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Faculty/Staff  & Student Technology Loans

CSUSM continues to provide technology loans of laptops and other IT hardware to those who require that technology to learn or work in a virtual environment.  While CSUSM strives to provide technology to students and faculty/staff in need, given fiscal and resource constraints, indicating a need does not guarantee you will receive the item. Please review the Home Technology Setup and Basic Home Internet Service standards below, and if you require assistance or a technology equipment loan, please email cio@csusm.edu with your request.

Home Technology Setup - Students and faculty/staff will need to have access to a basic home technology setup in order to learn, teach, and work in a virtual environment.  A basic home technology setup includes access to a laptop or desktop computer, webcam and microphone, and Internet connectivity to access online course materials, video conferencing sessions, and online informational resources.  IITS can only provide basic hardware, specific courses and functions may have other or additional requirements that are not appropriate for this program.  If you do not have access to a computer for financial or other personal resource limitations, you can request a technology loan from IITS.  IT equipment is provided as a temporary solution and the use of the equipment may be terminated at any time.

Basic Home Internet Service - Basic home internet service allows you to use CSUSM's classroom video conferencing service (Zoom) and access online systems and resources such as Cougar Courses. If your area lacks available internet providers or you cannot afford basic internet service, you may request a wireless hotspot from CSUSM.  By requesting a wireless hotspot, you attest that you currently do not have any internet service and that you lack the availability or financial means to acquire it.  Please note that a wireless hotspot can only offer basic connectivity.  Hotspots are provided as a temporary solution that may be terminated at any time.  

 

IITS Help Desk - Scheduled Appointments

The IITS Help Desk primarily provides technical assistance via phone, email, and other online tools.  Limited on campus support is provided for scheduled appointments only.  The IITS Help Desk is open strictly by appointment only on Tuesdays and Thursday from 10am to 4pm. Please contact us at cio@csusm.edu should you need to make arrangements to receive equipment from IITS or drop off technology that is no longer needed or damaged and in need of repair/replacement. 

Faculty/Staff Technology Purchases

If you are considering purchasing any technology for your home office, please first visit our list of recommended equipment and learn more about the technology purchase request process. 

Recommeded Equipment

Notices

Important Zoom Information

Technology platforms like Zoom have, by necessity, become our primary mode for student communication and engagement. Beyond the loss of face-to-face instruction and in-person service delivery, additional challenges of this environment include the phenomenon of Zoom-bombing.

Zoom is very easy to access and use; unfortunately, it also offers too many ways for participants to intentionally disrupt online sessions. Zoom Meetings are far more open by default, which can be problematic in multiple ways including through inappropriate audio or typed comments, inappropriate camera backgrounds, and inappropriate shared screen images.

CSUSM is committed to Zoom as the default video conferencing platform for instruction in order to provide students with a consistent experience. Looking to the fall term, the campus community is advised to follow the recommended security guidelines as outlined, so that Zoom remains a safe and effective platform for dialog and instruction.

Security Practices - IITS recommends faculty and staff adopt Zoom’s “Best Practices for Securing Zoom Meetings” for all public and instructional sessions. At a minimum, access to sessions should be controlled by the use of "waiting rooms" and limited to users authenticated with their CSUSM credentials, as identifying an unauthenticated user can be extremely challenging. Zoom is far more secure when the session is not open for anyone to simply join with a Meeting ID and users are logged in.  This removes individuals joining unannounced as well as the anonymity; both of which are traits often utilized by those who do Zoom-bombing.

Through easy to use Single Sign-on/SSO setup (see Zoom Meeting link above under Training & Support), and by following a standard set of Zoom recommendations, CSUSM can proactively take the necessary steps to avoid potentially serious disruptions.

Zoom Guide -- “Best Practices for Securing Zoom Meetings”

Utilizing the Appropriate Platform – Zoom has two delivery platforms, the familiar Zoom Meeting and the Webinar. The Webinar is a one-way delivery platform, which greatly limits opportunities for disruption. A Webinar includes video and audio only from the panelists and allows for comments/questions to either be turned off or moderated. For widely accessible sessions with little risk of disruption, Zoom meetings and webinars can also be live-streamed to YouTube.