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How to improve learning center staff communications using Windows Live Messenger instant group messaging through live@edu. A running log

2012/02/02 Leave a comment
    1. Our 1st line of support – student temp staff – is not able to answer all questions and troubleshoot all issues that LRC clients come up with.
    2. We are experimenting with enabling quick escalation of issues from 1st line to 2nd and 3rd line using instant messaging.
    3. live@edu provided our university staff and student accounts with access to Windows Live Messenger instant messaging, including useful sub features
      1. presence: see faster who is (or is not) there to help you by the colored presence icons. The convention in MS software is a green ball for available:presence-outlook
      2. group messaging: UNCC-LRC created and invited to a “LRC Staff” group that includes student temp and permanent staff.
    4. Here is what comes up when temp staff logs into the computer (sorry, no linking to Windows user IDs, but then again, we do not have this form of single sign-on in our other systems either): wlmessenger-notificationwlmessenger
      1. Here are the options we start with (which need refinement)

wlmessenger-options-reception-need-work3wlmessenger-options-reception-need-work1wlmessenger-options-reception-need-workwlmessenger-options-reception-need-work2

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-manager, audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, Back office, Coed432, LRCRoomCoed436, Reception-desk, web-conferencing Tags: , ,

Sharing vs. subscribing to Calendars in OWA/Ninermail

2012/02/02 Leave a comment
  1. Why does this matter? Different information may be visible to you, especially shared calendars can display more sensitive information than internet published calendars.
  2. How can I tell the difference? Apart from the amount of information that gets displayed to you, different calendar types appear :
    1. in a different place:
      1. Shared calendars appear under (1) heading “people” (even if it is a room or other resource),
      2. subscribed calendars under (3) heading “Other Calendars”
    2. with a different type of name:
        1. Shared calendars have as name the email address (2) “@uncc.edu”
        2. subscribed calendars have as default name only “calendar”. Only if you rename the calendar, it has a meaningful identifier, like was done here (4)
  3. shared vs subscribed published calendars-marked
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

iMac Imaging documentation

2012/01/31 Leave a comment
  1. for Coed037: Word Web app: https://skydrive.live.com/view.aspx?cid=0025C841818181C2&resid=25C841818181C2%21148
Categories: audience-is-IT-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, e-infrastructure, student-computers Tags: ,

How to make a tally on student staff performance

2012/01/30 Leave a comment
  1. We have a “Do’s and Don’ts” checklist for student workersas a Word web app
    1. easy to view/print for student staff,
    2. easy to update/print (and stash the work places with) for permanent staff – where each item has their point value.
  2. We have a tally of points earned (sorry, permanent staff only)  by temp staff member with date+time and explanation in Excel Web app which can be easily updated with observations by permanent staff when walking the LRC floor
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, Metrics, service-is-hr-managing, Spreadsheets Tags: ,

How we reorganized the reception area to improve support of circulation and small group work

2012/01/25 1 comment

The new reception desk is meant to secure the entrance to Coed436. To secure the circulation equipment, we do not let students into COED436 anymore, whether they are trying to check out equipment or for other reasons (except if they need to see the LRC coordinator). Hand all equipment to students over the counter. The door to Coed436 has to  be locked when the LRC Assistant leaves the reception desk (it always can be unlocked from inside).

We also carved out 2 small group work spaces in the LRC entrance area. They can be used by language tutors with their students, and by other small student groups, including for assigned film viewing. These work spaces currently do not have to be booked, but they can be. Bookings take precedence over walk-ins. Send meeting requests to LRCRoomCoed433c@uncc.edu (Group1 next to entrance), LRCRoomCoed433d@uncc.edu (Group 2)). The calendar on the reception desk will display the bookings.

We moved 3 more iMacs (with built-in web cameras) into the main classroom (currently available to students only when all other iMacs are in use). All the iMacs in the main classroom actually have now also their own “room”: LRCroomCoed433b@uncc.edu (iMacs), but we are not requiring this “room” to be booked (yet). We are considering this in an attempt to avoid pile-ups of students trying to take video recording assignment. First we monitor actual usage patterns, especially nearing assignment dead-lines.

New “rooms”, and other equipment types are highlighted in green on our list of bookable resources.

renovation-hack

coed433-CIMG0013 Stitch

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, documentation, iMacs, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte, Reception-desk, service-is-library, service-is-tutoring, small-group-work-spaces, TV-viewing-area Tags: ,

How to bypass a Moodle Popup Window when using Respondus lockdown browser

2012/01/24 Leave a comment
  1. Problem: when starting the Moodle Lockdown browser to take an online exam, it opens with a popup window about messages. Popup window prevents access to the underlying main Moodle browser window (and exam). When closing the popup window, the entire lockdown browser closes, including main Moodle browser window. CIMG0088
  2. Cause: Moodle can be configured to show a notification window when messages have arrived since your last login. This notification window has poor compatibility with the lockdown browser.
  3. Workaround: In the popup window, click on the tab: “Settings” and uncheck (at least for this exam session) the checkbox to show the  message box as a popup when logging in. Close the popup window. CIMG0089
  4. Result: Even if this closes the main Moodle browser window once again, when you start the Moodle Lockdown browser again, the popup window will not appear again, and you can take your exam.
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-teachers, e-learning, Glitches&Errors, lms Tags: , ,

LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Resource Calendaring: How to alter meeting times in OWA

2012/01/23 Leave a comment
  1. If you are the meeting organizer (you initiated the meeting request), in your NINERMAIL/OWA calendar, just click on the meeting and drag the meeting start and/or end time with your left mouse button in the desired new location (works like in Outlook), and send updates (this will not affect for the series of a recurring meeting, only the current occurence): CIMG0127
  2. If you are not the meeting organizer, the meeting organizer, when requesting a meeting with you, may have allowed you to “Request a new time”: use the corresponding button (screenshots are for Outlook):
    1. in the meeting request: outlook-meeting-request-response-propose-new-time-from-calendar-item-menu-context-menu-does-not-have-this-option.
  3. or in the calendar item context menuresponse-propose-new
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure, office-software, service-is-documenting Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Students get an error when trying to open links from MS-Word file

2012/01/18 Leave a comment
  1. Error reads: “”this operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer”.
  2. Immediate workaround:
    1. right-click on the link, choose copy, open a web browser window CIMG0001and paste the link into the address bar, browse to it from there.
    2. File / Save as / Web page. From where you saved the web page, double click to open it in the your web browser, click the links form within there. CIMG0002
    3. Have you tried saving your MS-Word files to the new SkyDrive.live.com (login with your NINERNET password) yet? Students can choose to open MS-Word documents in either MS-Word or their web browser which should also bypass the problem.
  3. Solution: Investigating. Seems related to no “default browser set” in XP Control Panel / Internet options. If you cannot live with the workaround, do ask your System Administrator. Or stay tuned
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure, Glitches&Errors, Listening-Stations, office-software, Student-Computers Tags: , ,