Here is a summary of this week’s Enterprise Technology & Services (ET&S) Tech Briefing:
- Week four of Cybermonth features an in-person symposium on Wednesday, October 23, along with a new security tip.
- 2025 marks the end of Life for Windows 10. Upgrade to Windows 11 today for a better experience.
- Last summer, Canvas updated Discussions. Please review your discussion settings in your active courses and master course shells as soon as possible to verify that the “Disallow Threaded Replies” option is not enabled for discussions where students need to reply to each other’s posts. (UNH and PSU only).
- Browse the latest ET&S training sessions.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month: In-Person Cybersecurity Symposium
To Know: ET&S will host an in-person Cybersecurity Symposium on Wednesday, October 23, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Strafford Room in the Memorial Union Building at UNH-Durham. This event will feature notable guest speakers including the NH Secretary of State David M. Scanlan, experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). Key topics will include election disinformation and other critical cybersecurity issues. ET&S will serve light snacks and will raffle off prizes. All members of the USNH community are welcome to attend.
To Do: Register to secure your spot.
Week 4: Securing Your Devices When You’re Away
Tip of the Week:
Leaving devices unattended, whether at work or in public places, exposes them to potential security risks, including theft or unauthorized access. Ensure your devices are protected by setting up strong security measures, and always be mindful of your surroundings when using them in public.
Action of the Week:
Enable strong passwords, passphrases, or PINs for all your devices, and configure them to automatically lock after a short period of inactivity. This simple step can prevent unauthorized users from gaining access.
Reminder: Upgrade to Windows 11 for a Better Experience
Windows 10 will reach its end of life in 2025. To keep your devices secure and up to date, we encourage you to upgrade to Windows 11 now. The end of life for Windows 10 means USNH will require a mandatory migration to Windows 11. However, you can onboard sooner to ensure a smooth transition.
Why Upgrade to Windows 11?
- Enhanced Security: Windows 11 offers advanced security features to protect your data and privacy.
- Improved Performance: Experience faster and more efficient performance with Windows 11.
- User-Friendly Interface: Enjoy a modern and intuitive interface designed to enhance your productivity.
How to Upgrade
USNH has enabled the Windows 11 update feature, allowing you to upgrade your system through Windows Updates at your convenience. If you haven’t already made the switch, now is the perfect time to do so. Detailed instructions can be found here: https://td.usnh.edu/TDClient/60/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=1956
Reminder and New Information on Canvas Discussions
To Know: Canvas updated Discussions last summer to include an option to disallow threaded replies. When enabled, students will not be able to reply to other students’ posts within a discussion.
As part of this update Canvas may have automatically enabled the “Disallow Threaded Replies” setting to preexisting discussions for current and prior courses. It will be important for faculty to review and possibly update this setting if copying courses forward to Spring 2025.
To Do: In courses that contain at least one discussion where this new option was automatically enabled there is a temporary button which allows instructors to uncheck the "Disallow Threaded Replies" option for all discussions in that course. We recommend checking the discussion settings in your active courses and master course shells as soon as possible to verify that the “Disallow Threaded Replies” option is not enabled for discussions where students need to reply to each other’s posts. The button to fix all discussions in a course will be available until Thursday, October, 31 after which time discussions will have to be updated individually. See the Canvas Threaded Discussions KB article for more information.
Training Opportunities
ET&S offers free training for USNH employees. For a full list of sessions, go to https://at-training.unh.edu/apps/ssr.
- LDT Virual Office Hours | Register
Weds., October 23, 10-11 a.m. - Canvas (myCourses): Digital Markup and Grading | Register
Thurs., October 24, 9:30-10 a.m.
- Intro to Microsoft Teams Meetings | Register
Thurs., October 24, 12-1 p.m. - Kaltura: Creating and Sharing Videos in Canvas | Register
Fri., October 25, 1-2 p.m. - Canvas (myCourses): Gradebook Features | Register
Mon., October 28, 1-1:30 p.m. - Intro to Microsoft Teams Meetings | Register
Tues., October 29, 3-4 p.m.
How to Get Tech Support
The Enterprise Technology Help Desk
http://www.usnh.edu/it/need-it-help
