Spring is Here; Change is in the air!

Banner Modernization Project

In November last year, a Strategic Alignment Planning exercise was conducted to help plan the digital future for Harding. This exercise was focused on our main systems from Ellucian, which is primarily Banner. We want to ensure that we are maximizing the value of our investments in the Ellucian solutions and that we have a clear roadmap to keep our Ellucian products and services aligned with modern technology and operation efficiencies.


The major deliverable from this exercise is the Banner Modernization Project. There are many items in this project, but the overall objective is to ensure that our deployment of Banner is always aligned with the latest updates and features. As is common with most vendors in the higher education space, there is a concerted move to have products like Banner be implemented in the cloud as Software as a Service (SaaS). While this is some time away from being fully implemented, we want you to be aware that a SaaS implementation will bring changes to what we can and cannot do ourselves and will lead to business process changes.

The first steps in the project will be to implement Ellucian Experience and the Intelligent Learning Platform.

Ellucian Experience is a platform that ties all the operation elements of Banner (and other services) into one place. Experience is a centralized and secure information hub. It can be tailored to fit the roles that we fulfill. One major outcome we see is that Experience would replace Pipeline! The intention is to make this a ‘soft’ rollout where we will have a pilot group use and stress test Experience and from there enter an opt-in period where we can choose to opt-in to using Experience. During this opt-in time we should be able to switch back and forth between Pipeline and Experience. Following the opt-in period, there would be a hard cutover time.

We are planning for the opt-in period to begin in the first quarter of 2024.

The Intelligent Learning Platform (ILP) provides a tight integration between Banner and Canvas. Currently we are using homegrown software to provide this integration. As we move forward, it is better to use the platform that comes with Banner. ILP works seamlessly with Experience to the point where it can send reminders to students of upcoming assignments (if of course all this information is in Canvas). ILP implementation is planned to be in place by the Summer of 2024.

Cyber Security Update

One of the key requirements of our Cyber Insurance policy is to have fake phishing exercises and any follow-up training that may be needed! I can only guess what we are all thinking about this! Please don’t look down on the folks in IS&T because of this.

However, because those bad actors that send out the phishing emails and so forth keep getting ‘better’ and looking more and more legitimate, we are about to start sending out fake phishing emails and invite some who may be hooked by the fake phishing bait to undertake some online training. The training will be in the form of 3-5 minute videos, most of which are animated. The video is followed by a simple quiz. Here is a sample video (our videos will be more suited to a higher education institution) - https://player.vimeo.com/video/344657894
The fake phishing emails will be sent out randomly. Some will focus on particular groups and others will be to the general community.

Changes in Google's Agreement

Google is changing the way they handle storage. Because of this, it was necessary for us to purchase Google licenses instead of using the “free” version of Google. The licenses we purchased are called Google Plus Licenses and are available for current employees and current students.

Our new licenses come with some nice features. Most of them are administrative, but there are some enhancements to Google Meet that we think will be helpful to you.  

• Q&A – allows anyone in the Meeting to ask questions. The moderator can filter the questions, mark them as answered or hide them.

• Breakout Rooms – moderators can divide participants into smaller groups during the Meet.

• Record a Meeting – recordings are saved in your Google Drive.

• Transcripts – Captures a transcription of the Meet that is saved in your Google Drive.

• Noise Cancellation – helps to limit distractions in the Meet and filter out background noise.

• Attendance Reports – track Meeting attendance automatically.

You don’t need to do anything to use your new Google license. It has already been applied to your account. Licenses for students with similar features will be added soon.

New Telephone system coming...

If you haven’t already, please complete the survey that will help us determine the features of the future telephone system that will be installed.


We have had 354 people respond so far. That is a great response to the survey. Here are some of the early results:

In the charts below, 5 - strongly agree and 1 - strongly disagree.

The survey closes this Friday, March 24, 2023.
Here is a link to the survey: https://forms.gle/1tsRJ4graSDScp4n6.

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.

Some things stay the same, but some things change...

