ITSpotlight is designed to keep the campus up to date on ITS activities and services.
Getting Started with Applications in Microsoft Teams
Posted July 09, 2025
by Curt Price
Microsoft Teams is more than just chat and video calls. It’s a powerful workspace where you can integrate a wide range of applications (apps) to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and foster collaboration.
What Are Apps in Microsoft Teams?
Apps in Microsoft Teams are tools or services that you can add to your Teams environment to help you complete tasks, manage projects, communicate more effectively, and more. They integrate directly into Teams’ in...
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Microsoft Excel Is Now Available with Respondus Monitor
Posted July 09, 2025
by IDLT
Respondus Monitor now allows the use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets during proctored examinations. Respondus’ built-in spreadsheet tool is being discontinued and replaced with the desktop version of Excel. Only the desktop version is supported; the online version of Excel will not work with Respondus Monitor.
This feature is available only on Windows and Mac computers; it is not supported on Chromebooks or iPads.
Students will have the option to either open a pre-po...
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Microlearning & Resource Development: How IDLT Can Help Your Department Shine
Posted June 11, 2025
by IDLT
As departments across campus prepare for the next academic year, the Instructional Design & Learning Technologies (IDLT) Resource Development team is here to support your instructional and training goals with custom-built, high-impact learning tools.
Whether you're onboarding new staff, rolling out departmental procedures, or enhancing student engagement, our team can help you design and deliver content that’s accessible, engaging, and effective.
What We Offer
The I...
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Microsoft Bookings in Office 365
Posted June 11, 2025
by Curt Price
What Is Microsoft Bookings?
Microsoft Bookings is a powerful scheduling tool included with Microsoft Office 365 that allows people to schedule meetings with you based on availability scheduled in your SIUE Outlook application. It’s possible this could be an alternative to Calendy, which is a popular (with paid/subscription service options) scheduling application that some use at SIUE.
Microsoft Bookings lets you:
- Publish a self-service book...
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The Top 5 Things to Keep in Mind When Making Your Website ADA Compliant
Posted June 11, 2025
by Curt Price
Ensuring your website is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant isn’t just a legal consideration—it’s also about making your digital space accessible and inclusive to all users, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments.
As a state university, SIUE is required to have ADA compliant web pages on our siue.edu domain.
Here are the top five most important things to keep in mind when working toward ADA compliance on your SIUE ...
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How to Use Microsoft Teams on a Chromebook
Posted May 14, 2025
by Curt Price
Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool for communication, collaboration, and productivity whether you're using it for school, work, or personal projects. If you're on a Chromebook, there are a few different ways to access and use Teams effectively.
🧰 What You’ll Need
- A Chromebook running Chrome OS
- A Microsoft account (school, work, or personal)
- Internet access
Option 1: Use the Web Version (Recommended)
The easiest and most reliable way to use Microsoft Teams on ............................................................
Using Stream in Office 365
Posted May 14, 2025
by Curt Price
Microsoft Stream, now integrated into Office 365, offers a seamless video experience. This integration allows users to record, upload, manage, and share videos just like any other file, enhancing collaboration and accessibility across the organization.
🎬 What Is Microsoft Stream?
Microsoft Stream is the modern video service within Microsoft 365 and available to all SIUE faculty, staff, and students, and allows them to:
- Upload, manage, and store videos.
- Record c...
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Using Teams for Class Sessions and Office Hours
Posted May 14, 2025
by IDLT
Starting July 1, 2025, Microsoft Teams will become SIUE's official platform for all video and web conferencing. If you're teaching this summer or planning for fall, you should prepare to use Teams for synchronous class sessions and office hours; also, remove any existing references or links to Zoom in your Blackboard courses and syllabi.
Like Zoom, Teams allows you to create a recurring meeting link that you can share with your students via email or in Blackboard.
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Open T...
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Complete These End-of-Semester Activities for Course Management
Posted April 09, 2025
by IDLT
As the term nears completion, the following tips will be useful for faculty in wrapping up their courses.
- Check your Grade Center Total and/or Weighted Total column(s) to be sure they are set up to calculate correctly. The Mercer University Online Weighted Average Grade Calculator is a useful tool for checking your Weighted Total calculations. If you find errors and need assistance, please contact ITS at 618-650-5500 or at help@siue.edu for assistance.
- Make sure your fin...
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Microsoft 365 Self-Service Password Reset Tool Now Available
Posted April 09, 2025
by IDLT
ITS is pleased to announce the activation of the Microsoft 365 Self-Service Password Reset Tool for all SIUE users. This new feature allows you to reset your password independently without contacting the ITS Help Desk, providing immediate access to your account when you experience password issues. We encourage you to register your authentication methods today through your Microsoft account settings to ensure this service is ready when you need it.
For questions regarding the se...
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Spark Engagement: Structuring Bi-Weekly Discussions in Accelerated Courses
Posted April 09, 2025
by IDLT
Faculty teaching 7- and 8-week courses know the challenge of packing a semester's worth of learning into a compressed timeframe. This intensity demands strategic course design. Bi-weekly discussions can be a powerful tool for fostering engagement and critical thinking, but they require careful planning to maximize their impact in a fast-paced environment.
Here's a guide to structuring effective bi-weekly discussions in Blackboard:
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Align Discussion Board Prompts with Lear...
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Virtual Microsoft Teams Training
Posted April 09, 2025
by IDLT
ITS is excited to announce the release of our Virtual Microsoft Teams Training, which will support your transition from Zoom and help you maximize the use of Teams for meetings and collaboration.
This self-paced training covers essential features, including:
- Getting started with Teams
- Teams and channels management
- Chats and conversations
- File management and collaboration
- Meetings
- Phone calls
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Different Ways to Schedule a Teams Meeting
Posted March 12, 2025
by: Emily Macios
Did you know there are multiple ways to schedule a Teams meeting? Whether scheduling through the Teams app or Outlook, Teams makes it simple to schedule a meeting with just a few clicks.
Teams Calendar
- Open your Teams app.
- Navigate to the Calendar tab.
- Click the ‘New Meeting’ button.
- Add the meeting title, required attendees, date, time, and other details.
- Under Options, select who can bypass the lobby and then click ‘More options’ for ...
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Reviewing the Grade Center in Blackboard for Accurate Calculations
Posted March 12, 2025
by: IDLT
As a faculty member, ensuring that your Grade Center in Blackboard is set up correctly is essential for accurate grade calculations. Errors in grade settings can lead to student confusion and grading discrepancies. To avoid issues before the end of the semester crunch time, follow these key steps when reviewing your Grade Center.
1. Verify Column Settings
Each grade column should have the correct:
- Points Possible – Ensure it matches your syllabus.
- Category Assignment R...
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Warning: Is Your Blackboard Course Close to Its Size Limit?
Posted February 12, 2025
by: IDLT
Did you know that the maximum size for a Blackboard course at SIUE is 2 GB? If your course exceeds this limit, it will not import into a new shell. This can cause major headaches when preparing for future semesters. Here’s what you need to know to stay within the limit and keep your course running smoothly.
How to Check Your Course Size
While the Package Size in Blackboard gives an estimate, it’s not a true reflection of your course’s actual size. Th...
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Zoom to Teams Drop-In Sandbox Sessions (Live via Teams!)
Posted February 12, 2025
by: IDLT
Ready to transition from Zoom to Microsoft Teams? Join our interactive, hands-on sandbox sessions—live via Teams!
🔹 For Faculty: February 28, 9 AM – 12 PM
No formal agenda—just hands-...
