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Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Hyperlink out of quarantine!


The Hyperlink is back.

We are very pleased to have The Hyperlink back out of quarantine. The pandemic seemed to have put a solid hold on the production of The Hyperlink. However, it is back and we will get back into sending you regular updates and information from IS&T.

We hope you find the content informative and helpful.

Cybersecurity


The storage and transmission of digital information has a profound positive impact on how we serve our students, faculty, staff and alumni. It also comes with some serious repercussions if not properly protected against unauthorized access. The IS&T department at Harding is taking deliberate steps toward bolstering the security of our data in the ever-increasing world of data risks and 
breaches. Security-related projects and reviews have been completed with several more currently being implemented or are being planned. A recent example would be the implementation of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Harding-owned web logins.

It is rather difficult to identify all of the ways an attacker would use to breach Harding’s infrastructure. To combat that, IS&T uses security industry standards and cyber security insurance guidelines to scope the areas that might be overlooked or undervalued but are key to an attacker’s success. Harding is capitalizing on the relationships with long-term partners to bring their information security offerings to bear.

Nothing will completely block the bad guys. There is no magic point at which Harding can say we are fully secured as long as human beings create and implement technology. Flaws in the various systems are discovered with regularity, and patching is among the primary responses IT has for shoring up potential holes. Scanning for viruses is done at network layers as well as most computing devices.

Recently we contracted an outside organisation to conduct pentration and vulnerabilty testing of our systems.

However, everyone has a part to play in helping to secure and protect our digital assets. Each user should develop an information security-savvy approach to emails received, websites visited and attachments sent their way. If a computer is not behaving in an expected way, it is always good to report the behavior rather than ignore it.

If you suspect questionable computer activity, Students can contact DormNet at 501-279-4545 or for faculty and staff, contact Client Support at 501-279-4440.


Library Renovations


Brackett Library is excited to announce renovations done on the second floor. After listening to students, four more study rooms were added. The most significant undertaking was replacing the carpet which required using stack movers. The shelves of books in the general collection needed to be moved so that the old carpet could be ripped out and the new carpet laid down.

When using stack movers, all the books can stay on the shelves as they use machinery with hydraulic lifts to pick up the shelves and then move them over to one side of the library while the carpet work is done. There were a few collections that had to be moved by hand, such as the Best Sellers and Christian Fiction since they are on wooden bookcases. Also, the Brewer Book collection and the Williams-Miles Chemistry collection all had to be moved as well. Most of these books were moved to the first floor while the work was being done upstairs. The whole process took several weeks.




The mauve endcaps on the bookshelves were also replaced with a wood finish making a significant change to the look and feel of the library. There are still a few things that need to be completed such as doors in the study rooms and painting the staircase. These should be finished in the upcoming weeks.





The library has had a lot of questions about the construction behind the building. This is not added space for the library but the new East Plant for Physical Resources that will house equipment for the air systems on the east side of campus.


Course Design Workshop


Today’s learners often seek a dynamic learning environment that engages them in a variety of learning experiences. An important aspect of providing this dynamic learning space is having the proper design elements in place. This is where the Course Design Workshop can be helpful.

The Course Design Workshop aims to prepare instructors to develop quality online courses. This is done through collaborating with the design team, using quality standards (best practices) in teaching and learning, and streamlined course design procedures. At the completion of each phase (phases are detailed below), a badge is awarded as a token for successfully completing that section. After completing all 6 phases, instructors will have the first draft of their unit/module 1 in place, which sets the tone for the remaining design.


The Course Design Workshop consists of the following 6 Phases:

Phase 1: Introduction - Quality Standards and Streamlining the Process

Phase 2: Course Mapping - Creating Learning Objectives

Phase 3: Course Mapping - Syllabus Creation

Phase 4: Course Building - Instructional Materials and Assessments

Phase 5: Course Building - Learning Activities and Engagement

Phase 6: Improvement and Next Steps


To learn more, please email the Center for Learning with Technology at hulearn@harding.edu or call 501-279-5211.