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

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October - December, 1997 - Volume 9, Number 2
Contents
z New VC Delivers Keynote Address at Rock Eagle z Personnel Changes in OIIT z Governor's Initiative: Statewide Rollout to K-12 and Public Libraries Communities z GALILEO and PeachNet Venture Out on Road Tour '97 z OIIT Announces GALILEO/PeachNet Service Center z Distant Adventures: GALILEO Travels to Iceland z ASDL Faculty Advisory Committee Formed z Faculty Development Workshop 97/98 z BANNER Web Products Usher in New Era for Student Systems z 26th University System Annual Computing Conference a Success! z Millennium Worries z Academic Technology Training for Faculty Makes a Difference z Survey Results of Distance Education
New VC Delivers Keynote Address at Rock Eagle
As the keynote speaker, E. Michael Staman, the Vice Chancellor for Information and Instructional Technology, told the audience at the 26th University System Computing Conference that while he was expected to comment on future developments related to information technology (IT), he could not boast about much previous success and had given up trying to predict-after all, who could have predicted the impact of electronic mail or even thought about the WWW.
He feels that Georgia has some of the best kept IT secrets in the nation today: PeachNet, GALILEO, and the Teachers and Technology and Students and Services initiatives. These elements are the building blocks of our informational future, and with them we can do important things. Rather than stifling creativity, Staman views IT as a resource to unleash the creative power of the faculty and students. If we do not focus on the needs of faculty and staff, he said, the best administrative, registration, and personnel systems in the world won't mean a thing.
Highlighting a series of goals encompassing a number of themes, he addressed distance education, universal access to information, economic development, and tools for research. He emphasized that sufficient bandwidth is needed to achieve the goals of our colleges and universities, and public and private coalitions must be formed to underwrite the cost.
He described the change in the learning environment wrought by technology. The "old" learning is synchronous in nature: time and place bound, book oriented, controlled by faculty and administration, and institutionally focused. On the other hand, the "new" education is asynchronous: happening anytime and anywhere, offering electronic content, controlled by the consumer, and consumer focused. He sees a number of problems to be resolvedintellectual property rights, access to content (how and who), community decency, and copyright issues.
He talked briefly about Internet2, the new, high bandwidth Internet responding to the needs of higher education

and fostered by the University Corporation for the Advancement of Internet Development (UCAID). The original Internet is congested and cannot accommodate the types of applications for which Internet2 is currently being constructed. Staman said that "certainly Internet2 won't cause us to abandon the current Internet. We will have to build, control-and pay-for this newer network that is so fundamental to our future, and we must build capacity into the learning and teaching environment."
Internet2 clearly has had an impact on distance education strategies. In order to keep up with the transformation in higher education, we need to monitor progress and make the right decisions along the way. He realizes that technology has the potential to be as much divisive as it does to be integrative: he doesn't want to risk having a society of information haves and have nots.
As the "new guy on the block," Staman is making some adjustments in the organization of the OIIT. He is focusing on creating one organization that will perform outreach, and he is excited about the Virtual University and doing a better job in the distance learning environment. He said that a virtual library-like GALILEO-is a critical component of a virtual university.
His priorities are quality assurance, academic outreach, customer service, and network planning. He is interested in "no compromise, heads down, get it done" production. He wants to know what it takes, not what is possible or impossible. A learning environment that leverages the high quality of all of the institutions in Georgia, independent of time, place, and distance is the quest. He sets goals which are "the best."
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Personnel Changes in OIIT
The OIIT announces a number of recent personnel changes:
Mr. Virgil McIntyre has joined Business and Finance Systems as Programmer Analyst II. Mr. Roark Kendron is replacing Mr. Tom Yarbrough in the Systems Designer II position.
Ms. Juanita Flanagan joins the Academic Services and Distance Learning group as Instructional Technology Support Specialist.
Ms. Beverly Arnold has filled the Administrative Secretary position in Technology Support Services vacated by Ms. Flanagan.
Mr. Tom McMullan has transferred to the Planning Support division as Manager-GALILEO/PeachNet Service Center, and Mr. Marty Litchfield has been named Manager-PeachNet Operations and Production.
Telecommunications and Networking welcomes back Richard Biever in his new position as PeachNet Customer Relations Coordinator.
Mr. Todd Skelton has been hired as Information Analyst I with Academic and Administrative Services.
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Governor's Initiative: Statewide Rollout to K-12 and Public Libraries
by Cathy Cruger, OIIT
By October 31, more than 35 systems will have their 56K or T1 connection to PeachNet, access to GALILEO, and dial-up services to PeachNet via CampusMCI. To date, an additional 35 systems are on the schedule for the months of November, December, and early January.
Equipment delivery, staging, scheduling, circuit tracking, engineering, installation, and budget reconciliation are the components of the work flow required for each and every site. Delays in the installation of circuits have been the biggest hindrance. The OIIT is working directly with the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) to improve

