Staff Technology News

Welcome to the fall semester! Here are reminders about the services and resources available to you from the Office of Information Technology (OIT). We are proud to support Rice’s mission and goals related to research, teaching, learning and scholarship as your technology partner.

Working Remotely

Check out the Technology Guide to Remote Working with links to information on essential applications and services, office phone management and best practices for working remotely.

Online meetings and interactions can be an excellent way to stay engaged with your colleagues. Zoom License accounts are available to all Rice faculty, staff, and students. If you use Zoom, keep it updated so you will have the latest security fixes to prevent Zoombombing and other potential privacy issues. Google Meet is an alternate tool for virtual meetings and is accessible through the GSuite platform.

One of the challenges of learning remotely can be your home Internet service. If you are having issues, check out these helpful tips for optimizing your network connection.

More: Preparing for Remote Working

imagineOne

imagineOne is the project to implement Oracle Cloud as Rice’s new unified business system. Launched in January 2020, imagineOne will streamline the university’s business processes by integrating human resources, financials, procurement and related reporting into one modern, cloud-based platform. For more information about how imagineOne will improve the end-user experience and enable continuous evolution, visit the website below where you can also sign up for the monthly imagineOne newsletter and access DiOlogues podcasts.

More: imagineOne

Instructor Resources

If you teach, the Learning Environments (LE) group offers a variety of resources to help you learn to use instructional tools. Workshops and one-on-one training for Canvas (Learning Management System), Kaltura (digital media sharing), Zoom (video conferencing) and other educational technology tools can be found at the Training Center.

Classrooms and teaching studios are equipped with multimedia and audio/visual equipment. Find information about teaching equipment at Fall 2020 Technology Planning. Introductory and advanced training is available upon request.

If you encounter technical issues while teaching in a classroom, there are Tech TAs stationed throughout the academic buildings that are available to come assist your class. Each classroom has an information card that lists the location of the nearest Tech TA station. You can also call 713-348-4989.

For non-urgent questions, please email teaching@rice.edu. To subscribe to our monthly newsletter, go to LE-News and click Join Group.

More: Teaching and Learning Tools

Research Computing

The Center for Research Computing assists researchers in the use of specialized computing infrastructure. We run regular workshops in partnership with Digital Scholarship Services, if you want to brush up on or learn new programming skills. Our services can be found at https://researchcomputing.rice.edu

For research staff: if you or your P.I. need more computing power, more storage space, or the ability to transfer large datasets efficiently, please ask us about the following services by emailing help@rice.edu with the subject “crc-facilitation”:

• Virtual Machines/Cloud Computing
• Secure Virtual Environments
• Networked Storage and Fast Data Transfer
• Grant Consulting Computing Resources

More: Research Computing

Technology Security

Everyone in the Rice community is responsible for protecting the electronic assets of the university. Follow security precautions at your remote working locations and be aware of email scams from hackers trying to take advantage of uncertainty during the pandemic.

More: Information Security Office

Software

Certain software products are available for free or at a discounted rate to Rice employees. For instance, Microsoft 365 can be used for free and CrashPlan (backup service for Mac/PC) requires a yearly $82 fee.

More: Software Available for Faculty and Staff

Storage: Data storage, file sharing and collaboration spaces include U:drive, Rice Box, Microsoft One Drive, and Google Drive.

Voice and videoconferencing: Rice telephone system (Cisco VoIP services) and Zoom Videoconferencing.

Getting Help

OIT’s Help Desk is the central point of contact for computing help and support. Help Desk staff answer technical questions and route service requests to other OIT professionals. You can submit requests any time via the web site or email. You can also call during office hours.

Rice OIT Help Desk 

OIT is currently providing contactless technical support only. Walk-in services and office visits have been suspended.

Telephone support:
713-348-4357 (HELP)
Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m.
(excluding holidays)

Request help electronically:
• complete online form
• email helpdesk@rice.edu

Online resources:
IT Status: Subscribe to email or text notifications about incidents or maintenance
Rice KnowledgeBase: Online how-to documentation and announcements

More: Help Desk Services