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Utica College User Services is responsible for the operations of all computer labs and faculty staff computers on our Utica campus. In all, more than 1,700 computers are supported by our staff members as well as our crew of student employees.

Installation guide. Select a folder and then click 'Install'. Select a language. Read and confirm the license agreement. Enter the serial number for the Vasco da Gama add-on into the corresponding window. Free tech support if needed, we do install what we sell. If you don't wish to do it yourself you can always send it to us. Fast Processing and Shipping, We ship 6 days a week. Designed and MADE IN THE USA; BEST RESULTS for the LEAST amount of money. FREE BELLM TCs sticker with every order while supplies last; Regular Price: $14.95.

Please read below to understand further what user services the Help Desk provides.

For Students

Only partial support is available for non-college owned devices, such as student laptops or cell phones.

• Help connecting to the wifi network will be provided for most devices, including laptops. Please see the IITS Networking and Infrastructure page for information and steps to register your device.
• Students will be assisted with any issues regarding network or UC email accounts as well as any other problems encountered while using a college system.
• Anyone using our eLearning system, Engage, can get 24/7 phone or email support by calling 1-866-264-1537 or emailing engage@utica.edu
• Microsoft Office is available for active students but is not supported. See our Microsoft Office instructions in the tab below.

Q. What is my Utica College email address and how do I use it?
A. Your email address is typically your first initial, middle initial, and your last name, but not always. To get your email address username and password simply go to http://password.utica.edu. Follow the instructions on that page to obtain all your account information.

Q. I already have an email address I use everyday, why should I use my UC email too?
A. You need to check your UC email because your professors as well as campus offices, like Student Financial Services and Student Success, will send important information to that email. Notices about campus events and activities will also get sent to you over email. Messages sent from your UC email to other UC email addresses will not get marked as spam; so you can be sure that your instructor or advisor receives your email. Tutorials for email and other Google services can be found at the bottom of this page.

Q. How do I use the UC Computer Labs?
A. To use the computer labs you must login to each computer. This is the same as your login to email. Remember to sign out when you are done by clicking on the Start Menu, then the person icon, and Sign Out.

Q. What do I do if I ever forget the password for my campus accounts?
A. Forgetting your password isn't the end of the world. All you need to do is go to the UC password website to reset your password. This site is also the place to go to change your password, which is required every 120 days.

Q. What type of computer should I bring to college?
A. Laptops are generally recommended over desktop computers due to portability. Many students choose to bring their laptops to class to aid in coursework. In regards to Windows vs Apple macOS vs ChromeOS, this partially depends on the academic program you'll be participating in at UC. Some academic programs require special software that will only operate on Windows based computers. We recommend you contact your academic advisor regarding this. We currently do not recommend use of any brand of ChromeOS laptop. These are essentially just a web browser and cannot run any special software. Apple computers fall somewhere in between. You'll be able to run some software such as Microsoft Office (free), SPSS, and Adobe Creative Suite, on an Apple laptop but not other software such as Analyst's Notebook, Revit Architecture, and some specialty software for Cybersecurity/Forensics just to name a few. Again we suggest contacting your advisor to inquire about the software that will be used in your classes.
Please also see our Supported Devices, Prohibited Devices, and Recommended System Specifications sections on our Networking and Infrastructure page.

Q. Can I get on the Internet from my residence hall?
A. All main campus residence halls, excluding Pioneer Village, have access to the Internet via UC's wired ethernet network. Additionally wireless Internet is available for most devices in most rooms. Internet in off-campus housing may differ, contact the Student Living and College Engagement office for details. View the Devices tab below for more information.

Q. What do I need to connect my computer to the Internet in the residence halls?
A. To connect you must have a computer with an ethernet card installed and your own ethernet cable, or a computer with an 802.11g better wireless card. More information is available on the Devices tab below page.

Q. Can I bring my own Wireless or networking equipment?
A. NO. Servers, access points, routers, switches, hubs, and other equipment are not permitted. Don't bring them to campus because they will not work with our network. Wireless printers are also not supported. See the Devices tab below for more information.

Q. Where is wireless Internet available on campus?
A. Wireless is available in nearly all campus buildings. Keep in mind that even though wireless is available in most places, it isn't always as easy to find a power outlet. Charge up in advance of going to class or going to study.

