DePaul University Newsline > Sections > Campus and Community > New tools available from Information Services during teleworking, remote instruction

New tools available from Information Services during teleworking, remote instruction

Working remotely
(DePaul University/Randall Spriggs)

As the DePaul community continues to adapt to a new normal of teleworking and remote instruction, Information Services has announced several tools that are now available to students, faculty and staff. Highlights include access to an expanded Office 365 platform which features Microsoft Teams, Zoom conferencing software for faculty, staff and students, and a transition to a new @depaul.edu email address for students to further connect them with faculty and staff. More information below.

Students

Effective at the start of spring quarter, students now have a new @depaul.edu email address that grants expanded access to a host of new services and applications which will make it easier for the community to communicate and collaborate online. These include expanded Office 365 services, including Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and a university-wide address book that makes it easier to find and reach other people at DePaul. The updates also provide access to Zoom Pro conferencing software.

Adobe has made temporary at-home access to Creative Cloud available until May 31 for schools and colleges who currently have only lab access for students, at no additional cost. You can use your new @depaul.edu email address to download and install Adobe software on your computer.

Students who have existing @mail.depaul.edu addresses are encouraged to start using the @depaul.edu address instead as soon as possible. The @mail.depaul.edu service will remain functional for the foreseeable future, and guidance will be provided to help students transition before it is retired. You will only be able to access the new services by using Campus Connect login credentials and your @depaul.edu email address, not the @mail.depaul.edu one.

Faculty and staff

With in-person classes being offered remotely for the spring quarter and teleworking continuing indefinitely for all university employees, both faculty and staff will now have access to Microsoft Teams and Zoom conferencing software for use with remote learning or meetings. Students recently transitioned to a @depaul.edu email and have access to these services as well. Students, faculty and staff will now be visible in a shared, community-wide address book in Microsoft Outlook and Teams.

Both Teams and Zoom can provide an alternative to most in-person team meetings, office hours, person-to-person chats, phone calls and more.

Microsoft Teams is an effective technology for individuals or small groups to collaborate ad-hoc via phone, video calls, and instant messaging, as well as screen sharing, sharing and co-editing files, and more.

With Zoom, faculty, staff and students can host meetings with up to 300 participants and share their computer screen with attendees.

New Virtual Lab Service

DePaul now offers a cloud-based virtual Windows computer, to support classes which require specialized software. This service, available to students and faculty through Apporto, can be accessed with any HTML5 compatible browser. You can find a more detailed overview, including links to instructions and available software on the Help Desk Service Portal. Your instructors will let you know if you need to use the virtual lab for your class.

Get started

View Zoom and Microsoft Teams download and tutorial information for students, faculty and staff.

How to ask for help

For Office 365, Teams or Zoom assistance, contact the Help Desk through the Service Portal or at helpdesk@depaul.edu or 312-362-8765. Faculty with specific software requests for classroom use during the spring quarter should fill out the Software Installation Request form.