In response to the rising use of Canvas, the full-featured learning management system adopted at the UW autumn quarter, UW-IT now offers after-hours support most evenings, when instructors often work. Get help with Canvas in person (at UW Seattle’s Odegaard Undergraduate Library), via email, or by phone 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Friday, and noon to 10:00 p.m. Sunday. UW-IT also provides 24 X 7 service monitoring and escalation of urgent issues.

UW employees can now install the latest software from Microsoft on their UW-owned computers —Office 2013 Professional Plus, Project 2013 Professional, and Visio 2013 Professional—all available under the UW/Microsoft campus license. Check with your department first, as it may have a specific timetable to update your unit. Get download details. The cost is supported by the Technology Recharge Fee.

Students can now use SpaceScout to find the perfect place to study at UW Seattle. The new SpaceScout mobile app, released in August for any iOS device, features some 200 study spaces in 26 buildings. Students can use the map, or search by criteria such as capacity, hours, amenities, and more. The Web version was released in mid-October. Learn more.

UW staff and faculty can continue to access commonly used Microsoft software—Office, Visio Premium, Project Professional, and Visual Studio—on all UW-owned computers under the UW’s renewed Microsoft Software Agreement, which runs from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. The cost is covered by the Technology Recharge Fee and relieves staff from buying and managing individual software licenses. Staff and faculty also can download Microsoft Office for their home computers for a small fee. Students can download Office 2010 for PC, Office 2011 for Mac, and Windows 7, which are funded by the Student Technology Fee. Get details.

Working with UW-IT’s free Technology Workshops program, Ableton software is bringing NYC-based digital artist Moldover to UW Seattle. Moldover will teach the inaugural Ableton Workshop in Odegaard 220 on September 25 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Learn a unique set of music creation, editing, and remixing software skills. Doors open to UW students, faculty, and staff at 3:30 p.m., and to the general public at 3:50 p.m. No registration is necessary.

UW students on all three campuses can now install Mathematica on their personally owned computers at no cost, thanks to a site license provided by the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering. Besides addressing most every field of math, Mathematica provides support for computationally interactive presentations, data integration, graphics editing, and more. Get information about Mathematica (including faculty and staff use). Also, Mathematica is now part of the growing software collection available through UW-IT’s Virtual Desktop Access service, ViDA.

UW-IT is holding free introductory workshops for UW faculty and instructors who want to know more about using the Canvas Learning Management System. These 90-minute sessions are held in Mary Gates Hall at UW Seattle. Learn more and register for one of the sessions to get an overview of some of the key features of Canvas.

New functionality for Tegrity, the lecture recording tool, expands its use beyond for-credit courses at the UW. Tegrity Manager provides access to Tegrity to everyone with a UW NetID—students, faculty, and staff—for creating and sharing presentations, projects, training, and more, while controlling access (membership) to these “courses.” Learn more about Tegrity and Tegrity Manager, and sign up for workshops that start August 16.

UW students will have a new online tool this fall—called MyPlan—that will enable them to develop multi-quarter academic plans, search for and track courses, assess their progress toward a degree, and have more productive discussions with their advisors. New funding from the Student Technology Fee Committee will allow this new tool to expand over the next year, adding advisor-created ‘sample’ plans, pre-registration planning, and other new features. This effort is part of the UW’s 2y2d Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century Initiative.

Based on the results of a successful pilot, the Canvas learning management system has been endorsed for adoption at the UW by the Board of Deans and Chancellors and the Teaching & Learning Technology Oversight Committee. Pilot results showed that 79 percent of pilot users would recommend Canvas to other instructors and colleagues, and both students and faculty preferred it to Blackboard and Moodle. Canvas simplifies course management activities like calendaring and grading, and provides ways to collaborate and deliver materials to students. UW-IT will work closely with departments to support them as they transition to Canvas. Units interested in using Canvas for Autumn Quarter 2012 may contact UW-IT. Learn more.

Enjoy a free UW-IT computing workshop this summer and get hands-on experience with Adobe Creative Suite, audio creation tools (Reason, Audacity, others), Web development (HTML, CSS), and more. Designed and taught by student instructors at a beginner or intermediate level, these walk-in classes are for current students, faculty, and staff with a UW NetID and Husky card. See the online curriculum and descriptions and sign up to ensure a seat.

An online directory of 161 free, open source, assistive technology (AT) applications is available thanks to the University of Athens Speech and Accessibility Laboratory, which tested each one. AT provides methods of using technology to accomplish tasks formerly out of reach for some people. You can browse the software by disability (blindness, dyslexia, hearing, low vision, motor/dexterity, speech) or category. Each entry includes a screenshot, system requirements, download links, and more information and hints, as described in a recent About.com article.

