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

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Feb. - March 1996: Volume 7, Number 4
Contents
z From the Vice Chancellor z Update on the Teachers and Technology Initiative z BANNER Update from the Division of Academic Administration Systems z 1995 Annual Computing Conference a Success z Public Libraries Join PeachNet z Special Technology Fee Introduced z Distance Learning Faculty Directory Available Soon z What's New on the USG Web z Publishing Information
From the Vice Chancellor
*** Early in March, the OIIT sent a Request for Proposal (RFP) to Internet service providers for the implementation of a statewide dial-in service. The service would update and somewhat expand PeachNet public dial-in facilities and would augment the access currently offered by institutions by providing high-quality dial-in to be paid for by eligible customers, for example, faculty, staff, and students.
The proposals from vendors will be due April 1, 1996. The target date for contract signing is April 12, with installation to begin April 15. The first installations, in Atlanta, Athens, Valdosta, and Statesboro, will be completed by June 17. The remaining sites are expected to be completed by July 8, 1996.
*** The Division of Telecommunications and Networking (DTN) has just completed an upgrade of the PeachNet backbone. Together with contractors Maxwell Labs and CCG, DTN has expanded the backbone bandwidth capacity in anticipation of the increased demand for PeachNet and Internet services. Seventy new routers were installed using the latest hardware and software. This upgrade will provide PeachNet users with more reliable service and improved performance.
*** The PeachNet public dial service underwent extensive equipment replacement earlier this month to provide more reliable access. This service is limited to asynchronous dial and is intended for public access for demonstration purposes. The replacement is considered temporary until the RFP for statewide dial-in access can be finalized.
*** State Purchasing has announced several changes to the state contracts. The state microcomputer contracts have been extended until February 28, 1997. The contract number has changed from SWC 50546 to SWC 60546, and the following brands were not renewed: CompuAdd, AT&T, and Leading Edge. The state workstation contracts have been extended until January 31, 1997, and the contract number has changed from SWC 50677 to SWC 60667. The state microcomputer peripheral contracts have been extended until March 31, 1996. Detailed information on these changes and the contracts themselves are available via the USG WWW or the USG Gopher.
*** ACIT representatives met during February at Middle Georgia College. The topics discussed included the

statewide dial-in RFP and the Business Information Systems Request for Information (RFI), the costs and impact of Oracle support, and the BANNER SIS/FA modules and pending Business Systems changes.
*** Academic Administration Systems welcomes Kay Berding as a Programmer II and Karen Nunn as an Information Analyst I. Erik Bowe is leaving the group to become the Director of the Computer Center at South Georgia College. The DTN bids farewell to Mr. Richard Biever who is returning to school. Barbara Neal has been selected to fill the new position of Telecommunications Coordinator. Technology Support Services announces that John Scoville has filled the Support Services Coordinator position.
J.B. Mathews, Vice Chancellor
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Update on the Teachers and Technology Initiative
Course Development RFP (Request For Proposal)
An RFP has gone to campus presidents and is also posted on the System web. Faculty are invited to submit proposals for new courses or reworked courses integrating technology. The new offerings may be distance learning courses or non-distance learning technology-supported classes.
Approximately thirty courses will be funded, and the average award is expected to be around $20,000. Courses should serve as model programs that can be modified and replicated. The technology should be integrated into the course rather than attached to it. Collaboration between and among divisions, departments and/or institutions is important, as well as the use of this opportunity to channel efforts toward a course which addresses a community, System, or state need.
Two submission deadlines are offered: March 8, 1996 and May 8, 1996.
Technology Classrooms
All allocations for either the GSAMS classroom or the high technology classroom have been made, and installations are underway. Funds must be spent this year. If the GSAMS installation, PeachNet connectivity, and room renovation do not meet the $90,000 allocation, the remaining funds must be spent in support of the use of technology in instructional activities.
Instructional Technology Support Specialists
Campus allocations were made early in this fiscal year. Most institutions have filled the position. Below is a summary of the departments into which the position was hired:
z academic units - 3 positions z media services - 3 z distance learning department - 7 z computer services - 7 z academic affairs office - 6 z instructional technology center - 2 z library - 2 z continuing education - 3
Course on Olympics
The telecourse, Impact of the Olympic Movement, will be broadcast to academic institutions across Georgia during spring quarter 1996. The course can be viewed each Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7 until 8:30 over PeachStar. Campuses interested in participating for credit or professional development should contact David Bruce at Georgia Tech (404/894-4453).

