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

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April - June, 1997 - Volume 8, Number 5
Contents
z From the Vice Chancellor z Central Office on the Move-across the Street z BANNER News z Developments in Distance Learning z Internet Access for K-112 Schools and 101 Additional Public Libraries z UUNET Service Provider Offers Much Needed Boost for PeachNet Activities z GALILEO Activities Update
From the Vice Chancellor
***The Office of Information and Instructional Technology is reorganizing the University System of Georgia web. The revitalized website will take a more system-wide approach to the organization of information. The redesigned website-with a new look and feel-will be ready for general access in early July. Mr. Brad Bacon in Planning Support has designed the new pages.
***The search for a new Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology is progressing. The advisory selection committee has reviewed a list of names and provided feedback to the search firm. The list will be narrowed with interviews to be conducted in the near future.
***The GALILEO Database Negotiation Committee, composed of librarians representing all participants and future participants in GALILEO, has been formed to select a common set of core databases with as many titles as possible in full-text and with images which might best serve all library patrons in Georgia.
***In order to streamline help for GALILEO users, a GALILEO FAQ (frequently asked questions), compiled by the GALILEO Help Desk, is available on the University System web at http://www.galileo.peachnet.edu/ under "About GALILEO."
***Ms. Annabelle McCaskill, formerly with the Atlanta public schools, has been hired as an Administrative Secretary to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Instructional Technology. Mr. James H. Reed has joined Central Office Computing as the new Network Support Specialist. Mr. Reed will be providing file server, network, and workstation support to all central office staff. Ms. Jan Tinsley, formerly with Southern Polytechnic State University, is serving as an Accounting Assistant, and Ms. Jackie Plunkett, formerly with the Georgia Institute of Technology, is serving as a Supervisor in the Division of Administration. The Division of Business and Finance has promoted Ms. Michelle Arth to Programmer/Analyst; Mr. Bill Hyden has been hired as System Analyst I to replace her.
Randall A. Thursby, Acting Vice Chancellor
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Central Office on the Move-across the Street
The central office of the Board of Regents has moved to the Trinity-Washington Building in the state office complex. One block south of the former location, the new address is 270 Washington Street, SW; Atlanta, Georgia 303341450. While the mailing address has changed, most phone numbers for central office employees remain the same.
Under the direction of Senior Vice Chancellor for Human and External Resources Dr. Arthur Dunning, a representative committee worked for more than a year, planning and resolving thousands of details to move on schedule and with minimal disruption. Ms. Lisa Striplin served as project leader for furniture, telephone, satellite installation, and GSAMS. OIIT personnel from Central Office Computing, personnel from Business and Finance, designers from Telecommunications and Networking and employees from the Athens office also pitched in.
The relocation of central office staff was part of a larger reorganization of state space ordered by Governor Zell Miller to accommodate the expansion needs of the judicial offices, according to Chancellor Stephen Portch. In his remarks to the Regents during the May board meeting, Dr. Portch said that the move will maintain our proximity to the Capitol, allow consolidation of several outer locations, and make central office staff more accessible.
The move to the sixth and seventh floors of the Trinity-Washington building occurred on schedule between April 14 and 23. All files and furniture were delivered on time and to the proper location. Computers, phones, and faxes were up and running shortly after they were plugged in thanks to early teamwork managed by Mr. Matthew Kuchinski, Manager of Central Office Computing; Ms. Joan Scrocca from the Business Services office; Mr. T. Mack Carlton with DOAS; and Ms. Paula Christopher, Dr. Dunning's Administrative Coordinator.
"Given the complexity of the move, it has gone remarkably well," said Dr. Dunning. "Our new space has been custom-designed to meet our needs and will help all of us be more productive and efficient," he added.
The new space offers a number of improvements. Copy and fax machines are convenient to any office; the general services/mail room is much larger; and there are plenty of meeting rooms. State-of-the-art training rooms and GSAMS teleconferencing rooms are now readily available. A new boardroom, with an upgraded sound system, will accommodate more guests.
This is not the first time the BOR central office has moved. After outgrowing its original home in the state capitol building, the offices moved to Ivey Street near Georgia State University. In 1956, when 244 Washington Street was constructed, the BOR was one of its first occupants.
With the additional space, the central office has consolidated most of its operations under one roof. In addition to those staff who had been housed at 244 Washington Street, 270 Washington Street now includes audit staff; OIIT personnel from Kennesaw State University, Georgia Southern University, and the Twin Towers office complex; the State Medical Education Board; the Council for International Education; and Right to Know.
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BANNER News
by Debora Exum. OIIT
The beat goes on for the University System BANNER implementation project. Institution successes, SIS (Student Information System) Committee changes, EDI.Smart progress, and BANNER Web for Student, highlight the activities for the BANNER project during spring quarter.
Institutions continue to bring up the BANNER Student and Financial Aid systems at a rapid pace. Several institutions have completed the major upgrade of their systems from BANNER 2.0 to BANNER 2.1. Those institutions include Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Bainbridge College, Darton College, Gordon College, and the State University of West Georgia.
Institutions recently completing their first production registration include Georgia College &State University and

