July 2025

Walk-Up IT Support Break

Summer Update: Walk-Up Support Break

The sun is out and our IT walk-up window is taking a summer break. While the window is closed, we're still here to help. If you need support, just submit a ticket. Our team will follow up, and if your issue requires in-person help, we'll set up an appointment.

Thanks for your understanding as we work with a smaller summer crew. The walk-up window will reopen in the fall. Until then, we're just a ticket away.

Voice Service Updates

UBCO IT team has recently updated the Voice Services webpages to provide details on the latest telephone support and services available for the campus. Check out individual phone services, group phone services and support resources to help you stay connected. LEARN MORE...

Apple Supplier Chosen

UBC has chosen Staples as the new supplier for Apple products. This change comes as Apple now sells to institutions through resellers instead of directly via the Education Portal. UBC IT is setting up a new Staples-Apple catalog in Workday, however until that’s ready, please submit a ticket to order any Apple products to ensure you qualify for the educational discounts and support.

VEMS Video Wall Survey

Have you used UBCO’s Visualization and Emerging Media Studio (VEMS) 3D-capable VR wall in a teaching and learning experience? The Teaching Readiness for Emerging and Accessible Technologies (TREAT) Lab wants to learn how to support instructors to use this new and powerful technology. Contact Tareq Yousef  for information or click here to LEARN MORE...

FASmail Display Name

Display names for UBC Faculty & Staff emails (FASmail) will now be taken from the Workday preferred name field. If you would like to modify your FASmail display name you can update your Preferred Name in Workday. Note: It may take 24-48 hours for the changes to sync and update. Display names for Sponsored Guest accounts (with no Workday access), are taken from the CWL name shown in myAccount.

Privacy Matters - July

In this month's newsletter: At UBC, personal information is everywhere—from student records to staff credentials—and protecting it is a shared responsibility. This four-part series unpacks what qualifies as personal information, how to collect and handle it responsibly under FIPPA, and how changes to data residency rules impact our digital tools. LEARN MORE...

Personal Information & UBC

What counts as personal information? How does it differ from business contact info? This latest article breaks it down. Learn what you’re responsible for, what the law requires, and how to protect the data of students, colleagues, and others in our community. LEARN MORE...

See AI in Action at UBCO

We've created an informal space for sharing AI tools and strategies used in administration and operations at UBCO. Our goal is to help each other get started and build confidence with this rapidly advancing technology with monthly Lunch & Learns and shared resources. JOIN NOW...

AI News...Canada Lagging

This is where Canada ranks among the least AI literate countries in the world

A new study from KPMG has placed Canada 44th out of 47 countries in AI training and literacy highlighting a significant gap in how Canadians use and understand AI in the workplace, with lower confidence, training, and trust in AI compared to global peers. LEARN MORE...

New UBC IT Website

UBC IT Vancouver is excited to announce the launch of their new website! With updated look and feel, the site has been designed with improved usability and enhanced accessibility, making it easier to navigate and find the information you need. Check out the updated UBC IT website HERE...

UBC IT Beta Chatbot

The new UBC IT BETA chatbot is now live on it.ubc.ca. The IT chatbot uses AI to help students, faculty, and staff find IT tools, services, and support from key UBC resources, including UBC IT websites, 200+ UBC Knowledge Base articles, and HR information. Look for the chatbot in the bottom-right corner of any page on the UBC IT site. LEARN MORE...

Dell UBC Employee Deals

Need a new laptop for home or a family member? Check out Dell's Summer Tech Upgrade Sale for savings on devices designed to enhance your productivity. UBC employees get a discount with the Member Purchase Program coupon and can shop online using the link in the coupon email. 

Get IT News in MS Teams

Join the UBCO IT Engagement MS Team for the latest news, advice and support on technology at UBCO. We share upcoming training, notifications of outages, and details on known issues that may disrupt your work. To join CLICK HERE.

Upcoming Maintenance

Please visit the Status Page for the most up-to-date information on planned upgrades and outages at UBC IT Status Page

Upcoming Events

  • UBCO AI In Action Showcase: File Naming Automation
    | July 17 | 11:00-12:00 PST ONLINE

    • Join the UBCO AI In Action Channel and then join our 2nd meeting to discover how UBCO Parking is using custom GPT agents to help staff with responding to appeal requests by providing more consistent responses and even helping BCGEU staff and managers understand union contracts and requirements.

  • M365 Training: Productivity Tips for CO-PILOT, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and more!
    Various dates & times

    • Learn about Microsoft 365’s new features for Co-Pilot, Outlook (Exchange Online), Teams, OneDrive and more. Learn tips and tricks to enhance your collaboration and productivity.

  • Cybersecurity Monthly Phishing Workshop
    | Sept 10 | 11:00-11:30 PST

    • Join the monthly 30-minute Phishing Workshop series hosted by the UBC Cybersecurity team. These workshops offer a unique opportunity to delve into real phishing campaigns that have targeted our university community since the previous session.
      REGISTER

  • Generative AI in Teaching and Learning Series

    • This year, AI has emerged as a significant tool in education, and faculty at UBC are grappling with its integration in the classroom. The UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) has introduced a new educational series, GenAI in Teaching and Learning. This series aims to help educators transition from concerns to understanding to seeing the opportunities generative AI presents.This series offers:

      • Weekly GenAI Support Clinics: One-hour drop-in clinics on teaching and learning topics to do with the use of tools such as ChatGPT, Stability AI, Google Bard and others, every Wednesday.
      • Integrating GenAI in Education at UBC 30+30 Workshops: 30-minute interactive presentations followed by 30-minutes of discussion designed to assist faculty and staff in navigating this new landscape.
      • AI in Teaching and Learning website: A hub for ongoing support and up-to-date tools and resources for leveraging Generative AI for teaching and learning.
    • View all sessions and register HERE

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.