turnaround time and implement more efficient means of communicating the then-current status of circuit installations, testing, and turn-up notification. By the completion of the initiative, it is conservatively estimated that an additional 850-plus data and voice circuits will have been installed across the state.
As a collaborative effort between the Board of Regents Office of Information and Instructional Technology, the Department of Education, and the Department of Technical and Adult Education, the agencies are working together on the initiative to disseminate information, prepare sites for installation, and support the local and wide area network planning efforts of each K-12 and public library system.
The Governor's initiative provides each of the 180 public school systems with a 56K or T1 connection (based on student population) to PeachNet, systemwide access to GALILEO, and three PeachNet/Campus-MCI dial-in accounts per school. Each of the 101 public libraries will receive a 56K connection, systemwide access to GALILEO, and four dedicated dial-in lines to PeachNet/CampusMCI. Completion of the project is targeted for September 1998.
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GALILEO and PeachNet Venture Out on Road Tour '97
by Cathy Cruger, OIIT
GALILEO and PeachNet staff have taken to the road to meet and work with the K-12, library, and higher education communities.
In support of the Governor's initiative, the OIIT recently provided a PeachNet T1 connection, access to GALILEO, and staff resources to The Georgia Council of Media Organizations' (COMO) ninth annual conference, Jekyll Island, October 1-3, 1997. More than 700 librarians and media specialists from across the state attended the three-day event.
Earlier this year, the same connectivity, access, and staff support were focused on the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC), Macon, April 15-17, 1997. Partnering with Interface Electronics and Cisco expanded PeachNet's ability to assist the 3,500-plus educators with their local network planning efforts.
The Department of Education's 1997 Georgia Technology Leadership Conference took PeachNet and GALILEO to Athens, October 8-10, 1997. More than 900 technology and media specialists, system coordinators, administrative technology personnel, superintendents, and other school administrators had the opportunity to learn more about GALILEO, PeachNet, and the progress of the Governor's initiative.
PeachNet also worked with the League for Innovation in the Community College to provide connectivity to its Thirteenth Annual Conference on Information Technology (CIT), Atlanta, October 12-15, 1997. For the duration of the conference, the T1 connection to PeachNet successfully fed the Atlanta Hilton and Towers, including all presentation rooms, keynote sessions, and the exhibition hall.
The System computing conference at Rock Eagle, October 22-24, 1997, reunited the PeachNet group and all of the OIIT with University System customers. A permanent PeachNet T1 connection successfully connected all sessions, presenters, speakers, and vendors to PeachNet.
One of the added benefits to this permanent connection was the Apple Webcast which ran for the duration of the conference and gave the casual PeachNet/Internet visitor a glimpse of the day-to-day events.
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OIIT Announces GALILEO/PeachNet Service Center
by Cathy Cruger, OIIT
The Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) is pleased to announce the new GALILEO/PeachNet Service Center (GPSC) for the K-12 and public library communities and technical institutes.

