We have been talking about UTHSC TechConnect for months and it is finally here! UTHSC TechConnect is helping ITS move towards digital transformation to make it easier for faculty, staff, and students to find services and articles about the technology we offer to the campus.

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Amos (Analysis of Moment Structures) analyzes Structural Equation Models (SEM) by either drawing a path diagram or programming a command language. These models are also known as LISREL models, confirmatory factor analysis, analysis of covariance structures, path analysis, or causal modeling.
 
Learn more about Amos on OIT's Research Software website. Learn when to use it, where to run it, how to learn, and where to get help.

Microsoft has some excellent training courses we recommend:

• Microsoft Teams for Education: Beyond the Basics (August 9 - 10:00 am - 11:00 am CST)
• Teach Forward: Best Strategies for Hybrid, Remote, and Blended Learning (August 9 - 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CST)
• Effective and Efficient Assignments and Assessments for Education with Microsoft Teams (August 10 - 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CST)
• Microsoft Teams Breakout Rooms Level 100 (August 11 - 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm CST)

All About Microsoft Word

Want to learn more about Word, but don't have time for formal, in-person training? This video series from Microsoft walks you through how to create and save a document, make design and editing changes, collaborate with others, and set up Office 365 mobile apps.


 

Changing the Font Size of the Outlook Message List
It's possible to make your Outlook Message List larger or smaller with these steps:

Windows Users

1. Look under the View menu and choose the View Settings icon.
2. Click Other Settings.
3. Change the Column Font or Row Font setting font size to make the font larger or smaller.

1. Look under the Outlook menu and choose Preferences.
2. Choose Fonts.
3. Change the text display size to larger or smaller.

Have you ever led a meeting where things just completely went off the rails? You scheduled an hour to knock out three or four things, and someone went on a tangent, usually because they genuinely wanted their voice to be heard. 

The problem is, if you don’t recognize their idea, many people will keep bringing the conversation back to it. So now you have lost complete control, and the meeting is unproductive.

Enter Lean’s beloved Parking Lot. A parking lot helps you recognize everyone’s ideas by placing them in an area (usually on a whiteboard or in meeting notes), so you can discuss these ideas in a future meeting. Sure, it is a bit of a meeting deflection tactic, but it helps keep the discussion focused on completing your scheduled tasks.

And many ideas that come to people in meetings ARE relevant and helpful, so you want to record them. A parking lot helps you keep control of your meeting while also recognizing ideas to be addressed later.

Learn more about the parking lot and how to use it to your advantage in meetings by reading Quick and Dirty Tips’ How to Use the ‘Idea Parking Lot’ in 4 Simple Steps article.

The Importance of Data Encryption
 
Encryption is a process that scrambles data into cyphertext, so anyone trying to read the data finds nothing more than gibberish.  When talking about encryption, it is significant to be aware of the distinction that all modern encryption technology is derived from cryptography. Cryptography is the act of creating and (attempting to) deciphering a code. While electronic encryption is relatively new in the grander scheme of things, cryptography existed as far back as ancient Greece.
 
Spartan generals sending and receiving sensitive messages would wrap a piece of parchment around an instrument used as a tool to create encrypted messages as a means of keeping information secret.  When someone removed the paper from the cylinder, the writing appeared to be a jumble of nonsense. The other general receiving the message could wrap a parchment of similar size around it, and easily read the intended message.
 
We have entered a time when the conveniences of widespread connectivity can provide everyone the flexibility of carrying a networked device on his or her person.  A study conducted by the Ponemon Institute indicated, “two out of three lost smartphones contained sensitive or confidential business information”, which makes mobile device encryption especially important. The incredible growth of connectivity has excited businesses and consumers alike with its promise of changing the way we live and work.  It has also put us at more risk than ever of being hacked.
 
Data security is a major concern, especially when you are sending sensitive information. Encryption is a great way to keep valuable data safe, making it completely unreadable to anyone but you or its intended recipient.  Whether you are transmitting it over the Internet, or just carrying it through airport security on your laptop.  Encryption makes the ability to securely store or send personal and private information possible while protecting individual privacy and business information from exploitation.

Chris Madeksho
In each issue, we feature one of our amazing ITS team members. We learn more about Chris Madeksho with our Cybersecurity team in this segment.

What is your role and how long have you been in ITS at UTHSC? I have been with UTHSC for almost five years now, all in the Office of Cybersecurity. My current role on the governance side of cybersecurity has me in charge of our outreach initiative SPAR (Security Preparedness and Response) as well as coordinating annual training. I am also in charge of policy management as well as helping with risk management.

What is a day in the life of Chris like? Hopefully, I am organized enough at the start of the day to accomplish set tasks, which could be anything from updating web pages, writing articles on security-related topics such as phishing, revising a standard or practice, or working on an IT Risk Management tool we are excited about. 

What is your favorite thing about working at UTHSC? I like to work/life balance that UTHSC allows for me. Benefits are wonderful also. We’ve saved quite a bit on tuition! And lastly, the people that make it all possible. A wonderful bunch to work with to get things accomplished.

What’s something most people don’t know about you? I am a breast cancer survivor. December will mark my five-year anniversary of being cancer-free, a real reason to celebrate!