Faculty Development Workshop
A follow-up meeting of the members of last year's workshop was held in December. Participants shared experiences, attended several sessions designed to stretch their August learning, and interacted with vendors who were invited to attend the first day. Plans have not been set for the next faculty development workshop.
Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DL/TM) - Phase III
The System was allocated six installations for Phase III of the DL/TM program. The six sites that will receive an installation include
z Experiment Station in Griffin z Rockdale Center (DeKalb) z North Metro Center (Georgia State) z Coastal Georgia Center (Armstrong) z Robins Center (Macon) z Bainbridge College
GSAMS
A meeting of System users (two per campus) was held in Macon in January. Participants were provided with a general update of distance learning activities in the System. They participated in a discussion with DOAS and Bell South regarding the scheduling program that is being coordinated by DOAS. After lunch, groups formed to discuss campus GSAMS issues. The meeting produced two resolutions: 1) the creation of a System-only distance learning listserv (USGDIS-L) and 2) the development of a form to alert the central office of GSAMS problems across the System. The form will be sent to site coordinators for completion on a monthly basis.
Satellite
Two locations (Georgia College/Macon and the Georgia Center for Continuing Education/UGA) have been identified to host a workshop in April on satellite operation. Dishes going digital beginning in spring will require additional Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRDs); details will be forthcoming. Telstar signal will probably remain analog until 1997.
Other Information
New classes have been added to the regular offerings. Topics include GSAMS and developing web pages. Classes will be formatted for faculty and for technology support personnel, with some taught over the GSAMS system.
Anyone interested should check the listing through the OIIT web or Gopher and use the electronic registration form when signing up for a class.
New procedures are being developed to provide training at campus locations.
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BANNER Update from the Division of Academic Administration Systems
The BANNER project is keeping a swift pace. Recent activities include many successful mock registrations for groups one and two; software has been installed for groups three and four; group three policy and procedures for both student information and financial aid are nearing completion; and group three training classes begin midMarch.
Discussion continues concerning implications of the move to client/server with BANNER. The schedule for implementing BANNER at institutions will remain the same, but the schedule for upgrading to version 2.1.5 is under review.

Progress has been made with the following BANNER components:
z Facilities - all migrated off of the Cyber, except some of the reports. The process will be completed by summer quarter.
z Room Utilization - planned for completion by fall quarter. z Curriculum - testing of editor will begin in spring quarter, live either summer or fall. z SIRS - completely migrated, except for the longitudinal file, which is waiting for the Cyber replacement
machines.
The BANNER conference was held the first week of March with over one hundred University System personnel attending.
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1995 Annual Computing Conference a Success
By Andrea Wilson, OIIT
A total of 735 people attended the University System's Annual Computing Conference held October 25-27, 1995, at Rock Eagle.
The theme, "Your Technology Makeover! DOs & DON'Ts," was well represented in the ninety-eight educational sessions. Dr. Richard A. Skinner, President of Clayton State College, delivered the keynote address, focusing on the use of technology in education and the prospect for connecting people and organizations to one another.
An outstanding vendor exhibit was held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Representatives from thirty-four companies updated attendees on the latest in technology developments, products, equipment, and services.
The sessions reflected the diverse roles of technology within the System. Topics included distance learning and instructional technology, operating system overviews, LAN and WAN issues, library applications, and multimedia.
BANNER issues represented the largest track of related sessions during the conference. The sessions covered aspects of the student data conversion, mock registration, Georgia enhancements, and other areas of interest to those working with any BANNER module. With the progression of the Systemwide utilization of BANNER, these sessions were timely and helpful to attendees.
Registration brochures for the 1996 University System Annual Computing conference scheduled for October 23-25, 1996 will be mailed out by early September.
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Public Libraries Join PeachNet
In 1994, the pilot project Expanding the Vision: Statewide Access through PeachNet provided PeachNet access to five public libraries, three public schools, and the headquarters for the Public Library Services and the Department of Education. The proposal was designed to expand access to technology-based information services through PeachNet and the Internet to all Georgia citizens.
In response to the resounding success and popularity of Expanding the Vision, the 1995 Legislature allocated funds to extend PeachNet to all fifty-five regional libraries in the state.
The allocation will furnish each library with a PeachNet Branch (56KB or T1 dedicated connection), three Macintosh workstations and one printer. In addition to the "Internet-style" services of e-mail and information servers, such as Gopher, Web, and FTP, a by-product of the PeachNet connectivity is access by a limited number of workstations per library to the UMI GALILEO databases.

