
	The Connected College: 2001-04 Technology Plan Article Vision Statement Summary of Recommendations Current Technology Status Previous Technology Planning Current Planning Theme Creating Planning Scenarios Discussion of Recommendations Developing the Current Plan Technology Advisory Group (TAG) Appendices Staff PC Allocations Table Staff PC Allocations Chart Student PC Allocations Table Student PC Allocations Chart Administrative Server Inventory Student PC/Internet Access (Non-College) Issues Document Department Feedback Forms Issues Related to Technology Planning Using portals—Creating “My TC3”—For an excellent background article on the use of portals in higher education, go to the July/August 2000 issue of Educause Review and see “Portals in Higher Education,” by Looney and Lyman. You can access it at: http://www.educause.edu/asp/doclib/abstract.asp?ID=ERM0042 In essence, a portal enables a student to customize his/her access to the online services and resources offered by the College. It allows students to create one-stop, personalized web page where they can access their academic records, course content, library resources, links to campus activities tailored to their own interests--even outside links to weather reports, current news, community information, etc. For the user, portals provide speedy and customized access to resources; for businesses and institutions (like colleges) it enables them to establish and maintain long-term relationships with their customers or clients. Integrating administrative and academic systems—Related to the use of portals, systems vendors are increasingly finding ways to integrate administrative and academic systems, so that a student can both enroll and register in the College and gain easy access to online courses or course materials without having to log-out of one system and log into another. Ensuring adequate bandwidth—Bandwidth essentially defines the capacity of a network to move data. The more we move away from text and incorporate sound, images, and motion pictures into our network transmissions, the more network bandwidth we need. There are two views about the future of bandwidth and how it might affect things like online courses and multimedia on the web. One view holds that fiber optic networks are being installed at such a rapid rate that bandwidth will be available in great quantities and at low cost, enabling all variety of multimedia, including movies and high resolution imaging, to move over the web. Another view questions how soon broadband (“big pipe” bandwidth) will be widely available over the “last mile” to our homes (and those of our students) so that we can take advantage of Internet-delivered multimedia. How quickly and in what ways should we be enriching our text-based online offerings with multimedia elements? In the face of bandwidth limitations, should we be considering alternative delivery formats such as CD-ROMs produced in-house? Incorporating multimedia (streaming media, desktop videoconferencing, etc.)—This is closely related to the question of bandwidth. The College theoretically has the technical means to support streaming audio and video for enriching online instruction and even to employ real-time, desktop videoconferencing for instruction or advisement purposes. How will we know when our students in their homes have the computing horsepower and the Internet/telecommunications bandwidth to enable them to take advantage of media-enhanced online instruction and services? Within the College, itself, what network modifications or upgrades are needed to enable us to access video and audio programs in all of our classrooms via computers connected to our local area network? Providing wireless access—Increasingly network/Internet services will be available over wireless networks, giving computer users the ultimate in flexibility and portability. New hand-held computers and palm devices are able to access the Internet virtually anywhere using wireless (and even satellite-based) Internet service providers. Wireless local area networks are increasing in speed and are being installed in more and more educational locations, suggesting a future reduction in the need for spaces (classrooms/labs) that are dedicated to use of hardwired, desktop computers. How soon will it be feasible to implement widespread wireless networks throughout our campus and reduce the need to provide specialized, hard-wired computing facilities? Supporting use of notebook computers—Like SUNY-Morrisville, a growing number of colleges and universities are requiring their students to have laptop computers. Would a similar program work in a community college, given the large number of part-time students we have and the rather transient nature of our student population? Is there a way to make laptops more affordable for out students? Should we be working on some other means of encouraging students to provide their own laptops? A casual look around the building suggests that more and more of our students are bringing laptops to school with them. Accommodating small devices—Related to the increase in wireless networks is the indication that more and more “network computing” will be carried-out with the use of small, sub-laptop, hand-held devices or personal data assistants (PDAs) such as Palm Pilots, tablet PCs, e-book readers, etc. How soon will there come to market a sub-laptop device priced under $1,000, that has a visual display of sufficient size and quality to support the reading of large quantities of textual material and also provide a practical and efficient means of character/data entry? How soon then could we expect all of our students to have such devices? Incorporating E-books/E-texts—Publishers are increasingly rushing to sell electronic versions of printed books. By January 2001, the TC3 Library with support from SUNYConnect will be making available approximately 1,000 titles in e-book format that you can “borrow” and use from any location using any Internet connected PC. Some publishers are making their texts available in formats that can be read on special portable readers and even on PDAs (although try reading War and Peace on your Palm Pilot). Many publishers are beginning to issue textbooks in electronic format and even giving faculty the option of devising their own electronic texts using content from a variety of sources. McGraw-Hill, one of the textbook publishers working in this area, underscores the concept that future e-books will be dynamic, interactive, and updateable collections of learning content, rather than just electronic equivalents of static textbooks. Providing an online option for all courses—Colleges and universities are increasingly giving a user account on their course-management systems to every entering student and are encouraging faculty in all courses to put their course content online. This gives the faculty, working with their students, the ultimate flexibility in deciding the best mix of face-to-face and online instruction for any and all courses. TC3 will be examining the feasibility of purchasing an unlimited user license for course management software, of which WebCT is our current vendor. Providing electronic library services—Library services and resources are increasingly being provided online. How do we continue to assure that all students have access to such resources and at the same time make sure that they have the necessary support and instruction to be successful in the use of online resources that are otherwise unmediated? Managing communications (controlling email flow)—How do we help staff and students manage the flow of electronic messages? Are there policies and procedures that need to be in place to deal with the proliferation of “Everyone” messages? With the increasing availability of student e-mail addresses, how can we use email to get important information to students and prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed by the trivial? Assessing quality of learning online—As teaching and learning becomes increasingly web-based, what mechanisms should be in place to measure what students are learning online? While outcomes assessment for all courses and programs is currently a major focus for the College as we implement new general education goals and explore the use of Enable-OA, are there special measures that need to be taken to ensure the quality of learning, especially in the case of those students who might have relatively little face-to-face contact with faculty and others at the College? Providing user support—As networked computer applications become increasingly embedded in our daily tasks in the case of staff and in learning activities in the case of students, do we need to provide more support services to deal with technical problems and user support issues? With more and more students learning online, at what point will we need to provide remote learner support on weekends, evenings, and even overnight? Using smart card to access resources/pay for services-- This technology embeds a computer chip into a credit card that is about twice as thick as a typical credit card. The difference between this and credit cards is that you can store a great deal more information on it. It has not been widely accepted in the US, but is used extensively in European countries. Currently, it is being used for adding money to your card and when making a purchase it is deducted from the card, rather than from an online account. At this point business/colleges would need to build a significant infrastructure to allow its use. Maintaining network quality of service-- As demand for Internet/Intranet grows our clients are demanding stability and reliability. It is easy to understand that if there are problems with the internal network, nearly all staff and many of our students are prevented from performing their work and projects. In the last year or two our Internet use has grow by leaps and bounds. Mission critical applications like Library, extension centers, online courses, and email can be affected by network traffic slowdowns or disruptions. As we move into the next few years we will need to look at quality systems that minimize this downtime. One probable option will be redundancy in Internet providers. Providing universal authentication— As more systems are developed, each may require unique authentication (passwords) for online access. A desire by many would be to have a single ID, which determines access to all systems. This is a goal to strive for as we move into the next technology phase of the College. top of page

