IT Checklist for a New Quarter

On a regular basis, it’s a good idea to clean up your e-mail. Make sure that you are keeping a back up of your Northwestern e-mail (centrally managed by NUIT). Details about Northwestern e-mail accounts, including webmail access, setup for smart phones, and junk mail control can be found at http://www.it.northwestern.edu/accounts/email/index.html.

Hardware and Software – Weinberg IT provides hardware and software support to faculty and staff. Weinberg funds may only be used to purchase Dell, Lenovo, or Apple brand computers. The Weinberg software image should satisfy your basic software needs. Additional information is available concerning specialized research software and cluster-supported software.

Make sure that your NetID password is up to date. It needs to be changed at least every 90 days. Your NetID gives you access to the VPN (for off-campus computing) and the NU Library resources, as well as other proprietary systems on campus.

This is a good time to check your backup strategy and to start using the Weinberg IT Network Storage for all your important files.

To prepare for classes, consider the following:

Northwestern uses Blackboard as the primary Course Management System. Blackboard is a Web-based learning, discussion and class administration tool. Help is available from Academic and Research Technologies to get started with Blackboard. They offer workshops, on-line tutorials, and individual assistance. In particular, see directions for adding content and using the plagiarism detection tool.

Smart Classrooms are technology enhanced classrooms that foster opportunities for teaching and learning by integrating learning technology, such as computers, specialized software, audience response technology, networking, and audio/visual capabilities.

These classrooms are available for faculty and require a reservation prior to use. Contact your department when the teaching schedule is being negotiated, and request a smart classroom. The list of Evanston classroom locations includes a user guide, equipment list, and supported software for each classroom. About a week before the first class, call the Registrar (1-5234) to pick up a key for the podium.