Category: Enable Student Success

Introduction to Data Analysis and Graphics

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UF Information Technology is again offering its extremely popular R Programming course this fall. This online, self-paced training is offered free for faculty, postdocs, staff, and graduate students.

The fall 2022 course dates are August 29 to October 29. To register, visit UFIT Training’s R Programming page. Pre-registration is required by August 26.

The eight modules in the course are: Introduction to R, Data Preparation, Exploratory Data Analysis, Mean and Median Comparison, ANOVA, Correlation, and Linear Regression, Multiple Linear Regression, Proportion Comparison, and Logistic Regression. A detailed syllabus is available on the R Programming page. Enrollees must have successfully completed at least one graduate-level course in statistics prior to the start of the training.

Anyone with questions about UFIT’s R Programming training is welcome to reach out to instructor Dr. Jose Silva-Lugo.

Quick Tutorials for UF Email, Wi-Fi

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UFIT’s YouTube channel is robust with information and how-to tips on a variety of topics. Since two of the most popular reasons for contacting the UF Computing Help Desk are UF email (GatorMail) and Wi-Fi (eduroam), we’ve curated some of the videos and online documentation available on these topics. So, while you are preparing to teach a class, taking a study break, or waiting for an RTS bus, watch a video or review a how-to doc. And remember, if you ever need assistance with GatorMail or connecting to UF’s eduroam network, just call, visit, or email the IT Help Desk. The Help Desk is available seven days a week!

Getting UF Email (GatorMail) on Your Phone:
https://www.mail.ufl.edu/managing-email/connecting-to-email/

Eduroam — UF’s Campus Wireless Network:
https://youtu.be/94qJtDkxZ1I

Adding a Device to Your Multi-Factor Authentication Profile:
https://youtu.be/1S1y4FzWUZo

Why You Shouldn’t Use GatorMail for External-to-UF (3rd Party) Accounts:
https://youtu.be/iOpwDHpIwGI

Using UF’s GatorMail Phish Alert Button:
https://youtu.be/m5kBbS4_tH8

Setting Up Wi-Fi on your iPhone:
https://youtu.be/kiAlsvQrVFo

Training on iClicker Cloud Offered

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An iClicker Cloud training representative will be on-site to train UF’s novice and experienced users on this platform. Two training dates (three overall options) and modalities are available:

Friday, July 22: 9:00-10:30 a.m.
(via Zoom)
Wednesday, August 17: 9:00-10:30 a.m. (Face-to-face in CSE E507)
Wednesday, August 17: 12:00-1:30 p.m. (Face-to-face in CSE E507)

To register for any of the three trainings, navigate to the myTraining link. There will also be presenter-led open office hours on Wednesday, August 17, from 10:30-12:00 p.m. in CSE E507.

iClicker Cloud is a mobile-optimized engagement platform that facilitates student and instructor collaboration. The University of Florida has an institutional site license covering all costs. iClicker Cloud includes both synchronous and asynchronous options like polling, quizzing, and assignments, and integrates with Canvas. Whether you are planning to use iClicker for the first time or if you just need a refresher, this training will get you ready for the new school year. There will be time for questions in each iClicker Cloud training.

Instructors with questions about this training or other academic technology trainings available are welcome to contact the UFIT training team.

Free and Discounted Software Licenses

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UFIT manages the campus-wide software licensing agreements. These contracts enable access to several software programs at a significant discount or even for free, improving academic and research life for Gators while saving them money.

Programs available at a discount include Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Grammarly, SAS, SSPS, and Amos. Software available at no charge include ArcGIS (GeoPlan) and SAS JMP. Active faculty, students, and staff automatically receive access to UF’s GatorCloud, which includes Microsoft Office 365 applications like Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel. Visit the GatorCloud homepage to download these programs for free onto your personal devices. Additionally, faculty and students are eligible for Adobe Spark/Express. More information is on the UF Adobe Spark/Express webpage.

Visit UFIT’s Software Licensing Services website for a complete list of available programs and how to access them. Students with questions about software licenses may call (352-392-HELP/4357) or visit (132 Hub) the UFIT Help Desk. Faculty and staff may also contact the Help Desk or email UFIT’s Software Licensing team with purchase inquiries.

Tech Equipment Rentals in Smathers Libraries

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A variety of tech equipment is available for checkout in Smathers Libraries. Before buying something new, see if what you need is available through Marston, Education, Library West, Architecture, or the Health Science Center libraries. Items are first come, first serve and can be rented for two hours to a month, depending on the device. After checking availability online, simply present your Gator1 ID at a library front desk and pick up your item.

Forgot your laptop charger? The libraries have you covered. Essential items like device chargers and headphones are regularly loaned to students for a few hours at a time. Several iPads are available to rent for up to a month and can be borrowed from several libraries on campus. Other rentable items include podcasting kits and sewing machines. Virtual and augmented reality headsets, portable 3D scanners and 3D printers, and even a handheld voice translator that supports 70 languages are all available in our campus library system.

