Tag Archives: 202209

Welcome Back

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Technology Support Center (TSC) located in MCB Ground Floor A-050

Technology is excited to welcome you back to campus! Whether you’re new or have been here for years, we’re here to assist you. The Technology Support Center (TSC) is located on the ground floor of the MCB, room A-050. TSC’s services, including walk-up support and equipment loans, are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Not on campus or remote?  Our Service Desk provides technical support on a wide variety of topics. We can help you troubleshoot problems with your computer, account access, printing, Zoom, and many other technology-related issues. Our website provides access to many resources including contact information, support hours, FAQs, service and support request forms, classroom and event support information, and hardware and software discounts.

New Workday User Interface

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On Saturday, September 10, Workday will update its user interface to a brand new look!  All functionality on the Workday homepage will still be there in a new format.  A new section of the homepage contains Timely Suggestions reminding you of important activities such as reminders to submit your time or upcoming registration appointments.  A new Menu in the upper left corner of every page is where you can access all your familiar Apps and Worklets.

Screenshot of Workday screen with new menu. A new Menu in the upper left corner of every page is where you can access all your familiar Apps and Worklets.

For more information or assistance, please reach out to [email protected].

LMS Transition to Moodle

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After two years of pivot, campus-based undergraduate coursework has transitioned back to Simmons Moodle.  Faculty and Students login with their Simmons credentials and no longer use a separate password to access their coursework.  Simmons Moodle is very similar to the Learning Management System of previous years and the transition from one to the other should be smooth.  

If you need technical support, please reach out to [email protected].  All support is now provided by Simmons Staff.  The Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) provides instructional design assistance for faculty and can be reached at [email protected].

We’re also excited to introduce Gradescope, a cloud-based grading tool.  Gradescope allows faculty to save time grading and provides analytics on how students are doing in class.  Gradescope can be used to grade a variety of assignments: quizzes, bubble sheets, exams, worksheets, projects, problem sets, projects, and programs.  Integrated with Moodle, Gradescope works with Gradebook to manage students’ grades.

Information Security and Phishing

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ID Badge IconNearly 20 million students in the US are expected to attend universities this fall. 

This is an exciting time for Simmons as our students, faculty, and staff return for the academic year. Unfortunately, the return to school provides ample opportunities for cybercriminals who wish to take advantage of people during these particularly busy times.

Phishing attacks are once again on the rise, accounting for more than 20% of data breaches in 2021[1]. It is estimated that one in every 99 messages (1.2%)[2] is malicious which equates to nearly 3.4 billion fake emails per day.

Luckily there are some healthy security practices that we all can take to reduce risk:

  • Beware of email messages claiming to be of an urgent nature.
  • Pay attention to the sender of the email message.
  • Look out for fake logos, signatures, or suspicious message contents.
  • Check those URLs; only visit official, reputable websites with encryption.
  • Think twice before clicking links or opening attachments.
  • Protect your passwords and use different passwords for your work, school, and personal accounts.
  • Keep your machine clean. 
  • Make sure that all of your devices, apps, browsers, and antivirus software are up-to-date.
  • Delete sensitive information if you no longer need it.
  • Back-up your files regularly. 

Be mindful of common scams targeting college students, including:

  • Emails that contain “important information about your Simmons account” or a “problem with your registration”
  • Tech Support scams where you get a call about a “problem with your computer”
  • Scholarship scams, textbook rental or book-buying scams.
  • IRS scams demanding money for a fake “federal student tax”
  • Tuition reimbursement or student debt cancellation scams
  • Messages asking for your login information, passwords, or other personal information
  • Fake friend requests, fake login pages, and fake DropBox or Google Docs share notices.

Thank you for your continued cooperation supporting your information security and online safety!  For more information about phishing and Internet scams, as well as ways to identify them, please visit our Phishing and Scams resource page

Please send any questions or concerns to Simmons Information Security Officer, Richard Phung, or the Technology Service Desk.  

[1] Verizon 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report (https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/)

[2] Valimail Email Fraud Landscape Spring 2019 Report (https://valimail.docsend.com/view/qndhuhn)

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