News

The recent Wi-Fi disruptions on campus were caused by a software bug that prevented equipment from properly balancing the demand for connections to the network. A software upgrade installed on Oct. 8 and 11, plus follow-up work on Oct. 18, has solved the problem.

The disruption began in late September. It interrupted teaching in some classes, dropped or delayed connections to eduroam in different parts of campus, and contributed to login and password difficulties.

All UC Davis faculty now have access to Gradescope, an app with roots at UC Berkeley that can streamline and improve the grading process.

More than 60 UC Davis instructors have used Gradescope so far, and wider use is expected as more faculty learn about the tool and what it offers them. The campus has obtained a license for faculty at UC Davis, and has integrated the tool so that instructors can use it through the UC Davis Canvas learning management system.

Information and Educational Technology will update key pieces of equipment that support eduroam, the campus wireless network, starting at 7 tonight. The maintenance is due to end by 6 a.m. Friday.

Meet Floppy and Cow, a couple of characters at UC Davis. One has an uncanny ability to misuse technology, sometimes in spectacular fashion. The other understands how tech works.

Together, they’ll appear this month in five short video comedies of woe and redemption that illustrate basic tech skills and/or good tech habits. Two were posted Oct. 10 on the IT Express Facebook page, with the rest to follow by the end of the month (YouTube versions here).

A new resource offers faculty ideas on how they can use or experiment with UC Davis Canvas and other tools of digital learning when teaching at UC Davis.

The resource, presented as a 28-page report, includes examples of how Academic Technology Services (ATS) can assist faculty as they explore and integrate these tools, with services that range from instructional design consultations, and integrating different media in coursework, to recording videos in the eLearning Studio.

The campus office that manages more than two dozen computer rooms and computer labs at UC Davis has moved its headquarters into a neighboring building.

Computer Lab Management, a unit in Information and Educational Technology, moved from 301 Surge IV into part of Surge II during the first week in September. IET re-arranged space for a few of its other, more internal services to accommodate the change.

The microtalks by UC Davis faculty are among the best reasons to go to the yearly Summer Institute on Teaching and Technology, and this year’s lineup is no exception.

Instructors who attend get an expert overview and discussion—this time, on topics that range from evoking the world for students through in-class web interviews, to podcasting in medical education—and often come away with ideas they want to use themselves.

The improved UC Davis Recreation Pool has spacious grounds, attractive pools, renovated showers and restrooms, a sand volleyball pit, and an upgrade visitors might not notice until they pick up their phones, maybe to share a Rec Pool selfie with their friends:

The popular spot for swimming and recreation at La Rue and Hutchison now has access to eduroam, the campus wireless network.

If your smartphone or tablet uses iOS 10 or Android 6 with Duo, then you need to upgrade to newer versions of the operating software by July 28. After that date, Duo will not work securely with iOS 10 or Android 6.

Duo Security announced the end of Duo support for iOS 10 and Android 6 on May 1. “Focusing on newer [operating systems] allows Duo to continue building helpful and secure features,” the company said. “We encourage users to upgrade to the latest OS versions to ensure devices are not vulnerable to security issues and to provide … the best Duo Mobile experience.”

Registration has opened for the 2019 Information Security Symposium, to be held June 18-19 at UC Davis.

The $125 registration cost includes attendance at all events, breakfast and lunch each day, and conference materials.

The symposium usually sells out in advance. Read more at the symposium website.

UC Davis has set a target date of Friday, May 31, for enrolling as many faculty, staff, and student employees in Duo multi-factor authentication as possible. If you are among these groups and have not yet signed up, please do so by the end of May.

The Duo requirement does not currently cover campus email accounts. UC Davis has temporarily excluded these accounts from Duo to simplify the Duo enrollment process.

24/7 support for Duo will be available, at a date to be announced.

Academic Technology Services has posted its list of spring quarter forums for faculty, with topics that look both interesting and practical—ranging from “How September 11th Changed the Way I Deliver Instruction” by entomology Professor Walter Leal, to strategies for teaching during emergency campus closures like the one caused by smoke from Northern California wildfires last fall.

The campus is taking advantage of the relative quiet of spring break to repair critically damaged power infrastructure in the Network Operations Center.

The work is scheduled to be performed from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 30. Power will maintained via mobile power generators to keep the center operating. No disruptions are anticipated. However, if the center were to go offline, access to services through the campus network would be affected.

Students who use the Main Reading Room in Shields Library now enjoy a much stronger connection to the campus wireless network, eduroam.

Information and Educational Technology and the library teamed up to install three wireless access points high on the room’s south wall on Tuesday, March 19. The points can handle more than 300 smartphones, tablets, or other wireless devices at a time. Prior wireless coverage came from access points downstairs.

You might have heard about Duo at UC Davis. For now it’s mainly a concern for faculty and staff, but if you’re a student employee, the news concerns you too. You need to enroll in Duo this spring because you work here.

Here are the details: