Learn, teach and work from home
Concordia students, faculty and staff have a number of resources available to help them teach, learn, collaborate and work remotely.
Learn remotely
The Centre for Teaching and Learning has provided a list of resources available to help students complete their courses remotely. This includes ways of attending courses remotely and accessing recorded lectures. Please refer to the page regularly since updates are likely.
For staff and faculty, please click here or see the bottom of this page.
During this exceptional time, we’ve made an amendment to our current SPSS agreement to allow active faculty, students and researchers access to use SPSS software remotely.
Faculty and staff can also find the link to get SPSS on Carrefour's My CU Account page.
Additional information:
- Only active Concordia faculty and active students have access to it
- Users are permitted to install SPSS and Amos software on their personally owned computer
- Visit our IT Service Catalog for more information about SPSS.
Detailed software instructions are available here:
Please note:
For technical support or how to use SPSS software, please refer to IBM's website.
As a pro-active measure to limited access on campus, Concordia now offers select students a Creative Cloud license under our Adobe site license at no cost. This gives students at-home access to the Creative Cloud suite of tools from two different computers at the same time.
Licenses are assigned by course requirement.
Faculty and departments determine the eligibility for a Creative Cloud license, and the license is automatically assigned to the eligible student by the department.
Detailed Instructions are available at Adobe Creative Cloud for Students.
Additional information:
- Students will not be able to keep the license after graduation, or if they are no longer a registered/active student
- Faculty and staff who need access to Adobe Creative Cloud can find information here.
- Please refer to our FAQ if you have further questions.
Teach remotely
Teaching online, involves making decisions about delivery options and course objectives. Please refer to the guide developed by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL).
Reminder: When working remotely, it is important to sign-on to Concordia University’s virtual private network (VPN) and update your computer and applications regularly. Doing so ensures that configuration changes can be applied and that you obtain important software updates and security patches as they become available.
In the case of Zoom, instructors have simple steps to follow to update the desktop application. Please refer to this document if you are using a Mac or refer to this one if you are using Windows.
Work remotely
Tools for working from home remotely differ depending on the type devices you use.
Reminder: When working remotely, it is important to sign-on to Concordia University’s virtual private network (VPN) and update your computer and applications regularly. Doing so ensures that configuration changes can be applied and that you obtain important software updates and security patches as they become available. In the case of Zoom, there are the simple steps to follow to update the desktop application. Please refer to this document if you are using a Mac or refer to this one if you are using Windows.
If you have an internet connection, you can use your Concordia computer to directly access your email through Outlook or OWA*, or Carrefour.
To access resources like Home Drive, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), your departmental drive, Banner and other unit-specific services, you must establish a connection between your office and remote computer through the Concordia Virtual Private Network (VPN).
If you have an internet connection, you can use your personal computer to directly access your email through Outlook or OWA*, or Carrefour.
To access resources like Home Drive, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), your departmental drive, Banner and other unit-specific services, you must establish a connection between your office and remote computer through the Concordia Virtual Private Network (VPN).
The following three options are available for desk phone service:
1) Cisco Jabber allows you to replicate your main office extension on your desktop, laptop or cell phone. View Cisco Jabber instructions.
2) Forward your office extension by connecting to the Concordia VPN, then set up your phone. Follow the prompts until you reach the Cisco Unified Communications Self Care page. Then:
- Log in using your netname and password.
- Select “Call Forwarding”
- To enable, check the box “Forward all calls to:”
- Enter your forwarding phone number, adding 9 at the beginning (e.g.95141234567).
- To undo the forwarding, uncheck the box “Forward all calls to:”.
3) The Single Number Reach (SNR) feature allows users to answer incoming calls at another desk phone and/or a phone at a remote destination, such as a home or mobile phone. Users can pick up active calls from their desk phone or the remote phone without losing the connection.
To request this service, please email the Service Desk.
For video meetings, workplace chat, and file collaboration and storage, Concordia recommends using Microsoft Teams, now available through Office 365.
Please consult the Office 365 for faculty and staff page for more information.
If you have questions or need help, email the Service Desk with “Microsoft Teams” in the subject line.
For online teaching activities and webinars, Zoom web conferencing is available.
For those without necessary equipment
If the equipment you borrowed from the university is no longer functional, please contact Concordia’s Help Desk at 514-848-2424, ext. 7613 or send an email to help@concordia.ca.
Laptops and tablets, as well as other types of equipment, can be borrowed from Concordia Library. For loan periods and other information about these services please check the Library's Borrow page.
Please return laptops and tablets to either the Circulation Desk at Vanier Library or Loans & Return Desk at Webster Library duriing hours of operation .
If you borrowed equipment directly from one of these desks, please return it to the same desk.
- Faculty – Fulltime instructors who require a computer for teaching or administrative duties should be provisioned a computer through the Evergreen program. Laptop loans are possible in urgent situations i.e. when an Evergreen computer is being prepared or repaired. Additionally, that IITS is available to consult with researchers before travelling to help ensure data security. One of the solutions could be an encrypted loaner laptop. Part-time instructors (LTAs) should contact their department for guidance.
- Staff – University employees who need a laptop for their work-related responsibilities will be provisioned a computer through the University’s Evergreen program. Laptop loans are available for urgent short term needs not fulfilled by the Evergreen program. For more information, contact IITS and consult the Evergreen Program Service Catalogue page.
- Visiting Scholars & Guest Lecturers – Visiting lecturers may be eligible for a short term laptop loan for conferences, presentations, or accessibility needs.
If you no longer require loaned equipment, please contact the Service Desk at help@concordia.ca with the subject line “Equipment Return.” A Service Desk agent will be in touch to coordinate the equipment drop-off.