October 2023

Lunch and Learn IT November

Join us for the next session of UBC Okanagan IT Lunch & Learn November 22, 2023 12-1 pm.

And we want you to help choose the topic! Add a topic or vote for one already listed on Slido by Nov. 3.

Don't worry, there will be time for open questions too if you can't choose just one ;-) REGISTER

Save the Date! IT Open House

Mark your calendars now for the much anticpated 2023 IT Holiday Open House.

Thursday December 7, 12:30-2:30

More details and a calendar invite to follow...Make sure to get your Holiday Sweater early and plan for a fun afternoon of treats and technology inspired activities.

Check availability in Outlook

Did you know you can see other UBC employees' availability when booking a meeting in Outlook?

The Scheduling Assistant let's you see everyone's availability and even find rooms on campus that are available.

Learn how to use this feature and book meeting rooms on campus HERE. 

New Hires? Staff leaving?

Please remember, ALL employees, including student hires, TAs and sessionals, need a UBCO IT Onboarding form / UBCO IT Offboarding form submitted. This does NOT happen in Workday and is the only way to provide access to IT accounts AND remove access when they leave your department.

Moving office locations?

Did you know moving offices is more than just updating the UBC Directory? We need to update records, change 911 location, ensure there are enough data ports and coordinate several teams for EVERY move.

Please use the Okanagan - Employee IT Equipment Move Request form in the UBC Self-Service Portal to make moves easier for all.

Need to Get Zoom for TAs?

Good news: We've got a step-by-step guide on How to request Zoom Accounts for TA's and Paid Students to help!

And don't forget to use the UBCO IT Onboarding form AND UBCO IT Offboarding form when TAs are hired / leave the department.

Studios Equipment Lending

Find equipment, learn its availability and book the gear—all at no cost to faculty and staff, including video cameras, stills cameras, microphones and podcast gear.

Check out UBC Studios' Okanagan's equipment lending program in COM 204, open Tuesdays to Fridays from 9-4 or by appointment.

See a particular item not listed or want to pick up our gear the old fashioned way? Send an email to ubcstudios.ok@ubc.ca!

IT Status Page in the Portal

Not sure if your slow email or inability to connect to Wi-Fi is just YOU or campus wide? 

You can check the IT Status Page for known issues, outages and scheduled maintenance BEFORE you submit a ticket in the Self-Service Portal.

Click the "Current Outages" tab on the right side of the top banner page to see the latest outages or issues that may be impacting you.  

1 year data retention for Zoom & Teams recordings Fall 2023

At the end of October an automated one-year retention policy for video recordings will be implmented. This data retention schedule will affect all employees on both campuses.

While users are not required to move their videos, if they are more than one year old and no action is taken, these videos will be automatically disposed of according to the one-year automated retention schedule.

LEARN MORE...

MFA for Students

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) will be mandatory for all students November 1, 2023. Failure to enroll may result in restricted access to UBC applications and disrupt the academic experience. Please remind students to enrol for a secure digital environment to protect their personal information. LEARN MORE...

Adobe Account Changes - October 15, 2023

On Sunday, October 15 from 00:00 to 00:900 PT, there will be scheduled infrastructure update to all Adobe products offered at UBC.

The maintenance does not impact licensing or product functionality directly, but there will be some user impact during the transition period including a small outage.

What to expect

  • Between 00:00 to 09:00 PT, every user will experience an outage that will last between 5-15 minutes. Unfortunately, we cannot predict each users’ specific outage time, as Adobe will be updating accounts in batches. During this short outage, users will not be able to sign in or use any Adobe products.

  • Any open Adobe applications will be automatically closed, potentially leading to unsaved work being lost. It is recommended to save all unsaved files that are using Adobe applications before this outage occurs.

  • After the update is complete, users will need to sign back in.

  • Any custom profile avatars will be reset to default settings.

Digital Research Alliance RAC

The Resource Allocation Competition (RAC) enables faculty members and their research groups to access compute, storage and cloud resources beyond what can be obtained via the Rapid Access Service (RAS). Proposals to the 2024 Resource Allocation Competition must be submitted electronically through the CCDB by November 7, 2023, at 11:59 PM (EST). APPLY

Generative AI Website Launch

UBC's Generative AI website is now live! UBC’s Generative AI Steering Committee aims to support faculty, staff and students in responsible generative AI use. This site offers guidance, resources, news and events on GenAI and offers guidance on secure, ethical and appropriate use.

Learn more and visit the site HERE.

My VPN2 end-of-life

On September 27 UBC IT decommissioned UBC’s secondary Virtual Private Network (VPN) service, myvpn2.ubc.ca. With the increased capacity of UBC’s main VPN service (vpn.ubc.ca), and resumption of in-person classes, myvpn2 is no longer required. CLICK HERE for instructions on how to connect to myvpn.ubc.ca..

Workday Student is LIVE

Launch 1 of UBC's renewed student information system includes activation of capabilities related to Admissions, Scheduling, and Curriculum Management. Read the full announcement here.

Launch 2, coming in February 2024, will activate the remaining capabilities for academic administration at UBC. Learn more here.

Student Access, will not happen until May to allow staff and faculty time to become familiar with Workday Student and provide time for the UBC community to get acclimated to working across both the Classic SIS and Workday Student during the Coexistence Period. Learn more here.  

 

Upcoming Maintenance

  • Adobe Upgrades
    | October 15, 2023 | 0:00-09:30 PT

    • Adobe will be performing an infrastructure update on October 15, from 00:00-09:30 PT. During this time, users may experience intermittent issues accessing Adobe products and services. Any open Adobe applications will be automatically closed during the update, and users will need to sign back in after the update is complete. This update will not affect software licensing or product functionality.

      For regular updates on this update, please visit the Status Page: UBC IT Status Page  

Upcoming Events

  • UBC ARC Workshop: Mastering PostgreSQL Database Design
    | October 16 OR 17 | 9:00 am - 12:00 noon

    • Ever felt like ditching Excel because it turned into a cell-zilla but not sure what to use instead?

      Ever thought about whipping up your own DBMS (Database Management System) but not sure where to start?

      If the answer to either of the above is yes, then this workshop is for you! In this engaging, hands-on 3-hour workshop, we'll teach you all the ins and outs of setting up a relational database from square one, such as creating tables, managing users, and navigating your data using a UI. REGISTER

  • Reimagining Teaching & Learning Using Generative AI: Faculty Experiences
    | Wednesday, October 18 | 9:30 am - 10:45 am | SCI 331 & Zoom |

    • This panel discussion includes instructors from UBC’s Okanagan campus sharing their use of generative AI tools for effective teaching and learning. The session will also bring up alternate assessment strategies to facilitate learning and technology use. REGISTER

  •  Introduction to Data Governance - free online course
    | 2 HR Self-Paced |

    • Data is a strategic asset leading to sustainable and tangible benefits. UBC has recognized that data-driven decisions offer a significant advantage in the higher education field to enhance our students' experience, support research and enable decision-making. If you'd like to learn more about this important topic, sign up for a 2-hour, self-paced online course offered through UBC Workplace Learning. Open to all UBC staff! ENROL

  • Accessibility Features on Windows OS & Mac OS
    | Self-Paced, Online |

    • Understand how you can maximize accessibility on your computer through a range of video tutorials and step-by-step guides that will show you how to enable accessibility features that already exist on your system.

      Learn more about this self-paced course and register at the Workplace Learning site.  

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.