Doug Anderson

Tech Tip Tuesday: Troubleshooting Login Issues

By April 5th 2022

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you get a “wrong username or password” error while trying to log into one of the many online services Allegheny Colleges provides. Here are some tips for troubleshooting:

  1. Make sure you don’t have Caps Lock turned on. It’s an easy mistake we’ve all made, and luckily the easiest one to fix.
  2. If you’re logged into a non-Allegheny Gmail account, some Allegheny College online services might fail to recognize your @allegheny.edu account login correctly. If you’re experiencing difficulties logging into services such as Canvas, Self Service, TMS, or WebAdvisor, LITS recommends signing out of all Gmail accounts (including your Allegheny account) before trying again:

    Screenshot of the "Sign out of all accounts" dialog box in Gmail

  3. If you’re using a Chromebook, make sure you’re logged into the Chromebook itself with your @allegheny.edu account. While it can be convenient to use your personal Gmail account to log into the Chromebook, this can sometimes cause issues with logging into Allegheny’s online services.
  4. If you’re using a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, your device might have stored an old password. Try deleting old passwords and then try logging in again.
  5. Sometimes your browser may also have an old password saved that’s interfering with your login. Remember to clear your browser history, and then try again.
  6. Occasionally, rebooting your device can resolve issues with logging in. Windows computers especially should be periodically restarted.
  7. You can try resetting your @allegheny.edu password. Bear in mind that doing this will reset the password for almost all online services provided for you by the College.
  8. If all else fails, remember you can always contact the InfoDesk or open a Web Help Desk ticket.

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KnowBe4 Training Email

By April 4th 2022

This morning, many Allegheny employees received an email notifying them that they have been added to training for a service called KnowBe4.

KnowBe4 is a service that LITS has adopted to give employees a tool to manage occasional spam and phishing attacks right from your Gmail inbox.

The email, sent from <do-not-reply@training.knowbe4.com>, is legitimate. However, this email was not intended to go out to employees just yet. Clicking on the link in the email for the training portal will give users a notice that it has not been configured yet.

For now, please disregard the email as LITS works on configuring KnowBe4 Training for campus employees.

For questions, please reach out to the InfoDesk.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Mention Another User in a Google Doc

By March 29th 2022

You can now mention another user in Google Docs within the document itself. Previously, this was only possible within a comment.
When another user is mentioned, you can hover over their name for information about them and suggested actions like adding that person to Contacts or reaching out via email. This is the same information you see today when hovering over a user’s name in other Google Workspace apps, such as Gmail or Calendar.
Note that mentioning someone in a document will not send them a notification. Additionally, if you mention a user who does not have access to the doc, you’ll receive a prompt with sharing suggestions. You can share the document at that time or decline and use the regular Docs sharing function when the time is right.
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Tech Tip Tuesday: Appointment Slots in Google Calendar

By March 22nd 2022

Google Calendar can be a useful tool in managing all the classes, meetings, office hours, and activities in your schedule. One use for it is to set up appointment slots that people can use to request an appointment with you. You can use it for in-person appointments, or appointments via Google Meet. This video from Señor Taylor gives a quick introduction:

LITS has also prepared a Google Calendar Appointment Slots Quick Guide for our Allegheny community.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Multiple Desktops

By March 15th 2022

Multiple desktops are great for helping you focus, for keeping unrelated ongoing projects organized, or setting up one desktop to share during a presentation while still having access to others. Think of it as Alt+Tab on steroids–switching not only between individual apps, but between entire groups and layouts of your desktop on your computer.

In a previous Tech Tip, we posted about how to use multiple desktops in Windows 10. This feature is also available on Chromebooks (where it’s called a “desk”), and on Macs using the Mission Control function.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Watermarks in Google Docs

By March 8th 2022

You can now add a watermark to a Google Doc. Here’s how:

  1. On your computer, open a document in Google Docs.
  2. Go to Insert and then Watermark.
  3. In the panel on the right, click Image.
  4. Click Select image Insert image.
  5. Select an image from Drive, Photos, a URL, or your camera. You can also upload an image from your computer.
  6. Optional: In the panel on the right, you can format your watermark.
  7. Click Done.

GIF of the process of adding a watermark

For more ways to edit your image:

  1. Right-click the watermark.
  2. Click Select watermark.
  3. In the toolbar, select Image options.

Learn more about using watermarks in Google Docs.

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Internet Outage

By March 7th 2022

The College’s Internet service provider will conduct scheduled maintenance between midnight tonight (March 7) and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 8. Users all across campus will experience loss of internet through both wired and wireless connections for extended periods during this window of time.

Our student network will be unavailable during the outage, as will printing. Other campus services such as Self Service, Web Help Desk, and WebAdvisor will also be affected. Most campus phones will also experience loss of service during this window of time.

During this outage, incoming calls will not be received and outgoing calls will not complete a connection. In case of emergency, Public Safety can be reached during the phone outage at 814-332-2314 instead of their usual number.

Please note that you must use a non-Allegheny College phone, such as a cell phone, to reach this number during any outage. Campus phones will not be able to complete any outgoing calls during the outage.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Your Library Account

By March 1st 2022

Your Allegheny account includes full access to all resources available through Pelletier Library and other libraries across campus. You can check your library account to view what you have checked out and when it’s due. You can also ask for renewals, check to see if you have any fines or fees, and see the status of any of your requests.

Screenshot of the tabs in the "My Library Account" page in AggreGator

If you’re logged into your library account, you can also track your searches in AggreGator. Our Interlibrary Loan system also uses your Allegheny account so you can request items from other libraries if you don’t find what you need in Allegheny College’s collections.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: Account Security Reminders

By February 22nd 2022

As students return for Spring semester, LITS reminds everyone to practice safe computing on campus and off. Here are some tips on how to keep your computer and your Allegheny Account safe:

If you’d like to learn more, Popular Science provides a guide to better online security in 2022. You can also check whether your phone number or email address has been included in any known data breaches at the website Have I Been Pwned?

If you have questions about the security of your computer or your Allegheny account, we encourage you to reach out to the InfoDesk.

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Tech Tip Tuesday: New Gmail Layout

By February 15th 2022

Google will soon be rolling out an updated layout for Gmail, becoming more integrated with other Google services such as Chat, Spaces, and Meet.

Some users will begin to see the option to use the new layout, starting in mid-February of 2022. Over time, Google will roll out the option to more and more users.

For a limited time, users will be able to continue with or change back to the old layout, but Google plans to make the new layout the standard experience for everyone by summer 2022.

Learn more about the new Gmail layout:

Please reach out to the InfoDesk with any questions.