Q. Can I play online games or download music?
A. Yes, but check our Gaming FAQs in the tab below. In order to keep our network working properly for academic purposes we may limit downloading and gaming, and we cannot guarantee every game will work through our network. Music downloads are only allowed if they are legal, such as through iTunes. Violations of copyright are punishable by law as well as the student code of conduct.

Q. What technology services does UC provide to me?
A. There is a long list of services for students:

• Your student account is part of Google Apps for Education. This means you have unlimited email storage, unlimited cloud storage space on Google Drive, Google Calendar and many of the other useful Google features like Keep, Hangouts Meet, etc. Login to your account at http://mail.utica.edu . Tutorials can be found in the helpsheets tab at the bottom of this page. Google Wallet and other financial features, including in-app purchases are not allowed with UC accounts. You'll need to use a personal Gmail account for sign-in to phone apps or other services which require payment.
• UC provides black and white laser printing free from our Computer Labs. Color printing is available in our Library and is limited to 50 pages per year. More page can be purchased if needed but it's rarely necessary.
• IITS User Services is available to help with basic questions about campus technology or use of the computer labs. The Help Desk cannot fix students' personal computers but we will try to answer questions and give advice on how to fix problems.
• Access to your records (transcript, schedule, financial aid, etc.) online with BannerWeb.
• Online and Distance Learning classes, as well as some campus classes will utilize either Engage or Canvas. Instructors can setup these sites to allow you to submit homework digitally, use online forums to discuss class, get information the instructor posts for you, and more. If you have any problems with Engage you can call 866-264-1537 any time of day. Canvas support is available at 1-855-495-9954.
• Access to our Library Databases.
• ....and much more.

Q. Who can I contact if I need more help?
A. The UC Computer Help Desk is available weekdays during UC business hours. They can answer most computer related questions or refer you to the proper person for specific questions. You can call us at (315) 792-3115 or email us at helpdesk@utica.edu and someone will get back to you.

Microsoft Office - which includes Word, Excel, and Powerpoint - is available free for UC students. Each student is eligible to install Office on their personal computer (Windows 10 or macOS). This software is available as a 12 month subscription. As long as you continue to be a UC student you will be able to renew annually. Follow the same process to renew as you would to obtain it initially.

Please note that Utica College provides this software to you at no charge but does not assist with installation. Follow the Microsoft Office 365 instructions (below). Consult a friend or local computer professional for additional assistance.

Classroom and Event Support is part of the Customer Support Services team. We provide audio-visual and technical support for the Utica College community in the classroom setting. We also provide AV and technical support for events at the College.

Requests for services or equipment should be done using our online form.

A number of software options are available to UC students from various sources. Software listed does not include technical support. This list will help direct you:
Microsoft Office - All students are eligible. Please see the Microsoft Office for Students tab above.
Microsoft Windows - Criminal Justice Students (Cyber, FCM) are allowed access to the Azure Dev Tools like for access to Microsoft Windows. Instructions. Be aware that Microsoft Azure allows only one copy of each product they offer. In other words you cannot get Windows multiple times from this site, so save your download for future use.
IBM Analysts Notebook - Faculty teaching certain classes enter into an agreement with IBM for students to obtain Analysts Notebook. Those faculty will work with IITS each term for classes that need it and will provides instructions as part of the course. Analysts Notebook requires a Windows computer. More information.
Read&Write - Read&write is a software package that assists you with writing and also includes features such as reading documents out loud to you. More information.
IBMSPSS - Utica College does not have any agreements to obtain SPSS, we recommend purchasing this from www.journeyed.com .
Alteryx Designer - Students in the Data Science program can request a free license for Alteryx Designer software from the Alteryx site: https://www.alteryx.com/why-alteryx/alteryx-for-good/students
Tableau- Students in the Data Science program can request a free one-year license for Tableau from their site: https://www.tableau.com/academic/students

File Sharing on the UC Network

Utica College is committed to preventing the use of College resources for the improper use, infringement, and distribution of copyrighted materials while at the same time not unduly interfering with the appropriate educational and research use of such resources. Utica College is also committed to educating members of the College community concerning the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including unauthorized peer-to-peer file sharing.
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works. If you violate the exclusive rights of a copyright owner, you infringe the author’s copyright.
Access to the campus data network is a privilege, not a right. Before you are allowed to connect, you must agree to abide and be bound by the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). If you violate this policy you will be subject to consequences, including loss of your network privileges. This means you will not be able to use your own computer to access:

• e-mail,
• Internet,
• calendar applications,
• Facebook or MySpace,
• eLearning services,
• data storage, or
• other network services.

