Michigan IT News is maintaining a list of unit-level, COVID-related updates re: IT operations and resources. Contact us if you would like to add or make edits to the listing and we will try to comply as quickly as possible. Thank you!
The U-M Accessibility site has published a guide to Remote Instruction for Students and Faculty with Disabilities. In addition, Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) has published an FAQ that provides guidance related to onlineaccess and remote learning. ITS’s Knox Center contains many resources related to accessibility, including these instructional accessibility tips.
Keep Teaching @ U-M is a new set of resources and strategies developed by the Center for Academic Innovation, the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, and ITS to help faculty connect with students and teach remotely during this time of disruption. This resource provides faculty with strategies, guides, and tutorials to keep teaching and help students to keep learning. The CRLT has developed a checklist for faculty on Getting Started with Teaching Remotely in an Emergency. CRLT and CAI are also holding open office hours via BlueJeans to field questions about teaching remotely. These will run Monday-Friday from 9:00-11:00 a.m.and will likely continue through the term.
UM-Dearborn Information Technology Services remains open. UM-Dearborn classes are being held remotely through the end of the semester, Summer I, and Summer II. Most campus operations are being conducted remotely and buildings are closed. Before coming to campus please call ahead to determine how services are being delivered. Events have been postponed or canceled, including Spring 2020 Commencement. For more updates please visit the Coronavirus information page.
The Detroit Center has shifted hours to Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.and will only have two staff members onsite at a time. The center remains available as a resource for faculty and staff who are teaching and supporting courses in remote or alternative formats. During this time, the Detroit Centerwill be accessible only via MCard access. Faculty looking to use the space may secure Mcard access by contacting the Detroit Center’s director Feodies Shipp at dini@umich.edu.
The Detroit Center is providing the use of its huddle rooms for remote teaching, class discussion, and office hours. Huddle rooms are fitted with a mounted monitor, mounted webcam, and Mac mini computer. The center also has shared cubicles and phone booth rooms that provide space for video conferences via their laptop.
Flint Information Technology Services remains open. All classes are now online. Access to academic buildings for students is temporarily suspended. Faculty and staff may access academic buildings to facilitate distance learning or for other essential functions. Computer labs will now be located exclusively in Riverfront, 2nd floor, rooms 2341and 2401. Both labs are accessible 24/7 via MCard for Riverfront residents. Learn more about how UM-Flint is supporting its campus community in working and learning remotely.
CAEN is the IT services department for Michigan Engineering, and offers IT resources to support the college’s educational, research, and administrative needs. Nexus, the college’s online and professional education program, offers expertise for classes that involve remote students including capturing lectures, managing an online classroom, and monitoring exams. CAEN and Nexus consultants are available during the COVID period. Engineering, with technology-related contributions from CAEN and Nexus, has published a comprehensive COVID-19 Preparedness Guide that includes:
- Teaching Resources
- Student Support
- Telecommuting Resources
- Research Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Helpful Links
- Announcements
The HITS Service Desk remains open. Call the service desk or get help online by chatting with a virtual or live agent, submitting a request or reporting a problem. The HITS “Help Me Now” walk-in centers are closed until further notice and the MiChart upgrade planned for Sunday, April 19 will be delayed. HITS has added Remote Desktop Access and a new online “Virtual Assistant” to help remote workers stay connected and productive. The HITS Tech Guide to Working Remotely covers the technology staff, faculty, and students need to create a successful remote work environment during an emergency situation. The guide covers:
- Equipment
- Access
- Communication and collaboration
- Online learning
- Phones and voicemail
- File storage and access
- MiChart remote access
- Accessibility considerations
The ITS Service Center remains open to assist students, faculty, and staff on the Ann Arbor campus. ITS has suspended onsite operations for Tech Repair, Computer Showcase, Tech Consulting, and Rovers services (this includes poster services). Many Campus Computing locations on campus are closed, have restricted access, or reduced services. The ITS Remote Resource Guide contains resources to help you teach, learn, work, study, and conduct research remotely. It also offers information about training sessions for Canvas, Zoom, and BlueJeans. Major topics include:
- Getting Started with Working Remotely
- Teaching & Student Engagement
- Learning & Study
- Research
- Work
- Community & Well-being
LSA Technology Services remains open and has published several resources for
The updated LSA Technology Services public-facing website includes information on revised support hours, closures of loan centers and walk-in support desks, the suspension of poster printing services, and converting (pilot) in-person research support office hours to online-only.
Learning and Teaching Technology Consultants are holding virtual office hours on Tuesdays from 1-3 p.m. Faculty who normally use Lecture Capture may continue to use their regular class time and classroom to record lectures. Use of an auditorium to record lectures needs to be confirmed by contacting the help desk. For instructors who prefer to record remotely, there are instructions for using Kaltura via Canvas. For those without internet access, LSA lists possible ways to get free or discounted internet service.
ITS Safe Computing has published several resources to help students, faculty, and staff stay secure while working remotely. The areas they cover include working securely from home, secure videoconferencing, and sensitive data guide updates for new services, like Zoom and Adobe Cloud Storage.