macOS Catalina Released

Hold off on upgrading – Apple’s latest macOS raises concerns.

Apple’s latest release, macOS Catalina (10.15), has what Apple admits are “major issues” and we have a variety of concerns. As with most OS releases, we strongly recommend that you wait and not upgrade your University-owned Mac. Information Technology Services cannot yet support Catalina on University-owned Macs until several issues have been resolved, followed by further testing. (As a general rule, waiting until the first set of OS updates are released allows Apple to fix initial stability problems and bugs before the OS even makes it to your machine.)

While there are some interesting new features in this OS, like SideCar, Catalyst, increased security, and Apple Arcade, there are a number of things that either just won’t work or will present problems.  Here are the big ones we know so far:

Music Apps and the Death of iTunes

In macOS Catalina, Apple has done away with the iTunes app, splitting its features into three separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV (coming later this fall). If you do any kind of audio mixing or heavy music work using iTunes and third-party software, you will likely run into problems. The underlying XML database and associated XML file no longer exist to index a local music collection. This has “broken” a number of music tools, such as Traktor and Rekordbox.

Other Affected Software and Services

It’s not just music applications that are having issues.  A number of creative tools—including Apple Aperture, Microsoft Office 2011 and Adobe CS6—are experiencing issues. Network printing, along with local printing, may also stop working in the new environment.

VLab (Citrix) may not work in the new Catalina OS. Students could experience issues accessing VLab if they upgrade their personal laptops.

ExamSoft’s Examplify requires a specific update. ExamSoft support reported that “Examplify 2.0.6 is being released via silent and prompted update. Please note that the automatic update will not work for any exam takers who have already upgraded to macOS Catalina. These users will need to download the new version and manually install it.” If you already updated to macOS Catalina (10.15) and are experiencing issues, please verify you are using Examplify version 2.0.6.

SPSS Statistics will be affected by several changes in the new OS, some of which could cause it to stop working completely. Version 23 (and all versions prior) will not run at all. Increased data protection will block all versions of SPSS from accessing the following data sources: Documents, Downloads, Desktop, and any connected external disks (this includes USB drives). Mandatory notarized applications and the end of support for 32-bit applications (like the SPSS License Authorization Wizard) are other factors that need to be addressed.

Apple’s own ‘Reminders’ app can behave strangely if you have multiple devices. If you want reminders synced across your devices, they all need to be running the latest versions of their respective operating systems—for some reason there’s no mix and match of platforms. And it’s not just syncing that’s the issue, user data is being lost as well.

It’s a 64-bit Only World

Catalina also drops support for 32-bit applications. They just won’t run on this version of macOS. Most people can’t tell which apps are 32-bit and which are 64-bit. Even some 64-bit software may not be compatible with Catalina.

We recommend that you take note of any mission-critical software so you will have a list ready when the time comes to upgrade. Prior to upgrading in the future, if you are unsure your software will run in Catalina, you can submit a quick ticket with your software details so we can give you compatibility feedback.

Undoing a Hasty macOS Upgrade

There’s no easy way to undo the upgrade or simply roll it back. Reverting from Catalina to a previous version of macOS is an inconvenient process.  At best this would require we take your computer, erase your hard drive, reimage it, reinstall software, and restore your data and/or reconnect your OneDrive. Alternatively, it could require restoring your computer to its original factory settings. Of course, this means you won’t be able to use your computer while this is being done.

Once we are confident that Catalina will work well in our environment, ITS staff will be happy to assist with a safe and coherent upgrade process for our faculty and staff.

Connect and Collaborate
Welcome to Microsoft Teams

It is inevitable that technology will change, sometimes faster than we can keep up with and sometimes not fast enough!

At some point, you may have heard ITS staff mention that GroupWise messenger (aka Novell messenger) would be retiring. On July 31st, GroupWise messenger will end its long reign and pass the crown to a new resource in our growing Office 365 arsenal – Microsoft Teams. Whether or not you currently use GroupWise messenger, we are excited for you to see the Teams application and learn how it can work for you! While Microsoft Teams has a multitude of functions, we will only focus on its chat feature during the initial roll out. ITS already scheduled some training dates so you can come learn more about Teams and how to use it. If you would like to register for training, please click here and choose the session that works best for you.

In addition to providing training, we have compiled an initial FAQ below; this FAQ will grow as more questions arise. We highly recommend subscribing to this blog to receive notifications when new information posts.

If you have a question or concern that is not addressed in the FAQ, please email the Client Success Team at itscs@widener.edu.

 

FAQ’s

Q:  Why are we moving from GroupWise to Teams? 

A:As you may have heard, we are moving away from Novell and the physical server maintenance it requires. Thus, moving towards the cloud-based chat option that Office 365 offers.

 
Q:  Why are we moving to Teams instead of Skype for Business? 

A:Skype for business is at its end of life, therefore we need to move to a more sustainable solution.

