Information Services is performing a software upgrade to the main campus nameserver service, this weekend Sat 29th May 2021
There will be an ‘at risk’ period of 4 hours from 3pm BST which will affect all UK and global campuses.
This is the first phase an ongoing refresh cycle to replace our existing appliances. Users may experience a short delay in resolving internet names during this time.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please contact the ISHelp@hw.ac.uk with any questions.
Posted by andrewdbevan on 25 May 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/05/25/heriot-watt-nameserver-upgrades-29-may-2021/
The clocks in the UK move forward by 1 hour on Sunday 28th March 2021, from GMT to BST (GMT+1). This is how the move to BST will affect Vision.
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
The time is taken from the end user’s computer’s local time zone for session start and end times. So the times should not be affected by the change to BST.
Turnitin Assignments
Turnitin will move to GMT+1 when the UK moves to BST so deadlines set in Turnitin in the UK should not be affected. Colleagues in Dubai and Malaysia may wish to check as Turnitin Assignments will use GMT+1 instead of GMT after Sunday.
Vision (Blackboard) Assignments, Tests, Adaptive Release
Vision is set to GMT and remains so for the whole year, even when the UK moves to BST. This will affect Tests, Standard Vision (not Turnitin Assignments), and Adaptive Release settings. Therefore an assignment, test or adaptive release rule set for say 10:00am (BST) should be set on Vision for 9:00am (GMT).
Please remind students of the change to UK time from Sunday. If they are outwith the UK, their country of residence may not practice Daylight Saving Time (or the dates may vary from the UK).
Posted by andrewdbevan on 26 March 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/03/26/british-summer-time-and-vision/
We regularly receive reports from staff and students of suspicious emails e.g. false vaccination appointments, bogus HMRC tax refunds etc.
These can appear to be very believable and sophisticated and sometimes scammers can take names from university or company websites and then create other email accounts so the sender details look correct.
What to do:
If you think you have received a phishing email to your @hw.ac.uk account
Do not click on any links
Do not open any attachments
Don’t reply to the message
Information Services Help:
To notify Information Services of a phishing email, or you have concerns about whether an email is real or not, please forward it to phishing@hw.ac.uk and then delete it.
If you have received a phishing email, accidently clicked the link in it and provided your university credentials (username and password), please send an email to ishelp.hw.ac.uk for assistance.
Accounts that are suspected to be compromised will be blocked automatically for security purposes.
If your account has been blocked because of this, please send an email to ishelp.hw.ac.uk for assistance.
Information Services are constantly working to make systems including emails as safe and secure as possible.
Planning is underway to implement Multi Factor Authentication for staff and then students to improve staff and student security and their data.
Posted by cdonlan on 23 March 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/03/23/be-vigilant-for-phishing-and-scam-emails/
Sci-Hub is an illegal website which poses serious security risks and should be avoided by University students and staff.
Police have warned against using websites, and Sci-Hub, in particular that allow users to illegally access scientific research papers.
The Sci-Hub website will be blocked for accessing on campus but it is important that students and staff do not access the site from home or off campus.
“Sci-Hub obtains the papers through a variety of malicious means, such as the use of phishing emails to trick university staff and students into divulging their login credentials.
Sci Hub then use this to compromise the university’s network and download the research papers”
The City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) press release
Posted by cdonlan on 23 March 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/03/23/warning-regarding-sci-hub-website-and-phishing-attacks/
Posted by cdonlan on 01 February 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/02/01/phishing-emails-vaccination-appointments/
Blackboard have updated Collaborate Ultra to include a “chatbot” for users.
The chatbot uses artificial intelligence to respond to user’s queries about Collaborate Ultra. All users can access the chatbot during a live session.
If you find the chatbot answer is not helpful, please contact IShelp@hw.ac.uk for more specific help. Please do not raise a ticket with Blackboard directly.
This will enable IS to track all issues and provide a more HWU specific response to any issues arising.
Posted by cdonlan on 27 January 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/01/27/new-chatbot-feature-in-collaborate-ultra/
IS will be running a number of training events over the coming weeks covering
To view the schedule and book a place on one of the sessions, follow this link http://bit.ly/infoservicestraining
Posted by andrewdbevan on 27 January 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/01/27/new-training-events-from-information-services/
The Enhancing Online Collaboration project has successfully reached the end of the content migration stage. New SharePoint Online Hubs and Workspaces were created and rolled out in 2020 for use across the different areas of the University.
It is now essential for the SharePoint2010 sites to be decommissioned and this will take place on Monday 8th February from 9:00am GMT.
After this date, it will no longer be possible to access any content on SharePoint2010.
Posted by cdonlan on 26 January 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/01/26/decommissioning-of-sharepoint2010-update-for-staff/
If you’re aiming to improve your study skills or want to get better marks this semester, the Skills Hub webinars are designed for you. These free webinars, delivered by experienced librarians and effective learning advisers, are packed with useful tips and techniques to help with your degrees.
You can view the webinar schedule and register for sessions at https://hw.ac.libcal.com/calendar/skillshub
For assignments, we have webinars on writing literature reviews, essays, and reports, along with guidance on what your tutors are looking for in your work. We’ll also help you understand the feedback you’re given, and how to use this to improve your next assignment. If you’re in the early years of your degree, Getting Started with Research for Assignments will help you with finding information; if already know the basics and want to improve your skills you can attend Finding Quality Sources for Course Work.
The webinars on the Harvard and IEEE styles will help you understand citing and referencing, and you can learn how to use EndNote X9, powerful software that makes citing and referencing much easier.
Looking ahead to the end of semester, we have sessions on How to Succeed in Take-Home Exams.
These are just a selection of our upcoming webinars: you can view the full timetable at https://hw.ac.libcal.com/calendar/skillshub There are also lots of pre-recorded videos and online help on the skills hub website at https://isguides.hw.ac.uk/skillshub
Posted by Kirsty Thomson on 15 January 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/01/15/skills-hub-webinars/
Learning Teaching and Enhancement Services (LTES) staff will be running more training sessions on Vision, Turnitin and Collaborate Ultra to help staff prepare for teaching in Semester 2.
These will be appropriate for all staff whether you are new to using these tools or require a refresher session. to book please go to the following link:
Posted by cdonlan on 13 January 2021
https://informs.hw.ac.uk/2021/01/13/staff-training-sessions-vision-turnitin-and-collaborate-ultra/