Customers may call 1-888-875-3697 for GALILEO support and assistance with PeachNet connectivity issues or may send e-mail to helpdesk@usg.edu. Customers may also view the GALILEO/PeachNet Service Center web page at www.peachnet.edu/galpn/.
The service center is staffed Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone calls received after hours and on the weekends are fielded by an answering service which will contact a GPSC representative if the customer deems the problem to be an emergency. The customer will be contacted within the hour by a GPSC representative.
PeachNet status and scheduled network outages are posted to GA-INFO. For timely automatic updates about the current status, outages, or problems, customers are encouraged to subscribe to GA-INFO. To subscribe to GAINFO, send an e-mail message to listserv@uga.cc.uga.edu. The body of the message should read "subscribe ga-info firstname lastname." Leave "subject" blank.
For more information, contact the GPSC at 1-888-875-3697 to talk with GALILEO/PeachNet Service Center staff: Elizabeth Bryant, Karen Newcomb, Holly Parker, Lauren Fancher, or Tom McMullan.
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Distant Adventures: GALILEO Travels to Iceland
by Leslie Rampey, Middle Georgia College
Five years ago when I began an e-mail correspondence with Gudrun Palsdottir, the librarian of Iceland's National Institute of Agriculture (RALA), never did I dream that it would lead to the best professional opportunity I've ever had and also to one of the richest cultural experiences. It all happened through the magic of e-mail and because another librarian and I were curious about one another's work.
From time to time, Gudrun would tell me about her research on the information access experiences and habits of Icelandic scientists. What she was finding was increasing dissatisfaction and frustration. They knew that the information that they needed was out there, but it was either unavailable or housed locally in various individual libraries around the country or overseas.
The Haves and Have Nots
A few libraries, such as those at the national library, the national hospital, and several research institutes are relatively rich in electronic resources while other libraries have few or none. For example, at RALA Gudrun has a CD-ROM subscription to an expensive British agricultural index, but it is not available to researchers at the national university.
The university library, on the other hand, has a number of databases that are not available to RALA scientists. Fortunately, these two libraries are in the same city, but access is more difficult for researchers in the more remote areas of the country.
The situation in Iceland began to sound very, very familiar. I was acquainted with the country, having traveled there several times before, and I understood how almost half the population is concentrated in the capital city, Reykjavik, while the other half is scattered around the country in isolated small cities and rural areas. But never before had I seen the obvious analogy to our problem of the, "two Georgias," especially pre-GALILEO Georgia.
I had begun to tell Gudrun about how our state has made such incredible strides in leveling the information playing field through the resource sharing that GALILEO has made possible. We both became more and more excited as we envisioned a similar future for Iceland.
Interest in GALILEO Grows
Gudrun wasn't sure that there was yet wide enough recognition of the need for such a project in her country, but she began talking to more and more people about it. As a result of her active concern, Iceland's Association of Research Librarians became sufficiently interested that they wanted to make the issue of resource sharing the focus of a conference.
Lo and behold, they arranged one in cooperation with the National and University Library; and much to my

surprise, they invited me to be the keynote speaker. Before it was all over, I received two more invitations to speak because of the interest that GALILEO had generated.
The first presentation was at the National and University Library, a beautiful, brand-new building. The group I spoke to consisted of about 75 library science students and professors. Their state-of-the-art computer projection equipment enabled me to demonstrate GALILEO live. Interest seemed high, and one woman indicated that she was considering our experience with GALILEO as her master's thesis topic.
The following afternoon, I was whisked off to Flensborgarskolinn, a lovely elementary school in Hafnarfjordur, a town just outside of Reykjavik, to speak to a group of public school librarians. It was quite an occasion, complete with coffee and tea and traditional Icelandic party food-elegant little sandwiches of smoked salmon, shrimp, and smoked lamb. Because no projection equipment was available, I used handouts and afterwards demonstrated GALILEO to a few people at a time on one of the library's workstations.
The Big Day
Two days later was the big conference, held at a very attractive Scandinavian-style government conference center in downtown Reykjavik. Originally, I was told that only 30 or 40 people would attend due to a fairly steep registration fee, but during the week, registrations poured in. Perhaps an article about Gudrun and the critical need for resource sharing in "Morgunbladid," the capital's major newspaper, generated greater interest. By the day of the conference, well over 100 people had registered-research scientists and government representatives, as well as librarians.
Unfortunately, the conference organizers decided that the available Internet connection was too slow for projection; however, overheads enabled me to convey all the necessary information. Interest was very high when I spoke, with a number of questions afterwards. My presentation followed that of the Prime Minister's assistant for information resources.
I couldn't understand all of her presentation (which was in Icelandic), but I did understand enough to know that she emphasized that access to information is the right of all Icelanders. Gudrun had told me that my remarks about Georgia's vision for GALILEO corresponded with the assistant's viewpoint. During a panel discussion later in the day, it was unanimous that a select committee approach the national government with a plan for a resource sharing project similar to GALILEO. I will eagerly follow future developments.
Cultural Windows
My trip to Iceland was also a wonderful personal time. My husband and I were guests in Gudrun's charming home, and so we had the opportunity to have a close-up glimpse of Icelandic family life, something I had not experienced on my previous trips as a tourist.
Gudrun's husband, son, daughter, and niece (who was visiting from Sweden) were all generous to us; and in long conversations over excellent meals, we all exchanged much information about our two cultures. Gudrun and her husband also saw to it that, whenever possible or in our free time, we saw a good deal of Reykjavik and the surrounding countryside, which, to put it mildly, looks like a whole different planet than the one where Georgia is located.
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ASDL Faculty Advisory Committee Formed
by Jessica Somers, OIIT
A faculty advisory committee (FAC) has been established to provide feedback and input on programs and funding initiatives administered by OIIT's Division of Academic Services and Distance Learning (ASDL). The term of service for the FAC is one year and will include four quarterly meetings-two to be attended in person and two offered over GSAMS.
The twelve member FAC is a cross section of FY96 and FY97 Faculty Development Workshop participants and course development grant recipients under the Connecting Teachers and Technology initiative. Members representing two-year institutions are Debbie Clark, Nursing, Gordon College; Jim Helms, Math & Computer Science, Waycross College; Rob Gingras, English, Bainbridge College; and Kathy Bishop, Math & Computer Science,

