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Talkin' Tech

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CCAC Employees are provided with a “Standard Technology Tool Kit” – the established standards for hardware and software within our networked computing environment.  The College provides you with the following PC tools that you need to do your job effectively.

More information and the current standards can be found on the ITS Web Site. 

Technology Tool

Information and Links
College PC
  • CCAC has set a minimum standard configuration for all computers and peripheral devices.  All purchase requests for new hardware must be approved by the ITS Field Director to ensure compliance with these standards.  Please consult with your ITS Field Director BEFORE you purchase computer hardware or software.
  • Hardware:  ITS maintains a minimum base configuration for the Standard Desktop PC and Laptop PC and Network Servers.  See the ITS Web Site for current minimums for PC processors for desktops or laptops, as well as standards for peripherals (printers, drives, handhelds, etc).
  • Software: All College PC’s are installed with a basic image (a standard installation of operating software and configured software), which includes the latest versions of Windows Operating System, MS Office, Internet Explorer, Trend Micro Office Scan, Acrobat Reader, WinZip, and Real Player.  ITS technicians will install additional software on a PC, if it is compatible with College standards and the appropriate license is maintained for the software.  Be aware of our turn-around times for service requests by reviewing the ITS Service Level Agreements.
Network Environment
  • ITS Network Services provide the College community with fast and reliable data, voice and video communications within and outside the College.  Check out the ITS web site for an orientation to the College’s network.
  • Employees: A Network User Account is required for accessing any CCAC Network Resources.  A Network Account allows you to log-in to the CCAC network from any campus PC.  Logging in to a campus PC enables you to use local PC software and access remote data on the network for collaboration.  (See the ITS Web Site for info on acquiring a Network account.)  Please note: The Network User account also serves as your Outlook email user account.
  • Students are provided access to the network through a different kind of network account called NetID.  The NetID allows students to access resources on the College network, including library resources, student email, Blackboard and academic web publishing.  In order to obtain a NetID, students must be registered. 
  • Password Change: Employees and Students are required to change their Network password every 90 days.  ITS has developed a convenient website called Entry Point at which you can change your password remotely or from any PC on campus. Go to http://entrypoint.ccac.edu to change your password or access online services.
  • Phones and Voicemail also operate over the CCAC Network.  View information on our voice systems.  The Voicemail system available at each campus is called Call Pilot; see our Voicemail webpage for Startup and Programming Instructions for Voicemail.
  • Videoconferencing facilities and equipment are maintained by the ITS network and field operations staffs.  See information on scheduling and videoconference procedures on our  videoconferencing webpage.
Security and Virus Protection
  • Trend Microsystems is the standard software utilized on all desktops and servers with a Windows operating system. In addition, incoming and outgoing email is routinely scanned for viruses and worms.
  • The maintenance of Trend Micro virus scanning is done automatically within all College PC's. Virus definitions are updated routinely and regularly by the Network Services group. Your desktop PC is updated automatically with these definitions through the Windows software.  (Learn more about Virus Protection on the ITS Web Site.)
  • NOTE: Your desktop PC is automatically scanned each Friday at approximately 3:00pm; you may observe slowed operation during this time.  If you are regularly out of the office on Fridays, you may choose to manually scan your hard drive, using the program Trend Office Scan Client (found on the Start/ All Programs menu).
  • Password Aging is now used, which requires users to change passwords for Network Account, Datatel and CCAC Central every 90 days.  More information about password aging found on the Security Passwords webpage.
Windows Operating System
  • The Microsoft Windows Operating System allows you to communicate with the software on the desktop.  See Windows XP Online Preview. 
  • Standard Users may customize their desktop, search for and add printers, and set folder options.
  • Standard Users may NOT install software/ hardware, change Windows configurations, or delete printers. Please call the Help Desk to request hardware/ software installation or if you encounter problems with the Windows software.
  • See the Software Standards page to confirm the current version on Windows Operating System.  Whenever ITS schedules an upgrade to its Operating System or Office Suite, a roll-out schedule will be announced, along with training opportunities for learning the new version.   Remember to download the Before You Upgrade instructions before your scheduled Windows upgrade or receiving a new computer.
  • Use My Computer/Windows Explorer to organize folders and files.  See the ITS Talkin’ Tech: File Management page for further instruction on how to maintain your file folders.  See the CCAC Desktop Environment page for even more info.

