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Top Tech Tasks to Do First

Many universities use the term “arrival survival” to describe the return to campus. Though with a little planning, there’s no need for survival techniques to make your move-in seamless. Here are a few key IT tasks to complete before or shortly after you arrive to make sure you get connected and stay in the know.

Syllabus-Ready IT Suggestions

Putting together an exceptional course is not easy. As you put together your syllabus or Canvas site for your exceptional fall classes, remember to include information about applicable technology resources available to your students. Consider the following suggestions from Pitt Information Technology:

Have Meeting, Will Register

One of the more common questions Pitt Information Technology fields is how to create a registration page for an online event or webinar, instead of manually inviting specific people via a meeting invite. With a publicly accessible registration page, you can create attention-grabbing promotional materials to attract a wider audience, as well as gather important info about participants and their interests, track who will be attending, and eliminate manual processing of RSVPs. You can create meeting registration pages in Teams, Zoom, and Qualtrics.

Bigger and Better at Pitt IT

Technology never stands still, and neither does Pitt IT. Behind the scenes, the department is continuously replacing and upgrading infrastructure, hardware, and systems to ensure that the University is operating on the most up-to-date and secure technologies. Here's a rundown of some of the IT projects from the first half of 2022:

Combining Work and Travel

With the first day of summer just around the corner, you may be preparing to take a much-needed vacation. But completely disconnecting from work isn’t easy. In a 2022 poll by Qualtrics, nearly 50% of workers reported working at least an hour a day while on vacation, with about a quarter of respondents working at least 3 hours daily. The University of Pittsburgh encourages faculty and staff to fully rest, relax, and recharge while on vacation. You shouldn’t be working during PTO time … period.

Summer’s Top 5 Tech Learning Opportunities

With many students taking the summer term off, most faculty having a lighter teaching schedule, and some departments enjoying a less structured schedule, the next few months give many students, staff, and faculty a perfect opportunity to engage in personal learning and professional development. Here in Pitt IT, we recommend brushing up on your tech skills so you can work more efficiently and effectively in the fall and beyond.

End of Semester Tech Tips & Tasks

It’s hard to believe there are only few weeks left in the spring semester. Time flies when you’re having fun and staying busy! We here at Pitt IT wish everyone luck as they hand in their final assignments and tackle upcoming deadlines. Whether you’re graduating at the end of the month, looking to land a good summer job or internship, or merely planning to relax for a few months, here are some tips and tasks we recommend you complete as the spring semester comes to an end.

5 Word Features You Should Be Using

When Microsoft Word was released, it made word processing easy. Now, most people can do basic formatting without a thought. If you aren’t a designer, editor, or creator of specialized documents, you have little need for the most advanced capabilities. But there are several lesser-known features that are life-savers in the right circumstances. Here are the top 5 tools you should definitely learn more about.