Although our Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) team is usually the focus of these blog posts, the IDT unit is only one of several components of the university's Office of Information Technology (OIT). UHCL's Office of Information Technology provides a wide range of support for faculty, including the following:
- Classroom Support - Although OIT's Academic Computing team holds primary responsibility for supporting all in-classroom issues, the Support Center staff often serve as the initial point of contact. If you encounter a technical problem while teaching in a classroom in Bayou, SSCB, Delta, Arbor, or STEM, please use the in-classroom phone to dial the Support Center at x2828. If the Support Center technicians can't resolve your issue, they will transfer you to Academic Computing/Academic Labs, who can send someone to the classroom, if needed. If your call is after 5:30 PM Monday through Thursday, the SSCB 2201 and the Bayou 3608 open lab are staffed till 10:00 PM to provide student and classroom support. During those evening hours, please dial the regular Support Center number. You will hear a recorded message that includes the option to "Press 3 for evening classroom support." Use that option to direct your call straight to Academic Computing/Academic Labs for assistance.
- Support Center - OIT's Support Center is the entry point for all UHCL faculty, staff, and student technology questions. If the Support Technicians on duty cannot resolve your problem immediately, they will gather all relevant information, create a help ticket, and assign the ticket to the OIT department (e.g., IDT Team, Tech Services, Networking) that specializes in that specific type of issue. Users have several ways to contact the Support Center, including telephone (281.283.2828), email (SupportCenter@uhcl.edu), creating your own help ticket, in person at our Bayou 1312 location, and even via a live chat during business hours (look for the "Chat with us" link in the lower right of OIT's main web page). For more information about the Support Center, including locations and hours, please visit UHCL's Office of Information Technology (OIT) webpage.
- Computer Labs/Teaching Labs - OIT operates several open computer labs on UHCL's main campus and at Pearland. These labs provide powerful desktop computers for students to work on their academic and research assignments and become familiar with and utilize standard and specialized software used for their classes. All labs are staffed with both part-time student lab assistants and full-time staff to support users. Free restricted printing is provided for all currently enrolled students by presenting their UHCL student ID. There are also 15 teaching labs spread out across UHCL's computer labs. Faculty and staff may reserve a teaching lab by contacting the UHCL's Scheduling Department. For more information about the Computer Labs, including locations and hours, please visit OIT's Computing Labs webpage.
- Virtual Software Access - Academic Computing/Academic Labs ensure that faculty, students, and staff can access supported software even from off-campus through the following tools:
- Remote Lab Access - Enable you to access via a virtual private network (VPN) connection UHCL teaching and open computer lab workstations from home.
- Apporto Virtual Lab - The anytime, anywhere computer lab! As a "Desktop as a Service" (DaaS) system, Apporto provides UHCL with a cloud-based virtual desktop and software available for students and faculty to access from any device via a web browser anywhere at any time.