The Connected College: 2001-04 Technology Plan

Article

Appendices

Issues Related to Technology Planning

Using portals—Creating “My TC3”—For an excellent background article on the use of portals in higher education, go to the July/August 2000 issue of Educause Review and see “Portals in Higher Education,” by Looney and Lyman. You can access it at: http://www.educause.edu/asp/doclib/abstract.asp?ID=ERM0042 In essence, a portal enables a student to customize his/her access to the online services and resources offered by the College. It allows students to create one-stop, personalized web page where they can access their academic records, course content, library resources, links to campus activities tailored to their own interests--even outside links to weather reports, current news, community information, etc. For the user, portals provide speedy and customized access to resources; for businesses and institutions (like colleges) it enables them to establish and maintain long-term relationships with their customers or clients.

Integrating administrative and academic systems—Related to the use of portals, systems vendors are increasingly finding ways to integrate administrative and academic systems, so that a student can both enroll and register in the College and gain easy access to online courses or course materials without having to log-out of one system and log into another.

Ensuring adequate bandwidth—Bandwidth essentially defines the capacity of a network to move data. The more we move away from text and incorporate sound, images, and motion pictures into our network transmissions, the more network bandwidth we need. There are two views about the future of bandwidth and how it might affect things like online courses and multimedia on the web. One view holds that fiber optic networks are being installed at such a rapid rate that bandwidth will be available in great quantities and at low cost, enabling all variety of multimedia, including movies and high resolution imaging, to move over the web. Another view questions how soon broadband (“big pipe” bandwidth) will be widely available over the “last mile” to our homes (and those of our students) so that we can take advantage of Internet-delivered multimedia. How quickly and in what ways should we be enriching our text-based online offerings with multimedia elements? In the face of bandwidth limitations, should we be considering alternative delivery formats such as CD-ROMs produced in-house?

Incorporating multimedia (streaming media, desktop videoconferencing, etc.)—This is closely related to the question of bandwidth. The College theoretically has the technical means to support streaming audio and video for enriching online instruction and even to employ real-time, desktop videoconferencing for instruction or advisement purposes. How will we know when our students in their homes have the computing horsepower and the Internet/telecommunications bandwidth to enable them to take advantage of media-enhanced online instruction and services? Within the College, itself, what network modifications or upgrades are needed to enable us to access video and audio programs in all of our classrooms via computers connected to our local area network?

