ICT News, June 2006
- PeopleSoft Financials upgrade
- Effective Video-Conference Teaching Workshop
- Client Services update
- Microwave upgrades
- Voicemail instructions
Additional news items are available to staff only.
PeopleSoft Financials upgrade
The 8.9 version of PeopleSoft went live on 19 June, on time and within budget. The upgrade took the University from PeopleSoft V7.5 using the Sybase database to PeopleSoft 8.9 using the Oracle database. In addition, new scalable hardware was procured and implemented.
PeopleSoft version 8.9 offers the University tools for further improvements in process effectiveness, as will be demonstrated by the imminent pilot go-live of the eProcurement module.
Effective Video-Conference Teaching Workshop
Date and time: Friday July 7 2006, 9.30am – 4.00pm
Main venue: Camperdown Campus, Carslaw Building Room 354
Facilitators: Rafik Razzouk, David Cairns, ICT Video-Conferencing Development and Implementation; Kim McShane, Institute for Learning and Teaching (ITL); and one or two other video-conferencing practitioners within the University.
This day-long workshop aims to introduce academic teaching staff to the technical equipment and some educational strategies for effectively engaging students when teaching via video-conferencing and video-lecturing.
In the morning session, we will help you become familiar with the University's video-conferencing systems, equipment and operation. We also establish your particular interests and needs, and we will demonstrate and discuss a range of techniques necessary to teach effectively via this medium (including: presentation techniques, preparing visuals, using the document camera, and running simultaneous PowerPoint).
The "hands-on" afternoon session will allow you to practise video-conference teaching techniques between two venues, supported by feedback from the facilitators and other participants. Workshop certificates will be awarded to participants who attend the whole day, and who present a micro-teaching session via video-conference in the afternoon.
Staff on all campuses of the University are welcome, but note that this session itself will not be run as a video-conference to/with other campuses.
This workshop will be limited to 15 participants; as of 29 June, some places are still available. You may register online.
For queries about the workshop, please email (ITL) and/or (ICT).
This event is organised jointly by ICT and the Institute for Learning and Teaching.
Client Services update
Client Services provides support and information services to staff and students of the University for the Information and Communications services provided by ICT. These services include:
- IT Assist website
- IT Helpdesk
- Computer Access Labs
- Desktop Support
- Remote campus IT support
- Software licensing management
- University Switchboard
Recent Client Services activities:
Dell SOE — A Standard Operating Environment for Dell desktop and laptop computers has been created and dispatched to Dell for installation on newly acquired Dell computers.
Student Wireless Access — A new version of Proxy Switcher software has been made available to students with wireless laptops, to enable them to switch between their home wireless network and the University wireless network. Details are available on the IT Assist wireless web page.
Microwave upgrades
Replacement of the microwave connection to the Sydney College of the Arts was completed in May, providing higher capacity, faster response and a more reliable service.
Earlier in the year, the microwave link to Camden and Cobbitty via Razorback had been upgraded. Steve Tolhurst took this photo showing the required new dish being lifted to the roof of the main campus Carslaw building.
Voicemail instructions
Instructions for the telephone voicemail system are available on the IT Assist web site, including a useful one-page quick reference card in PDF form. (You can find these under V in the ICT Service Index.)