IT Advisory Board meeting - February 2020

1. Updates from last meeting

Student loaner laptop program
- Is in progress, laptops have been acquired and are currently being re-imaged
- Looking to pilot the program this March
- Usage policy still being determined (e.g. how long should the loaner period be, any penalties for damages to the computer, etc.)
'How to print on campus' business cards
- Now available at the service desks in DC, DP, and V1
Podium troubleshooting instructions in classrooms
- Instructions will be updated to be more user-friendly to decrease technology troubleshooting time during class
Portal: follow-up answers to points made in the last meeting
- Users can only see courses and exam locations on the actual day the exam takes place
  - Exams currently only appear in the Calendar in app, so if they navigate to a different day, they'll see other exams
  - However, we do have plans to expand the Academics section of the app to list all their exams
- WaterlooWorks events don't show up in the Portal mobile app
  - Unfortunately, WaterlooWorks events don't even show up in the web anymore. CEE moved this data into WW from another site, so IST currently does not have access to the data source. IST is working on regaining access to the data source.
- User interface of Portal mobile is not as user-friendly in comparison to the web app
  - We've been working a lot on improving the usability of the app. Encourage students to update to get the latest.
  - User experience in the app will be a big focus of ours this year, so we're going to be constantly evolving it as we hear feedback.
    Would be nice to have room floor plans available in the mobile app
    We've heard this one a lot and is a good ask. Getting our hands on it is very difficult, but we'll keep working on it.
Possibly looking at having student-relevant course workshops facilitated at ITAB

2. Potential small wins

Improve Wi-Fi speed
- There is a Wi-Fi refresh project planned; campus Wi-Fi infrastructure will be replaced to improve performance and speed
Improve loading response time from DUO to LEARN
- This could be a result of the way DUO is implemented specifically with LEARN
- Does not seem to be an issue with other DUO supported applications
Have more presentation technology available in study rooms (e.g. DP Library)
Fix projectors in MC (first floor lecture halls; projects will flicker or don't work)
Integrate Odyssey with Portal/LEARN
- Students use Odyssey to determine their exam seating; this information used to be available in Portal
- In the calendar you can view the exams but not the locations the exams are held
- There are plans to expand the Academics section of Portal to include exams
  - It should be noted that exam locations need to be included as well, not just the exams
Fix the Crowdmark scrolling issue as mentioned in the previous meeting
WaterlooWorks app usability could be improved
- CECA does not currently ask students for feedback on the WaterlooWorks app
- A lot of feedback and complaints are voiced on Reddit
Promote and advertise LEADS more
- Many students don't know about LEADS
- LEADS may be going away; LEADS postings will be split up between Portal (events) and WaterlooWorks (part-time jobs)
  - Co-op students get confused with part-time jobs being posted on WaterlooWorks
Advertise the IT advisory board in the first year orientation kits so more students know about it
Facilitate more student engagement events
- Have a booth in SLC
  - How can we get people to interact with us at booth events?
    - Raffle off a popular tech-related item in exchange for collecting student names or emails
    - Free giveaways (e.g. candy and food items)
- Participate in WUSA's Clubs day
  - IST may not be eligible to participate as the department is not technically a club
- Create an IST Instagram page
  - Would be difficult to generate interesting content since Instagram is image-based
Create more posters to advertise IT Advisory board
The audio in DC 1351 is not good
- There are also no longer ethernet ports on the desks in the DC lecture halls
Student loaner laptop program (in the process of being implemented)
- What is a reasonable loan period?
  - One or two weeks, with the option of renewal
  - How many times should someone be allowed to renew?
- If the laptop is damaged, should students be responsible for the cost of replacement?
  - May just include a high fine amount in the waiver to encourage people to take care of the equipment
  - Could add student to a 'do not loan' list if they break the equipment
- The loaner laptops will be available for signout at the service desks in DC, DP, and V1
- How will the loaner program be advertised
  - Program will be advertised using regular IST promotion channels (Twitter, Facebook, IST site)
    - Will leverage the Student Success Office's social media channels
    - Can create posters for the service desks
Should IST keep making stickers to promote our services
- Yes, students enjoy them