Category Archives: TechNews

What’s New in Simmons Connection?

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In June, we rolled out phase one of Simmons Connection, our new centralized source for technology resources at Simmons. At that time, we let everyone know that Simmons Connection is a platform that will change and improve over time. We want to inform you of a few changes that we’ve already made based on your feedback and to make you aware of additional resources for helping you make the most of Simmons Connection.

One area that we want to make especially clear is that all AARC functionality still exists within Simmons Connection. Some things might be in new places, but we haven’t removed any of the tools you used previously. For example, faculty and advisors can still view course rosters under theAcademic Resources menu, and everyone can access the Course Catalogby clicking on it under the Online Services menu. The new course catalog displays full information about each course being offered, as well as enrollment info and the option (if you are a student) to add a course to your Preferred Sections List while viewing the course description.

We have also made several changes based on feedback we received from you, including improved menu structure in AARC and replacing the Gmail link for students so that it is grouped with other Google Apps in Connection. In addition, we have recently fixed the data feed for the course catalog and corrected an issue that prevented class rosters from printing correctly. These are just a few of the improvements, small and large, that we’re continuing to make based on your input.

If you are having trouble using Simmons Connection, you can always call the Service Desk at 617-521-2222. In addition, our project website offers step-by-step instructions and short video tutorials on many aspects of Simmons Connection. This fall, we will be offering even more training sessions as everyone returns for the start of a new semester. We’ll be announcing the dates and times of these trainings soon.

For now, we hope you’ll continue to provide feedback on Simmons Connection, and we will continue to make updates and improvements to improve your experience.

Gmail and Google Apps for Education for students are here!

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Just in case you missed all of our announcements and emails and the ads on the T (okay, we didn’t actually put ads on the T), we want you to know that all students have now been migrated to Gmail and Google Apps for Education!

What does this mean? No more Webmail. No more tiny quota. No more searching for ways to share documents and projects with other students.

Other than changing how your email looks and adding functionality, nothing else will change. You’ll still have the same Simmons email address and you’ll still use it to interact with other students and your professors.

What do you need to do now?

• If you haven’t done so, go to gmail.simmons.edu to log in to your email.

• We’re also recommending that all students change their password. You’ll need to do this if you want to check your email on a mobile device or with other email software like Apple Mail or Thunderbird. You can update your password at preferences.simmons.edu.

• Speaking of mobile devices, you can find instructions for setting up your iPhone, Android phone, Blackberry and more by clicking here.

• If you have other question, visit gonegoogle.simmons.edu or contact the Service Desk at 617-521-2222 or servicedesk.simmons.edu.

Remember, we’re here to help you start using this new and exciting service. Contact us with any questions or problems you’re having and we’ll do our best to find a quick and simple solution for you.

Simmons Connection is just around the corner

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In recent months, the Simmons Technology team has been hard at work on a new centralized platform that integrates many of the technology services offered at Simmons. This new product, called Simmons Connection, will be available to everyone at Simmons on June 4th.

We’ve kept the best of what the existing portal (My.Simmons) had to offer and added new services like email and event management. We’re most excited about two brand new features: Planga and Mox. Planga is a new event and group management tool that will make keeping track of your upcoming events easier than ever. Mox is a mobile app that will give you one-touch access to many Simmons Connection features. You can use it to view announcements, search the directory, and quickly navigate to upcoming events on Planga.

We also want you to know that, while email will look different for students, they will still have Simmons email addresses and the changes to email will not affect how students interact with professors or staff members.

While many technology services are already available in this first iteration of Simmons Connection, we do want you to know that it is a living, evolving platform that we will continue to refine and improve by making incremental changes over time. Like many of our projects, the creation and rollout of Simmons Connection has been rooted in a philosophy of continuous changes to functionality and usability based on your feedback. Accordingly, there is a prominent feedback link within Simmons Connection and we hope that you will use it to provide your thoughts and, in turn, help guide the decisions and changes we make.

We will be working this summer to include new features and improve the overall functionality of Simmons Connection. To keep you up to date on new developments, we have created a project website where you can find out more information about Simmons Connection and get access to some of the most common questions about how to use it. You can find it at project-connection.simmons.edu.

Change Management: Improving service, managing risk

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While many exciting changes are occurring right now in Simmons Technology, we also want to give some insight into a less glamorous but very important aspect of what we do. It’s called change management and it’s at the heart of everything that happens behind the scenes.