Printing

  • Users may use local or network printers for their printing needs.  Printers are set up through Windows during the installation process.  Users may add printers using Printers and Faxes on the Start Menu.  See the Printing Tips page on the ITS web site for more information
  • All network printers are named using the Campus, Building, Room number, eg. alm324a stands for Allegheny Milton Hall room 324, printer A.
Email
  • Employees utilize Microsoft Outlook to access their College email via the Microsoft Exchange Server.
  • Employees can access their email remotely (from any PC outside the College network) through Outlook Remote Access, via your internet browser.  (http://email.ccac.edu).  Remember to enter ccac\ before your username.
  • All employees have an Outlook Mailbox which is limited in size. You will receive an email when your mailbox size approaches the limit. Use the following information to help you manage the size of your mailbox.  See Outlook Mailbox Size and Archiving Instructions.
  • General announcements can be found on the CCAC Bulletin Board, located under Public Folders in Outlook.  In Outlook, you need to navigate to the Folder List to view Public Folders.  It is suggested that you create a shortcut for the Bulletin Board for ease of use.
  • ITS Network Services also utilizes Spam Filtering software to identify and filter suspected spam.
  • Faculty: Faculty may also choose to use an additional email account called Academic Email to manage correspondence from students.  This email address will be sameusername@acd.ccac.edu.  More information found on our Academic Email webpage.  This is the same email accounts available for students.

Blackboard

courses.ccac.edu
  • Distance Learning faculty and students use Blackboard as the software platform for internet and web-enhanced courses.
  • Questions should be directed to the Instructional Technology staff.
 Colleague
  • Colleague, developed by Datatel, Inc., is CCAC’s business enterprise system. Colleague is used to manage administrative systems across the College, and includes these three applications:
    • Student Application: Academic Records and Grading, Recruitment/ Admissions Management, Accounts Receivable, Cash Receipts, Curriculum Management (Course Schedules), Degree Audit, Faculty Information, Financial Aid, Registration
    • Financial Application: Accounts Payable, Fixed Assets, General Ledger (Budgets), Purchasing
    • Human Resources: Personnel, Payroll
  • Colleague Online Training is provided using the web-based Blackboard distance learning site.  This web-based learning site can be used by employees to access learning modules and Colleague documentation.
  • ARC (Administrative Reporting Center) provides administrators with web-based reporting for monitoring enrollment activity, student progress, budget management, etc.

CCAC Central (WebAdvisor)

 
  • CCAC Central is a component of the Colleague system that provides information available to students, faculty and staff via the Web. 
    • Students can search for classes, register and pay online (except first-time credit students), view their schedule, grades, GPA, transcript, account summary and financial aid summary
    • Faculty can submit midterm and final grades online, as well as view their class schedule and rosters
    • Administrators and staff can view their position summary, total compensation and vacation time balances
  • New Services are added periodically.  Keep your eyes open for new features.
  • You can view ONLY YOUR OWN information via CCAC Central.  To view data about other faculty/ students, you will need to use Colleague User ID for direct access to Colleague.
  • View instructions on using CCAC Central.

Web Applications and Online Services

 
  • Besides CCAC Central, the College maintains a wide variety of online applications to better service students, prospective students and employees.
  • See the Talkin' Tech Primer on Online Services for an overview of online applications, including Appointment Central, Enrollme, Online Dean, Online Bookstore, Tutoring, etc.

