CIS News: March 2004

Registration open for staff training

Computer Education's registration site for the Spring session is now available.

Staff have almost two dozen classes to choose from, which include Excel, Filemaker, Photoshop and Project. Web publishers have several offerings this session including: CSS, Dreamweaver, HTML, Intro to Web Publishing at Brown, and Web Standards.

Most classes run between one and a half to two hours are held throughout the month of April.

Microsoft Office Released for Faculty and Staff

Software Services has released Microsoft Office and FrontPage for use by faculty and staff (as noted in our Microsoft Campus Agreement). The following products can now be downloaded from the Brown software distribution page:

• Microsoft FrontPage 2002
• Microsoft Office 2001
• Microsoft Office X
• Microsoft Office XP

Please notify the Help Desk (help@brown.edu or 3-HELP) if you have any problems with these installers.

Faculty Training Opportunity

The Instructional Technology Group is offering a full training schedule for faculty during Spring Break. From "Animate Your Class with PowerPoint" to "Welcome Page Wow", ITG's workshops will stretch technology skills and help faculty transform their courses.

Titles include:

• Answer in the Form of a Question: Jeopardy in the Classroom
• WebCT Assessment Tools: Surveys, Self-Tests, and Quizzes
• Passing in Assignments Online: WebCT Assignment Tool
• Keeping Your Grades Online: WebCT Gradebook
• Spice Up Your WebCT Course: Two Hours of Hands-on Production

For descriptions and to register online, visit the ITG website. Workshops run Tuesday, March 30 through Thursday, April 1.

For more information, please contact the Instructional Technology Group:
>> Stephanie Birdsall | Humanities and Foreign Languagues/Literatures | 863-7299
>> Siobhan Ross | Math & Sciences | 863-7395
>> Michelle Thacher | Social Sciences | 863-7342

Eudora 6 (PC & Mac) added to software list

Eudora 6 is now ready for installation from Brown's software download page. It is available for both Exchange and Postoffice, as well as for Windows and Mac (OS 9.x and 10.2+).

Also recently released:

• Kerberos 5 for Mac OS 10.1 and above
• Windows Exceed upgrade (version 9). Exceed emulates an X-terminal, allowing you to connect to a Unix host and establish an X-terminal session.
• Updater links for Studio MX 2004 for Windows (more details in the 11/18/2003 release announcement).

All clients can be downloaded at http://www.brown.edu/software

Please notify the Help Desk if you have any problems with these installers.

Your own Virtual Private Network

On February 25, a new service was introduced that expands access to Brown electronic resources. Virtual Private Network, or VPN, allows convenient and secure logon to Brown's network even at a remote location. Once the VPN client is installed and configured, you will be able to:

• Browse campus-limited web resources
• Access services such as keyed software that had been limited to campus-based users
• Send email through Brown's mail-relay services
• Use Outlook in MAPI mode (limited to those who have converted to Exchange)

The following operating systems can use VPN services: all supported Windows OS, Mac OS 10.x, and Linux (which is available but not supported by CIS).

To download a Windows or Mac copy of the client, go to the Software download page. To learn to use Brown's VPN service, visit the "Remote Access @ Brown" section of CIS's documentation page. A VPN FAQ is also available that addresses common technical support questions. Issues and questions regarding the operation of the service should be addressed to the Help Desk (Help@brown.edu), which now provides full support for VPN services.