Click on the links to the right and learn how you can legally access music, movies, games, software and other copyright materials; learn about copyright protection and your rights; and understand what will happen if you illegally download or share copyrighted materials.

The Utica College Responsible Use of College Computing Resources policy.

List of Publicly available computer facilities:
General hours are 7am to 11pm weekdays.
Each is available for general use when rooms are not booked.
You can check room bookings using the Event Management System.

• Library Main Floor* (open during Library hours)
• Library Kelly Classroom (open during Library hours except when in use by a class)
• Library 108
• Library 109
• Strebel 102 (24/7)
• Thurston 205
• Faculty Center B01* (Macs)
• Hubbard 217
• ECJS 212
• Gordon 260*

*Includes the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite of software.

Print Quota

Black & White Printing

Printing at Utica College is now more Student friendly. While other institutions are charging increasing amounts to print, we have done away with a printing quota for black and white printing. You no longer have to worry about running out towards the end of the year.

Color Printing

Color printing is still available, but the cost is different. You may notice that your quota amount now reads as 50. This 50 is what color prints will be deducted from. Each side of a page that is printed in color will deduct 1 page from your quota.
If you want to add additional pages to your Quota, you will need to fill out a Quota Increase Form and pay for the additional pages at Student Financial Services. Color printing beyond the first 50 pages will cost 50 cents per side.
Currently color printing is only available in the Library at the Circulation desk. Please be sure to ask the Library staff for assistance if you need help printing in color and be sure to use only what you need.

Print Quota Purchase Form

This is used to buy more pages to add on to a student's print quota. The form should be completed and taken to the Business office for payment. Once the bottom of the form has been filled out by the business office bring the form to the Computer Help Desk for processing.

For Faculty & Staff

The above statements for students are also true for faculty and staff personal computers or devices. We however do not recommend use of personal equipment for business use due to security concerns.

• The Help Desk provides technical support for all College owned computer equipment purchased by IITS. Phone support, walk in, and 'housecall' support is available for most issues by contacting us. We can be reached by phone on campus at extension 3115. Off-campus or dial (315)-792-3115
• You may also email us at helpdesk@utica.edu
• Basic questions can often be answered over the phone. More extensive training may require an appointment.

Classroom and Event Support is part of the Customer Support Services team. We provide audio-visual and technical support for the Utica College community in the classroom setting. We also provide AV and technical support for events at the College.

Equipment is available on first come first served basis and may be subject to staff availability as well. Make reservations as far in advance as possible.

Requests for services or equipment should be done using our online form.

IITS Forms:

Forms are in Adobe PDF Format

Faculty / Staff Related Forms:

***New employees do not need to fill out any paper work to obtain an account, one will be made automatically. They may want to fill out the Network ID Change of Access form if you need access to a school or office shared folder.***

VPN Access Request form

This is for access to campus computer services from off site. Note it will require supervisor and IITS approval. Complete form online.

Email Account Request form

This form is for campus groups with the need for a Utica College email account. View/Download this form (40KB).

Email Name Change Request form

Use this form if you are changing your name and would like to change your email address accordingly. This form cannot be used to change your email address for any other reason. View/Download this form (59 KB).

Network ID Request form

New college organizations may fill out this form in order to get a network ID for logging into their organization's computer. Also fill this form out for requests for workstudy/intern accounts. View/Download this form (110KB).

Network Attachment Request form

If you need to add additional network connections (wall jacks for the ethernet network) or move an existing connection due to office re-arrangement fill this out. Be sure to make an accurate drawing of the location needed on the bottom of the form. View/Download this form (106KB).

Network ID Change of Access form

Use this only for any employee needing access to a division folder. This includes new employees and those changing employment from one school or division to another. This will change which network drives you have access to. View/Download this form (31KB).

Banner

For new employees that need access to Banner or for current employees that need different access, please enter a support ticket.
For access to making purchases / requisitions via banner , fill out the Purchasing Offices' access request form. Purchasing also has a form for adding a new vendor to the system.

