Tech Day Conference
The Information Technology Services (ITS) Tech Conference is a semi-annual event dedicated to the learning, networking, and sharing content and ideas around information technologies, resources, and services at Loyola University Chicago and beyond. Participants can select from multiple sessions throughout the day to learn about technology, share information with others, and make new connections. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to learn, network, and share. Typically held in the early fall and late spring the ITS tech conference brings people together to take advantage of technology and services. For more information about the ITS Tech Conference, please e-mail techday@luc.edu.
Spring 2013
Learn, Network, Share
Tuesday, February 26th, 2013
Klarchek Information Commons, Lake Shore Campus
Open to Loyola Students, Faculty and Staff at No Charge
Sponsored by Information Technology Services Division
Session Feedback Raffle Drawing Winners - Spring 2013
Congratulations to the following individuals who are winners of the raffle drawing from survey responses at the Spring 2013 ITS Tech Day event:
- Mary J. O'Brien - Development & Donor Services
- Virginia Lorenzo - Biology
- Mallessa D. James - School of Nursing
- Karen Laguatan - School of Law
- Cheryl M. Sporlein - College of Arts & Sciences
Congratulations to Catherine Wolf (Theology) who is the winner of our raffle drawing from overall conference feedback surveys based on the Spring 2013 ITS Tech Day event!
Spring 2013 Conference Program
The Spring conference program will be organized around IT-related themes and how they are tied to areas of focus. While the main themes of the conference are learning, networking, and sharing, we have identified these more specific areas of interest:
- Email
A major upgrade to the University’s email system, beginning in May 2013, will bring a wealth of new features and improvements, expanding the way Loyola students, faculty, and staff communicate with one another and the outside world. With the upgrade, Loyola will be moving from GroupWise to Microsoft Exchange. The change in platforms will position Loyola to take advantage of anytime, anywhere communication and provide for more collaborative interactions via email, messaging, conferencing, and other tools. The migration will bring significant enhancements for both desktop users and those on mobile devices and tablets. - Sakai
Over the past decade, a learning management system (LMS), presently Blackboard, has become a critical component in the fulfillment of Loyola’s academic mission. Two years ago Loyola began a process of systematically testing other learning management systems to determine whether they could better serve the evolving needs of our faculty and students. A team comprised of Loyola faculty and students, and staff from Academic Technology Services and the Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy collaborated on a demonstration project to evaluate the viability of open-source systems. Following an 18-month pilot and careful study, this project team determined that the hosted solution of Sakai could best meet the teaching and learning goals at Loyola. As an open-source system, Sakai provides a collaborative learning environment where development and use of the system is enhanced by the educational community of users, allowing for a more timely incorporation of contemporary tools. In an academic world where technologies change to address new learning, universities need to position themselves to be able to adapt; open-source alternatives provide this flexibility. - Anytime, Anywhere
The technology landscape is constantly changing, allowing all of us to perform personal business and professional tasks in much more efficient ways. Having information and applications available to you at anytime from anywhere is no longer a “nice to have” requirement, it is a necessity. You shouldn’t need special software or dedicated devices to securely access the information you need to perform your job duties and to live your life. The Information Technology Services department is focused on adapting university services to accommodate this model: you should be able to access the resources you need at Loyola from wherever you are. The model is called "Anytime, Anywhere Access;" it's a multi-year strategy intended to revamp legacy systems and services that are difficult to access and continue to adopt technology solutions that are web/portal-based, appropriately secure, easy-to-use, with expanded self-service features.