Georgia Southwestern State University. Several other institutions will complete their first production registrations before the end of the summer. Since its inception three years ago, the Student Information System (SIS) Committee will see its first change of chairman. On June 30, Mr. Art Bostock will retire as Chairman of the SIS Committee. Mr. Bostock has done an excellent job of guiding the committee through the initial BANNER implementation effort. Based on the recommendation of the SIS committee and approval by Mr. Randall Thursby, Acting Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology, the new chair will be Mr. Scott Verzyl. Mr. Verzyl is an Assistant Registrar at the Georgia Institute of Technology and brings SCT, OIIT, and institutional experience to the committee.
Recent actions by the SIS committee include the creation of a top-five priority list for enhancement development. EDI.Smart was listed as the number four priority. EDI.Smart training took place in April for three institutions. An additional training class is scheduled for late July. By early 1998, the University System expects to be exchanging transcripts electronically.
The BANNER Web for Student has been installed and is in the process of being configured and tested. It is anticipated that the software will be deployed to several test institutions by late August.
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Developments in Distance Learning
by Diane M. Chubb, OIIT
OIIT's Division of Academic Services and Distance Learning (ASDL) announces a number of plans and developments related to its initiatives in distance learning.
Distance Learning Web Site
Information on distance learning (DL) in the University System (USG) will soon be available via the ASDL web site. Created as a resource for general information on distance learning in the System, the site contains an FAQ on distance learning; a resource section, which includes a listing of distance learning electronic forums and links to other USG DL sites; and success stories, which highlight distance learning activities on campus. The URL for the ASDL web site will be announced in this publication and electronically through the University System listservs.
Increasing Educational Access Through Distance Learning
The University System continues to expand access to higher education opportunities for Georgians through the use of distance learning technologies. During the previous academic year, approximately 84 different courses were taught via GSAMS and delivered to high schools, adult and technical institutes, and University System institutions. Courses included teacher education, business, health care, foreign languages, engineering, and core curriculum courses.
During FY 96-97, the University System continued to address the need to remove the barriers of time and place by offering programs over satellite, cable television, GSAMS, and the Internet. The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education, in cooperation with Georgia Public Broadcasting, broadcasted a series of 30 programs via satellite. The programs were designed to aid the transition to college for Georgia's high school students.
The Georgia Institute of Technology and Clayton College and State University produced a web site that makes a 350 gallon aquarium and a 1.2m terrarium accessible to K-12 and college level institutions across Georgia. Floyd College offered a variety of health sciences and core curriculum courses over its community cable access channelFCTV.
CLI Implements 9.44 and 4.12 AMX Software Upgrades
During 1997 spring quarter, CLI (Compression Labs, Incorporated) installed new software to improve audio and provide other useful capabilities for GSAMS installations. In addition to improving audio functions, the upgrade will allow users to have far-end camera control and the ability to play and record using the VCR while in loopback. Both Radiance and Gallery sites are targeted for May 1997.
DOAS recently announced that the number of sites that may participate in a GSAMS multi-point conference has been increased from 8 to 12. However, BellSouth advises that since each additional site decreases the ability to

achieve a high level of interactivity, the addition of more than eight sites is best suited for broadcast-type conferences.
Dr. Belcher Participates in Distance Learning Videoconference
Dr. Jacqueline Belcher, president of DeKalb College, served as guest panelist in a live PBS satellite videoconference, entitled World Wide Web: Gateway to Effective Learning," broadcast on April 17. Dr. Belcher joined a panel of experts in discussing the effective use of the web to deliver instruction. Topics included student services, faculty development, and institutional policy and planning issues. Featured in Dr. Belcher's presentation was an online geology course developed by Professor Pamela Gore of DeKalb College. The course development was funded in part by the Connecting Teachers and Technology initiative.
For more information contact Diane Chubb at diane_chubb@oit.peachnet.edu.
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Internet Acess for K-12 Schools and 101 Additional Public Libraries
Georgia's FY97-98 budget has dedicated funds to provide Internet access to K-12 public schools and 101 additional public libraries through PeachNet.
The project, a coordinated effort of the Department of Education, the Board of Regents, and the Department of Adult and Technical Education will expand access to the GALILEO databases to K-12 public schools and 101 additional public libraries. Installation will begin after July 1, 1997, with completed installation anticipated September 1998.
To enhance the system and to provide for expanded service, the Board of Regents will be upgrading the PeachNet backbone to handle the additional K-12 public schools and public library sites.
Involved educational agencies may choose to pool their resources to upgrade to a higher-speed network connection to create a coherent educational vehicle. The expanded PeachNet access should improve collaboration between educational entities at the local and state level.
Each school district will receive a direct connection to PeachNet. Individual schools will receive three dial-in accounts through the MCI state contract, in cooperation with the Board of Regents. Each of the 101 public libraries will receive a PeachNet connection and four dedicated dial-in MCI lines in order to access PeachNet.
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UUNET Service Provider Offers Much Needed Boost for PeachNet Activities
by Alan Brown, OIIT
Late last year the Georgia Board of Regents recognized performance difficulties with traffic between the PeachNet network and the Internet as reported in the January-March 1997 Information Technology.
Analysis demonstrated that many of the performance issues were due to the limited size of the interconnection with PeachNet's single Internet service provider (ISP) as well as the ISP's growing pains.
To alleviate the impact on PeachNet customers, an interconnection with UUNET Technologies, an additional ISP, was activated on April 8. Since then, performance has been significantly boosted.
The initial interconnection to UUNET was ordered as a DS-3 (45 Mbps) protected fiber-based circuit from PeachNet's core network facility in Atlanta to the UUNET US Southeast hub, also in Atlanta. The previous ethernet (10 Mbps) connection to BBN Planet, also in Atlanta, has been retained.

