December 2024

Happy Holidays from IT

Thank you to the 250+ people from 40+ teams who attended the 2024 IT Holiday Open House.

Congrats to our winner of the Spirit Bear Coffee Company basket: Angela Lacaille; and the 3D printer holiday decor winners: Nicole Benntt, Dario Villafuerte Vinueza and Mwangi Wanjau.

UBCO IT December Hours 

Please note the following service hour changes during the 2024-25 winter holiday break. 

  • December 25-January 1: CLOSED
  • January 2-3: phone support only 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
  • January 6: normal services resume

Check out holiday hours for all UBCO HERE.

Electronic Waste Reminder

Doing some clean-up around the office? Don't forget to dispose of old technology cleanly. E-waste includes electronic items that are old, broken or obsolete. E-waste bins are located in all campus public buildings.

Research equipment or computers to recycle? Submit a ticket so we can safely remove all UBC data first! 

PIA Status for AI Tools

Check out this document on Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) guidelines applicable to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including but not limited to generative AI (GenAI) tools such as Microsoft Copilot and DALL-E. Instructors should view the PIAs for GenerativeAI Instructional Use. Visit UBC GenAI for more details...

Privacy Matters - December

This month's Privacy Matters newsletter equips you for a secure and joyful holiday season! Learn how to avoid online scams with articles on identifying fake shopping sites, classic holiday phishing tactics, and securing your UBC accounts with a new device. Don’t let cybercrime spoil your holiday cheer. LEARN MORE...

Getting a new phone?

Don't forget to UPDATE your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) BEFORE disposing of your old phone or tablet. If your UBC MFA preference is still linked to your old phone, you won't receive the verification code on your new device. This can leave you locked out of your important UBC accounts! LEARN MORE...

AV Support for Grad Thesis

UBC Okanagan IT has moved away from in person AV support for thesis defenses. Detailed AV instructions for each meeting room are now available on the Facilities Planning Bookable Meeting Rooms site under “More Info”. 

Request Desktop or AV Support BEFORE the defence date or contact the Service Centre for time-sensitive support during the defense. LEARN MORE about AV support for campus events.    

Use QR Codes Securely

This guide provides best practices for using QR codes at UBC to ensure a positive and secure user experience while also protecting data privacy and information security. LEARN  MORE...

IRP Student Support

UBC's IRP Student concluded on November 30, 2024. Resources, including training materials, user guides, and FAQs, will continue to be available on the Training Hub for Instructors. Starting December 1, Workday support will be managed by Enrolment Services and the Integrated Service Centre (ISC). Learn more...

Learning Tech Requests

The Learning Technology Hub has created a new process to consider learning technology for adoption into the UBC Learning Technology Ecosystem (LTE). UBC faculty, staff, and students on both campuses can now request technology for the UBC LTE directly through the LT Hub website. LEARN MORE...

Tech Trends in the News

Global news: ‘Exponential’ rise in scams amid Canada Post strike, holiday shopping

Canadians face a fresh wave of scams as fraudsters seize on the Canada Post strike to try to trick victims out of their cash. Read the full article from Global news HERE.

Dell Holiday Deals

Dell has deals on premium laptops for your holiday personal computing needs. UBC employees can claim an extra exclusive discount with the Member Purchase Program coupon and then shop online using the link in the coupon email. Coupons cannot combine with limited-quantity offers.  

Get IT News in MS Teams

Join the UBCO IT Engagement MS Team to get the most up to date news, advice and support for all things related to technology at UBCO. We share upcoming training, notifications of outages, details on known issues that may disrupt your work and more. 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

  • M365 Outlook (New Exchange Online version) Training Session - Monthly Drop-in & Q/A
    | December 19 | 10:00 - 11:00 PST

    • Learn more about using the new Outlook (Exchange Online) on Mobile, Desktop and on the Web. Topics include integration with Teams and OneDrive, managing calendar invites, mobile app features, new featutes and time for a demo and Q&A.
      REGISTER

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

    • Stay cyber safe this holiday season! Don't miss your last chance to register for our 30-minute December Phishing Workshop on December 11 at 11 am. We'll look at the most recent phishing scams that have targeted the university and our community members this month. REGISTER

  • Data Privacy Week 2025
    | January 28-Feb. 1, 2025 | Various days and times

    • Privacy Matters @ UBC is excited to host Data Privacy Week 2025, a series of informative and insightful sessions focusing on privacy and information security. From January 28 to 30, 2025, faculty and staff are invited to engage in discussions aimed at raising awareness about crucial privacy issues affecting our community.
      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 is offering:

      • 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

  • AI and cybersecurity courses from UBC Extended Learning

    UBC Extended Learning just launched many new AI and cybersecurity offerings that ladder into UBC Senate-approved micro-certificate and certificate programs. Tuition waivers and employee group PD funds can be used toward course fees.

    Upcoming AI and Cloud courses

    • AI and Cloud Strategy: Technology Implementation – starts Jan 14
    • AI Strategy: Leveraging Automation – starts Jan 28
    • AI Strategy: Interactive Experiences – starts Mar 4
    • AI Strategy: Staying Competitive with AI – starts Apr 15

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.