Information Technology Services COVID-19 information

 

How do I get help with technology?

Please see ITS training tutorials on Google Drive for helpful instructions on technical support for working from home and a range of software and hardware questions. If you don't see a tutorial for what you're looking for, please ask a colleague who may know.

If you are not able to resolve your question or concern through a tutorial or asking a colleague, then contact the ITS Service Desk at 403.440.6000 and staff will try to troubleshoot your issue over the phone. ITS Service Desk summer hours of operation are: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fall and winter hours are Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

To submit an ITS request, please email itservicedesk@mtroyal.ca.

 

What do I use for computer hardware when working from home?

You can have at home MRU laptops already assigned to you as well as:

  • one external screen (monitor) and cables
  • a keyboard and mouse
  • an office chair

You cannot remove:

  • desktop computers (these only work when directly connected to the MRU network)
  • sit/stand stations or desks

If you do not have a computer (desktop, laptop or mobile device) at home, work with your supervisor to address this problem. If you have Library equipment signed out, please hold on to it. Late fees are not being applied to Library accounts at this time and due dates have been extended.

 

How do I access my files and work online?

Ninety per cent of employees need only a device with internet connectivity to work from home. A small number need what is called VPN access. Before you request this from ITS, check these guidelines. Please use your mtroyal.ca email exclusively (not a personal email account) while working. Links to documents will not work if you use a personal email account.

 

How can I access my on-campus telephone?

Forwarding calls from your desk phone reduces Mount Royal’s phone system capacity. Instead, you may choose to:

  • Update your outgoing greeting to include your mobile number or to ask people to email you instead.
  • Check your desk phone’s voicemail remotely. To access your voicemail box remotely:
    • Call 403.440.8700, or 8700 if at another phone on campus.
    • When the system answers, press the star key.
    • Enter your ID, which is your 4 digit extension, then press #.
    • Enter your password, then press #.
    • You should now be in your voicemail box's main menu.

If you require call forwarding for a business reason, submit your request to: Frank Nadon at fnadon@mtroyal.ca.

 

How do faculty get support for alternate delivery methods?

The Academic Development Centre provides support for alternative delivery of classes including assessment activities. Resources are available at courses.mtroyal.ca/keepteaching. Members of the academic development team are available to schedule virtual meetings as well.

 

Why are we using the Google platform instead of others?

The Google Suite tools are immediately available with no additional integration or equipment required and at no additional cost. Lectures and meetings can be recorded for later viewing and saved automatically to Google Drive. Most importantly, Google applications, including Chat and Meet, adhere to provincial and federal privacy requirements. All video and audio streams in Google Meet are encrypted, and users can join securely even when they are off-site.

 

Where can I put my videos for instruction?

Faculty members are asked to use Google Drive and not upload videos to Blackboard. Blackboard will crash if it hosts large amounts of video directly. Upload course videos to your Google Drive. Adjust the Share settings. In Blackboard, post links to the videos. An updated video tutorial will be available shortly on the Keep Teaching website.

 

How do I make sure video meetings are private to those invited?

The best way is to create an event in Google Calendar and click “Add conferencing.” Google Meets will open and give you a unique meeting identifier. When you send out your event invitations, guests will get the link. If you start a meeting from within the app you’ll be prompted to give it a ‘nickname.’ Don’t use a common word like “test” or others may inadvertently be able to join.

It is vitally important that you not join a Google Meet by phone by calling the U.S. long-distance number that may appear in a Calendar event. Doing so causes the University and the user to incur significant long-distance charges. You can choose to join Google Meet as audio only, which uses much less data. The instructions are here. If you are setting up a meeting, please instruct guests to join by audio or video and not dial in by phone.

 

How can I stay connected with colleagues while working remotely?

Connect virtually with colleagues using Google Hangouts Chat and Meet for video conferencing and group discussions. These are available through your mtroyal.ca Gmail.

  • Open your mtroyal.ca Gmail app as you do when you check email.
  • Click on the nine-dot ‘box’ in the top right corner.
  • Scroll down through the different apps. “Hangouts” is a quick 1:1 or group messaging app. “Meet” is for video conferencing. Click here for help. These screenshots will also help.
  • Google Meet now also shows up as an option in the left-side menu of your Gmail main page.
    • Choose ‘Start a meeting’ or ‘Join a meeting’

 

For more information for working off site during COVID-19, visit our Working off-campus web page.