Moodle Unavailable Tuesday, January 5 2021 for Transition to Modules 3 & 4

During the transition from Modules 1 and 2 to Modules 3 and 4, Moodle will be unavailable. After the transition, the archived Module 1 and 2 Moodle will be available in the Moodle Archive. 

Module 3 and 4 courses will be hidden from student view until the instructor decides to show their course.

Services affected: Moodle at https://moodle.macalester.edu

What is being done: Modules 3 and 4 Moodle will be enabled. Modules 1 and 2 Moodle will be archived.

When is this taking place: Tuesday, January 5, 8:00 AM – Wednesday, January 6, 8:00 AM, about 24 hours.

Further communications: Your AIA will be in contact about restoring any courses into the new semester’s Moodle. If you have any questions, please contact your AIA.

Zoom Meetings: Enable a Passcode or Waiting Room

ITS strongly encourages you to enable a passcode or waiting room for all your Zoom meetings since it will add security and peace of mind that only expected guests will join your meeting.

Zoom meetings with passcodes are no big deal for participants as long as you provide them with the link to the meeting. Why? Because the meeting's passcode is embedded in the link. Your participants may not even be aware that your meeting has a passcode if they click the provided Zoom link. Meeting passcodes are already enforced for all free Zoom accounts.

How to locate Zoom Meetings without a passcode or waiting room

1. Go to https://macalester.zoom.us/profile, if prompted Sign in with SSO.

2. From the left nav, click Meetings.

3. From the tabs across the top, select Upcoming. 

4. Look through your list of upcoming meetings for the alert: ❗ No Meeting Passcode or Waiting Room.
   

5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and locate Go to and click through pages of upcoming meetings to search for other meetings without a passcode or waiting room.

Add a passcode to existing Zoom meetings

1. Go to https://macalester.zoom.us/profile, if prompted Sign in with SSO.

2. From the left nav, click Meetings.

3. From the tabs across the top, select Upcoming Meetings. 

4. Locate meetings with the❗ No Meeting Passcode or Waiting Room alert, mouse over its topic or date and then click Edit. 

5. When the Edit Recurring Meeting option appears, click Edit All Occurrences.
   

6. Locate the Security setting and then check Passcode. A passcode will automatically be generated but you can remove this and create your own passcode.

7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

8. Update calendar invites with the new Zoom link and passcode.

Enable a waiting room to existing Zoom Meetings

1. Go to https://macalester.zoom.us/profile, if prompted Sign in with SSO.

2. From the left nav, click Meetings.

3. From the tabs across the top, select Upcoming Meetings. 

4. Locate meetings with the❗ No Meeting Passcode or Waiting Room alert, mouse over its topic or date and then click Edit. 

5. If the Edit Recurring Meeting option appears, click Edit All Occurrences. 

6. Locate the Security setting and then check Waiting Room.

7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save.

8. Only users admitted by the host can join the meeting.

Lock the Zoom Meeting 

When you lock the meeting, no new participants can join, even if they have the meeting ID and password. Click Security icon > Lock Meeting.

macOS Big Sur Upgrade Checklist

 

This is a major release, so some of your critical and favorite software may no longer work with this new version. 

As with previous major releases, this upgrade was temporarily restricted for college-owned Apple computers. The restriction was removed January 15 2021.

Like the previous version, Catalina, 32-bit applications are incompatible with Big Sur.

We recommend that you only upgrade if your computer has at least 20 GB of available storage space and a minimum of 8 GB of RAM. Before upgrading, make sure you have a backup plan and set aside plenty of time for the installation to complete. 

✓ Have a backup.

ITS strongly recommends backing up your data. Once you upgrade, there's no going back to retrieve any lost data. Back up your data to your CrashPlan, Google Drive Backup & Sync, H Drive, or Time Machine.

✓ Check software compatibility.

What is the most important software that you use every day? The latest versions of programs such as Microsoft Office and Google File Stream are known to work great with macOS Big Sur, but some specialized software may need patches or paid upgrades before they work. If you aren’t sure, contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@macalester.edu. Faculty members may contact their Academic Information Associate. RoaringApps compatibility checker may have more information.

✓ Review the list of 32-bit applications installed on your Mac - Catalina macOS users can skip this step.

1. Go to the Apple menu and choose About this Mac. 
2. From the Overview tab, select System Report…
3. Locate Software and click Applications. Wait a moment and a list of all the applications installed on your computer appears, including the Application Name, Version, Obtained from, Last Modified, and 64-Bit (Intel).
4. Look closely at the 64-Bit (Intel) column for applications with No. These applications will no longer work when upgraded to Big Sur.
5. Read this article for more info: 32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later

✓ Make sure to have enough storage space. 

You need 20 GB of available storage capacity. To find the available storage go to the Apple menu and choose About This Mac then Storage.

✓ Make sure to have enough memory (RAM). 

ITS recommends at least 8 GB of RAM, otherwise your computer may run very slowly after the upgrade. To find the memory (RAM) go to the Apple menu and choose About This Mac then Overview, look for Memory.

✓ Make sure your hardware is compatible if you want to use Big Sur’s new features.

We only recommend the upgrade for the following computer models. To find your model, go to the Apple menu and choose About This Mac.

MacBook Pro: Late 2013 or newer

MacBook Air: Mid 2013 or newer

MacBook: Early 2015 or newer

iMac: Mid 2014 or newer

iMac Pro

Mac Pro: Late 2013 or newer

Mac Mini: Late 2014 or newer

✓ Clear your schedule. 

Upgrading your device to macOS Big Sur may take hours, and could require reinstalling speciality software afterward.

✓ Install macOS Big Sur.

Go to the Apple menu > App Store… > macOS Big Sur > Download > Install

✓ Upgrade or remove 32-bit applications that no longer work with Big Sur - Catalina macOS users can skip this step.

Contact the software manufacturer for the latest upgrade.

Additional Resources

• macOS Big Sur - Features

• 32-bit app compatibility with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 and later

• RoaringApps compatibility checker

Questions?

ITS Help Desk |  helpdesk@macalester.edu | 651-696-6525