The Spring 2007 OIT Newsletter focuses particularly on social computing and ways in which SCSU can fulfill its mission by leveraging the ubiquity of technology and the ever increasing reach of the internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_computing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_software

Social computing is not the brainchild of OIT, nor are we speculating or exaggerating as to its presence and importance. Social computing is here and positioned to revolutionize nearly every aspect of higher education (whether we like it or not). We encourage faculty to approach these innovations with open minds: they exist to enhance and support, rather than replace, traditional, tried-and-true methods and paradigms. Moreover, both experimentation with the technologies themselves and consideration of their implications will reward the kinds of enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity which distinguish Southern faculty.

Podcasting:

This coming fall, in alignment with our (resource dependent) social computing and multimedia initiatives, any SCSU faculty member can request that their lectures be made available to their students via our podcasting service.

Podcasting lectures has multiple advantages. Among them:

• Students are able to repeat lectures at their convenience, whether that's while exercising, driving or walking on campus.
• Non-native English speaking students can replay lectures to increase their comprehension.
• Students can review pertinent lectures before exams.

We are excited about this venture as it can provide high value benefits to students at low cost in terms of faculty, staff and resources. Additional information on podcasting can be accessed here:

http://oit.southernct.edu/newsletter/podcastbasics.doc

Vista Update:

We have successfully launched Vista; an upgrade to Vista version 4 has been slated for January 2008. SCSU considered an earlier upgrade date but determined 2008 to be the best fit for the circumstances.

Faculty can access an interactive preview of Vista 4 by clicking the Faculty tab in MySCSU.

A more detailed discussion of related issues and the decision making process can be viewed here.

SCSU Data Center Upgrade:

As the CSU system continues to develop and expand technologically we are realizing opportunities for collaboration and economies of scale that do not at all threaten the autonomy of any university. SCSU welcomes the opportunity to partner with the CSU System to host the system-wide Data Center on our campus. Such a partnership requires our financial participation, but the benefits would far exceed the costs.

The CSU System Office is starting to address the possibility by looking at physical space issues for the Data Center itself (including power and HVAC etcetera). The linked report provides a more detailed breakdown of these issues.

Clearly the report does not consider issues such as Office Space, Staffing, Management and Reporting, Service Level Agreements, etc., all of which will need to be addressed. Though this basically represents a first and tentative step it is nonetheless exciting: Dual Data Center Report - January 2007

NOTE: Regardless of the System Office's final decision, the current SCSU Data Center physical space remains critically insufficient to Southern's needs. Available UPS, air conditioning and fire suppression units are outmoded; equipment fills the center to capacity and raw electrical inputs from the street push to keep up with the building's requirements. In June of 2006 an outdated UPS caught on fire and caused a service outage; on April 2, 2007 we experienced similar problems with a UPS unit that knocked out services for almost 24 hours. The existing facility was simply not designed or equipped to meet current demands: unless SCSU relocates or significantly renovates the Jennings Data Center the campus will continue to experience network outages (regardless of the strengths of our staff, servers and technology assets).

The CSU Email Environment - Standardization, Enhancement and Economies of Scale:

In response to the Price Waterhouse Coopers audits calling for greater standardization of email and communication across the CSU system William J. Gammell (Vice Chancellor at the System Office) led the development of a targeted survey. The following document describes the issue and pending survey in greater detail: Survey Related to Migrating to a Common Email Environment

IT Needs Assessment:

The IT Needs Assessment report by Advantech can be accessed here:

http://www.southernct.edu/itassessmentreport/

Faculty should note that this assessment pertains primarily to the business side of OIT and does not address IT-related needs on the academic side. This does not mean that we are indifferent to these needs - simply that they were not within the scope of the consultants’ report. Additionally, as we engaged the consultants’ services for a limited amount of time their report could not address the specific and highly critical reporting needs of departments across campus (Admissions, Financial Aid, etcetera). That said, the report is fair in its conclusions, thorough and well-written and offers a number of valuable recommendations.

A document detailing OIT works in progress (that relate to the observations of the assessment) can be accessed here:

http://oit.southernct.edu/newsletter/inprogress_07.doc

Resource limitations affect our ability to deliver the support we would provide under ideal circumstances, but we strive to serve faculty, students and staff to the best of our ability.