Did you know that there are:

• 4,079 PCs and phones connected through

• 364 network switches and

• 1,617 wifi access points over

• 497 miles of fiber, just around our campus....

Find out more ways IS&T helps you keep you connected here.....

Core Router Installation Schedule

The final pieces of our new core router have arrived as scheduled. That is something to be thankful for in these times.  

Let me outline our plan for configuring and installing the new core router.

 

After all the equipment has been delivered, it will be unpacked and serial numbers verified to ensure the equipment shipped is the same equipment that is on our maintenance agreement. This is important.

 

We have engaged a highly qualified Cisco Certified Engineer to assist the configuration and implementation.

Our Network Services team, along with the Cisco engineer will:

• Complete a design workshop - November 10

• Develop a detailed action plan - November 11-16

• Install and test

• The installation process is estimated to take 24 hours. We plan to start the installation at 5.00pm on Friday, December 11.

• The installation begins in the server room in the Admin Building. The old core router is physically removed from the rack, the new core router is mounted in the racks and the  power and  fiber cables are connected to the new core router.

• From there, the team will work on a list of buildings moving each building’s equipment and settings to the new core router

• During this installation period there will be internet interruptions.

• Once the work in the Admin Building data center commences, there will be no internet connection on campus. This commences at 5.00pm on December 11.

• After the Admin Building is back up and running, we will work building by building, starting with the Burks American Heritage Building. 

• Internet service will be restored to each building as it is moved to the new core router.

• After this is all complete the whole campus network and internet will be active on the new core router.

 

FAQs

1. How do I contact Public Safety when the Admin and Heritage buildings are offline?

1. Public Safety will send a message to the campus prior to December 11 and explain how to contact them.

2. What If it takes longer? How can we log into Canvas?

1. We will be setting up cloud based authentication so that the service to Canvas will not be interrupted from off campus. You can get to Canvas from: http://harding.instructure.com

3. Why are we doing at this time, right before finals?

1. There is no longer any ideal or good time to make these types of changes. Leaving it later will take us to grades being submitted and rolled, degrees to the conferred Christmas break (when there is no load on the system), and then we are at the first of the Spring semester.

4. Can I access Pipeline during this time?

1. No, Pipeline will not be available while the data center in the Admin Bldg is offline. After the Admin Bldg is back online, Pipeline will be available off campus and will come back online on-campus as each building is brought back up online.

5. Will I still get email?

1. Yes and no. Email will still be available on mobile devices that stay logged into email. To access email via your browser on a computer will be similar to how it works with Pipeline. After the Admin Bldg is back online, email will be available off campus and will come back online on-campus as each building is brought back up online.

The New Core Router is on the way...

The Router is on the way

If we go by the number of packages, 80% of the router has arrived. 

  

 

But functionally, John Exum considers it as 60% because these are the minor components, not the major ones.  

 

 

The expected arrival of the final pieces is November 4th.

We will keep you posted!

Web Conferencing, Tech Changes Since 2010, Thankfulness

Web Conferencing Access and Support Available On Campus

The Multimedia Studio in Admin 209 offers a Zoom (Web Conferencing tool) setup for individuals that need to participate in or arrange a web session. The Studio offers the equipment, software and support to conduct or participate in a web conferencing session.

Other services available:

• Lecture Capture and PowerPoint voice-over recordings (in or out of Canvas)
• Interview style recordings
• Lightboard recordings
• All recordings come with closed captioning and or transcript options

For more information, please contact Nikki at ndecker@harding.edu

Harding Library Director Receives Service Award

Jean Waldrop was recently featured in the Three Rivers Edition of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette for receiving the Suzanne Spurrier Award. Check out the full article here!

Technology's Effects on HU Since 2010

Moving Canvas Content

Did you know it’s easy to move your Canvas content from one semester to the next, and it will even change due dates for you?

To move content, you will need to first go into the future course. This course should be empty. Once in your future course, click Settings on the bottom left and then Import Course Content. 

