Category: Elevate the Stakeholder Experience

Two New UFIT Brochures for Campus

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UFIT has new brochures on two of our most popular services.

2022 UFIT Help Desk Flyer
Besides updating services and support available, the UF Computing Help Desk flyer also sports a new, alternative name: the UFIT Help Desk. Both names are still correct, but the UFIT Help Desk is a modernized nickname that has become a common reference…so we’ve built the nickname into the 2022 flyer graphics.

2022 HiPerGator Trifold Brochure
The 2022 HiPerGator trifold brochure was developed for use inside the UF Data Center (UFDC). Getting a tour of the UFDC and HiPerGator Room has become a significant component of the research faculty recruiting process. The new trifold brochure gives potential faculty hires, along with state government officials and other constituents visiting the data center, an updated accounting of the compute power, number of cores available, storage, and speed of HiPerGator 3.0 and AI.

State Faculty Presenting at Spring HiPerGator Symposium

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Registration is now open for the Spring 2022 HiPerGator Symposium. The symposium will be held virtually (hosted on Zoom) and showcase the research in artificial intelligence being conducted by faculty and students from the University of Florida and researchers utilizing HiPerGator from institutions in the Sunshine State Education & Research Computing Alliance (SSERCA).

The date and time for the symposium is Thursday, Mar. 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There will be more than a dozen presenters, including:

Jayantha Obeysekera, Florida International University [“Understanding, Prediction, and Modeling of Flooding due to Sea Level Variability in Coastal Regions Using Data Mining and AI Methods”]
Sudeep Sarkar, University of South Florida [“Scaling Up Computer Vision Algorithms for Image and Event Recognition”]

The full list of presenters will be available on the spring symposium webpage. Students, faculty, and staff of Florida institutions, as well as Southeastern Conference universities and national constituents, may register to attend. Registrants will receive the Zoom link and sign-in information prior to the symposium. Questions about the Spring 2022 HiPerGator Symposium may be emailed to Dr. Erik Deumens, director, UFIT Research Computing.

Numerous Options for Video and Streaming Services

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UFIT provides software and web applications for faculty to record and stream lectures, discussions, learning material, and special events directly to computers and mobile devices. In addition to services for teaching and learning, a full media services menu is available for campus social, research, and administrative events.

A highlight of academic video recording and streaming options is that Mediasite recording technology is installed in several classrooms. To get started, just schedule your recording time and room and leave it to UFIT. The classroom recording functionality is fully automated, so instructors just put on the lapel mic and begin teaching! (More than 20 classrooms have automated Mediasite recorder capabilities.) A member of UFIT will monitor your recording and send a technician if needed. Your course’s video, audio, and computer feed will be uploaded to the course catalog, ready for your students to learn. Through MyMediasite, tools are available to create and manage your recordings. Recordings can be imported from Zoom or MS Teams, uploaded from your computer, or recorded using the Mediasite Mosaic software. MyMediasite can also be used to add quizzes to recordings and add recordings to Canvas.

UFIT regularly streams, records, and uploads online, face-to-face, and hybrid events for campus. Details for all services, including MyMediasite access and pricing information, is published on the Video Event Services webpage.

Build Your Online Profile with Free Expert Help

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Plan on attending the 2022 Tech Fair (Feb. 23-24, 11am-1pm). Whether you need to boost your LinkedIn, e-Portfolio, or GitHub profile (or all three!), UFIT and Career Connections Center (C3) experts will be available to help you. See you on Tech Plaza!

e-Portfolio
At the e-Portfolio tent, connect with UFIT’s technical experts to figure out which platform will be easiest for you to manage. C3 coaches will also be there to support you with:
• Organizing the content shared in your e-Portfolio
• Showcasing your experiences in a meaningful way
• Translating your past experiences to highlight your skills

AI and the Job Search
Career Connections Center staff will also be in the UF Informatics Institute to help you:
• Understand how AI is utilized in the job search process
• Customize your application materials to maximize your job search
• Explore strategies for interviewing through virtual and AI platforms

UFIT scientist and training lead Matt Gitzendanner will also be in the UF Informatics Institute. Leverage his expertise with Git and GitHub to maximize your GitHub profile!

LinkedIn
In the LinkedIn tent, get expert advice on courses to watch that can strengthen your market viability. Additionally, C3 staff can assist with:
• Completing your LinkedIn profile
• Maximizing your connections and build your network
• Exploring potential careers through the UF Alumni search and other LinkedIn tools

Accessibility Tools and Training for Campus

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UFIT provides numerous services to enable compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as all other applicable federal and state regulations. Among the available services are
Site Improve access, which checks current website content for accessibility issues, and the SensusAccess document conversion tool. UFIT also has two web and content accessibility training opportunities:

Accessibility Basics, an easy to follow, free, online self-paced video course is designed for staff. The Accessibility Basics training takes approximately two hours and provides instruction on how to create accessible documents (e.g., Word, images, .PDFs) and website content.

Accessibility Fundamentals, created for an instructor audience, is also a free, self-paced online training. Accessibility Fundamentals shows how to design accessible online course materials. The course covers different types of accessibility needs and suggestions for making an online course more accessible.

UFIT is here to help instructors and staff who post online content!  Visit UFIT’s digital standards and website recommendations page for additional compliance tips and resources.

