Tag Archives: 2013

Improving the Service Desk Website

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While many on-campus activities slow down after the Spring semester, this tends to be a busy time for the Technology team. We spend the summer months working on projects so they will be up and running by the beginning of Fall semester.

This summer, we’ll be overhauling the Service Desk website, making the most important information easier to find. In addition, we’ll improve the integration between the website, our knowledge base, and the ticket management system we use to track your requests. In the end, these changes will improve your ability to get the information you need and further streamline our process for handling requests.

Keep an eye out for more information as this project moves forward.

 

Online Training Now Available via lynda.com

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Simmons Technology is pleased to announce our partnership with lynda.com, a provider of online training tools. This investment provides Simmons students, faculty, and staff with 24/7 online access to 1,400 training modules on more than 150 topics, including web design, Microsoft Office, photography, mobile app creation, social media, and much more.

The tutorials include in-depth training and practice exercises that can help you gain new skills or improve existing knowledge. Students and staff can use lynda.com to gain job-related skills and faculty can use it as a resource to supplement or even replace textbooks and online materials.

To get started, visit lynda.com and click log in, then enter simmons.edu on the right side of the login screen. You’ll be directed to a Simmons login page and returned to lynda.com after entering your Simmons username and password. Now you’re ready to learn!

To find out more about lynda.com, please visit servicedesk.simmons.edu. If you need assistance, call the Service Desk at 617-521-2222.

Google Apps Training and a Note About the New Compose Experience

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google_apps_smAs of Friday, April 18th, the faculty and staff migration to Google Apps for Education is more than eighty percent complete. Because so many faculty members have been migrated in the last month, we want to remind you that we’re holding Google Apps training every week on Tuesday and Thursday. You can find the full schedule here. There’s no need to sign up, just drop in and get answers to your questions about creating, collaborating, and sharing with Google Apps.

Many of you may have noticed that Gmail now has a new compose window that you’ll see when writing an email. The new compose setup features a few advantages, including the ability to minimize drafts in progress and to open the email you’re composing in a separate window. To find out more about the new compose experience, click here.

That brings us to our tip for this month. During training, many people have asked us if you can automatically open a new email in a new window, and the answer is yes. If you hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard and click COMPOSE, a blank email will open in a new window in front of your inbox. You can find additional tips for making the most of the new compose experience over at the Chronicle of Higher Ed.