For a complete list of rental items, rental procedures, and availability, visit the George A. Smathers Take-Home Equipment page.

Course Accessibility Consultations Available

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Instructors interested in improving their Canvas course’s accessibility score can request one-on-one consultations to learn how. UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training (CITT) recently launched a new service to assist instructors remediate course files to make them more accessible.

Remediating course content provides access to students with disabilities while enhancing the usability of course materials for all learners. During the consultation,  instructional support assistants will explain how to use the Ally tool in Canvas. They will also provide an overview of accessibility concerns within the course, evaluate what content to remediate, and work with instructional faculty to improve the overall course accessibility score. During the consultation, the instructional support assistant will model remediation techniques for content in Canvas, including Word or Google docs, PowerPoint presentations, Google Slides, spreadsheets, videos, and PDFs.

Commit to creating classroom content for all students. UFIT has additional training and resources to help instructors build and update courses with accessibility needs in mind.  Submit an Accessibility Consultation request to get started. A member of the CITT staff will follow up with you to schedule a consultation.

 

Storage Transition for Graduating Gators

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As commencement draws near, graduating students should prepare to separate from campus IT services. This includes content stored in UF GatorCloud apps and UFApps, as well as GatorMail. Students separating from the university transition to alumni status 365 days after their last semester taking classes. While you prepare to graduate, make time to move files before your access becomes limited.

• GatorCloud: Files saved to UF OneDrive, Google Suite, and/or Dropbox services are accessible for up to 365 days after graduation. Relocate your files to a personal storage location to avoid losing important information.
• UFApps: UFApps is not intended to be a long-term storage solution. Be sure to save any coursework files you want to keep to a personal external storage system before leaving UF.
• GatorMail: GatorMail: After 365 days, graduating students are no longer eligible for GatorMail. Using your GatorMail address for third-party accounts will cause access problems, so change your login address to another email account.

Contact the UFIT Help Desk (352-392-HELP/4357) for assistance with any of service transitions listed here. Congratulations to the class of 2022, and Go Gators!

R Training for Data Mining and Analysis

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R has become the default software for data mining and analysis. R is now as ubiquitous for data applications as Excel is in business and administrative functions. UFIT is once again offering its popular R training this summer, in a free training program from May 31 – July 29.

Learn more and register.

Participants in UFIT’s R training can apply what they learn to their research and academic activities, as Spring 2022 attendee Opeyemi Adedoja, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, has been able to:

“Thank you so much for providing the detailed lectures, I gained a lot from the training and have applied R in several capacities. The R course gave me practical understanding of this programming language and I am now more confident when applying the basic operations in my daily work. Also, I have always found logistic regression a very difficult analysis to compute and interpret in R. Your course gave me a clear picture of this topic and I understand it much better now.”

UFIT is also offering SPSS and Sample Power 3 this summer from May 9 – July 1. Anyone with questions about these offerings may contact UFIT trainer Dr. Jose Silva-Lugo.

Course Development Assistance for Fall 2022

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Faculty who would like to work with a UFIT instructional designer to develop or revise a course for Fall 2022–the time is now! UFIT’s Center for Instructional Technology & Training (CITT) can help enhance your traditional, flipped, hybrid, online course, or flipped advising site.

Some instructional faculty would like the expertise of an instructional designer but cannot commit to a full course development. Not a problem! UFIT can create a custom development plan for just the items you have time to focus on. Whether you have two weeks or a few months, CITT staff will assist you with developing assessments, course content, or accessibility review. Visit the instructional design page to view all services available. Interested in developing videos for your online or in-person course? UFIT can create welcome videos, course intro videos, and film facets of your course, like a lab experiment. Several examples of in-studio and location shoots are featured on https://citt.ufl.edu/about/academic-media-productions/.

Expertise is available to support your teaching and learning, regardless of your course development needs. Instructors interested in working with the CITT staff may complete the Request Assistance webpage, and a staff member will contact you.

Progress Towards the 2020-25 Strategic Plan for IT

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The 2020-2021 Contributions Report is now available online.

“This annual report covers July 2020 through June 2021, an extraordinary period of change and challenge,” said VP and CIO Elias Eldayrie. “I am extremely proud of the way our staff not only contributed to the university’s effort to combat COVID-19, but also that we could still support the campus with more than 300 completed projects and enhancements during this time period.”

UFIT is deeply committed to improving UF’s customer experience. Investing in new and innovative ways of delivering campus support is a primary focus for the work underway to achieve the goals outlined in the University of Florida’s Strategic Plan for IT: 2020-2025. Anyone with comments about the publication may send them to UFIT Communications.