Technology Purchase Requests:

All requests will be evaluated and approved on a case by case basis. We are now using our ticketing system to track all requests for hardware and software. Enter a ticket and someone will contact you to discuss your needs.

If you know of other forms that should appear on this page please contact Mike Clapsadl at mclapsa@utica.edu.

The Utica College Responsible Use of College Computing Resources policy.

Lets you know when certain IITS services may be offline.

Microsoft has discontinued the 'Work At Home' program that previously allowed UC Employees to obtain Microsoft Office for personal devices. You can obtain Office at educational prices from sites like www.journeyed.com . You may see a few different options:

• Office 365 is a subscription service and can be used on up to 5 devices you own. It includes some of Microsoft's cloud storage, a monthly Skype allowance, apps for mobile devices, and the Office 2019 applications for your computer: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook**, Publisher**, Access**.
• Office Home and Student 2019 is available as a one time purchase that will not expire and includes only Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote. This is the less expensive option if you expect to need Office for more than two years and are not concerned if your version isn't the most up-to-date.

Note: Outlook, Publisher, and Access are not available for the Apple macOS.

In the process of obtaining Office you'll likely need to setup a Microsoft Account. We do not recommend using your @utica.edu email address for this as it has been known to cause problems. Use a personal email account to create a Microsoft Account if you don't have one already.

Google classroom is not supported - all faculty must use Engage for online learning.

Google Wallet and other financial features, including in-app purchases are not allwoed.

For Alumni

For those of you who have graduated from Utica College you may maintain access to your UC issued email account and BannerWeb. This requires changing your password every 120 days as prompted and renewing your account every 6 months. You will receive emails when renewal is needed - just be sure to check the account so you don't miss the notices. Accounts not renewed are terminated and all data in the account is deleted.

If you wish to no longer use your UC account you can let it lapse when prompted to renew. You may wish to download the data from your account first; see our Google Takeout instructions.

For transcripts please visit the Registrar's Transcript request system.

For Former Students

For those of you who took classes at some point in time but stopped attending without obtaining a degree, your accounts will be closed after a period of not being an active student. You will receive warnings before your account is terminated.

If you wish to download the data from your acount, please see the Google Takeout instructions.

If you return to UC, an account will be created for you again.

There are some tutorials that require more than text to be understood by readers. By creating step-by-step instructions using visuals, you can key readers into details that may otherwise not have been communicated. Those visuals could be still images or screenshots, animated GIFs, comparison charts, or videos. On top of helping readers understand your content, visuals also break up the monotony of a large amount of text.

In the last year, I’ve been working as a technical writer for Joyent writing instructions and creating videos geared towards users of all skill levels. This requires precision — people rely on me to create step-by-step instructions and guides for a technical task. If I miss a step or assume that readers already know a piece of information, they may walk away frustrated and never come back to our content. On the other hand, if I’m too detailed the content could feel excessive and rambling, as well as require more frequent updates. No pressure.

Finding the places where an image can replace some of those overly precise details saves me time and energy. Plus, readers walk away knowing what they’re expecting to see which hopefully makes their life easier. Whenever possible follow some key writing advice: show, don’t tell (so essential it has its own Wikipedia page).

You don’t need to be a technical writer to benefit from precise process parlance. Keep reading for strategies to prepare instructions and add visuals to any document.

Before you start visualizing, consider your audience

Before producing any content, you should know who you’re producing it for and what their expectations are. Although it’s impossible to anticipate each reader’s individual needs, the rules you establish influence the tone of your content and can help you make decisions later down the line when creating your process outline.

Consider the following:

Instructionsbe Tech Help Desk

• Are my readers already experts? Have they done this process before, if not exactly then in similar circumstances?
• Are my readers internal or external? If my readers are within the same company, what language do we share that will help better explain the process?
• What mood will they be coming to my content with? Am I creating this content for someone who is in a rush to get something done, or is this for a more casual learner who is just hoping to further their education on a topic?
• What is most important to my readers? What is least important?
• How do my readers prefer to learn? Do I know if a blog post is more successful than a video? Is there any analytical data to support these claims?
• Are my readers native English speakers? If I use an idiom, will it hinder their ability to learn how to complete the process?

No matter what you’re creating, you’re always creating it with a reader on the other end. The better you know your reader and produce content with them in mind, the more likely they’ll keep coming back for more content.

