DRAFT: PROPOSAL/PLAN FOR ACADEMIC COMPUTING 1997-2000 

October 23, 1997

1. Academic Computing

[definition from previous ACAC document]

2. Objectives of Academic Computing

• to enable students to use computing resources to grow increasingly skilled, intellectually active, and independent;
• to enable faculty to teach more effectively and facilitate the use of technology as part of the learning process;
• to enable faculty to conduct research with greater efficiency and effectiveness;
• to enable the University to reach a larger, more geographically dispersed clientele with asynchronous, geographically site independent courses;
• to encourage/advise the University on new technologies and uses of technology in the field of academic computing.

3. Planning and Policy

3.1. Principles of Use of Facilities, Hardware, Software

(Accept UH System policies?)

3.2. Principles for Prioritizing Expenditures

Planning of resource allocation should include funding of not only hardware needs, but also basic software needs. Standardization of operating systems and basic software needd such as an office suite package that almost every faculty/staff and student user depends on will enable easier usage across facilities and should be planned for in basic budgeting. Campus wide licenses are likely to be more cost effective as well as efficient. If funded at that level, this will help to standardize facilities, make them more compatible, and address some of the worst coordination problems.

Planning resources for hardware needs to be coordinated, and established in a timely and effective manner. Replacement and upgrades of equipment in laboratories/classrooms need to be accomplished on a facility-wide basis so that the equipment in a facility is always compatible and standardized as appropriate. A schedule of regular replacement and upgrades needs to be established and implemented to insure facilities are available to meet current needs and be at the cutting edge of technology to best accomplish our educational mission. As high priority facilities get upgrades or equipment replacements, the old equipment can then be "trickled down" to facilities or faculty who have less demanding applications. By this means we can maintain cutting edge facilities for programs for which this is vital, while still making effective use of older technology for less demanding programs.

Planning should also include coordination of resources for staffing and maintenance of instructional computing facilities. We need to avoid inadequate staffing for keeping facilities open for use outside of class times, and for professional and trained staff to maintain facilities. Addition of positions, both full-time APT and General Funded student workers, needs to be planned for and funded.

In the use of discretionary funds a higher priority should be given to the maintenance, upgrading and replacement of equipment/software in existing facilities to insure they are fully servicable and functional over the creation of new facilities.

3.3. Standardizing Campus Software, Licensing.

The ACAC should recommend software to be supported by campus wide licenses to provide basic software for academic computing that is needed for large constituencies in academic computing. Support for this software should cover both licensing and installation/troubleshooting through technical support personnel.

3.4. Charges and Responsibilities

ACAC, EdTech Task Force

Personnel and Administration

Planning for resources should be centralized to a body with representation from the various user groups as well as administrative units responsible for the operation and maintenance of the computer facilities at UHH. Such a body already exists in the ACAC and it should be used in this fashion. In this the ACAC can provide an agency for both unit-based and multiple unit-based facilities. This group should set priorities for funding and resource allocation annually to accommodate a three year plan to meet needs among all of the instructional computer facilities. These priorities should then be the basis for administration to allocate resources as they become available. These priorities can also serve as the basis for the submission of proposals for extramural funding, such as at the University of Hawaii System level or with public/private agencies willing to supply resources to the University. The ACAC needs to report directly to campus administration level, including the EdTech Task Force, the Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Chancellor. The ACAC can in addition to prioritizing resource allocations, also recommend policies for campus wide implementation in regards to academic computing.

The ACAC should each year review the current status of instructional computing facilities on campus and make recommendations in the form of a list of upgrades, equipment and software purchases for the various facilities that would be ranked or prioritized for funding during a three year period. By annual updates the plan can change to accommodate new technologies or new instructional initiatives as they occur. This will provide a forum for balancing campus wide needs and assist the administration with a coordinated plan for academic technology based on user experiences and initiatives on a regular basis.

Academic Computing: Current Status and Goals for 2000

4. On-Site Instruction and Use Facilities

4.1. Lecture/Discussion Classrooms

[ student or course/classroom ratio= ]

4.5. Open PC Labs

Current: ___ open lab in the library with bring-your-own-paper printers, access to widely used software, limited access to Internet.

Goal: ___ open labs, one per classroom building, two or three in the dormitories, one in the campus center, one in the library.

[ student/computer/lab ratio= ]

4.6. Short-Use Access

Current: ___ such computers in a public area where abuse is unlikely. For email, CARL, and other short-period uses.

Goal: ___ such computers, in some cases with associated printer, located

In the library, cafeterias, dorms, lounges. [ student or computer ratio= ]

4.7 Multimedia Development Lab

Current: None available

Goal: A small center dedicated to development of multimedia instruction. Center should have file server and workstations equipped with audio and video accepting and generating capabilities.

5. Technical Planning and Support

5.1. Systematic Software and Hardware Purchasing, Licensing, Maintenance, and Replacement

Current: No systematic policies exist. Two existing committees (ACAC and EdTech Task Force) work to plan and set priorities but to date have been unclear in charge and responsibilities without reliable information about resources available.

Goal: These will proceed on a campus-wide, timely and coordinated basis to maintain quality of instructional material and delivery in a cost-efficient manner. Fixed policies and minimum resources available annually are needed to insure campus wide minimal support for instructional hardware/software maintenance and licensing. This has to include technical support personnel, hardware, and software licenses to cover basic operations and applications.

5.2. Classroom and Lab Design

Current: Design is driven by existing space, existing electrical lines, available furniture and hardware.