Q:  Can I access my saved GroupWise message history?

A:Yes, but only before July 31. You will be able to access your saved message history, provided you have that function enabled.

Q:  Can I export my contact list out of GroupWise messenger

A:No. You are not able to export contact lists out of GroupWise.

Q:  Can I edit names? 

A:No, but you can hover your cursor over a name to see their contact information, you can chat, email or call them through the internet (with or without video).

 Q:  How do we create a Team?  

A:Although the ability to create a team is enabled, we are requesting that you do not create any Teams at this time. If you need a Team created, please open a quick ticket and ITS will assist you in the creation. http://quickticket.widener.edu/

Q:  Will anyone be able to see my status? 

A:Yes. Others will be able to tell if you are available, busy or in a meeting by looking at the icon by your name. Know that this same information has always been available through the Outlook scheduling assistant in your calendar.

Q:  Can you import your contacts into Teams? 

A:No. The applications are from two separate providers, there is no ability to import contact from GroupWise into Teams. However, if you have contacts in Skype they will transfer over to Teams.

Q:  How do I chat with my colleagues? 

A:Choose the chat option from the menu on the left margin, then type the contacts name in the command bar, once their name appears select it and you can start your conversation with them.

Q:  How do I create a chat including multiple colleagues? 

A:Choose the chat option from the menu on the left margin, then select the icon at the top of the page next to the command bar that looks like a pen and paper, this will allow you to select multiple contacts to have a conversation with.

Q:  Can I block from receiving chats from another colleague? 

A:No, but there is an option to mute them and hide them. This selection is found by clicking on the ellipsis (three dots) next to the contact name. This brings up more options. If you use this feature, you can change the option by searching the contact, select the ellipsis and then change the setting back.

 

 

News and Notes from TLT – Summer 2019

In this issue: 
  • Fall ‘19 Courses in Canvas 
  • Inactive vs. Deleted Students 
  • NEW Canvas add-ins: Poll Everywhere and Screencast-O-Matic 
  • Accessible Course Content (coming soon: Video Captions and Transcripts) 
Fall ‘19 Course Load Date – Available in Canvas by the end of the day on June 18th. 
  • To customize your dashboard – in the Courses tab, select the star next to the courses you want to see on your dashboard 
  • If you are interested in getting a head start building your courses, create a Master Class and import the content once courses are loaded. Videos and Guide. 
  • When it’s time to import your course content, be sure to “select specific content”. This will not only prevent duplications, but also prevent unwanted content/settings to transfer.
    • IMPORTANT: If you chose to import ALL, including course “Settings”, and have manually altered course dates in your previous course, those old dates WILL transfer. This may prevent students from participating in your course
“Inactive Students”   

Beginning June 10, 2019, any student who is removed from a course after the start date will be listed as “inactive” in Canvas, instead of disappearing completely. This improvement will allow you to retain submissions, attendance information, etc. within the course. 

Coming Soon! Poll Everywhere in Canvas starting Fall ‘19 

Poll Everywhere will soon be integrated into Canvas. You will be able to: 

  • Import your course roster, automatically giving your students a participant account 
  • Send scores from your poll to the Canvas gradebook
  • Add polls into your course Modules
  • For more information or to get an account, email TLToffice@widener.edu.
*NEW* Screencast-O-Matic in Canvas 

Did you know you can screen capture within your Canvas course? The Screencast-O-Matic integration has been added university wide, allowing you to create instructional videos with a few simple clicks. 

Accessibility 

As you prepare your courses, keep accessibility in mind. For more information on creating an accessible Canvas course and creating accessible documents check out the Digital Accessibility course in Canvas

Coming Soon! Video Captioning 

Widener will soon be offering video captioning through Cielo24. If you have instructional videos and want to learn more about the new captioning service, email captions@widener.edu.

News and Notes from TLT – Spring 2019

As the Spring ‘19 semester winds down, it is time for another TLT update…  

Canvas Course Uploads 

Summer ‘19 Courses- Your Summer ‘19 courses were added into Canvas this week.  Now that your courses are loaded, you are able to import your content from a previous semester or from your Master Class. For more information on building and maintaining Master Classes, view the guide and short videos.  

Fall ‘19 Courses– Your Fall ‘19 courses will be loaded into Canvas 10 weeks prior to the start of the semester. You do not need to wait for the upload to build your courses. Simply create a Master Class now and you will be ready to import your course content!  

TLT-led Workshops 

New dates and times, PLUS a new session on utilizing classroom technology! Sign Up Here       

(Hint: Here is the full LIS Event Calendar– Bookmark This Page!)

*Spring ‘19 Breakfast Series*  How Can I Engage My Students in Canvas and Beyond?