Learn how to use the photo and video editing software in Creative Suite 6 (CS6) at free workshops with Adobe experts on May 23 at UW Seattle. Three CS6 sessions, hosted by UW-IT's workshop program, are being offered: Premiere and After Effects (9:30–11:30 a.m.), Basic Photoshop (2:30–4:30 p.m.), and Advanced Photoshop (7:00–9:00 p.m.). Current UW students, faculty, and staff can get details and sign up to ensure a place.

UW-IT continues to expand the core UW Google Apps service (Email, Calendar, Docs, Sites, and Talk) by enabling new apps you can choose to activate. Those added recently include Chrome Sync, FeedBurner, iGoogle, Latitude, Map Maker, News, and Places. Earlier this year, Blogger, Google+, Google Code, Picasa, Voice, YouTube, and more were added. All undergo a UW enterprise risk review process first. These apps are not covered by the existing UW contract with Google that ensures certain student data protections. Support is provided by Google. Get more information.

UW staff can brush up on workplace software and other productivity tools through live Webinars offered by UW Professional & Organizational Development (POD). These instructor-led Webinars on Microsoft Office and Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and other topics are made possible at significant savings through POD’s partnership with content provider People-OnTheGo. Get details and register online.

UW students can now access all the Adobe Creative Suite software—Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign, and more—online 24/7 using ViDA (Virtual Desktop Access), right from the comfort of home, dorm, or coffee shop. ViDA works on laptops, iPads, iPhones, Androids—almost any Internet-connected device. More software is coming soon, thanks to UW-IT and the Student Technology Fee Committee partnership. This effort is part of the UW’s 2y2d Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century Initiative.

This academic year, 108 UW faculty on all three campuses have been involved in piloting Canvas, a feature-rich learning management system. They’ve been teaching nearly 6000 students in 88 courses—from chemistry to sociology—using the new tool. Canvas simplifies course management activities like calendaring and grading, while providing ways to collaborate and deliver materials to students. UW-IT and the Office of Educational Assessment are evaluating Canvas as part of a broader effort to improve the student experience. Learn more.

More apps are continually being added to UW Google Apps in response to requests from the UW community. Additions since September include Google+, Blogger, YouTube, Maps, Reader, Picasa, Voice, Analytics, Moderator, Webmaster Tools, Bookmarks, and Books. Feature enhancements for the apps are also being added. One useful new feature now in the core UW Google App Calendar is Appointment Slots, which makes scheduling office hours easy. Apps must undergo an enterprise risk assessment before being added by UW-IT. Support is provided by Google.

UW faculty, staff, and graduate students can continue to purchase SPSS 19, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, at a reduced rate through the UW’s perpetual (pay once) license agreement with IBM Corporation. SPSS 19 provides the base modules only, is for use on UW-owned and personal computers, and is not available for undergraduates (who can get SPSS 20).

UW undergraduates join UW faculty, staff, and graduate students in being able to purchase the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences—SPSS 20—at significant savings over list prices. This is part of the new annual renewal licensing agreement UW-IT and UW Purchasing negotiated with IBM Corporation to get the best terms possible given that perpetual licenses are no longer offered for new versions of SPSS. The new SPSS 20 has an expanded number of modules and is for use on both UW-owned and personal computers. Get more information.

UW-IT is engaging faculty and students in the rollout of Tegrity, a cloud-based lecture capture service. Using a computer, camera and microphone, faculty can easily record and publish lectures online. Students can view the recorded content using a Web browser or mobile device. With Tegrity, it’s easy to search keywords within a recording, make and share notes, and add bookmarks. Currently, this service is only available to instructors and students in credit-based UW courses. Future releases will expand usage and access. Learn more.

To achieve energy savings, reduce computer power usage, and improve system security, the UW will begin using IBM’s Tivoli Endpoint Manager. Initially, more than 3,000 managed desktops will receive this Power Management and Patch Management software, which eventually will be made available to all UW Seattle units. This effort is funded through Facilities Services and rebates from Seattle City Light Energy Smart Services, in partnership with the UW Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Office, and UW-IT. Learn more.

Students can now remotely access high-end software previously only available in campus technology labs from anywhere on almost any device. Starting Autumn Quarter 2011, students can have 24/7 online access to a growing library of software applications through ViDA (Virtual Desktop Access), thanks to a partnership between UW-IT and the Student Technology Fee Committee.

