Information technology, Georgia. University System of Georgia. Board of Regents. Office of Information and Instructional Technology

News Bulletin Archive: 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
June - August, 1994: Volume 6, Number 1
Contents
From the Vice Chancellor BANNER Student System: Progress Continues Chancellor to Deliver Keynote Address at Rock Eagle Conference Georgia Official and Statistical Register 1989-90 Georgia Receives Software from Microsoft Corp PeachNet Spreads Its Branches: Project Update RACL Proposes Acquiring Full-text Information Resources for the University System of Georgia Calendar of Events Publishing Information
From the Vice Chancellor
*** Dr. Kris Biesinger, Director of Academic Services and Distance Learning, recently was commended for being instrumental in obtaining a donation from Microsoft Corp. for 12,000 licenses for the Georgia Board of Regents for student teacher training at colleges of education. Georgia is the only state where Microsoft has provided software to every college of education. (See related article herein.) *** In a July meeting the Academic Programs Committee, a subcommittee of the Distance Learning and Telemedicine Governing Board, gave the green light to data communications installations requested by Phase I projects. After budget review, the Phase I projects will be contacted regarding their individual requests. *** The GSAMS Academic Programs Office began operation July 1 under the direction of Bob Hart, previous director of UGA's Center for Educational Technology and coordinator for the Georgia ClassConnect project. Operating out of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, Mr. Hart and two staff members will facilitate GSAMS programming. To get on the mailing list or to submit story ideas to their bi-weekly newsletter, send an e-mail message to Theresa Miller, Public Information Coordinator at millert@gacsrv.gactr.uga.edu. ***As of July, 110 two-way, interactive video (GSAMS) sites had been installed, including thirty-nine University System sites, sixteen technical and adult institutions, thirty-nine K-12 institutions, and seven miscellaneous sites. Phase II, now underway, will equip an additional eighty-five sites: eighteen in the University System, twenty DTAE locations, thirty K-12 sites, seven for the Department of Corrections, seven youth development centers, and three in other categories. Upon completion of both Phases I and II, Telemedicine will have fifty-nine sites coordinated around twelve hubs. *** Approximately 1,230 of Georgia's 2,020 satellite installations have been completed. The majority of these are for K-12 institutions, Regional Education Service Agencies (RESAs), youth development centers, and public libraries. Forty-seven installations will be made at University System locations. Site visitations for these installations have just begun. VCRs were delivered to Convergent Media for

delivery along with the dish; monitors are beginning to be delivered to campus locations where they will be stored until installation.
*** Over the next several months, the OIT will be working to upgrade PeachNet to improve performance and to expand service. Planned activities include installing password protected dial-in systems at multiple sites and upgrading various hubs to increase capacity for new sites. At this time, PeachNet connections to universities provide T1 service, and connections to two- and four- year colleges provide 56 Kbps service. If additional bandwidth is required, the institution should contact the OIT for an estimate of the cost.
*** Regents Central Office Computing Activities has been reorganized and placed under the general supervision of Mr. Fred Cooper, who is also director of the Division of Business and Finance Systems. Mr. Matthew Kuchinski will manage the reorganized office, with Ms. Kim Iddins and Mr. Scott Rule completing the staffing. Ms. Iddins has worked in Central Office Computing Activities since 1990, and Mr. Rule transferred from OIT's TSS division in Athens. Current projects include new equipment installations and upgrades and installation of e-mail software, a Novell network, and a common calendar system for the Regents central office.
*** Other OIT changes include the following: 1) The Division of Academic Services has been renamed the Division of Academic Services and Distance Learning (ASDL). The new name more accurately reflects the broad range of activities in which ASDL participates. 2) Two Administration and Planning staff have received promotions: Ms. Marie Steed, Manager-Administration, and Ms. Jayne Williams, Manager-Planning. 3) Ms. Michelle Maddy, Business and Finance Systems, has been promoted to Systems Designer I. 4) Mr. Ed Fair has joined the Division of Telecommunications and Networking as a Network Systems Analyst. 5) In Technology Support Services two positions have been filled by Mr. Brendan Mullen, Systems Integration Specialist III, and by Mr. John Scoville, Systems Support Specialist III; Ms. Suzanne Colquitt has been promoted to Computer Services Specialist II.
J. B. Mathews, Vice Chancellor
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BANNER Student System: Progress Continues
by Debora Exum, OIT
The Office of Information Technology is having a BANNER Summer. The staff of Academic Administration Systems (AAS) will have completed all necessary enhancements to the BANNER Student System software for it to be installed at Armstrong State College by September 1, 1994.
Mr. Art Bostock, former Valdosta State University Registrar who is now the BANNER functional liaison for the student module, is working with Mr. Randy Nichols, an SCT consultant, to design enhancements for the BANNER software, which will address Georgia-specific needs. The modules include Immunization Tracking, College Preparatory Curriculum, College Placement Exam, Regents Test, and Learning Support. Additionally, the System will meet Regents reporting requirements for the areas of SIRS, Curriculum, Facilities, Room Utilization, Graduate Salary Survey, Graduate Recruitment, High School Feedback, and Transfer Feedback.
As design specifications are completed, AAS staff members Mr. Charles Ash, Ms. Margaret Dillard, and Ms. Debora Exum, with assistance from Georgia Tech, will be developing the necessary forms using SQL*Forms 3.0 and Oracle RDBMS 7.0.
Several work groups are helping the Office of Information Technology (OIT) with this effort by providing functional testing, creating test data, identifying necessary additional enhancements, and suggesting processing methods. One of the work groups will explore the functionality of the Student Accounts module to help determine the best way to interface with the CUFA accounting system.
As the enhanced system continues to mature, research and discussion are progressing in the area of support procedures. All active BANNER institutions, which currently include Armstrong State College, Brunswick College, DeKalb College, and Georgia Tech, will assist the OIT in evaluating formal support procedures.

