Year: 2026

Each year, the Office of the Provost and MSU IT uses the AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology Awards to recognize Michigan State University educators who thoughtfully and creatively use technology to enhance teaching and learning. These awards celebrate instructional approaches that deepen student engagement, support accessibility, and connect learning goals with meaningful technology use. Read Full Article →

AI tools have become an important part of how many MSU faculty and staff participate in meetings, from capturing notes to supporting accessibility and focus. MSU IT’s role is to help make sure these benefits continue in ways that protect university and personal data. 

As part of our strategy for securing mission-critical collaborative work, developed in consultation with partners in research, education, and operations, IT will begin blocking third-party AI bots that connect directly to Zoom and Teams in the coming weeks. Read Full Article →

The Educator Developers Network (EDN) is a campus-wide community for faculty and staff who support teaching and learning at MSU.  

 Join us for our second EDN quarterly meeting of 2026. 

 Date: Tuesday, May 5th 

Time: 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET  

Topics: Stay in the know with the latest news and announcements, and don’t miss an exciting preview of the self-paced digital accessibility course led by Sam Abele. Read Full Article →

Michigan State University is committed to keeping our community informed about the technology services you rely on every day. As part of that commitment, MSU IT manages MSU Service Status, the primary source for timely updates on MSU supported technology services, including outages and scheduled maintenance.

We encourage all faculty, staff, and students to review their subscriptions to ensure they receive the most relevant information. Read Full Article →

As the semester wraps up, MSU IT Educational Technology is highlighting a few high impact D2L Brightspace resources to help you finish strong and prepare for final grade submission.

Extra Credit and Bonus Items in D2L

Learn how to award extra credit in the D2L gradebook by allowing points to exceed an item’s maximum or by creating a separate bonus item, This tip also covers where to place bonus items so final grades calculate correctly. Read Full Article →

Zoom AI Companion is now available for MSU Zoom users. Zoom AI Companion is an AI‑powered feature set integrated into Zoom that supports meeting summaries, Smart Recordings, and real‑time assistance during meetings. These tools are intended to help reduce manual note‑taking and support clearer meeting outcomes.

What is changing?

• Zoom AI Companion will be turned on and available to all users with a standard MSU Zoom account.

MSU IT is launching the 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program, a required annual course designed to help faculty and staff recognize today’s most common cyber threats and take simple steps to protect both personal and university data. 

Beginning March 18, all MSU faculty and staff will receive an email from the Ability Learning Management System with a link to the mandatory training and detailed instructions. Read Full Article →

MSU IT provides no-cost training on collaborative tools to all students, faculty, and staff. Check out the following courses available in March and visit SpartansLearn for more information and to register.

Outlook – Calendar Basics
Thursday, March 12, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Outlook is not just for emails! Learn how to streamline your workflow and schedule using the Outlook calendar. Read Full Article →

MSU IT Educational Technology is highlighting top D2L Brightspace resources, designed to empower instructors and enhance your courses for March.

Discover our series of 5-minute videos, designed to make mastering MSU learning tools easy. This month, learn how to make extra credit items in D2L, and upload videos to Mediaspace. Read Full Article →

Beginning Sunday, March 15, the MSU IT Service Desk will operate Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. The updated hours reflect a realignment of service levels with available staffing capacity and demand patterns, supporting reliable service delivery and practical resource management.

The IT Service Desk provides:

• IT assistance for all students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumni, parents, visitors, and guests.