February 2024

Compliance Support Survey

The Privacy & Information Security Management (PrISM) Compliance Support Program (CSP) has launched two surveys aimed at Administrative Heads and IT Representatives across UBC.

These surveys are intended to measure awareness of accountability/responsibility, available services and related communications to information security at UBC. If you received the survey in your inbox, please ensure that you take the time to respond because your opinion is crucial! LEARN MORE...

Need to buy IT Gear?

Before you buy a new tech device, computer or software, please talk to IT so we can confirm it is compatible with our network and security requirements. You will need to add the INC# from your Self-Service Request to your Purchase Request in Workday to show you have approval from IT for your purchase. Here are some detailed guides to help you:

Workday Student Launch 2

Launch 2 of Workday Student begins on February 26 as scheduled! Learn more about what you can expect leading up to Launch 2 and will highlight some key activities and milestones coming up in 2024. LEARN MORE...

 

Robotic Process Automation

The Automation Solution Delivery Centre is making significant strides in advancing their Robotic Process Automation (RPA) service. At the heart of this initiative is a dedicated team of professionals like Melissa Medearis, a Business Analyst helping to improve repetitive business processes. The UBC IT Communications team met with Melissa to discuss her work at UBC.

Data Privacy Recordings

Missed Data Privacy Week 2024? The presentations are now available on the UBC PrISM website. Learn about the impact technology has on our privacy rights and how data privacy underlines the importance of valuing and protecting personal information. Check out how the Privacy and Information Security Management (PrISM) team highlighted key privacy issues making an impact on students and employees at UBC, and what resources are available to address these issues.

Black History in Tech

Black History Month is here! This month our UBC IT Communications team will be focusing on understanding the impact of Black history through a lens of technological advancements. This week, we look at two impactful innovators who have had major influence on advancing technology: Marie Van Brittan who laid a major foundation for home security systems, and Alan Emtage who created the first search engine. READ MORE...
2024 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study, futuristic landscape scene with robot and other technology hovering

AI in Higher ED Study

Read the inaugural EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study, which summarizes the higher education community’s current sentiments and experiences related to strategic planning and readiness, policies and procedures, workforce, and the future of AI in higher education. READ MORE...

Gmail & Yahoo Changes

In February, Gmail and Yahoo email services will enforce stricter requirements on senders of bulk mail to help enhance email security and reduce spam and malicious email. UBC is considered a bulk sender by these services. To meet these requirements, administrators of email marketing platforms (e.g., Mailchimp, Campaigner, etc.) and email systems may need to set up appropriate controls to avoid disruption in delivery. If you utilize such email marketing platforms, you may need to learn how to seamlessly navigate these changes. LEARN MORE...

Tech Trends: Massive Leak

Mother of all breaches reveals 26 billion records."The supermassive leak contains data from numerous previous breaches, comprising an astounding 12 terabytes of information, spanning over a mind-boggling 26 billion records. The leak, which contains LinkedIn, Twitter, Weibo, Tencent, and other platforms’ user data, is almost certainly the largest ever discovered."

Dell deals for Personal Use 

UBC employees are eligible for limited-time offers from Dell for personal use devices. You can also claim an extra exclusive discount with the Member Purchase Program coupon at www.dell.ca/mpp/ubc and then shop online using the link in the coupon email. Coupons cannot combine with limited-quantity offers. Get you discount 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

  • 30-minute Online Phishing Workshops
    | Every 2nd Wednesday of the Month | 11:00-11:30 PST
    New content each month! Strengthen Your Cyber Defenses at UBC.
    • Join us on February 14 from 11:00 - 11:30 am for our monthly 30-minute Phishing Workshop series hosted by the Information Security Management team. Explore recent phishing attempts, learn to identify red flags, and contribute to fortifying our university's cybersecurity resilience. Open to all faculty, staff, and students.
    • We encourage faculty, staff, and students to join this crucial initiative. Your active participation will help strengthen our collective resilience against cyber threats.
    • REGISTER HERE

    • Can’t make each session? Recordings will be available in the On Demand section and will be accessible for review by anyone with a campus-wide login.

  • Pitfalls and Potential: Integrating Generative AI into your Research and Scholarship
    | February 15 | 13:30 - 14:30 PST

    • Interested in how Generative AI is being integrated into research and scholarship at UBC? Join UBC’s Dr. Jeff Clune and Dr. Gail Murphy in an online discussion of how to best access and use these tools ethically and to our advantage, while understanding the risks they bring.

  • Introduction to Git and Github
    | February 21, 2024 | 10:00-12:00 PST
    • Learn the basics of using Git and GitHub for version control and collaboration in this free workshop will be held online on February 21 from 10:00am - 12:00pm. Git is version control software that tracks changes to a group of files, referred to as a repository. GitHub is a popular website for hosting and sharing Git repositories, making it easier to collaborate and share your work. Together, Git and GitHub provide a platform that is increasingly used for collaboration in research and academic environments. In this beginner workshop participants will learn key concepts, create their own Git repository, and publish to GitHub. No previous experience with Git is required. Familiarity with the command line interface will be helpful but is not necessary.
    • REGISTER
  • H5P Symposium
    | February 21-22, 2024 | 9:00-14:25 PST
    • You are invited to join the virtual symposium, on February 21 - 22, between 9:00am - 2:45pm where we will showcase the free open-source html tool, H5P, that can be used to embed interactivity back into passive learning materials with a focus on creating interactive videos. During this demonstrate how to make interactive videos that offer opportunities for formative assessment. We will not only discuss how to create these videos, but also explore evidence-based best practices for (a) creating good formative assessment questions, (b) providing timely feedback, and (c) how (and when) to create branching interactive videos that respond and adapt to student feedback.
    • REGISTER HERE

  • Launch 2 Workday Student Prep Call-in Sessions
    | February 22, 2024 | 10:00 - 11:30 PST

    • A week before Launch 2 begins, these Call-in Sessions aim to provide important information to all impacted UBC staff and faculty. REGISTER HERE 

    • Watch recordings of past call-in sessions on the event archive page HERE.

  • UBCO Heads Up Forum: Generative AI and Cybersecurity
    | February 29 | 14:00 - 15:15 PST UNC 200 (UBCO Ballroom)
    • The Heads Up Forum will focus on generative AI as well as cybersecurity dynamics and will help us to explore how we are using generative AI around the university, the opportunities and the associated risks involved. This session is not meant to provide all the answers but to explore our collective appreciation and comfort with a disruptive but exciting technology.
    • Registration is required. 

      Due to room capacity limitations, registration for this event will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis and those attending will will receive a calendar invitation as confirmation. If you can no longer attend, please decline your invitation so that someone on the waiting list can be invited.

  • M365 Teams & OneDrive Basic Training Sessions - Monthly Drop-in & Q/A
    | February 22 or March 21 | 10:00 - 11:00 PST

    • UBC IT Collaboration Technology and Change & Training Teams are collaborating to offer a number of training workshops for Microsoft 365 apps, open to all UBC faculty and staff. Come join us to learn more about using M365 Teams and OneDrive for collaboration and productivity.
      In this one-hour online workshop, participants will get an overview of Teams functionality, learn about file sharing and collaborative documents in OneDrive, see demos and ask questions to our M365 experts

    • Register for one of the available Teams & OneDrive Basic Training Workshops:

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.