At its core, change management is a set of practices that determines how we go about making changes to our services and assessing the risks inherent in those changes. Changes can cause big problems if they’re not managed effectively. In 2008, a study by the consulting firm Gartner found that 80% of technology downtime is caused by problems with changes to services.

Conversely, change is inevitable. We know that you want new products and access to the most up-to-date versions of products you already use. This is why we have a process for managing change and creating an environment where downtime is minimized or, when possible, avoided all together.

The first step in managing change is working with our customers (that’s you!) to determine what your needs are and how changes will impact business decisions and your day-to-day work and scholarship. For example, we have been working with faculty, staff, and students while planning and testing Simmons Connection. We need to know that the changes we plan will benefit you and improve service without negatively impacting existing services.

Next, we test changes by implementing them in a development environment. This allows us to discuss and provide feedback on a potential change before deploying it to everyone.

After that, we seek approval for the change, both internally and from customers, and schedule the change to occur during a time when there will be minimal impact (for example, early in the morning or over a weekend).

In the end, all of this planning pays great dividends. On average, we make 50-75 changes per month and we have fewer service interruptions than other comparable institutions.

So, the next time you see a change, whether it’s logging into Simmons Connection for the first time or noticing a new printer in the library, you’ll know that it was the result of a process that seeks to provide the best possible service to you with the fewest interruptions.

Celebrating the career of Elena Lander

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While the newsletter is usually filled with information about new or upcoming services, sometimes we need to share something about the people behind those services. This is one of those times.

After 30+ years of service, Elena Lander will be retiring from her position as the Director of Administrative Solutions. Elena began working at Simmons College in October 1980 as a Systems Analyst and progressed through the ranks to become the Director. During her time, she orchestrated the implementation of the College’s current ERP system, Ellucian’s Colleague (formerly Datatel) and its eventual expansion to all administrative departments including Student Financial Services, Human Resources, and the Registrar’s Office.

As Director, Elena’s responsibilities included the overall performance, maintenance, upgrading and enhancement of the Colleague system, using her vast technical prowess and skill.

A celebration will be held in Elena’s honor at the end of June with event details to follow.

The Technology Department extends its best wishes to Elena!

Flipping the classroom: Content capture at Simmons

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It should come as no surprise to faculty and staff that technology changes quickly and making the right choices when selecting and implementing new products is vital to the success of twenty-first century institutions.

One such technology that is currently undergoing a dramatic shift is content capture. Formerly referred to as “lecture capture,” this is a catch-all for the ways in which we record and share content in our courses. In the past, this was mostly accomplished by equipping classrooms with audio and video equipment and then recording lectures, which could be shared online. While this is a very useful method for reaching distance learners and capturing lectures for later viewing, it’s not especially good at incorporating the many ways students and professors interact. It’s also financially disadvantageous because it requires video and audio recording equipment to be installed in every classroom and it can only capture what happens during a class session.

Outside of this basic technology, there has been significant growth in the ability and feasibility of capturing and sharing other aspects of the learning experience. We now use web content, slides, document cameras, conferencing tools, and other non-lecture paths for connecting students and instructors. What’s more, learning itself is becoming an anytime, anywhere activity and more students are learning in blended classrooms or completely online. Because of this, we need a solution that goes far beyond the simple recording of lectures.

Starting this summer, as part of Simmons Moodle (our new learning management system), we will be simultaneously pilot testing two software-based content capture systems for possible long-term use. We have selected two products: Tegrity and Panopto. Both are software-based solutions that take advantage of existing infrastructure at Simmons (screen capture, webcams, document cameras, etc.) and provide simple organization and editing of content. Additionally, it puts the professor in control of their own content. Instructors can decide what content is captured, where and when it appears, and how many times it has been viewed. We want content capture to be respectful of students’ and faculty members’ time and intellectual property. This solution will minimize the time spent organizing and maximize control of the content you have created.

Perhaps the biggest advantage to these content capture systems is the ability to directly integrate what you’ve captured into Simmons Moodle. There will be no need to upload videos or other content to a personal or external site. You will be able to use one interface to upload, edit, organize, and share what you’ve created.

Our goal is to begin testing Tegrity and Panopto during the second summer session. Once the pilot sessions are up and running, we will update everyone on our progress and seek your input so we can make the best choice for faculty and students. Please keep an eye on future issues of TechNews for information on how you can get involved with this exciting initiative.