CCAC Web Site

www.ccac.edu 

  • The CCAC web site serves as a primary information source for the College.
  • Search and view information: About CCAC, Getting Started, Current Students, Lifetime Learning, Campuses and Centers, Faculty and Staff, Corporate Visitors, Educational Foundation.
  • Includes Keyword Search, Quick Find, Jobs Online, Course Search, Campus Tour, and more.  Note that the Course Search retrieves data from a Colleague download, which is refreshed each night.  (The Course Search in CCAC Central provides real-time results.)
  • Updates to the CCAC web site are made via the Content Management System; contact the webteam for more info.
  • Faculty and students may also publish academic web pages, hosted on the College web servers.

Policies

Help & Support

412.237.3275

MICROSOFT OFFICE 2007 is the CCAC standard for office suite software.  How do you know which application will best meet your needs for a particular task?  The table below* outlines the major functions of each Office application.

Office 2007

Application to Use

Task

 Word
  • Create general printed or online documents of all kinds—for example, memos, letters, faxes, reports, contracts, résumés, manuals, theses, and books.
  • Enter and organize research notes, outlines, and other types of free-form text information.
  • Generate form letters, envelopes, labels, and other mail-merge documents.
  • Print individual labels and envelopes.
  • Create general-purpose, relatively simple Web pages, which can include almost any Word document element, plus movies, sounds, forms, frames, visual themes, navigation bars, and other components. Use templates to create personal Web pages and other types of pages or use the Web Page Wizard to create simple Web sites. (The CCAC Web Site uses the CMS (Content Management system) to edit web content.
 Excel
  • Save, organize, calculate, analyze, and chart numeric business or personal data in a spreadsheet (row and column) format. For example, balance checking accounts, prepare invoices, plan budgets, track orders, or maintain general accounting ledgers.
  • Store relatively simple text or numeric data in lists that organize the information into records (rows) and fields (columns)—for example, a product inventory or descriptions of members of your ski racing team. Sort, find, filter, automatically fill, summarize, group, outline, or subtotal data. Display data in varying combinations using pivot tables or pivot charts.
  • Publish static or interactive spreadsheets, charts, or pivot tables, for displaying numeric, text, or graphic information on the Web. Publish forms on the Web for collecting data in lists or other databases.
 PowerPoint
  • Create multimedia presentations consisting of sets of slides to teach, sell, communicate, or persuade. Include text, graphics, animations, sound, and video in your presentations. Present multimedia information using 35 mm slides, transparencies for overhead projectors, speaker notes, printed handouts, or live slide shows on a computer or computer projector.
  • Publish presentations on the Web that consist of a series of multimedia slides displaying text, graphics, animations, sounds, or videos.
 Outlook
  • Send, receive, and organize e-mail messages. Exchange instant Internet messages.
  • Store and manage personal information (appointments, names and addresses, to-do lists, journal entries, or free-form notes).
  • Communicate and coordinate with members of your workgroup (schedule meetings, manage group projects, and share information and files).
 Sharepoint Designer
  • Create entire Web sites using templates or wizards—such as a site for establishing a corporate presence, displaying personal information, or managing a project.  Use visual themes to apply consistent formatting to all pages in your site.
  • Manage your Web site (maintain files and folders, display reports, create and update hyperlinks, track tasks, publish your site, or control the source in workgroups).
  • Create a Web page quickly using a template or wizard (for example, a page containing a bibliography, a feedback form, or a table of contents).
  • Create or edit a Web page using a full-featured HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) editor.
  • NOTE: Most CCAC web site content editors/ managers will utilize our customized “Content Management System” for maintaining information on the College’s site, rather than FrontPage.
 Access
  • Store, organize, select, and present data in a relational database, which allows you to easily manage large amounts of complex or interrelated data and to divide data into separate, related tables to maximize storage efficiency.
  • Publish an interactive form on an intranet that allows users to view or update information from a database.
  • NOTE: Colleague serves as the College’s enterprise-wide database for storing of student information and college business functions.  If you require the development of an auxiliary Access database that relates to student information or business functions, you should coordinate your work with ITS Development Services (contact ITS-Development@ccac.edu).

*Excerpted from Office 2007 Inside Out, Halverson and Young, Microsoft Press

 

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