Enhancing Microsoft Certification Data Management

Microsoft Certified Associate badgeIn the fall of 2023, OIT partnered with the Cox School of Business to onboard 500 new students, aiming to help them achieve Microsoft Certification for the 2023-2024 academic year. This effort was part of the Business Leaders Institute (BLI) course for first-year students. In response, IT Training & Communications expanded its certification offerings by adding ten additional class sections, totaling 564 certifications, on top of its existing commitment of 43 class sections. These sections cover certifications in Microsoft Office programs, which are widely utilized across most schools on campus, with Excel and Excel Expert required for Cox students and PowerPoint and Word for students in Meadows’ Corporate Communications and Public Affairs.

Recognizing that managing 500 additional students presented significant resource challenges, the team reviewed strategies to meet the increased demand. They extended testing times and added proctor resources to assist with physical resource limitations. Additionally, they examined the efficiency of data handling and grade reporting processes. Continue reading Enhancing Microsoft Certification Data Management

The Vector Governance Committee: A Collaborative Approach to Employee Training at SMU

A screenshot of the Vector Solutions service page.Samantha Tellone, Sr. Business Analyst with OIT has been instrumental in establishing the Vector Governance Committee, an initiative to enhance the oversight and management of required training courses for faculty, staff, and employees.

About a year ago, Samantha, alongside Ron Lujan, Director ERP (my.SMU), began creating a training governance structure. This initiative arose from previous discussions with Mary Stall, Senior HR Specialist, who recognized the need for additional assistance in helping to ensure essential training requirements such as Continue reading The Vector Governance Committee: A Collaborative Approach to Employee Training at SMU

SMU Macs Can Now Update to macOS Sequoia

macOS Sequoia iconWhen macOS Sequoia was released earlier this fall, we recommended that users of SMU Macs hold off on upgrading while OIT investigated and tested to ensure compatibility with all of our major platforms and software. Today, we are happy to report that you can now upgrade to Sequoia at your convenience! Continue reading SMU Macs Can Now Update to macOS Sequoia

Major Updates Coming to Course Catalog & Schedule of Classes Training

Two of the most critical parts of the university’s enrollment and scheduling infrastructure are the official Course Catalog and Schedule of Classes (CC/SOCL). A large number of people and many hours of labor go into compiling and displaying class data each term in preparation for scheduling classrooms, ensuring accuracy in information and prerequisites, and creating a straightforward registration experience for students. The intensive training courses for working both in the Course Catalog and the Schedule of Classes are important milestones in preparing staff to work in these systems. The team recently revamped training for Course Catalog, and currently, we are undergoing major updates needed to the Schedule of Classes end-user training.
Continue reading Major Updates Coming to Course Catalog & Schedule of Classes Training