A redesigned UWare Web site makes it easier for UW faculty, staff, and students to get details and access software available at no or reduced cost through UW licensing agreements. Information on software from Microsoft, Apple, and over two dozen other products—including the popular SAS and SPSS—is available on UWare with an easy-to-use, A-Z list.

UW faculty and staff now have access to an expanded set of Microsoft desktop and server products, in addition to the most commonly used software, under a new five-year UW Microsoft Licensing Agreement. For the first time, Visio Premium, Project Professional, Visual Studio Professional, and Expression Studio Ultimate are included for use on all UW-owned computers. The cost is covered by the Basic Services bundle. Faculty and staff also can download Microsoft Office for use on home computers for a nominal fee. Students can download Office Professional Plus 2010, Office 2011 for Mac, and Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade, included in their Student Technology Fee. Learn more.

Microsoft will be at UW Seattle’s Red Square September 21-23 and September 26-29, during Dawg Daze. Look for the Microsoft Window’s U Experience tent for UW-only discounts and offers through the Microsoft Store, prize raffles, and other freebies. Students can take advantage of Windows 7 Professional and Office 2010 free upgrade service for their personal PC. Microsoft is a UW 150th anniversary sponsor.

UW faculty and staff now have access to select Apple software for use on UW-owned computers only. This includes the Macintosh operating systems OS X 10.7 (Lion) and X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), iWork 09 (for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations), and iLife 11 (for photos, movies, and music). UW Purchasing, the iSchool, and UW-IT negotiated this licensing agreement with Apple Corporation at a significant savings; the cost is covered by the basic services bundle. UW employees can get details online.

Thanks to funding from the Student Technology Fee Committee, eligible UW students at all three campuses will continue to be able to download Microsoft software for another year. Office Professional Plus 2010, Office 2011 for Mac, and Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade are included. Please note that Office 2008 for Mac is only available for download until June 30, under the current agreement. See details and FAQs.

UW units using UW-IT’s managed desktop model (Nebula) are taking advantage of new on-demand user support pricing to help manage their IT support costs. This centrally managed service includes basic account management and helpdesk support, a standard software suite, security patching and anti-virus, file space and backup, and power management for Windows, with a Macintosh option available. UW academic and administrative units may subscribe to this managed desktop service. See details online.

Did you know you can get convenient, affordable computer repair service at UW Seattle, charged to your budget number? UW-IT’s Computer Maintenance Group (CMG) provides maintenance and repair services for computers, laptops, workstations, and printers, including warranty and post-warranty repairs on HP PC’s and HP printers and Apple computers. CMG also can install software, transfer data, perform limited data recovery, and move your computers or get them ready for surplus. Pickup and delivery can be arranged. Get details and rates.

UW students, faculty, and staff can use the UW’s centrally licensed anti-virus/anti-malware software from Sophos on office and home computers and laptops at no cost. Get it from the UWare site today to help keep your computers secure.

UW students can download Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010, Office for Mac, and Windows 7 Professional, all funded by the Student Technology Fee. Get details.

Most standard Microsoft products now are available to every department on all three UW campuses under the UW’s new agreement with Microsoft Corporation. Faculty and staff can check with their local technical support person for specific information on how to get the software, as each unit has different distribution methods for software installations and upgrades. The new annual agreement was negotiated by UW Information Technology and Purchasing, and costs are covered through the Technology Recharge Fee this year. See UWare for details.

A new UW annual agreement with Microsoft Corporation for the first time covers a number of Microsoft desktop and server product licenses for every department on all three UW campuses. Costs for the software available under the license agreement, negotiated by UW Information Technology and Purchasing, will be covered through the Technology Recharge Fee. See details.

Thanks to Student Technology Fee funding, all UW Seattle students, including students graduating June 2010, soon will be able to download Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2010, Office 2008 for Mac, and Windows 7 Professional. All institution-owned computers designated for student use (such as classroom computers, student labs, and computers checked-out to students) are also covered by this agreement. See details on software and dates available.

For the first time ever, the UW is offering email, calendaring, and other collaborative tools "in the cloud" for students, who can sign up for UW Windows Live and UW Google Apps beginning Sept. 28. Both vendors will be at the Student Tech Fair on Sept. 28, along with UW Technology, to showcase the services and answer questions. You can sign up online or at the fair!

All UW students, faculty, and staff are eligible to use the UW’s new centrally licensed anti-virus/anti-malware software from Sophos on their office and home computers at no cost. Start the quarter off right! This new software is available now from the UWare site. Get it today to help secure your computers.