As presently configured, traffic between PeachNet customers and BBN Planet customers uses the BBN Planet connection, while all other traffic uses the UUNET connection. Each connection is configured to provide automatic backup should a failure of the other connection occur.
On the day after the new connection was activated, Internet traffic increased forty-five percent, an indication of the latent traffic load which previously had not been met. Before the new connection, the total (in and out) peak Internet traffic was capped at about 7 Mbps. A couple of weeks after going online, PeachNet's total peak Internet traffic increased to about 12.5 Mbps.
Future plans include creating peering points-NAPs (Network Access Points)-for ISPs, regional network providers, and state network providers. These plans, consistent with Internet 2 initiatives, would allow the providers to peer with each other and PeachNet over shared facilities using much higher speed circuits. The efficiencies gained should reduce costs and significantly increase available bandwidth for external internetwork traffic. Further plans include the addition of caching web and mirror servers to reduce the actual external internetwork traffic.
More detailed information is available on the web at http://www.usg.edu/PeachNet/.
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GALILEO Activities Update
by Holly Parker, OIIT and Lauren Fancher, OIIT
From its inception, the GALILEO project has exceeded everyone's expectations, and a brief review of usage statistics graphically indicates the ever-increasing popularity of the databases.
October 1995 was the first full month that GALILEO was in production. The total logins for that first month were 52,683, with dial-in accesses at 44. (Total logins reflect on-campus and dial-in access.)
GALILEO usage statistics for April 1996 indicate a total of 102,266 logins, with dial-in access having grown to 2,090. Usage for April 1997 grew to 266,834 total logins and 28,655 dial-in.
Total logins for May 1997, the latest full month of service, have nearly tripled from May 1996-294,205; dial-in accesses at 65,568 have increased dramatically.
As of May 31, 1997, GALILEO has been accessed a grand total of 2,692,170 times.
GALILEO Help Desk Improvements
The GALILEO Help Desk is in the process of expanding coverage. Help Desk staff, Holly Parker and Lauren Fancher, will be available for emergency assistance from 5:00 p.m. until midnight Monday through Friday and from 8:00 a.m. until midnight Saturday and Sunday. Current regular Help Desk hours are from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For after-hours emergency assistance, Help Desk staff may be reached at their usual phone numbers: Ms. Parker (706) 369-6276 and Ms. Fancher (706) 369-6282. An option has been added to the phone message giving instructions on how to reach the on-call specialist. In the near future, an 800 number for GALILEO help desk services will be available.
The phone numbers for the GALILEO Help Desk Specialists are to be restricted to use by library and information technology staff.
GALILEO Training
GALILEO is a rapidly evolving, technologically complex project that has required the creation of a multifaceted support service. Incoming calls provide a foundation of common questions and concerns that are compiled and addressed in the training classroom.
With the arrival of over 1,800 new K-12 schools and public libraries to the GALILEO fold, training is becoming an increasingly important component of the GALILEO support service. Training facilitates both technical and search-

related support by building a base of successful users. To this end, Ms. Fancher, a recent addition to the GALILEO Help Desk, has been developing a GALILEO training program of classes and materials that will be available on an ongoing basis.
Three types of training are available: outreach training, contractual training for new users, and classroom training. Outreach training is available at any site upon request for a zone-based fee. Contractual training for new users and classroom training schedules are issued quarterly.
Upcoming dates for classroom training include GALILEO 101-Basics for Librarians on July 30 in the Athens OIIT classroom and July 15 and August 5 in the Macon OIIT classroom. Future plans include the availability of training schedules and materials via the GALILEO website.
For more information on training, contact Lauren Fancher by e-mail at Lauren_Fancher@OIT.Peachnet.EDU or by voice at (706) 369-6282.
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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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