Have a question about working with SharePoint? Want to learn more about a particular feature or get help with a problem? Join our SharePoint experts for these open drop-in sessions where you set the agenda. Bring your questions and stay for the hour or pop in for a few minutes.
Update to Microsoft Teams document behaviour
To best support the Microsoft 365 Education customers worldwide and accommodate new growth and demand during these unprecedented times, Microsoft is making a temporary adjustment to Office document behavior within Microsoft Teams for students and teachers.
How does this affect me?
For students and teachers working with Office documents in Microsoft Teams, we are beginning to roll out a temporary change where there will be an additional step in order to edit a document. This is a change from current behavior that allows users to go straight to edit mode when clicking on a document in the “Files” tab of a channel, a conversation, or from inside an assignment.
In all cases, upon clicking on the document, users will first see the document in view mode – they will be able to see the document content, but not make changes.
In order to edit the document, users need to click on the options in the top right of the white bar above the document content and select “Open in Browser” or (for users with Office for Windows installed on their device) “Open in Desktop App”. This will open the document in Office in a separate window from Teams and allow the user to make changes.
What do I need to do to prepare for this change?
No action is necessary, this change will happen automatically. We recommend notifying users proactively if possible, so that they continue to understand how to edit their Word documents in Microsoft Teams without interruption.
Microsoft making temporary adjustments to select non-essential capabilities. We do not expect these changes to have significant impact on the end users experience but wanted to make you aware.
Additional changes to Teams
- How often Microsoft checks for presence
- The interval in which we show when the other party is typing
- Video resolution
Using ROSI Remotely
This session will be an occasion for ROSI users to share their experiences and insights from using ROSI remotely. In this session we will cover:
- What you need to be able to connect to ROSI
- How to connect to ROSI from home when using your work computer, or when using a remote desktop service
- How to manage confidential information in your browser while using ROSI
- FAQs and known issues to connect to ROSI
Resources
SharePoint for Site Admins
Are you a new SharePoint site owner or administrator?
In this session we will introduce you to the basics of site administration:
- Finding settings
- Permission basics
- Creating libraries and lists
- And more…
This session will feature a brief 15-minute presentation followed by a question and answer discussion so bring your questions.
Resources
Major update to OneNote, SharePoint and Stream
As a part of Microsoft’s commitment to customers and cloud services continuity during these unprecedented times, Microsoft is making temporary adjustments to select capabilities within Microsoft 365.
Microsoft has previously shared changes to Microsoft Teams, such as how often it checks for presence, the interval in which it shows when the other party is typing, and reduced video resolution.
Here are a few other temporary changes you can expect.
OneNote:
- Download size and sync frequency of file attachments has been changed.
SharePoint:
- Microsoft is rescheduling specific backend operations to regional evening and weekend business hours. Impacted capabilities include migration, DLP and delays in file management after uploading a new file, video or image.
- Reduced video resolution for playback videos.
Stream:
- People timeline has been disabled for newly uploaded videos. Pre-existing videos will not be impacted.
- Meeting recording video resolution adjusted to 720p
Microsoft will continue to monitor our Microsoft 365 services on an ongoing basis.
SharePoint for End Users
So your group has decided to work in SharePoint—now what?
In this session, intended for end users of SharePoint, we will cover:
- Following your site
- Working with files online and on the desktop
- Sharing and sending links
- And more…
This session will feature a brief 15-minute presentation followed by a question and answer discussion. We look forward to seeing you there!
Resources
Introduction to Microsoft Teams
Important Info: Working remotely with AMS/SAP, HRIS, FIS etc.
Hi everyone,
EASI has received some inquiries about how staff can access central administrative services such as HRIS and FIS when working remotely. In response, we have put together the following resources and recommendations.
