News from the ITS Help Desk

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Help Desk Hours and Location

Contact the ITS Help Desk at 1(805)922-6966 extension 3345 or at helpdesk@hancockcollege.edu
The ITS Help Desk is located in the library on the Santa Maria campus, next to the checkout counter.

Scheduled In-Person Support Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Outside scheduled hours or Friday: Available by appointment

If emergency assistance is needed, please call the ITS Support Extension at 3345.

Essential Articles and Ticket Requests

Updating Personal Information for Password Resets at Allan Hancock College
How to Connect to ALLAN_HANCOCK_COLLEGE On-Campus Wi-Fi
Canvas Instructions (hancockcollege.edu)
Request Form - Something Broke - Report ANY IT Problem (teamdynamix.com) - If something used to work, but doesn't any longer, this is your ticket.
Request Form - I Can't Sign In (teamdynamix.com) - Public Ticket - If you can't access portal or email use this. Students should submit these on their own to capture preferred contact methods.
Request Form - Install Something (teamdynamix.com)

Updates from Technology Council and Committees

Web Services Committee
- Schedule: Meetings are held bi-monthly, usually on the 1st Thursday, from 9:30-11:00 am.
- Update: Discussed public website evaluation and cleanup.
Educational Technology Advisory Committee (EdTAC)
- Schedule: Meetings are held bi-monthly, usually on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday, from 2:30-4:00 pm.
- Update: EdTAC meetings will be Feb. 24th, Mar. 10th, and Mar. 24th. at 1:30 in Building L - 215.
Banner Committee
- Schedule: Meetings are held monthly, usually on the 2nd Monday, from 9:00 - 10:30 am.
- Update: Philip Moore gave a demonstration of an application that can generate possible schedules for students when they input the classes they want to take.
Technology Council
- Schedule: Meetings are held bi-monthly, usually on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday, from 2:30-4:00 pm.
- Update: Microsoft 365 Student Tenant Transition (May 2026)
  (ITS is proactively communicating this change to reduce support impact and ensure students preserve critical data prior to migration.)
  
  Upcoming Student Microsoft Tenant Merge
  
  AHC will be transitioning student Microsoft accounts (email, OneDrive, and Office apps) to a new Microsoft 365 environment during the week following commencement in May. While student usernames, email addresses, passwords, and MFA settings will remain the same, mailboxes and OneDrive storage will be recreated in the new system.
  
  Because of this change, students must extract and save any content they wish to keep prior to the cutover.
  
  Communication to Students (Approved Messaging)
  
  Hancock Students,
  
  We want to let you know about an important change coming to your Allan Hancock College student Microsoft account (email, OneDrive, and Office apps). During the week after commencement, AHC will be transitioning student accounts to a new Microsoft 365 environment. Your username, email address, password, and MFA will remain the same, but your mailbox and OneDrive will be recreated in the new system.
  
  What You Need to Do Before May 22
  
  Anything you want to keep — emails, files, attachments, or documents stored in OneDrive — must be saved to a personal storage location before May 22.
  
  Examples include a personal OneDrive, Google Drive, or an external USB drive. After the transition is complete, you can upload your files back into your new OneDrive if you choose.
  
  What Happens During the Cutover
  
  Microsoft applications such as Outlook, Office apps, and OneDrive will be unavailable for a period during the transition.
  
  Other systems like Canvas, the myHancock portal, and student web services will NOT be affected and will operate normally.
  
  After the transition, you will receive a new, empty mailbox and an empty OneDrive folder.
  
  More Information Coming Soon
  
  We will send another message in late April confirming the exact date and time of the transition, along with final reminders.
  
  For more information visit:
  https://hancockcollege.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2283/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=170340
  
  Thank you for taking steps now to protect your important files and messages.

💡AI literacy (professional development trend)

A new higher-ed focus is helping instructors become AI-literate, not AI experts.

Programs and training are emphasizing:

practical classroom use
ethics + academic integrity
assignment redesign
prompt design for students

Example: EDUCAUSE’s “Teaching with AI” program focuses specifically on higher-ed teaching applications and practical strategies.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday teaching — not as a replacement for instructors, but as a tool that faculty can understand, guide, and manage in the classroom. Across higher education, professional development is shifting toward AI literacy: helping instructors feel confident, informed, and in control.

What “AI Literacy” Actually Means

AI literacy is not about learning complex technology or coding.

Instead, it focuses on helping employees:

Understand what AI can and cannot do.
Make informed decisions about classroom use.
Set clear expectations for students.
Maintain academic integrity.
Use AI to support, not replace, teaching.

The goal is confidence and good judgment, not technical expertise.

AI Learning Resources (Quick List)

1️⃣ CompTIA AI Prompting Essentials

Best for: Structured, workplace-focused prompting skills.

Self-paced (~8 hours) training focused on real workplace AI usage.
Covers prompt design, evaluating outputs, ethical use, and practical workflows.
Includes a competency assessment and completion certificate.

Great for staff who want formal training without deep technical requirements.

➡️ CompTIA AI Prompting Essentials | CompTIA News

2️⃣ AHC Knowledge Base — AI & Data Exposure Guidelines

Best for: Institutional policy and safe AI usage.

Internal guidance on exposing data when using web forms and AI tools.
Helps instructors and staff understand appropriate usage boundaries.
Important for privacy, compliance, and responsible AI practices.

➡️ https://hancockcollege.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/2283/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=169200

3️⃣ Microsoft Learn — Prompt Engineering Techniques

Best for: Clear, practical prompting fundamentals.

Explains how AI models respond to prompts.
Covers best practices like specificity, structure, and instruction order.
Good for faculty or staff who want to improve results immediately.

Highly practical and beginner-friendly.

Prompt engineering techniques - Azure OpenAI | Microsoft Learn

4️⃣ Microsoft “Generative AI for Beginners” (Video Series)

Best for: Visual learners and quick learning.

Introductory videos explaining prompt engineering concepts.
Covers prompt structure, iteration, and validation.
Easy entry point for instructors new to AI.

Useful as a low-pressure first step.

➡️ Understanding Prompt Engineering Fundamentals | Generative AI for Beginners

5️⃣ OpenAI Prompt Examples for Students (100 Prompt Library)

Best for: Immediate practical use.

Prebuilt prompts for study, work, and everyday tasks.
Helps reduce “blank page syndrome” when getting started.
Prompts can be copied and adapted easily.

Ideal for faculty who want usable examples fast.

➡️ ChatGPT for students

January 2026 Ticket Summary

Here’s a brief overview of ITS activity:
Total Tickets (Whole Department)

November: 431
December: 346
January: 619

Location-less Tickets

394 tickets had no location specified.

Lompoc Valley Campus (LVC) Tickets

28 tickets originated from the Lompoc Valley Campus.

Top 5 Forms Used at LVC:

Something Broke: 18
Service Request: 4
Install Something: 4
VOIP Telephone Request: 2

Only 4 unique forms used

5 Most Common Request Locations:

LVC 2: 17
LVC 1: 6
LVC 5: 3
LVC 6: 2

Only 4 unique buildings submitted ticket requests

Santa Maria Valley Campus (SM) Tickets

193 tickets originated from the Santa Maria Valley Campus.

Top 5 Forms Used at SM Campus:

Something Broke: 104
Install Something: 48
Problem Form: 20
Audio/Visual Event Request: 10
VOIP Telephone Request: 7