Keep Working - Resources & Tools

Adobe Sign

Adobe Sign is a cloud-based e-Signature service that lets you send, sign, track, and manage signature processes using a browser or mobile device. Documents can be sent instantly to receive a quick turnaround on required signatures.

myCSUNbox

CSUN's secure cloud-based file storage and collaboration solution that gives students, faculty and staff the ability to access content at any time, from any device.

OnBase

OnBase is CSUN's secure solution for providing users with a complete view of information from a single system. Data and documents can be stored in one location and processed according to CSUN business rules. For assistance on how to access OnBase remotely, review the OnBase 18 - Remote Access for Mac and Windows guide. 

• University Library
• Accessing Library Resources from Off-Campus

Setting Up a Home Office

• Setting Up a Home Office for Online Learning & Working

Optimizing Your Home Network

To optimize the performance of your home network, review these tips:

• Reduce the bandwidth required. If users are experiencing performance problems with video conferencing, there are ways to reduce the required capacity:
• Using screen sharing instead of video when possible. Screen sharing uses a fraction of the capacity in comparison to video.
• Set your video resolution to SD (not HD). Some video conferencing applications allow the user to select SD (standard definition) as opposed to HD (high definition)
• It’s best to connect your computer via an Ethernet cable directly to your home router. 
• 5G is faster and more efficient, but 2.4G supports a longer distance.
• The WiFi signal can be extended, and today there are many good equipment options.

For a complete list of tips, visit Optimizing Your Home Network for Working and Learning.

Here is a list of software resources to assist you with your work:

• Adobe Creative Cloud
• The Adobe Creative Cloud software is available for use on all faculty and staff university-owned computers, and for all students. Please note that this deployment of Adobe software is not available for use on personally-owned faculty and staff devices at this time.
• Microsoft Office
• Staff can install the Microsoft Office Suite on up to five personal devices. 
• IT Software Download
• Log in with your CSUN user ID and password to access licensed software that is available to CSUN staff. 
• CSUN Webmail
• The email system for CSUN staff is Microsoft Office 365 and there are different ways to access your account. To learn all about Office 365, please view Learning Office 365 (must log in with your CSUN user ID and password to view tutorial). 

• CSUN Portal log in
• CSUN SOLAR page
• SOLAR - Information for Faculty & Staff
• User guides for class rosters & wait lists, manage permission numbers, and enter grades. A good resource for those who support faculty. 
• Class Scheduling Guides for Staff
• Use these guides to schedule and maintain department class data, define requisites, create combined sections, define permissions, manage supervision classes, and generate reports. The site also links to resources, includes SOLAR brief sheets about special course types, tips to troubleshoot the SOC, and scheduling requirements. 

With VPN, you have an ability to access University resources such as information on your network drives. This provides you with a safe way of accessing your applications and files as though your computer or mobile device was on campus. Faculty, staff, and students can access on-campus services through CSUN's VPN, GlobalProtect. For more information, visit the Virtual Private Network page. 

Web-One resources and links to access your web pages remotely:

• Log in to Web-One
• CSUN Web-One information page
• Web-One training resources and user guides

Zoom is a video-conferencing application where many individuals can join the same meeting and share audio and video. It also allows for screen sharing and presentation mode. There is also the option to record the session to your computer or to the cloud so that you can upload or link to it within Canvas for individuals to view on demand.

Equipment you will need: 

• A device with a good internet connection
• Headphones or earbuds (optional)
• Microphone (if possible, a separate microphone can be better than your device’s built-in)
• Web camera (optional, preferred for face-to-face contact)

Check out our recommended Zoom hardware page for more specifics

Accessibility

• To start closed captioning in a Zoom meeting.
• Turn on Automated Live Captioning in a Zoom meeting
• Getting Started with Closed Captioning in Zoom (Overview) 
• Recording Note: Moving forward into Spring 2021, Panopto will become our standard location for online recordings, ranging from live, synchronous Zoom classes to pre-recorded content to meetings. You should no longer share Zoom cloud recording links as they will expire at some point during the term. You should only share Panopto links. Panopto recordings are machine-captioned, fully searchable, and easily shared to other resources. 

How to Keep Your Zoom Sessions Secure

• To protect your Zoom sessions, visit How to Keep Your Zoom Sessions Secure. 

Tips to Improve Zoom Audio & Video 

In order to optimize Zoom audio and video, steps can be taken to ensure the best possible experience. 

For more information, visit Tips to Improve Zoom Audio & Video.

Tips and Tricks:

• As the host of the Zoom meeting, you can mute participants when their background noise becomes distracting.
• Zoom has a breakout room feature that allows you to put students into small groups and then bring them back for large discussion.
• View our Zoom best practices page for more.
• There is a known issue with the phone bridge. Please use web links for Zoom meetings at this time. 

User Guides & Other Resources

• Zoom Basics (.pdf)
• Zoom: Getting Started (Guides and Videos)
• Live Training, Recorded Training, and Zoom Meetings for Education Training

Recording Note: Moving forward into Spring 2021, Panopto will become our standard location for online recordings, ranging from live, synchronous Zoom classes to pre-recorded content to meetings. You should no longer share Zoom cloud recording links as they will expire at some point during the term. You should only share Panopto links. Panopto recordings are machine-captioned, fully searchable, and easily shared to other resources. 

To get started, visit the Zoom page.