91¶ÌÊÓƵ

IT Division

CONTENTS

featured stories

Every year, 91¶ÌÊÓƵ strives to provide transformative educational experiences for students of all identities and backgrounds through meaningful personal connections with faculty and staff in and out of the classroom.
 

USHE Concurrent Enrollment Participation Form

 

Concurrent Enrollment (CE) refers to enrollment by high school students in one or more Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) institution course(s) under a contractual agreement between an Institution and Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Students continue to be enrolled in their high schools, to be counted in Average Daily Membership and to receive credit toward graduation. Concurrent students also receive college credit for courses. The purpose of CE is to allow eligible high school students to enroll in college courses that would enable them to earn credit concurrently toward high school graduation and a postsecondary certificate or degree.

The IT Division Student Applications team manages all software deployment projects for 91¶ÌÊÓƵ, Student Access and Success (SAS), Financial Aid, and Registration.

The USHE CE Participation Form Project was a state-mandated project to adhere to a single 91¶ÌÊÓƵ form for all Utah Higher Education institutions. This project was a collaboration with Ellucian, Utah State Board of Education (USBE)/USHE, and Utah State University (USU). The 91¶ÌÊÓƵ IT Division Student Applications team was responsible for project management and technical expertise to coordinate with USBE and Ellucian. Mark Isakson (91¶ÌÊÓƵ Programmer/Analyst Architect) is 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s USHE Technical expert and drove the engagement with USBE to get contacts assigned to the project. IT efforts were the reason this project was completed on time.

Students fill out the USHE concurrent enrollment application which can admit them as concurrent at multiple colleges in Utah using the same application. The student pays the application fee for each college they apply for admission to on the USHE application. Students must include their Utah SSID number. The 91¶ÌÊÓƵ applications are pushed to 91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s CRM Recruit, which auto-admits the student and pushes the admitted application to Banner.
 

USHE Concurrent Application
CRM Recruit
Banner



 

Scott Teichert


"Since we turned on the USHE CE application and high schools started utilizing the form, we've admitted 2,988 new CE students. This project has been a 'herculean' effort by all parties involved. Thank you for all the hard work and patience."

- Scott Teichert, Assistant Vice President for Access
One week after the project went LIVE in August 2023 91¶ÌÊÓƵ

Google Workspace

Google Migration Project
 

The Google Migration Project allowed the IT Division to address technical debt that inhibited the ability to move forward with important security and risk management initiatives. 91¶ÌÊÓƵ (91¶ÌÊÓƵ) began the transition to Google Workspace in 2012 and, at the time, students were transitioned first. Because of this, there were two separate Google Workspace accounts. This presented some problems down the road when Google removed unlimited storage for education customers and required student licenses to purchase faculty/staff licenses. Migrating students to the primary domain allows 91¶ÌÊÓƵ to better protect these accounts against advanced security threats, while also enabling students more features of Google Workspace, such as expanded storage options. This simplifies the management of Google Workspace and improves the collaboration between students and faculty.

Scott Teichert


"As a new team member in the IT Division, taking on the role of Project Manager for the Google Migration Project was a privilege. It was a significant project that had a direct impact on the entire community, and I am proud of the dedication and hard work the project team put in to ensure its success."

- Mark Journigan, Systems Administration Manager
Project Manager

Duo

Two-Factor Authentication (Multi-Factor Authentication) - DUO Bypass Code
 

91¶ÌÊÓƵ’s (91¶ÌÊÓƵ) IT Security Office (ISO) protects sensitive information for students, faculty, and staff from increased cyber threats. By doing so, two-factor authentication (2FA), also known as multi-factor authentication, requires two (2) independent forms of authentication from different categories to access resources and data, adding an extra security layer. 2FA is a reliable and effective system for blocking unauthorized users. Luis Perez-Bermudez (Web Development-Associate Web Developer) wrote the custom integration and the IT Division Web Development team built a page for users to enable the DUO bypass code. If users cannot proceed past Duo, the Duo bypass code allows users to begin the Duo recovery process. 91¶ÌÊÓƵ has taken the lead among Utah colleges/universities for being the first to integrate 2FA.

 

Scott Teichert

"The Duo Bypass Self-Service system has been incredibly helpful to everyone at Weber State. Students who may be new to Multi-factor Authentication are able to get in quickly, removing a potential source of stress in their busy lives. It's also a lifesaver for faculty and staff who may have forgotten their smartphone at home. At the IT Service Desk, we guide users through this tool while we help them set up Duo on their smartphones. The Duo Bypass Self-Service system has saved us countless hours of time and effort."

- Mitchell Weaver, IT Division-Systems & Access Specialist

Password Self Service
 

The password tool 91¶ÌÊÓƵ was using was an open-source tool that did not communicate to users that their passwords needed to meet specific requirements. Weak passwords have a critical impact on campus data security. Password security protects data from bad actors by detecting and blocking known passwords' weaknesses, variants, and other weak terms. Passwords are the first line of defense against unauthorized access. The Password Self-Service enhancement was necessary to make it usable and easy for the user to reset.

 

Scott Teichert

"The recent Password Self-Service enhancements have significantly improved the password management process. Password requirements are more straightforward, and the campus community can successfully set passwords with less assistance, less time, and less frustration. The interface is user-friendly, and we have heard positive feedback from students, staff, and faculty."

- Allison Barton, IT Division-Senior Support Operations Manager

Summer Digital Development Series (SDDS)
 

The Summer Digital Development Series (SDDS) micro-credentials are new for 2024 and have been a collaborative effort by the Department of Continued Education (DOCE), 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Online, Creative Academic Technology Solutions (CATS), Academic Web Services (AWS), and the SDDS instructors. The Digital District initiative is to enhance digital fluency skills for staff, faculty, and student workers. The micro-credentials are a way to showcase learning and career development. The SDDS event includes 30+ classes, beginner to advanced level, taught from mid-May through early August. There are four (4) obtainable micro-credentials through attending classes through SDDS:

  1. Accessibility
  2. Creative Design
  3. Innovative Technology
  4. Productivity

For each micro-credential completed, you’re entered into a drawing for one of eight $25 Amazon gift cards. The individual who finishes all four micro-credentials first by August 16th will receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Winners will be announced on August 19th. The SDDS is growing, hoping to incorporate other divisions in the next 2025 calendar year. So don’t miss out and join in on the learning experience!

 

Scott Teichert

"For the second year in a row, I had the privilege of presenting a session at the training series. I was impressed by how well the sessions ran. I was kept abreast on information like attendees, expectations for preparation, and received support throughout the process. I believe my session was well-received because of the thoughtful follow-up questions I received from attendees after the training.

The Staff Digital Development Series continues to be an excellent platform for connecting with colleagues across campus, enhancing our digital fluency, and learning ways to make our jobs more effective, efficient, and valuable to those we communicate with and serve.

Thanks to the Digital District and the IT Division! "

- Daniel Jensen, Data Training and Communication Manager