Throughout October and November, the computer replacement project team has been working with department administrators to determine their needs and requirements for new computers. Their cooperation throughout this process has helped to keep the project on schedule and progressing quickly.

We have also begun rolling out new computers to our pilot groups in Technology, the Library, and elsewhere. These teams are providing us with crucial feedback that will help ensure the success of the project as we move forward and replace computers across campus.

We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding, which enables us to use the limited financial resources we have available to most effectively support the teaching, business, and strategic goals of the College.

If you’re holed up in your apartment or at a café studying for finals, or if you have a trip planned for the semester break, it’s easy to stay connected and get tech support from Simmons while you’re away from campus.

Service Desk Support

Open for phone support Monday-Friday from 7:30am – 5:30pm at 617-521-2222.

If you need help during the evening or on the weekend, or if you’d rather not pick up the phone, you’ll find answers to many common questions on the Service Desk website.

Services Available Anywhere

You can access your email, calendar, Google docs, Moodle, AARC, Workday, and more from almost any device using mobile sites and apps.

If you need access to technology services that are only available from the on-campus network, you can tap into them remotely using VPN. Simmons VPN is accessible on most computers and mobile devices.

There’s been a surprising amount of talk lately about cyber security. This important but often overlooked topic even made an appearance in a presidential debate as “the security aspect of cyber.” We’re not 100% sure what that means, but we do know that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), and we want to help you understand the threats to your computers, mobile devices, and data.

Here are some resources to help you learn more and stay safe online:

• Simmons College Information Security
• NCSAM at StaySafeOnline.org
• Antivirus software download
• Google’s Safety Center
• Built-in Security from Microsoft
• McAfee’s Guide to Secure Online Shopping (PDF)

If you have any questions about cyber security, keeping your devices and data safe, or working with sensitive data at Simmons, the Service Desk is always available to help.

In September, Simmons College welcomed Marjorie “Honey” Pike as our new Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police. To help the campus community learn more about Honey’s background and plans for her work at Simmons, we sat down to ask her some questions about her approach to policing, community engagement, and more.

Read the full interview here.

This session will explore strategies for providing feedback in the Online Classroom. Students need much more support and feedback in the online environment than they may need in a traditional course. Using effective feedback strategies will enable the instructor to identify and meet individual student needs as well as encourage students to participate and continue to participate at a high quality level.

This session is open to ALL faculty—whether you teach online or on-campus. Visit the Faculty Fellows Hub to get complete details on all the sessions being offered.

Interested in signing up for this session? RSVP today!

During September and October, the Technology team has continued planning for the FY17 computer replacement program.

We’ve developed a tentative timeline for working with departments to schedule computer replacements. This timeline is based on several factors, including the average age of computers currently used in each department and the total estimated replacement cost.

Our next steps will be to start interviewing department administrators in November and then begin a pilot rollout of new computers to a subset of five departments. Following the pilot period, we will expand the program quickly to other areas of the College during the 3rd and 4th quarters of the fiscal year.

As the project continues, we’ll share up-to-date information oncomputerupgrades.simmons.edu. If you have specific questions about computer replacements, please contact theService Desk.