Faculty 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.

Instructor Resources

The Learning Environments (LE) group offers a variety of resources to help you learn to use teaching 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

When your data is too big for your laptop, or you want to accelerate student research, the Center for Research Computing (CRC) can help.

Resources for scientists, social scientists and humanists who need more computing power include:

• Virtual machines and cloud (at Rice and beyond)
• Data storage and data transfer
• Supercomputing (at Rice and beyond)
• Remote access to research computing resources

And the CRC provides services to facilitate use of these resources for you, your lab, your department or your undergrads:

• One-on-one consults
• Tailored presentations on demand

To request one of these services, email help@rice.edu with the subject: crc-facilitation. Also see pre-scheduled workshops and classes.

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