Providing wireless access—Increasingly network/Internet services will be available over wireless networks, giving computer users the ultimate in flexibility and portability. New hand-held computers and palm devices are able to access the Internet virtually anywhere using wireless (and even satellite-based) Internet service providers. Wireless local area networks are increasing in speed and are being installed in more and more educational locations, suggesting a future reduction in the need for spaces (classrooms/labs) that are dedicated to use of hardwired, desktop computers. How soon will it be feasible to implement widespread wireless networks throughout our campus and reduce the need to provide specialized, hard-wired computing facilities?

Supporting use of notebook computers—Like SUNY-Morrisville, a growing number of colleges and universities are requiring their students to have laptop computers. Would a similar program work in a community college, given the large number of part-time students we have and the rather transient nature of our student population? Is there a way to make laptops more affordable for out students? Should we be working on some other means of encouraging students to provide their own laptops? A casual look around the building suggests that more and more of our students are bringing laptops to school with them.

Accommodating small devices—Related to the increase in wireless networks is the indication that more and more “network computing” will be carried-out with the use of small, sub-laptop, hand-held devices or personal data assistants (PDAs) such as Palm Pilots, tablet PCs, e-book readers, etc. How soon will there come to market a sub-laptop device priced under $1,000, that has a visual display of sufficient size and quality to support the reading of large quantities of textual material and also provide a practical and efficient means of character/data entry? How soon then could we expect all of our students to have such devices?

Incorporating E-books/E-texts—Publishers are increasingly rushing to sell electronic versions of printed books. By January 2001, the TC3 Library with support from SUNYConnect will be making available approximately 1,000 titles in e-book format that you can “borrow” and use from any location using any Internet connected PC. Some publishers are making their texts available in formats that can be read on special portable readers and even on PDAs (although try reading War and Peace on your Palm Pilot). Many publishers are beginning to issue textbooks in electronic format and even giving faculty the option of devising their own electronic texts using content from a variety of sources. McGraw-Hill, one of the textbook publishers working in this area, underscores the concept that future e-books will be dynamic, interactive, and updateable collections of learning content, rather than just electronic equivalents of static textbooks.

Providing an online option for all courses—Colleges and universities are increasingly giving a user account on their course-management systems to every entering student and are encouraging faculty in all courses to put their course content online. This gives the faculty, working with their students, the ultimate flexibility in deciding the best mix of face-to-face and online instruction for any and all courses. TC3 will be examining the feasibility of purchasing an unlimited user license for course management software, of which WebCT is our current vendor.

Providing electronic library services—Library services and resources are increasingly being provided online. How do we continue to assure that all students have access to such resources and at the same time make sure that they have the necessary support and instruction to be successful in the use of online resources that are otherwise unmediated?

Managing communications (controlling email flow)—How do we help staff and students manage the flow of electronic messages? Are there policies and procedures that need to be in place to deal with the proliferation of “Everyone” messages? With the increasing availability of student e-mail addresses, how can we use email to get important information to students and prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed by the trivial?

Assessing quality of learning online—As teaching and learning becomes increasingly web-based, what mechanisms should be in place to measure what students are learning online? While outcomes assessment for all courses and programs is currently a major focus for the College as we implement new general education goals and explore the use of Enable-OA, are there special measures that need to be taken to ensure the quality of learning, especially in the case of those students who might have relatively little face-to-face contact with faculty and others at the College?

Providing user support—As networked computer applications become increasingly embedded in our daily tasks in the case of staff and in learning activities in the case of students, do we need to provide more support services to deal with technical problems and user support issues? With more and more students learning online, at what point will we need to provide remote learner support on weekends, evenings, and even overnight?

Using smart card to access resources/pay for services-- This technology embeds a computer chip into a credit card that is about twice as thick as a typical credit card. The difference between this and credit cards is that you can store a great deal more information on it. It has not been widely accepted in the US, but is used extensively in European countries. Currently, it is being used for adding money to your card and when making a purchase it is deducted from the card, rather than from an online account. At this point business/colleges would need to build a significant infrastructure to allow its use.

Maintaining network quality of service-- As demand for Internet/Intranet grows our clients are demanding stability and reliability. It is easy to understand that if there are problems with the internal network, nearly all staff and many of our students are prevented from performing their work and projects. In the last year or two our Internet use has grow by leaps and bounds. Mission critical applications like Library, extension centers, online courses, and email can be affected by network traffic slowdowns or disruptions. As we move into the next few years we will need to look at quality systems that minimize this downtime. One probable option will be redundancy in Internet providers.

Providing universal authentication— As more systems are developed, each may require unique authentication (passwords) for online access. A desire by many would be to have a single ID, which determines access to all systems. This is a goal to strive for as we move into the next technology phase of the College.

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