Bielefeld IT Service Center
Digital solutions for collaboration
BITS as well as faculties and departments of Bielefeld University offer digital solutions that support collaborative work in science within the university and across universities. The commercial tools presented here are recommendations from the scientific community and some of them are available for a fee.
Communication
- Teamchat 2.0
Description
TeamChat is a professional instant messaging service that enables easy, persistent communication with colleagues.
- Individual and group conversations
- Desktop client and apps for iOS & Android
Registration / Login
No registration required. Registration with BITS username and the web (Shibboleth) password.
- DFNConf
Description
With the service DFNconf, the DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz) -Verein offers its users in the scientific field the possibility to conduct video, audio and web conferences
Scope of services:- Pexip: for video conferencing with up to 23 participants (approval with ded. VK systems or web-based approval.
- Adobe Connect: for e-learning events & webinars for up to 200 participants
Recommended video conferencing system for topics with high data protection requirements (example: application or personnel interviews).
Registration / Login
No registration required. Registration with BITS username and the web (Shibboleth) password.
- Zoom
Description
Zoom allows video conferencing via the cloud with many useful features such as screen sharing, whiteboard and chat. Zoom is suitable for video conferencing with normal protection needs such as courses, webinars & group work, information meeting or everyday communication.
- Optional: recording of the video conference and integration with Panopto.
- Web-based client and apps for Windows, iOS & Android.
Registration / Login
No registration required. Registration with BITS username and the web (Shibboleth) password.
Data exchange & storage
- sciebo
Description
Cloud storage service for NRW Universities that enables the storage, sharing and synchronization of university-related data.
Scope of services:- 30 GB personal storage volume (expandable up to 500 GB).
- 2 TB storage volume in non-personal project boxes (larger volumes on request)
- Approval via web browser or client software for all common operating systems
- Simultaneous work on Office documents possible via browser plug-ins
Registration / Login
No registration required. Registration with BITS username and the web (Shibboleth) password.
Information & Instructions
https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/einrichtungen/bits/services/kuz/sciebo/
- Network drives BITS
Description
BITS offers so-called network drives on its central storage system for faculties and departments. These can be used by Working Groups, administration and secretary's offices for interactive collaboration.
Group drive
- 200 GB initial (expansion in 50 GB steps) storage volume for Faculties/AGs
- Redundancy through data mirroring across 2 locations
- Snapshots & backup
- Protocol: CIFS
Volume drive- Long-term storage location for large amounts of data (e.g. videos, measurement data)
- 2 TB storage volume (expandable as needed)
- Backup for disaster recovery
- Protocol: CIFS (via DFS)
Network drives for cross-Faculty, cross-institutional, permanent or project collaboration can be provided by BITS.Registration / Login
Authorization for access to the network drives is assigned by the decentralized IT supervisor.
- d.3ecm
Description
The document management system d.3ecm is a system for structured storage and versioning of documents.
- Audit-proof and digital storage of documents
- Process-oriented structuring
- Processing of transactions via the system
- University-wide provision of information
- Search functions for quick retrieval of documents
Registration / Login
No registration necessary. Information for registration is available on the page Working with d.3 in the employee portal.
Information & Instructions
Further information and links to the instructions are available on the Working with d.3 page in the Employee Portal.
Appointment coordination & planning
- DFN Terminplaner
Description
Platform provided by the DFN-Verein that enables DFN participants to vote quickly and easily, e.g., on appointments.
- Maximum limit of answer options.
- Commenting of the answer is possible.
- Access can be secured with password.
- Query of participants' e-mail addresses possible.
- Participants can edit their votes.
- Participants have the possibility to vote by proxy.
Symposia & Event Management
- Converia
Description
Commercial conference management tool for planning and handling a conference or symposia.
- Payment management (all common payment methods)
- abstract management
- Program planning
- Individual conference website
- Professional check-in incl. live printing of name badges
- Conference app
Costs
The costs depend on the number of participants and submitted abstracts. Details at: https://www.converia.de/de/preise.html
Surveys & polls
- UniPark (EFS Survey)
Description
EFS Survey is an online survey tool from Questback.
- Web-based software
- Large selection of question types
- Dynamic features for questionnaire history
- Layout editor
- Participant administration
- Pretest tools
- Multilingual
- Integrated data analysis with Reporting+ or export data for SPSS or Excel
- EvaSys
Description
EvaSys is a survey tool that is used at Bielefeld University for course evaluation, but can also be used by members of the university for other survey projects or surveys or as a voting tool in appointment procedures.
Registration / Login
Online application form, registration with BIS login
- LimeSurvey
Description
LimeSurvey is an open source survey software that allows to develop and publish online surveys without programming skills. The Faculty of Sociology operates its own LimeSurvey server and makes this service available to all members of the University. The collected data from the surveys thus remain within the university.
Documentation & Knowledge Management
- GitLab.UB
Description
GitLab enables versioned storage of files and is ideal for software development as well as for collaborative use of research data. In addition, GitLab supports working in groups and in projects, e.g. through wikis and issue tracking (ticketing systems). Bielefeld University provides a central GitLab instance for all university members and their project partners. The free and open source GitLab Community Edition is used for this purpose.
Registration / Login
Registration with BITS username and the web (Shibboleth) password via "BITS single sign-on".
- Wiki (mediawiki)
Description
Web-based tool for building and editing text collections (see https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki). Special attention is paid to the linking of the contents among each other (hypertext) and the traceability of changes (versioning). BITS enables faculties and departments to operate their own wikis. The software "MediaWiki" serves as a basis.
- Operation on redundant web servers & databases with daily data backup
- For each wiki 2 properties have to be defined:
-
Reach:
Is the wiki only usable within the campus network of the university or worldwide? -
Access:
Can the wiki only be read by authorized users, or is anonymous reading access also possible?
-
Registration / Login
Requesting a wiki instance is done via servicedesk@uni-bielefeld.de, registration with BITS username and the web (Shibboleth) password.
Information & Instructions
https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/einrichtungen/bits/services/uvg/wiki/
Literature management
- Citavi
Description
The UB Bielefeld offers all university members the free use of the literature management software Citavi.
- Collect and organize literature references and expand them with abstracts, keywords and comments,
- import search results from databases and literature data from other programs,
- create bibliographies automatically (with selectable citation styles),
- collect important citations and ideas and compile them for a scientific paper,
- plan upcoming tasks with specification of deadlines, importance and work status,
- search for citations directly from Word via a convenient plugin and integrate them immediately. You will immediately see the short title references and the bibliography in the appropriate citation style.
- Edit literature projects in a team (cloud function)
Registration / Login
Registration & registration with the Universities email address (@uni-bielefeld.de).
Information & Instructions
https://www.ub.uni-bielefeld.de/ub/learn/refman/
The University library offers subject-specific training courses on Citavi
- Mendeley
- EndNote / EndNote Basic
Description
EndNote is a widely used, English-language, paid literature management program. The "Basic" version with limited functionality and storage volume is free of charge and can be used independently.
Registration / Login
Registration and registration is available at https://endnote.com
