Category: Policies

6 for 2026

Posted on by Katrina Frank

This week we are highlighting 6 resources that are aimed at improving collaborative efforts and creating efficiencies.

Comment with an IS resource that you enjoy using.

1. Community Pages

Did you know there’s a quick way to get IS information based on the type of community member you are? Check out our student, faculty, and staff pages to find your resources much sooner.

2. Project Intake Form

Coming soon!

In IS we are working diligently to implement a more structured approach to collaborating with campus offices regarding projects with technology component/impact. Stay tuned for details on the new Project Intake Form.

3. Acquisition Policy

Are you a faculty or staff member looking to implement new software and technology? Before you select that “checkout” option or sign that contract, be sure to follow the College’s acquisition policy to ensure the right technical solution.

4. New Teammates

Soon you will see a handful of new faces in IS! While we’ll do our best to introduce our new colleagues, be sure to check out our IS staff and Library staff directories to see our full IS team.

5. “New” Phone System

Last quarter the College underwent a big migration from handheld phones to Teams Phone. Refresh your memory on how to use Teams Phone through our Phone Services page.

6. Cybersecurity

Stay alert and stay safe by following best practices relating to information security.

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Discontinuing Video Hosting on Moodle for Winter 2021

Posted on by Josh Moon

Information Services is discontinuing support for video files hosted directly on Moodle beginning in winter 2021. This applies only to video files that have been uploaded or drag-and-dropped directly into Moodle.  It will still be possible to link or embed videos from other services such as Microsoft Stream and YouTube. 

In response to the increase in online learning, we are taking this action at this time with the following considerations in mind:

  • Video on a streaming platform (Microsoft Stream, Vimeo, YouTube, etc.) is preferable and more accessible for students.
  • Microsoft Stream is now able to host streaming video content for courses at the College without using another outside service.  If you have questions about how to use Stream and manage its permissions, please refer to the Video streaming page on the Information Services website.
  • Hosting video files directly on Moodle has caused intermittent errors, disrupting service for Moodle users.

Our staff will be contacting faculty members who might need additional support hosting video files for the winter courses.  You are welcome to contact us as well.  Please send your questions to Josh Moon, Educational Technology Specialist, at Josh.Moon@kzoo.edu

Safeguarding PII While Working From Home

Posted on by Greg Diment

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is information that, when used alone or with other relevant data, can identify an individual. Many employees work with PII about students, staff or alumni. Find a more detailed definition of PII and Kalamazoo College’s policy for protecting it on the IS Policies page.

  • Follow the steps in our earlier post “Tips for Working Securely from Home.” In particular, employees should be extra vigilant when working from home against social engineering attacks.  It might be harder to tell if that email from your supervisor or colleague is legitimate when you are not located down the hall from them. If you receive a request for PII, we suggest that you get verbal/video confirmation from the requester.  
  • Try to minimize how much PII you work with from home. 
  • Never send PII through email 
  • If you need to work with PII, the best way to keep it secure is to store it on a computer that is on campus under IS management. This would include the KFiles server. We do not recommend storing PII on cloud-based services or on your device at home.  
  • To work with PII, you can also use remote access via our VPN to connect using Remote Desktop to a campus computer. Another advantage to connecting with remote desktop is that if your home internet connection is unstable, your work is preserved on the campus desktop if you get disconnected.
  • If you have further questions or need help getting set up for remote access, please contact the Help Desk.