Author: Amy Hoyt
Ctrl + Alt + Declutter: Spring Tech Clean-Up

Ctrl + Alt + Declutter: Spring Tech Clean-Up

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Spring is finally in the air! 

The windows are open at home, and fresh breezes are chasing out that lingering winter funk. Just as this season inspires us to deep clean our living spaces, it’s also the perfect time to give our tech a little refresh. 

Here are a few simple spring-cleaning tips to help you declutter and revive your digital life. 

Spruce Up Your Email 

  • Deep-clean your inbox. Delete unnecessary emails, attend to unread messages, and archive those that you may actually need one day.  
  • Unsubscribe from clutter. We all have those random newsletters or vendor emails that sneak into our inbox, and we’re left wondering, “How did I even sign up for this?” Now’s the perfect time to hit “unsubscribe” and give your inbox some breathing room. 
  • Organize the chaos. Think of your inbox as your home office—create a file system with folders to store important messages for later consultation. And if you’re anything like me, it’s time to actually move the old messages to those organized folders you’ve been meaning to use. 

Device Declutter 

  • Trim the apps. Scroll through the apps installed on your phone/tablet. You might be surprised to see some that you don’t recall downloading. Uninstall apps that you don’t recognize, or that you haven’t used in several months. 
  • Nest your apps. Group your apps into folders—like buckets—for easier access. Instead of scrolling through every app on your device, you’ll find your favorite game faster if it’s tucked neatly into a “Games” folder. 
  • Purge your pictures. You know, those blurry, out-of-focus duplicates that were captured as part of a paparazzi-style series. Let them go, keeping the shots that best capture the moment! 

Come into the Future 

  • Spruce up software. Check for updates on your devices – all of them! You know…the ones you’ve been putting off. We all get notifications about updating our computer operating system or phone system, which requires several minutes of downtime. Take the time this spring to run all the updates. Don’t forget to update your apps as well. Your devices will thank you for it!

In addition to cleaning up your personal tech, Sakai will also undergo some tidying up. Project sites are reviewed each spring, and those with no activity in 18 months are candidates for deletion. Site owners will be notified before the deletion and have the option to retain the site. Retired sites will be deleted on Friday, May 30, 2025. Please review Sakai Retention Policies for more information. 

As everything outdoors returns to life in spring, it’s a great time to get a fresh start in all aspects of your life. Updating your technology may seem like a mundane, thankless job. But I assure you, once it’s done, it’ll be as gratifying as cleaning out your closets—a daunting task that provides great satisfaction upon completion!
Dress Up Your Qualtrics Survey: Tips for Creating Engaging and Attractive Surveys

Dress Up Your Qualtrics Survey: Tips for Creating Engaging and Attractive Surveys

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Creating a survey in Qualtrics is easy but making it visually appealing and engaging takes a bit of extra effort. A well-designed survey can significantly boost response rates and ensure that participants have a positive experience while providing the data you need. Here are some tips on how to dress up your Qualtrics survey to make it stand out. 

  1. Start with a Clean Layout

A clean, organized layout is the foundation of a good survey. Here’s how to achieve that: 

  • Keep It Simple: Avoid clutter by limiting the number of questions per page. Group related questions together and use white space to make the survey easier to read. 
  • Consistent Formatting: Use consistent fonts, sizes, and colors throughout the survey. This helps create a cohesive look and makes the survey feel more professional. 

 

  1. Use Custom Themes and Branding

Qualtrics allows you to customize the look and feel of your survey to match your brand or project theme. Check out the UMC Brand Identity website for Loyola-specific branding guidelines. 

  • Apply Your Brand Colors: Use your brand’s color palette to create a survey that’s visually aligned with your organization. You can customize the background, buttons, and text colors to fit your brand identity. 
  • Add Your Logo: Including your logo at the top of the survey helps reinforce your brand and adds a professional touch. 
  • Survey Themes: Qualtrics provides several built-in themes that you can edit to create your own. Schedule a consultation with the ITRS team to discuss a custom theme for your department.  

 

  1. Use Engaging Visuals

Incorporating visuals can make your survey more engaging and easier to understand. 

  • Images: Use images to break up text, illustrate questions, or make your survey more visually appealing. For example, you can include images in multiple-choice questions to help respondents visualize their options. 
  • Icons and Illustrations: Simple icons or illustrations can make your survey feel modern and can help guide respondents through different sections. 
  • Embedded Videos: If appropriate, include short videos to explain concepts, provide instructions, or introduce your survey. Just ensure that videos are short and directly related to the content. 

 

  1. Use Interactive Question Types

Qualtrics offers a variety of question types that can make your survey more interactive and engaging. 

  • Slider Scales: Instead of traditional rating scales, use sliders to make rating questions more interactive. 
  • Graphic Rating Scales: Incorporate images into your rating scales, like stars or smiley faces, to make the process more intuitive and fun. 
  • Hot Spot: Solicit feedback about an image with predefined regions available for selection.  

 

  1. Personalize the Survey Experience

Personalization can make respondents feel more connected to the survey, increasing their likelihood of completing it. 