By January 1995, Armstrong State College will be one month away from a mock registration, and the group one institutions-Brunswick College, Clayton State College, Fort Valley State College, Georgia Southern University, Valdosta State University, and West Georgia College-will begin training. The BANNER Enhanced Student System will become an efficient means for the University System to consolidate and to quickly report student information.
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Chancellor to Deliver Keynote Address at Rock Eagle Conference
Dr. Stephen R. Portch, the recently appointed Chancellor of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, will present the keynote address at the University System Annual Computing Conference November 9-11, 1994.
Prior to becoming Chancellor of the Georgia System, Dr. Portch served as the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in the University of Wisconsin System; he also held rank as a tenured professor of English.
Dr. Portch has presented papers on the use of computers in higher education and has shown strong support for the use of technologies in higher education. In his role as Chancellor, he is keenly interested in maximizing the educational resources in Georgia to provide opportunities in higher education for Georgia's students. The use of computers to deliver programs would be one of the critical ingredients in his strategic plan.
He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English from The Pennsylvania State University. His B.A. is from the University of Reading, England.
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Georgia Official and Statistical Register 1989-90 Available Online
The Georgia Official and Statistical Register 1989-90 will now be available on the OIT Gopher. Published under the auspices of the Office of Secretary of State, Department of Archives and History, the Statistical Register contains information on the executive, judicial, and legislative components of the state and includes the Constitution of the State of Georgia and the history, evolution, and a description of the functions of state elected offices and state agencies. A chapter on Senators and Representatives in Congress from Georgia also details a history of congressional districts.
A description of the General Assembly-Senate and House of Representatives-includes senatorial districts, senate standing committees, and short biographies of members. Readers will find information on United States Judicial Officers in Georgia. The Judicial System of Georgia covers the Court of Appeals, District Courts in Georgia, and Court-related Government Agencies. The Register also provides information on Georgia County Officers.
The chapter Historical Rosters includes United States senators from Georgia, Governors of Georgia, and Members of the State Senate and the House of Representatives. Information on elections includes dates of primaries, general and special elections, and a statistical summary of the most recent general election. The final chapter, Georgia Miscellany, compiles information on Georgia topics, such as state symbols, Georgia's creed, historical facts, Georgia's poets laureate, county newspapers/legal organs, and public and legal holidays.
The Register is available in the State of Georgia/Secretary of State, Department of Archives and History directory. As later editions are prepared, they will be available on the OIT Gopher.
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Georgia Receives Software from Microsoft Corp.
Through the Microsoft-Teacher Education Partnership Program, the state of Georgia has been awarded 24,000 licenses to enhance teacher education: Microsoft has donated 12,000 licenses of software to the Georgia Department of Education and 12,000 to the Georgia Board of Regents. The same software packages will go to all recipients, thus increasing interest and idea exchange and providing an environment conducive to maximum implementation of the products.
The Microsoft-Teacher Education Partnership Program will provide a valuable opportunity for instructors and students to become acquainted with various types of software: spreadsheet, database, word processing, desktop publishing, and content-rich materials.
Dr. Kris Biesinger of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) Division of Academic Services and Distance Learning, in conjunction with the Office of Academic Affairs, coordinated submission of sixteen proposals from University System institutions. Compiling information from the various proposals, Dr. Biesinger summarized several significant ways that the gift of software would benefit teacher education, specifically, and education, in general, in Georgia. Through the use of Microsoft products, faculty will be able to
learn about the relationship of learning and teaching to technology; experience first hand what the tools of technology can do for them and for students; create an environment in which teachers and students learn together; encourage active learning, sharing, and building upon the ideas of others; develop a technology "comfort level"; and develop programs which meet accreditation standards for integrating technology into instruction.
At the System level, several opportunities exist for the dissemination of activities resulting from participation in the proposal. GC EduNET, a statewide information service at Georgia College, currently serves more than five thousand Georgia educators and librarians. Through a cooperative effort with the OIT, free, limited dial-up access to GC EduNET is available through PeachNet. GC EduNET has agreed to set up a forum for teachers receiving and using Microsoft products. The forum will include text files with information calculated to spur discussion.
A similar opportunity for sharing is provided by Gopher servers, and, for individuals who prefer live sharing rather than electronic sharing, the GSAMS (Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System) network with 105 installations is available around the state.
Anyone wishing further information about this project may contact Dr. Biesinger by phone at GIST 285-5678 or 706/369-5678 or by e-mail at kris@oit. peachnet. edu.
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PeachNet Spreads Its Branches: Project Update
by Cathy Cruger, OIT
Office of Information Technology (OIT) projects will extend PeachNet to eleven new sites in the next two months. Each qualified site has paid the necessary fees for initial cost items (router, CSU/DSU, cabinet, UPS, digital line) and has agreed to the annual PAMM fee (PeachNet Access, Monitoring, and Maintenance) associated with a PeachNet Branch connection. Work orders are currently in place to install 56 Kbps digital lines between each new site and the local University System hub site. Once the circuits are tested, the OIT will install the PeachNet equipment and train the technical representatives.
Over the next few months, University System sites can expect to see continuing signs of PeachNet's expansion. The OIT will be installing password protected dial-in systems at various System hubs and will be installing additional 56 Kbps and T1 lines to support new sites. The OIT is also developing a variety of training sessions and user support services. The new sites, eager to join the PeachNet community, are already planning for local electronic mail servers, Gophers, and World Wide Web servers.

