Author Archives: Bob Lim

SJSU IT Tips – Filter Bubbles

Campus colleagues,

As we prepare for the upcoming academic year and are engaged in research, it is important to remember that filter bubbles, also referred to as information bubbles and echo chambers, affect the results of our online searches.

Filter bubbles occur when your search engine uses algorithms to “curate” your results, promoting results that are in line with your browsing history, past click behavior, and personal preferences. This “personalization” of search results is intended to provide you with the most relevant information possible. However, it can create biases and distortions by prioritizing information in which you have previously expressed interest. And as AI becomes more prevalent in technology platforms, the risk of filter bubbles is likely to increase.

There are a couple things you can do to minimize filter bubbles. Regularly clearing your browsing data (history, cookies, cache, etc.) can help pop the bubble (see Sophos’ article for links to browser-specific instructions on clearing data). Also using different browsers if you have the ability to do so may help. Finally, some experts suggest browsing in “private” or “incognito” mode, which prevents the browser from storing information which could be used to create filter bubbles.

While the personalization of online content resulting from digital tracking provides convenience and may lead to improved productivity, there are concerns about data privacy. The storage of user data increases the risk that unauthorized parties could gain access to that data and use it for identity theft or fraud. Please read my recent data privacy post for more information about privacy.

If you would like to learn a little more about filter bubbles, there is a great 9-minute TED Talk by Eli Pariser from 2011 which focuses on filter bubbles and is still relevant today.

Thank you Jeff Japp from our Project Management Office for providing this tip. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,

Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University

SJSU IT Tips – LinkedIn Learning

Campus colleagues,

Earlier this year, I shared a LinkedIn Learning tip with our campus community. Today, I’d like to remind you about LinkedIn Learning’s on-demand eLearning portal, which has expanded their library of offerings and now hosts over 17,000 courses on an array of topics. Courses range from subject refreshers to complete sessions, so there is something for everyone.

  • Faculty: Are you starting to plan your courses for the upcoming semester? If so, I want to share with you that we have LinkedIn Learning integration with Canvas. This integration allows you to publish Linkedin Learning content to Canvas’ Pages, Assignments, or Modules. These LinkedIn Learning videos, courses, and learning paths can be assigned to students as prerequisites for classes or as modules to support learning objectives. Additionally, since many of these courses demonstrate real-world applications of the skills being taught, they can enhance the overall classroom experience by showing how the skills will apply outside of the academic setting.  Assignments can be tracked within Canvas to ensure students complete the courses to receive credit.
    To find out more about adding LinkedIn Learning assignments to your Canvas course, visit LinkedIn Learning – Connecting to Canvas.
  • Staff: Are you looking to hone existing skills or learn something new? Take advantage of the wealth of courses available to you at no cost with your SJSU LinkedIn Learning account. The online educational offerings can help you discover and develop business, technology-related, and creative skills through expert-led course videos.

Click here to log in to LinkedIn Learning

Thanks, Leon Nguyen, Interim Director – IT Program Management Office, for providing this tip. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,

Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University

Examining Data Privacy

A hand holding a cell phone with a form open with fields for "Full name," "Date of birth," "Address," "City," and "Phone number."

Our personal privacy is essential to our sense of being and the formation of relationships – what we share and who we share it with helps define how we are perceived and how we perceive ourselves. So it’s no wonder that data privacy has become one of the most important concerns in higher education IT. 

Before we dive into a conversation about privacy, I want to let you know that SJSU IT doesn’t use your data to monitor you. We’re never checking in to see what you’re doing, but that doesn’t mean entities outside of SJSU aren’t. We’re doing everything possible to make your accounts and data safer and more secure. You can find our privacy notice here.

Data privacy is about more than just how and what kind of data gets collected. It’s also about protecting your data and earning your trust – privacy and security are inherently linked together. We highly value your trust and we work hard to protect your privacy and your data. 

When we talk about data privacy, it’s important to know how data about us is collected actively and passively. Active collection is when you share information explicitly, such as when you complete a transaction online, fill out a survey, make a new social media profile, or sign up for a new service. Passive collection is when your actions and choices are being monitored and mined for data, such as how cookies track which websites you visit, how long you visit them, and what you choose to click on. Another example of passive data collection is data that is collected through your everyday interactions: your gender, outward physical health, and shared experiences. In today’s world, your data is collected all the time, whether you know it or not.  

Aside from our own university privacy notice and the CSU’s privacy notice, San José State University follows an increasingly complex web of data privacy regulations and laws. Federal regulations such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) are designed to protect student data. There are also special considerations for health and wellness data through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). On the state level, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was the first comprehensive data privacy legislation in the country and remains one of the strictest. There are many more regulations, rules, and best practices to be taken into consideration when thinking about data privacy. 

However, even this ever-growing list of regulations fails to keep pace with the rate of advancement in technology. Because of this rapidly shifting landscape, we cannot rely solely on regulations and policies to protect us. We have to be extra cautious about what we share, where we share, and with whom we choose to share. It’s up to each of us to be mindful. 

Data privacy is a deep topic that weaves through many areas of Information Technology, and I know it matters to so many of you, as it does to many of us in SJSU IT.

Best regards,
Bob Lim
Vice President of Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University

 

SJSU IT Tips – DocuSign UI Refresh

Campus colleagues,

DocuSign is gradually moving to a new design system and recently rolled out a new user interface. There are quite a few small changes, but I wanted to share some highlights with you.

  1.   The Manage tab has been renamed to Agreements, where you can  find envelope folders inbox, sent, completed,  etc.
  2. My Preferences has a refreshed interface.  No functionality changes are involved; only a change to the look and feel.
  3. The pages under the Agreements and the Templates tabs have a UI refresh.  As part of this update, the navigation for the envelopes lists and templates lists are paginated instead of having an infinite scroll pattern.
  4. For Power Users who use the Bulk Send feature, please note that the Bulk Send feature also has a refreshed interface. There are no changes to the bulk send functionality; only a change to the look and feel.

Thank you Jocelyn Tom, Application Business Analyst, for all your work on digitization and for providing this tip. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,

Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San José State University

SJSU IT Tips – Call Forwarding and Voicemail Anywhere

Campus colleagues,

Working hybrid or traveling this summer, but still need access to your office phone? Here’s a couple tips: you can forward your office calls to another number and access your voicemail from anywhere, anytime.

To forward calls from your office to another phone number:

  1. Press the Forward All softkey.
  2. Enter the number to which you want to forward your calls. Be sure to prepend the 10-digit phone number with a “71” (e.g., 714089241000).
  3. The Forward All icon will display on your phone screen indicating that call forwarding is active.
  4. To cancel call forwarding, press the Forward Off softkey on your phone’s touchscreen.

To check your voicemail remotely:

  1. Dial 408-924-6800 and press * when the greeting begins to play.
  2. Enter your 5-digit extension (e.g., 41000) followed by #.
  3. Enter your voicemail PIN followed by #.

NOTE: If this is your first time accessing your voicemail, you’ll need to complete the voicemail setup process, including creating a new voicemail PIN.

Thank you Aaron Langford, one of our Network Analysts, for helping maintain our phone system and providing this tip to campus. As always, the SJSU IT Service Desk is here to help by phone at (408) 924-1530 or online.

Thanks,
Bob Lim
Vice President for Information Technology
and CIO at San Jose State University