Category Archives: libitsblog

Canvas Adoption Proposal

Below is the official proposal for the adoption of Canvas, crafted and submitted by the Curricular Technology Team. Many faculty, students and staff contributed to the pilot that informed the proposal, we sincerely appreciate everyone’s efforts. There are a couple of notes about the proposal: The proposal assumes that the Canvas budget request will still…

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Protect Your Privacy

Information Security has a New Twitter feed and other new content on their website. Follow us at #MiddInfosec or visit our website at http://go.middlebury.edu/infosec

You and your information are everywhere. When you’re online you leave a trail of “digital exhaust” in the form of cookies, GPS data, social network posts, and e-mail exchanges, among others. It is critical to learn how to protect yourself and guard your privacy. Your identity and even your bank account could be at risk!

  • Use long and complex passwords or passphrases. These are often the first line of defense in protecting an online account. The length and complexity of your passwords can provide an extra level of protection for your personal information.
  • Take care what you share. Periodically check the privacy settings for your social networking apps to ensure that they are set to share only what you want, with whom you intend. Be very careful about putting personal information online. What goes on the Internet¬¬ usually stays on the Internet.
  • Go stealth when browsing. Your browser can store quite a bit of information about your online activities, including cookies, cached pages, and history. To ensure the privacy of personal information online, limit access by going “incognito” and using the browser’s private mode.
  • Using Wi-Fi? If only public Wi-Fi is available, restrict your activity to simple searches (no banking!) or use a VPN (virtual private network). The latter provides an encrypted tunnel between you and the sites you visit.
  • Should you trust that app? Only use apps from reputable sources. Check out reviews from users or other trusted sources before downloading anything that is unfamiliar.

Library & Information Technology Services » Post for MiddNotes 2015-10-23 12:15:34

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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Join your colleagues from both the Middlebury and Monterey campuses for a presentation and discussion on critical cybersecurity issues including phishing and cracking.

  • On October 29th at 12:30 Eastern time, Information Security will host a Cybersecurity Roadshow.
  • You can join the discussion in Lib105A on the Middlebury Campus or on PolyCom 710205
  • Central Monterey meeting location TBD.

Please join us for this discussion. It is open to students, faculty, staff and the community. Computer security is the responsibility of us all.

For more information call Information Security at 802-349-5805

The Canvas Pilot

Our current Learning Management System (LMS), Moodle, was adopted back in 2011. Four years later we are reflecting on whether Moodle is still the best LMS to serve the growing needs of Middlebury. This fall we are doing a pilot to evaluate Canvas and determine whether we want to continue with Moodle or move to Canvas. You can learn more about Canvas and Middlebury’s evaluation by following this site – http://sites.middlebury.edu/canvas/

Since it has launched over 1,200 colleges, universities and school districts have adopted Canvas, including many of our peer and neighboring institutions, including Amherst,  Williams, Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth. It uses modern technology and service management, has a user-centric design, and the features that are common to an LMS are easier to find and use.

Some of the appealing features that are worth exploring are:

What about Moodle?

Middlebury adopted Moodle as its LMS in 2011 after a year-long evaluation (http://sites.middlebury.edu/segue/2011/06/14/moodle-middlebury/). At that time it was decided that we would use Moodle for a minimum of 5 years. At the end of the 5 years we would ask ourselves: Is Moodle still the right LMS for Middlebury? The 5 years will end in August of 2016.

The Canvas evaluation should not be considered as a sign that Middlebury intends to stop using, supporting, or expanding the platform. This is simply an opportunity to consider other options and review our use of Moodle.

Wireless Enhancements

We’re working to replace and upgrade many of the existing wireless access points across Middlebury campus. You may see staff or contractors working with cabling and ladders in various buildings over the coming weeks.

We are upgrading to keep with the best wireless technology and address coverage or performance concerns. Along with entire building enhancements including McCardell Bicentennial Hall and Davis Family Library, the model we’re wholesale replacing is pictured here. If you see one of these, know that it will be replaced soon!
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Thanks for your patience and support as we strive to keep our systems functioning optimally!

Library Hours for Fall break

The Libraries will have reduced hours this weekend for Fall break.

Davis will close at 8 pm on Friday and be open 9-5 Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On Tuesday, we will open at 9 am and close at the regular 1 am.

Armstrong will close at 5 pm on Friday and be closed Saturday and Sunday. Hours Monday will be 9-5 and Tuesday will be 9-midnight.

Regular hours resume on Wednesday.

See go/hours for the full calendar.

lynda.com Site Unavailable Sept 19 from 2:00-3:00 AM (EST)

lynda_logo 72x72For the night owls out there, please note that our lynda.com online learning resource will be unavailable from 2:00 – 3:00 AM Friday, September 19, while web server capacity improvements are implemented.    (What’s that you say?   You haven’t heard of lynda??  Visit go/lyndainfo to see what you’re missing.)