Come join TLT for a light fare breakfast during this three-part series to increase student engagement in your Canvas courses. Sign up to attend any or all of these workshops, in any order you wish.

a. Engagement: Student Teamwork

Collaborations, Groups/ group assignments, Wiki pages, Flipgrid 

b. Engagement: Constructive Feedback  

SpeedGrader, Audio and Video, Journaling, PollEverywhere 

c. Engagement: Rubrics and Grades  

Experiencing Rubrics, Turnitin (new Plagiarism Framework)New Gradebook 

Making the Canvas Commons Work for You 

Did you know you can share instructional resources (rubrics, quizzes, pages, etc.) with your colleagues within Canvas? 

“Commons is a learning object repository that enables educators to find, import, and share resources.” In this session, you will explore the free content available to you and learn how to create and utilize a shared resource center for your faculty groups. 

*New*  Getting Comfortable with Your Classroom Technology 

Do you know… 

     How to black out projection without turning off the classroom projector?       How to take advantage of the dozens of Zoom ready rooms?                                   How to incorporate screen sharing from students? 

Topics covered:

  • Classroom controls 
  • Zoom 
  • PrideShare 
  • Tips and tricks 
Training feedback from your colleagues… 

“Real time polling can be an effective pedagogical tool to gauge what students know or don’t know before you begin a subject, and to assess what they’ve learned after you’ve covered something. I had been using Kahoot! but found it to be a little goofy for college level classes and a little difficult to integrate into power point presentations. PollEverywhere offers a more professional presentation and is much easier to utilize in presentations. Following the TLT training I was able to convert my polls from Kahoot! to PollEverywhere, and given the ease of PollEverywhere, am working to add more polls to my presentations.” 

~Stu Eimer, Associate Professor, Sociology 

“My attendance to a workshop on Canvas’ different capabilities regarding Student Teamwork was excellent. I used it almost immediately as I was trying to schedule my field work with students. We went right to “Collaborations” and were able to create a shared document, just like a google doc, that met our needs perfectly. So easy and convenient. And I would never have known that capability was there without our Teaching and Learning Technologies team.” 

~Nadine McHenry, Professor, Education 

“I highly recommend the Canvas training sessions!  I thought I had my Canvas courses working pretty well, but Jessica taught me how to use groups much more effectively- uncovering functionality I never knew existed.” 

~Mark Paterson, Clinical Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy 

New Faces in ITS: Leyi Zhu

 Leyi Zhu has joined Widener’s TLT team as an Instructional Designer. She looks forward to collaborating with faculty to develop engaging learning experiences for our students, and exploring effective teaching and learning strategies and digital pedagogy practices within the entire Canvas ecosystem.

Leyi earned her master’s degree in Instructional Psychology and Technology from the University of Oklahoma. She also has a master’s degree in Business Management from Zhejiang University in China. Prior to moving to the United States, Leyi worked for over six years as an auditor and financial analyst.

In her spare time, Leyi enjoys reading with her two daughters and encourages them to create stories of their own. If anyone has any ideas about engaging children in storytelling or good books to recommend, please share them with her. Leyi’s office is in the TLT space by the FISHtank (Wolfgram Library, 1st floor).

Colleague and WebAdvisor Scheduled Maintenance Notice

PLEASE NOTE on your calendars that all Colleague, Informer, and WebAdvisor services will be unavailable from 6am Friday, November 23rd until 8am Monday, November 26th.

During this scheduled maintenance time we will be moving the Colleague environment to a new SQL database.  This update to the university’s technology infrastructure sets the stage for future improvements to many administrative services.

For the majority of students, faculty, and staff this transition should be a non-event.  For those who log in to Colleague every day please be on the lookout for a series of emails over the next several weeks that will inform you of changes to the Colleague environment that will be affecting you.

Safety for Mobile Devices

National Cyber Security Awareness Month continues, and this week we have some tips on mobile device safety.

Today, we are more dependent on our mobile devices than ever.  At Widener, we make every effort to keep using them easy (did you see our latest update about guest wireless?). But with that ease of use comes some risk.  Take a look at some ideas from the #CyberAware campaign:

  • Mobile Apps – Only download your apps from Google Play or the Apple Store. Apps from other sources are rarely checked for malware or bugs.
  • WiFi hotspots – Although handy, WiFi hotspots are not secure. Anyone connected to it can scan your outgoing data (hello, bank account app), or they can attack your device with no firewall between them and you.  Wait until you’re on your own network, use your cell data network, or check into using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which is a way to communicate securely over a less-secure network.
  • Lock your device – It sounds basic to those of us that do it, but many people don’t have a passcode or fingerprint reader set up. Our devices are small and portable; they’re easy to misplace, lose, or get stolen.  And most of your apps are probably password-cached, because it’s easy. Nearly everyone does it.  Just make sure that you have your device locked down so that no one can get in if it ends up in someone else’s hands.

For more info, check out this tip sheet, Safety Tips for Mobile Devices. As always, please call the Helpdesk at x1047 for assistance with any IT issue.