Goal: Labs and classrooms will be configured ergonomically and with electrical capacity and connectivity to allow for future upgrades and applications of new technologies.

5.3. Security System

Current: _________________________________________________

to protect faculty/student work and maintain integrity of system after every use.

Goal:

5.4. Technical Personnel to Maintain Network; Install Hardware/Software, Diagnose

and Resolve/Repair Hardware/Software Problems

Current: 1 technical staff person

Goal: 7 technical staff persons:

• one computer design/graphics specialist,
• distance educations specialist,
• one computer hardware specialist,
• one computer software specialist,
• one network specialist,
• a director of academic computing.

[faculty/staff person ratio ___]

}6. Training and Information

6.1. Trained Student Monitors/Aides

Current: Student monitors to help students in open labs. and in classes in electronic classrooms are funded from term to term in insufficient numbers to keep most of our current facilities open and authorized at such late dates that effective training becomes almost impossible to accomplish, or through volunteers.

Goal: Paid student monitors present in labs to provide open hours for student access who are trained prior to beginning of the term and student aides for EC classes. Given the requirement for capable and trained people who need to have positions guaranteed before the begining of each academic term these should be General Funded. [monitor/student ratio= ]

6.2. Help Desk

Current: For small or specific problems, students and faculty can access the University system=s Help Desk via phone, fax, e-mail or/and Web. Response is not as quick as needed.

Goal: More accessible HelpDesk with prompt response, perhaps one located on campus.

6.4. Ed Tech and Web Resource:

Current: Limited help is available with graphic design, Web site design and management, and other more complex ed tech and research tasks.

Goal: A resource group or center to work with ed tech, research, graphic design, Web site design and management; should also provide information on University contracts for equipment and University site licenses as well as make recommendations for purchasing and

standardization. [faculty/support staff ratio = ]

6.5. Training Resources:

Current: There is no single location where faculty, staff, and students can go for training videos, printed instructions, and workshops on new basics like Windows, spreadsheets, wordprocessing software, as well as on teaching techniques and applications of technology in the classroom. Currently, occasional workshops on major efforts like distance course design are delivered by HITS from UHM or presented in Honolulu and are therefore not broadly available to or attractive to our faculty/staff.

Goal: Trained staff at centralized location to provide the training resources and workshops described above. Resources need to be provided for technical support staff to put on workshops and seminars. Resources are also needed for technical support staff and other staff as well to attend external training workshops, seminars and programs to remain current and see new emerging technologies and applications.

[faculty/support staff ratio= ]

7. Research Resources

7.1. Goal: Centralized source to inform faculty what is new and available in technology that can be used in their research.

7.2. Goal: A UHH server for hypertext databases, an interactive archive with audio/video capability. (Scott)

8. Home/Office Access

8.1. Goal: Every faculty member must have a reliable, reasonably powerful office computer with reasonably current versions of the software he or she needs for instruction and research, and with a connection to email and the Web.

8.2. Goal: All off-campus users, faculty and students, must have reliable external access to networks and facilities.

8.3. Goal: Bulk purchases/manufacturer discounts/financial aid/special loans are needed to assure that all students and faculty can buy/rent their own laptops or desktops for home use.

9. Distance Instruction

9.1. HITS Classrooms

Current: Three HITS classrooms are now functioning, with microphones for students, large-screen monitors, ELMO, computer connection for the instructor, two-way seeing/hearing/speaking communications and phoning/faxing between all sites, videotaping of lectures.

Present level of use is 36% of capacity.

Goal: ____

9.2. HITS Technical Support

Current: ___ HITS technical staff persons; he/they are available, well-trained, and service-oriented.

Goal: ________

[course/support staff ratio: ]

9.3. Alternative Distance Education Technology

Current: We have no alternative distance education facilities than HITS in use now. The Computer Science department is planning to offer Web based courses that may go beyond the HITS environment.

Goal: Development of alternative distance education technology and methodologies. Further develop the Web based facilities as a teaching delivery method. Alternative technology that exists and should be explored is video conferencing that may enable wider delivery than current HITS technology.

9.4. Electronic Communication between Home and Target Sites

Current:

Goal: Guaranteed access among DI instructor and all students in DI courses is needed at all DI sites. This includes e-mail and newsgroups that allow for threaded, asynchronous discussion and attachments (documents, audio, video). Guaranteed access to course and other Web sites.

Goal: More efficient/effective means are needed to verify and evaluate course work submitted by students from a distant site, whether another HITS site, computer lab, or students' home computers.

9.5. Other DI Support Servvices

Current: ____

Goal: DI requires strong graphic design support, packaging support (delivery, security), copyright support, special hardware and software support. [faculty/support staff ratio= ]

9.6. Recruitment and Training of DI Faculty

Current: The UH system's Distance Learning and Instructional Technology unit, UH Information Technology Services, and UH Center for Instructional Support provide a great deal of information for faculty throughout of system. They are accessible by phone, fax, email, and through their respective Web sites.

Goal:

9.7. Development and Delivery of Programs

Current: Business Administration, Sociology, and English offer/have offered degree programs to West Hawaii via HITS and instructor visits to WH. One has stopped offering, two more will be teaching down over the next two years. Although the classrooms and technology are in place at UHH, and many courses are being delivered in this form by UHM, KCC, HonCC, and UHWO, few UHH faculty have ever considered teaching on HITS, and even fewer have actually taught on HITS.

Goal: ___ degree programs will be offered in the distance format by UHH faculty to students at __ sites across the UH system.

Achieving the Goals: What We Need to Do

END