As students transition to online coursework for the remainder of the term, there are two key technology support teams that are available to help them make the most of virtual tools and services. University Technology Services (UTS) and the MacPherson Institute are available to provide remote support for a range of tools and services that students may find themselves using within their virtual learning environment.
The MacPherson Institute provides technology resources for teaching and learning. Please see below the services that MacPherson supports and corresponding technical support contact information:
- Avenue to Learn: For any issues, please submit a ticket at: http://avenue.mcmaster.ca/support/
- WebEx: For any issues, please reach out to WebEx 24/7 support at: 1-866-229-3239
University Technology Services (UTS) supports institution-wide productivity tools. Please contact uts@mcmaster.ca for questions pertaining to any of the services below. For an overview of IT tools and services that enable you to work remotely, please visit: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/it-updates/it-continuity-tools-services/
- MacID Support: Your personalized credentials that allow access to various resources such as Mosaic, email, library resources, Wi-Fi etc. UTS suppors this service. More info here: https://www.mcmaster.ca/uts/selfservice/macid.html
- Virtual UTS Student Labs: This virtual desktop service allows users to access UTS Student Labs anywhere there is internet connectivity. More details here: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/VMWare-View-Client-Installation-Instructions.pdf
- Web and videoconferencing at McMaster: The university offers three web and video conferencing services: Microsoft Teams and Zoom (both supported by UTS) as well as WebEx (support by the MacPherson Institute). This article breaks down the difference between these platforms: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/web-and-video-conferencing-tips-for-the-mcmaster-community/
- Office365 (O365): The O365 suite of products and services (i.e. Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, OneDrive, and more) is available to all McMaster community members. Please visit the Office 365 Hub for advice and support for these tools: https://office365.mcmaster.ca/
- Adobe Creative Cloud for Students (Temporary): Adobe has provided temporary at home access for all McMaster students. Details to access here: https://cto.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2020/03/Adobe-Creative-Cloud-Temporary-Access-for-Students.pdf
- LinkedIn Learning: Active McMaster students, faculty and staff have free, unlimited access to video tutorials related to business, media, and technology through LinkedIn Learning, a self-service training site. More details here: https://www.mcmaster.ca/uts/linkedinlearning/
Best practices for online coursework
For the above services and tools to work as efficiently as possible, please follow the tips below as you access courses online and take tests remotely:
- Turn off all unnecessary programs, especially Netflix, YouTube, games like Xbox or PS4, anything that might be downloading or streaming.
- If your house is shared, ask others to refrain from doing those activities during the test.
- If you can, connect to the internet via a wired connection.
- Move close to the Wi-Fi hub in your house.
- Restart your computer, 1-2 hours before the exam. A restart can be very helpful for several computer hiccups.
Please reach out to UTS at uts@mcmaster.ca with any questions about the information above.