PeachNet welcomes Georgia Military College, Milledgeville; Cartersville High School, Cartersville; Lovett School, Atlanta; Paine College, Augusta; Berry College, Mt. Berry; Brenau College, Gainesville; Life College, Marietta; DeKalb County School System, Decatur; Georgia Student Finance Commission, Tucker; Department of Transportation, Atlanta; and Federal Highway Department, Atlanta.
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RACL Proposes Acquiring Full-text Information Resources for the University System of Georgia
In addition to seeking technology grants for each System institution library, the Regents Academic Committee on Libraries (RACL) is seeking funding to obtain statewide electronic access to indices and to the full-text of core academic journals. PeachNet is the system-wide vehicle currently available to provide the means to access these indices and texts.
Full-text databases are not merely another development in format for library information. Growing in importance, they are an additional potential resource available on PeachNet. Distance education will significantly increase with implementation of the Georgia Telemedicine and Distance Learning Act and with the installation of satellite dishes in every school and public library. Full-text databases will enhance all of these efforts by providing ready access to library information to the 203,369 System students across the state.
Although information seekers can compile comprehensive bibliographies by connecting to a library's network, they may still have difficulty in retrieving the actual bibliographic sources. Full-text databases would eliminate the final step of information retrieval by providing the complete text of journal articles in electronic form and would allow ease in downloading or copying. A single terminal would not only provide journal indexing, but also journal articles.
In supporting distance learning courses and programs, the System would avoid the costs of the duplication of materials required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. A technology grant would allow each library to purchase software and hardware to support information delivery.
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Calendar of Events
August 26 ACIT Summer Meeting. The meeting will be held at Macon College.
September 8 Internet for Beginners. The training session will be held at the Athens OIT Training Center, 1685 West Broad Street.
September 19-23 ORACLE7 Basic Development and Reporting. The training session will be held at the Athens OIT Training Center.
September 26 Authorware Professional-Basic. The training session will be held at the Athens OIT Training Center.
September 29-October 1 NovaNet. The training session will be held at the Athens OIT Training Center.
October 3-5 PL/SQL for Developers. The training session will be held at the Athens OIT Training Center.
October 31-November 3 EDUCOM. The conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas.
November 9-11 Annual Computing Conference. The University System Annual Computing Conference will be held at

Rock Eagle. [Return to Contents]
Publishing Information
Information Technology, The Office of Information Technology (OIT) News Bulletin is published by the Board of Regents, Office of Information Technology, 244 Washington St. SW, Atlanta, Georgia, 30334. Suggestions and contributions are solicited. Unless otherwise stated, permission to reprint articles in whole or in part is granted provided appropriate credit is given.
Editor: Jayne Williams Office: Georgia Southern University E-mail: jayne_williams@oit.peachnet.edu
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