  • Piped Text: Use piped text to personalize questions based on previous responses. For example, if a respondent indicates they live in Chicago, you can include their location in subsequent questions: “As a resident of Chicago, how do you feel about…?” 
  • Conditional Logic: Use conditional logic (display logic) to show or hide questions based on previous answers, making the survey experience more relevant to each respondent. 

 

  1. Optimize for Mobile

Many respondents will complete your survey on a mobile device, so it’s crucial to optimize for smaller screens. 

  • Responsive Design: Ensure your survey is fully responsive, so it looks great on both desktop and mobile devices. 
  • Short Questions: Keep questions short and to the point to avoid overwhelming mobile users. 
  • Touch-Friendly Elements: Use large, touch-friendly buttons and controls to make it easy for respondents to select answers on mobile devices. 

 

  1. Test Your Survey Design

Before sending out your survey, test it thoroughly to ensure everything looks and works as expected. 

  • Preview on Multiple Devices: Check how your survey appears on different devices and screen sizes. Adjust survey settings as needed to ensure a consistent experience. 
  • Gather Feedback: If possible, get feedback from a few colleagues or friends on the survey’s design and usability. They might catch issues or have suggestions you didn’t consider. 

 

Conclusion 

Dressing up your Qualtrics survey doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require attention to detail. By focusing on layout, branding, visuals, interactivity, personalization, and mobile optimization, you can create a survey that’s not only functional but also visually appealing and engaging. A well-designed survey not only reflects well on your brand but also helps ensure you collect high-quality data from your respondents. 

Statistically Significant: Loyola’s Academic Research Technology Updates

Statistically Significant: Loyola’s Academic Research Technology Updates

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As we near the end of the calendar year, it’s an excellent time to review changes and updates to the statistical software offerings available through the university. Here are some critical updates to help you stay current as you look toward next semester!

SPSS 29

Loyola currently supports SPSS 29. However, this version is incompatible with the recently released Sonoma OS (14.0) on Mac devices. Until a new release includes a permanent fix, IBM has provided an interim fix that allows SPSS 29 to run on the Sonoma OS. After installing SPSS 29, the interim fix can be downloaded and applied from the IBM website.

STATA 18

As of October 1, 2023, STATA 18 is now available in all open-access labs and for installation on LUC-owned Windows and Mac devices via a request to the Service Desk. You can also install STATA 18 on your personal device. Please submit a Self-Service Request form to request STATA18 for your personal device.

SAS 9.4 TS1M8

If your SAS license has expired, you can request an updated license through the ITS Service Desk. In previous years, an updated code would have been sufficient to bring your software up to date. This year, however, SAS has released a new version with a critical security update. When you request an update to your SAS license, you will need to uninstall your current version and re-install the latest version of the software. You should proactively submit your request to download the newest version of SAS, allowing time for this installation process without disrupting ongoing projects.

Please visit the ITRS Academic Research Technologies page for a comprehensive overview of available software.

Think Beyond the Survey

Think Beyond the Survey

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Qualtrics is web-based survey software available to all Loyola University Chicago faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students. While primarily known as a survey platform, this versatile tool can also be used for a variety of non-survey projects. Here are a few ideas for alternative uses of Qualtrics:

Program Evaluations: Qualtrics can be used to administer pre- and post-test surveys to measure changes in knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors. Open-ended questions allow respondents to provide insightful feedback about their program experience.

Event Registrations: Create registration forms using Qualtrics and automatically send confirmation emails once a form is submitted. The platform can also be used to track attendance and send follow-up feedback requests.

Customer Feedback: Collect customer feedback for special events, user testing, product opinions, etc. Whatever your customer feedback needs may be, Qualtrics can help collect user responses.

The Qualtrics platform provides a flexible interface and advanced features to tailor your data collection tool to best meet the needs for each project. The Offline Survey App also allows for data collection on mobile devices when an internet connection is not available. Your imagination is just the beginning of what is possible with this tool!

For more information about using Qualtrics at Loyola, please contact Amy Hoyt at ahoyt@luc.edu.

Extended Reality (XR) at the Stritch School of Medicine

Extended Reality (XR) at the Stritch School of Medicine

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Extended Reality (XR) is a collective term encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) technologies. These technologies are expanding in higher education, providing experiential learning opportunities for students to enhance their understanding of materials presented in class.  

The Loyola Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) recently conducted a VR pilot in the second-year Mechanisms of Human Disease (MHD) course. Embodied Labs offers a series of modules providing students an immersive learning experience. Using the Oculus Rift S and Embodied Labs platform, students were able to experience Macular Degeneration and Hearing Loss, Alzheimer’s disease, and Lewey body dementia with Parkinson’s disease from the patient perspective. This exercise provided unique insight into conditions students learned about in class. Upon completion, students reported increased understanding of the conditions experienced and empathy for patients living with these conditions.  

This pilot was a successful VR implementation, with students indicating they would welcome increased use of this delivery platform throughout the curriculum. Please see our Bringing the Patient Experience into the Basic Sciences Through Virtual Reality poster for additional details. 

If you are interested in using XR and would like to explore how this technology might enhance your curriculum, please use the ITRS Scheduling page to start the conversation!