Then you will change the Content Type to Copy a Canvas Course, find the course and select if you want to move All content or Select specific content from the course. The last option is Adjust events and due dates, and then select Shift dates. If you select this option, Canvas will automatically adjust the due dates associated with any course events and assignments. Canvas will look at the new start and end dates and distribute all the assignments as evenly as possible across the course dates. Here is the Canvas tutorial: How do I adjust events and due dates in a course import to give a more detailed look into the adjust events and due dates option. Once the import is complete, it will show Completed under Current Jobs. I would then suggest going back to Settings in your course and clicking Validate Links in Content to search your Canvas course for any broken links.

If you have any questions on moving your content, please contact the E-Learning helpdesk by emailing elearning@harding.edu or calling at x5201.

IS&T People Giving Thanks 

We asked the people in IS&T to tell us some of the things they are most grateful for about working at Harding; here are some of their answers:

Family and the opportunity to grow professionally and spiritually.

My co-workers

The first thing that comes to mind is the opportunity to become personal friends with accomplished thinkers/scholars who are ALSO serious about their faith. Some of the folks I work with--however tangentially--have refreshed my soul simply by being themselves. I'm deeply grateful to God for allowing my life to intersect theirs.

My supervisors always put Jesus above job

I am thankful for the financial assistance and encouragement Harding provides for pursuing more education.

I am most thankful for the Christian atmosphere all over the campus. I love seeing the smiling faces of everyone, and know that God could use me to make a difference in the lives of those around me.

All the people I get to work with.

I enjoy the focus on faith and family. Being able to bring my daughter to my office after school is a wonderful opportunity for her to be around fellow Christians who are working and love the Lord.

A good environment, with good people to work on things for the greater good

The people I work with.

I'm thankful for Godly leaders like Dr. McLarty, the Administrators and the Board who strive to keep Harding true to her mission so we can influence the world for Christ.

All of my wonderful co-workers!

The people at HU: a wonderful student body, faculty, and staff. (Polite, friendly students; a flexible, understanding boss; and dedicated, hard-working faculty and staff co-workers.)

A beautiful, well-kept campus that invites me to take a walk

Students that care about what kind of an education they seek.

Thankful for the opportunity to get to know students and form a relationship with them that carries on past their time at Harding.

My week off at Christmas.

The wonderful people I get to work with across many departments.

The spirit of living and working as Christians together

The respect, humility, and willingness to help that is exhibited daily by the staff.

If "thing" means non-person then I would have to say the industrial coffee maker. ;)

The Christian work environment that has an eternal mission.

Tuition discount!

That we are moving in the same direction--living and working for God. It is such a blessing to share that with those around you.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of IS&T!

Good Habits of Personal Computer Use

Seven Habits.

       1. Lock your computer when you leave your office for some time

How do I lock my computer?

• Windows computer - easy. Hit the Windows+L keys together. 

• Apple computer depends on the operating system version and hardware configuration. Here is a link that explains how -  https://macpaw.com/how-to/lock-mac-screen

          2. When in doubt, restart your computer.

Many times when things get stuck, restarting your computer will clear the problem. So, do a restart first before calling the Help Desk.

               3. Get up and walk around.

Don't get stuck behind the screen for hours on end. Get up and walk around at least once every hour. Go outside, smell the roses, chase a squirrel or just enjoy the trees.

          4. Back Up

Don't be caught if something should happen to your hard drive. Have your data backed up, maybe in more than one place. There are some great data backup and synchronization tools. Some people don't want to pay for back-ups. But what value do you place on your data, including those tens of thousands photos.

Check these options (there are more than these options):

• Google photos
• Flickr
• G Drive
• Sugarsync
• Carbonite
• iCloud

      5. Separate email accounts

Have one email for Harding business and another for personal and home business. This helps keep things in place and should anything happen where your HU account is lost, you will still have your personal and home business emails intact.

        6. Don't eat over your keyboard

Need there be any more said - there have been some really sticky and inoperable keyboards in the labs, library and other places.

        7. Passwords

• Use a strong password
• Don't use the same password on multiple accounts, at least don't use your Harding password on other accounts
• Don't write your passwords down and store them next to your computer
• Use a password manager (LastPass, Dashlane)