August 2022

UBCO IT Fall Hours

Starting August 29 our IT Service Centre (Help Desk) will resume regular term hours:

  • Phone: M-F 7:30 am to 4:30 pm
    250.807.9000 (on-campus dial 79000)
    Walk-up: M-F 8:00 am to 4:00 pm 

As a reminder, submitting a ticket via the UBC Self-Service portal is the best way to resolve your issue or schedule an appointment for more help. 

Walk-up or phone support is intended for quick, urgent issues only.  

Zoom tips for Classrooms & Meeting Rooms

Here are a few tips and tricks for video conferencing whether you're on or off campus:

Computer issues? Don't wait!

All computers purchased by UBCO IT come with warranties.

If you experience any issues with a Computer Replacement Program (CRP) device, please submit a ticket via the UBC Self-Service portal ASAP so we can get it repaired while it's still under warranty. Please don't risk your personal safety - exploding laptop batteries are not fun :( 

Need IT Equipment?

Apple now in Workday

Did you know Apple devices are now available in the Microserve Catalogue in Workday? Find out how to purchase computer equipment in Workday here.

New IT Purchasing Process

To align with procurement best practices and better support our growing campus, we have revised the purchase process for IT Equipment. Check out these guides for more details:

Ongoing Equipment Delays

Unforuntately global production and shipping delays are still affecting technology equipment. Docks and some AV systems are still experiencing delays of 4-12 months so please order early.

Used CRP Equipment Available to Buy

UBCO IT has a store of used monitors and MacBook Pro's/PC laptops for departments to purchase at a reduced cost. Please reach out to Engagement Services or submit a ticket to consult with IT.

Something phishy?

If you see a suspicious email with UBC branding, logos, and language please contact the UBC Information Security office immediately by forwarding the email as an attachment to security@ubc.ca.

See this guide to create quick steps in Outlook for to report phishing and remove it in one click.

Similar instructions have also been prepared for removing spam messages.

Shared Channels in Teams

Microsoft has introduced shared channels, alongside standard and private channels. With shared channels users can invite others to a specific channel without having to first add them to the team. This avoids oversharing and removes the need to create new teams when collaboration in existing channels needs to expand to others outside the team. Learn more...

Show your Pronouns in Zoom

Zoom has released a new feature allowing users to add preferred pronouns to their Zoom profile. You are not required to share your pronouns, but if you choose to, instructions can be found on the Zoom Support page. For more information about pronouns, please visit the UBC Equality & Inclusion Office website.

Reconnecting to Campus Wi-Fi

Many people have not been on campus for an extended period of time, and likely have updated their CWL password during that time (CWL is required to be reset every year). You will probably need to update your password on your devices (laptop, phone, tablet) to connect to UBCSecure wifi when you first return to campus. You may need to change your saved password on your devices to be able to connect.

You can change your saved password by removing the network from your device and reconnecting with the new password. 

  1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
  2. Click on Manage known networks to show all the Wi-Fi networks that your device has connected to.
  3. Select the network you want to change the password for and click Forget to erase it from your machine.
  4. After this, click the network icon in your System Tray, choose your network name again, and reconnect by entering the new password.

ARC Beta and Pilot Program

The ARC Beta and Pilot Program is being launched for the UBC research community. It will help in the assessment of advanced technologies through providing early and/or trial access to new services and platforms.

Who can sign up?

UBC researchers whose current computational resources are at capacity, who find that the current HPC learning curve is too steep or whose software appears ill-suited for batch jobs can sign up. There is no cost to researcher participation. However, please note that services will be limited for the duration of the beta or pilot program.

How to sign up:

Participants who sign up for the beta and pilot program will be added to the ARC-PILOTS mailing list, (managed by ARC), where they can expect to receive up to four emails per year with information about participating in upcoming beta tests and pilots, updates on current or completed pilots and tests, and the occasional profile featuring current or past participants. ARC will contact researchers whose research profiles appear to be an ideal match for a limited pilot or testing series.

Sign up HERE

Upcoming Maintenance

  • Scheduled Outage for Qualtrics (UBC Survey Tool)
    | August 25 | 10:00 pm-11:59 pm
    • Maintenance will be performed on the UBC Qualtrics survey tool and will result in an application-wide outage of service totaling 60 minutes during a two-hour window. 

      All surveys will be inaccessible to survey owners who want to manage/edit their surveys or retrieve their data. All surveys will also be offline for respondents and any links to active surveys will return an internal server error.

      For more information, see the UBC IT Status Page  

QUESTIONS?

UBCO IT Engagement Services offers a single point of contact for departments and faculties at the Okanagan campus to access the information technology support and services they need to enable exceptional learning and research. 

Learn more about our team HERE or send us an email or submit a ticket via the UBC Self-Service Portal.