Outline the process with only as many details as necessary

One way to prepare a process or tutorial for any medium is to start with a two-column table. The first column will contain each individual step that the reader needs to take to complete a task. Those steps can be as small and precise as “submit your application” or as large and unspecific as “complete the remainder of the form.”

The second column will be your visual process column. At first, this may not include any actual visuals at all, but a description of what the visuals will be. If you’re creating a written document, you don’t need to have a matching visual for every step in column one. If you’ll be creating a screencast, every box should have a note about the type of visual to be included. There should be little to no empty screen time in a video.

An example of this table is below under “Example Outline,” but first you have to know more about the types of visual aids.

Types of visuals and when to use them

Every process can benefit from different types of visuals. The medium will change depending on its purpose.

• Still images – this is the perfect medium when trying to visualize a physical product, be it a person or specific object like a type of pan. These can be stock photographs or photos you’ve taken.
• Screenshot – a still image of your screen is great when talking about products that are seen on your computer, such as a website or another piece of software. They’re super easy to take and edit, especially thanks to Snagit.
• GIF – animated images are perfect for explaining short processes (under 8 seconds) which may not be as easily articulated.
• Chart – bar charts, pie charts, line charts, so many types of charts! A chart is the best choice when talking about and comparing a set of numbers.
• Video – the ultimate visual, a video is great for explaining a process. How to make a great technical video is an art form which can certainly be helped by this process but requires much more planning. (Lucky for you, I learned a lot from TechSmith, and they have a lot more to say on the subject).

Feel free to use a mix of mediums with your writing. Each will meet different needs for different steps.

Example outline

Recipes are one of the best examples of a process that often requires precision in which visuals can make a huge difference. Let’s say I want to outline the instructions for making a cake:

table {

border-collapse: collapse;

}

table, td, th {

border: 1px solid #404040;

padding:4px;

Instructionsbe Tech Helpline

}

If every step had an image, that would be a bit… gratuitous.

Choose your visuals

The images I’ve selected are helpful in articulating mini processes within a larger process. In particular, the picture in step 7 of the mix stirred so far is a crucial piece of visual evidence. Having baked a number of cakes with this instruction, the difference between just right and over-mixed… I wish I always had a picture. There could be an instruction manual written just on the intricacies of how long to mix — every other page would have to be an image.

After outlining what visuals you need, you have to collect the goods. For this example, it would be best to take pictures of your process baking a cake. For other processes, you may not need to take custom photos. There are a variety of free and premium stock photography websites which have videos, GIFs, and still photos to be used at your discretion.

Testing with your target audience

No piece of writing is complete until it has been read by someone in your target audience and given a seal of approval. Their input will demonstrate where you missed a step in your process or where more visuals are needed.

The easiest way to go about this (without the large resources of a usability team) is to ask a few people from your key demographic to read your content and try to follow the process exactly as written. Jakob Nielsen is often quoted saying that five is the best number of people to catch the most number of issues.

Unmoderated testing

Unmoderated testing is perfect for smaller projects with limited resources — or just when you need results fast. There are a number of tools you can use for more precise results, but if you’re just looking for feedback on a smaller process, you may be able to get away with just sending the document to your testers with a set of questions you want answered.

Ask your testers to take notes whenever they have questions, see something that may be missing, hit roadblocks in the process, or wish they had more detailed instructions. Hopefully they’ll be able to finish the task before giving you feedback.

Moderated testing

The biggest benefit of moderated testing is that you can actually watch your tester perform the process and see where they are confused instead of relying on them to note that confusion for you. It’s even better if you record the session so that you don’t have to rely exclusively on the notes you take during this session.

Ask questions along the way. For example:

• Did you understand what task you were being asked to perform? Did that task make sense?
• What would have made this process easier to complete?
• If there was a visual with a step, did the visual help you understand what to do?
• Do you wish there had been more visuals?

Wrapping up

You now know why you should add visuals to step-by-step instructions and have an arsenal of tools to help you successfully create step-by-step instructions with the help of visual aids. Practice makes perfect. Your first attempt at adding images to a process may not be perfect, but with some user testing to guide your editing process, you’ll be on your way to helping your users understand how to complete a task.

Do you have another method of figuring out when to add visual aids to instructions? Share your tips in the comments below!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.