-executive producer. “In addition, Wildcat Watch will focus on events and people of the university community.”

Tegrity lectures being converted to MP4 format

Posted on by msmall

Tegrity lectures in K-State Online are currently being converted to an MP4 video format for delivery in the new Axio Flash player. The Flash player makes it easier for students to view video, including converted Tegrity videos, without having to download additional plug-ins. The decision was made to move away from Tegrity’s proprietary format to an open, popular format and as a result of the recent IT Needs Assessment survey.

Converting the thousands of videos online will not be completed until October. Some lectures will continue to play in Tegrity format while conversion is being completed. Tegrity lectures will continue to work, but will be accessed in an MP4 format. See this one-minute example of a video converted from Tegrity to Flash.

Faculty do not need to do anything for the conversion of their lectures. The Office of Mediated Education is handling the converting, uploading, and replacement of current Tegrity lectures in all K-State Online courses. Questions about the Tegrity conversion to MP4 can be sent to Bryan Vandiviere, bzv@k-state.edu.

K-State search enhancements: Tabs, format, faster results

Posted on by Janelle Corkill

K-State’s new search debuts this Thursday, Aug. 21, and racks up improvements three ways — by using Google, providing quicker visual access to search results, and updating the format of the People Directory results.

The webpage-search results are powered by a Google Search Appliance (GSA) purchased in cooperation with K-State Libraries and K-State Research and Extension. The GSA produces more relevant search results and enables the popular “Did you mean” feature that catches and offers to automatically correct potential spelling errors.

“Three tabs” format

The most obvious change is that results will be presented on a page with three tabs, just like many other popular search sites. The new tabs mean less scrolling and quicker access to specific search results.

The new search still searches three information sources:

* K-State webpages
* K-State people
* K-State departments, units, and organizations

Search results for People Directory

The format of People Directory search results has been improved by observing how people use that data. First, people scan the list of possible matches by name, and second, they scan for identifying information — such as class/major for students, and title/department for faculty and staff.

In the new format, names are larger and more prominent, and identifying information stands out and is more clearly associated with the name.