Installation, which began in November, will be completed by May. To date, forty-six libraries have been added to the PeachNet community.
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Special Technology Fee Introduced
University System officials have been reviewing existing special fees and the possibility of allowing institutions to charge special instructional fees for higher cost areas. As a result, the University System Tuition Study Committee was charged to study this issue, especially areas involving computer technology. With the recent Board of Regents approval of the committee's recommendations, System institutions will be permitted to implement special technology fees on a pilot basis.
With the increasing use of computer technology, some institutions have established special computer fees to help pay for computing hardware, software, and learning services. Other institutions are considering the financial impact of providing computing technology support and whether to require students to have personal computers and to establish mechanisms for students to purchase computers.
An institution requesting permission to implement such a fee would be required to submit a proposal to the Chancellor. Proposals must have the support of affected students and must demonstrate program quality enhancement and competitive need.
All revenues resulting from special fees would be retained by the institution. Ideally, accrued revenues would be used to develop a fund that could be carried over from one year to the next so that technology needs could be addressed over time.
The tuition committee agreed that institutional requests for other special institutional fees could be considered by the Chancellor on a case-by-case basis. However, justification for such fees would have to be compelling, because of a University System policy that basic tuition and fees for instructional programs are intended to cover normal instructional costs, except as noted above.
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Distance Learning Faculty Directory Available Soon
By Diane Chubb, OIIT
In order to facilitate the implementation of distance learning by System faculty, the Division of Academic Services and Distance Learning is creating a directory of faculty members within the University System of Georgia who have utilized technologies for distance learning: GSAMS, WWW, Satellite, and the Internet.
The directory, projected to be available in late April, will be posted on the OIIT web page (http://www. peachnet.edu/OIIT/) under Instructional Technology and Distance Learning and will serve as a resource of contacts for faculty who would like to consult with other higher education faculty on the use of distance learning technologies to deliver instruction. Faculty need not be "expert" in the use of the technology, but should be willing to share experiences and offer specific suggestions related to subject matter.
For now, the information will be compiled in table format with hyperlinks from each individual's name to a section containing that contributor's comments on experiences and suggestions. The table will contain the following faculty information: name, discipline, e-mail address, institution, technologies used, courses taught, and student audience. The information will eventually be constructed into a keyword searchable database.
Included in the table will be a list of questions that contributors will be asked to complete regarding teaching experience with technology.
For further information contact Diane Chubb, Distance Learning Coordinator, at diane@mail.rath.peachnet.edu or phone (706) 369-5678.

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What's New on the USG Web
By Brad Bacon, OIIT
The Board of Regents (BOR) section of the web has a new addition. Planning and Policy Analysis, located below the Academic Affairs heading, contains links to the Information Digest and Student Information Reporting System (SIRS) information. The page also includes a link to the recently added USG Quarterly Enrollment Reports (QER), prepared by the BOR Office of Planning and Policy Analysis in conjunction with the OIIT Division of Academic Administration Systems. The QERs for FY 1994-1995 and FY 1995-1996 are currently available.
A complete directory of the BOR central office staff, including e-mai addresses, postal addresses and phone numbers, has also been added to the BOR page along with an up-to-date listing of the members of the Board.
The OIIT page has undergone several changes, including the addition of a link to OIIT position announcements. This page links to full descriptions of positions available at the OIIT and instructions on submitting applications.
A Request for Course Development Proposals has been added to the OIIT page below the Instructional Technology and Distance Learning section. This document solicits requests for the development of technology-supported courses in conjunction with the Connecting Teachers and Technology initiative.
The training section of the OIIT page has seen several updates and additions as well. The BANNER and Oracle training schedules have been updated, and the OIIT General Interest training schedule has been converted into an easier to navigate format, including full course descriptions, registration and payment information, and directions and housing information.
The System Institutions area of the web has also been updated. Each institution's page now includes a link to that institution's admissions or general information e-mail address (if available.) This feature has been implemented to direct requests emanating from around the world - previously sent to the USG WWW administration e-mail address - for information regarding particular System institutions. (If your institution wishes to add this feature, send the email address to w3admin@oit.peachnet.edu.)
The State of Georgia Information section of the web has been expanded. The state contracts section (microcomputers, peripherals, and workstations) now contains information on the state recommended Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star program. Each section of the contracts contains a link to the EPA's list of Energy Star energy efficient products which help save resources and money. Also, the K-12 Resources section of the State Information page has been expanded and divided into elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and educational associations.
Our goal is to keep our web as up-to-date, easy to navigate, and interesting as we possibly can. Please send all comments or suggestions to w3admin@oit.peachnet.edu.
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Publishing Information
Information Technology, The Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) News Bulletin, is published by the Board of Regents, Office of Information and Instructional 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.
z Editor: Jayne Williams z Office: Georgia Southern University z E-mail: jayne_williams@oit.peachnet.edu

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