Experiential Tech Fair: Feb. 23-24

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Listening to student feedback, 2022 will be the first time Tech Fair is a two-day event. So, if your lunchtime schedule (11am – 1pm) is full on Wednesday, Feb. 23, you can stop by on Thursday, Feb. 24. This year’s experiential Tech Fair has a twist: participants are solely focused on helping students successfully get to the next level.  Whether that means your first full-time job up the career ladder, a coveted internship, or being offered a place in the graduate program of your choice, stop by Tech Fair!  UFIT is partnering with the Career Connections Center (C3) to enhance the expertise offered in the event tents.  Here are two examples of what’s available at the 2022 Tech Fair:

  1. ePortfolios                                                                                                                                 Get expert assistance and recommendations on which app to use to build your professional ePortfolio. In addition to learning how to best showcase your skills and experience technically, our partnership with the C3 means that a content expert will also be on hand to answer your questions and offer suggestions for making your ePortfolio stand out to recruiters.
  2. LinkedIn Learning                                                                                                                      Always a part of Tech Fair, this year the LinkedIn Learning tent will feature an education technology expert to help you build a course list to assist you on your professional journey. In addition, we’ll have a curated list available that focuses on building a LinkedIn profile to get you noticed, using LinkedIn to network, and videos to help you prepare for an interview.  UFIT provides LinkedIn Learning free to students, faculty, and staff.

The 2022 Tech Fair will also have AI-focused experts on hand to answer career planning  questions and discuss apps that could enhance your job market value. More information about Tech Fair will be posted regularly on UFIT’s Twitter and Instagram channels.

Introducing UF’s Link Shortener Service

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Faculty and staff can now utilize https://go.ufl.edu/, the University of Florida’s new URL shortener service. UFIT developed the service for use within the UF digital ecosphere, such as online documentation, emails, websites and blogs, and in social media posts.

The UF link shortener can only be used with designated UF-owned web pages: those ending in “ufl.edu” and “ufhealth.org,” and pages inside UF’s Zoom, Qualtrics, SharePoint, Gator360, and ExLibris environments. Using go.ufl.edu creates a more secure web environment for UF than a commercial link shortener that restricts which URLs can be shortened.  The https://go.ufl.edu service reduces the risk of spoofed websites and other harmful links entering the UF network. Even with the reduction in spoofed websites and other online dangers, go.ufl.edu users should still employ reasonable safeguards when clicking on links.

More information is available on https://it.ufl.edu/services/goufledu.

Retention Policy Announced for UF Zoom

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A retention policy for UF’s Zoom service takes effect Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. Any recording older than 365 days will be removed from Zoom’s cloud storage. Users needing to preserve any cloud recording older than 365 days can download recordings to a storage destination of their choice. Users can also elect to upload Zoom recordings to UF’s Mediasite environment.

Deleted recordings remain in the Zoom trash for 30 days. To retrieve recordings that have been moved to your Zoom trash, log in to Zoom and follow the steps in the Recover a Deleted Cloud Recording document. After 30 days in the trash, a recording is no longer retrievable.

On July 15, 2022, UF’s Zoom retention policy will be reduced to its final state of 180 days.

Please visit the UF Zoom cloud recording FAQ page for additional information. Faculty and staff with questions or who need assistance should reach out to their local IT support. Zoom users may also contact the UFIT Help Desk.

Campus Physical Security Enhanced by UFIT

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In addition to the security of UF systems and data, UFIT also works with campus physical security leaders to help keep campus safe for students, employees, and visitors.

UFIT’s Data Center Operations and Logistics Manager John Toner was recently recognized by the UF Police Department (UFPD) for his efforts to improve the security of the university’s East Campus. The project, led by UFPD, included determining where additional lights were needed, fixing gates, and removing debris. With his extensive knowledge of East Campus activities, John’s expertise expedited the project.

Another recent security enhancement utilizing UFIT expertise are the additional phones installed along fraternity row. This project, requested by UF Student Government, was undertaken with the Division of Business Affairs. Led by UFIT Project Manager Rob Snively, the work consisted of upgrading the telecomm system, including mass notification speakers that broadcast emergency messages, and installation of security camera mounts. More information about this project is available on the Business Affairs news website.

Creating Opportunities in Our Community

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In summer 2021, UFIT reached out to Santa Fe College to initiate a partnership for students from populations underrepresented in technology fields. This new internship program provides hands-on work experience and mentoring by UFIT staff. Eight interns began their work experience this fall, and three–Joseph, Lauren, and Jerrell–chose to intern with UF’s Information Security Office. Here’s a brief look at our information security interns:

Joseph who has already earned his A.S. in Network Security, has learned a lot thus far, including how the risk assessment process works and the security aspects of firewalls.
“I learned how to categorize risk assessments. Risk assessments help with security because you are looking from the outside in and it gives you better insight when analyzing how data flows through the network.”

Programming major Lauren wants to become a QA engineer. She likes testing and making sure apps are secure and accessible to everyone, especially those with special needs. “I am very grateful for this internship and appreciate how patient everyone is as I learn new tools like T4. I want to try to help everyone because I know technology can be difficult for some.”

Information Systems Security major Jerrell plans on earning a master’s in cybersecurity information assurance and then work in penetration testing. He has gained much from this internship: “I’ve learned a lot about HIPAA and FERPA compliance, and enjoy sitting in with the monitoring team, which is an area I’m interested in professionally. ISO staff have given me career advice, and I appreciate them pushing and guiding me into my purpose.”