Welcome to a New Academic Year!
The Office of Technology Services has been busy the last few months working on a host of technology improvements and services to enhance your learning, teaching, and working experience at Illinois Tech. Here are just some of the highlights.
- New Voice Services (VoIP)
- OTS has completed a two-year project, transitioning voice communications for all IIT campuses, IITRI, and all of IIT’s tenants to a cloud-based VoIP technology, retiring IIT’s 35-year-old voice equipment.
- This transition supports the Remote Work Policy by enabling staff to place and receive calls from their “work phone” through their home PC or cell phone.
- If you are on the Mies Campus and you have not yet picked up your pre-ordered VoIP equipment and/or if you need any assistance with voice services, please contact the Support Desk at supportdesk@iit.edu or call 312-567-3375 (on campus x7DESK).
- Teaching and Learning
- Classrooms – If you haven’t been on campus in a while, many classrooms have been upgraded to the “hybrid-technology” model, allowing faculty to teach in-person students together with online students synchronously. All participants can view the whiteboard and any projected content, as well as hear each other regardless of their physical location. The classroom activities and content are captured and available for viewing via the Blackboard environment.
- If you haven’t yet tried IIT’s new Virtual Computer Lab, now is a perfect time! All course software (Adobe excluded) is now included in IIT’s VCL. Instead of making trips to the physical PC labs, you can now perform your work in the comfort of your own room/office or anywhere you choose. The service is available 24×365 from any Internet-available location.
- Printers
- There are new tap-and-release printing stations across Mies Campus. The location of printers and plotters on campus can be found here.
- Student Housing Update – Cunningham Hall
- As with all of IIT’s housing, OTS has deployed wireless service in Cunningham Hall using WiFi 6 hardware that will provide higher throughput and better performance in high-volume areas.
- In addition, OTS deployed the following technology services: voice services (including emergency phones), a printing station, card-reader access throughout the building, security cameras, and the Community Desk Assistant’s (front) desk PC/software.
- New Student-Organization Platform – “Suitable”
- Illinois Tech has listened to student feedback and made improvements! IIT has introduced a new student-organization software named Suitable. Suitable offers ease of use with event management, balancing budgets, collecting and tracking experiences, corresponding with organizational leaders, and more.
We wish you great success in the year ahead!