If you need to access AMS/SAP systems remotely, please contact your local System Administrator directly to determine the most appropriate solution for you. If your local IT has confirmed that Remote Desktop is safe and available to you, please remember the following when using it:
- Ensure that your work computer is left on. You will not be able to access your workplace computer remotely if your work computer is off.
- Bring your eToken home. It will need to be plugged into your home computer if you are using the remote desktop service to connect to AMS/SAP.
- If you are unable to set up the recommended Remote Desktop option on your computer, the alternative option is to install SAP GUI on your local computer and then set up Cisco AnyConnect VPN.
- The instructions for SAP GUI installation can be found here: https://easi.its.utoronto.ca/help/software-hardware/.
- Once you install SAP GUI, you will have to set up Cisco AnyConnect VPN. View instructions.
For those of you supported by ITS’ managed desktop service (Digital Workplace), set-up instructions for DW RDP Service can be found here (check this list to see Division/Departments supported by ITS managed desktop services).
For general telecommuting information, please refer to EASI’s remote work guide.
For assistance, please contact your local IT System Administrator. If you are unsure of your support options, please log a ticket in the IT Service Centre.
Sincerely,
EASI
Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration
TKF 2020 April 29 to 30, 2020 update: event cancelled
The Techknowfile (TKF) 2020 conference, which was scheduled to take place April 29 to 30, 2020, has been cancelled.
This decision was not taken lightly and falls under the advisement of the Provost Office and the COVID-19 committee, comprised of senior leadership at the University of Toronto (U of T).
The health and safety of the U of T community (staff, student and faculty), attendees and partners is the number one priority.
For more information on the changing landscape of COVID-19, review the University’s announcement and FAQs.
TKF will reconvene at a future date in 2021.
U of T rolls out ‘one-stop shop’ for student awards
The University of Toronto has launched the first phase of Award Explorer – a public-facing, centralized awards repository that gives current and prospective students access to thousands of awards, prizes and medals.
Undergraduate and graduate students can easily look for, and apply to, awards in a single location using a combination of keyword searches and filters, including award type, campus, college, faculty, citizenship and more.
“The University of Toronto has a wide range of need- and merit-based financial supports for students,” says Richard Levin, U of T’s university registrar and executive director of enrolment services.
“Award Explorer is a one-stop shop that will make it much easier and faster for students to find the information they need. At the same time, it will streamline the back-end experience for staff.”
The new tool, the result of a partnership between Enrolment Services and Enterprise Applications and Solutions Integration (EASI), centralizes the comprehensive annual support made available to U of T students. That includes nearly 4,500 admission scholarships, 6,000 in-course scholarships and close to 19,000 bursaries to undergraduate and second entry programs. That’s on top of 16,000 combined awards, fellowships and bursaries to graduate students.
“In the past, students searched for awards on multiple sites and they weren’t always sure what they might be eligible for,” says Donna Wall, the director of financial aid and awards at Enrolment Services. “With the launch of Award Explorer, we’re moving toward a consistent user experience for students and staff. It’s the beginning of building greater awareness of the wide range of need- and merit-based supports available.”
Awards continue to be added to the repository daily by department and faculty administrators. During this transition, current award information will continue to reside on divisional and departmental websites to ensure this information continues to be accessible to the public. Students can also access the tool through ACORN’s “Awards and Aid” page.
“Since 2016, we’ve been gathering input and feedback from the academic divisions and other stakeholders,” says Farah Ally, the Award Explorer project manager. “Engaging closely with our key users, such as Laura Stathopoulos, director of financial aid at the School of Graduate Studies, has contributed to the institutional success of this project.”
Award Explorer is now the primary source of award information at U of T and its functionality will continue to expand. Future phases are already in progress, which include automatically matching students to awards, allowing students to apply for awards online and notifying them about funding decisions and payment information. They will also be able to track the status of their applications, track award payment history and access their award letters.
“This project will transform award administration at U of T and make us a leader in award administration nationally,” says Wall. “We want to continue to attract the best and the brightest students.”