Darton College. The representatives from senior colleges and state universities are Linda Logan, English, Savannah State University; John Kohler, History, Clayton College & State University; Marc Miller, Business, State University of West Georgia; and Ken McGill, Chemistry, Georgia College & State University. Members representing research universities are Bill Long, International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology; Mildred Cody, Nutrition, Georgia State University; Bonnie Cramond, Educational Psychology, University of Georgia; and Patricia Marks, English, Valdosta State University.
During the FAC's initial meeting in Macon, July 1997, the group reviewed guidelines for a new course adoption grants offering and pilot tested an ASDL training survey. To encourage and support the use of instructional technology within the committee itself, each member received a Newton MessagePad 2000 with productivity software and a modem. A listserv was also created to promote input and discussion throughout the year. The fall quarter FAC meeting, to be held in November over GSAMS, will address a proposed model for a faculty development institute.
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Faculty Development Workshop 97/98
by Jessica Somers, OIIT
What were the most valuable aspects of the 1997/98 Faculty Development Workshop (FDW)? The same activities that FDWers consider worthwhile each year!
z Hands-on activities and software applications z Participant interactions and group projects z Work with the ASDL staff z Modeling by former FDW participants
This information comes from the summary evaluations conducted during the three annual workshops and confirms that each FDW cohort values these same experiences.
What was different about this year's FDW? Faculty participants received an allowance to purchase technologies that would support their own instructional goals. Participants in the first two cohorts received PowerBooks when they arrived at the workshop. Since participants' laptops were not used for networking during this year's workshop, ASDL set up instructional labs with rented Windows desktop computers.
A web conferencing tool called WebCrossing was used for communications during group projects and for delivery of a Copyright & Intellectual Properties course. Mr. Ken Salomon, a nationally known expert on copyright issues for distance learning, was the "guest at a distance" for this Web conference.
During the first week of the workshop, more than 25 former FDW participants and course development grant recipients volunteered their time to make presentations about their integration of technology into the classroom. After each day's presentations, the presenters formed discussion panels to answer questions from the participants.
Faculty participants offered the following comments about FDW 97/98:
z "I don't feel that I gave up' two of my three weeks of summer vacation! I do feel as though I've been to camp and had a good time and learned valuable lessons about teaching, learning, and technology."
z "Thank you, FDW, for teaching me how to get excited again about my own teaching."
z "It's been one of my best professional experiences!"
z "Of everything, I most value the people I met-hope to keep these friendships."
z "Best meeting I have attended in over 17 years!"
Sponsored by the Connecting Teachers and Technology initiative, the Faculty Development Workshop is a gathering of 60 faculty chosen annually from the 34 University System institutions. In exchange for training and technology,

participants agree to create/redesign a course that integrates technology and to mentor other faculty at their institutions with respect to instructional technology.
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BANNER Web Products Usher in New Era for Student Systems
by Debora Exum, OIIT
The addition of the BANNER Web for Students software to the BANNER Student and Financial Aid system implementation marks the beginning of on-line, student-driven interaction at most University System campuses.
Students and prospective students will have the ability to apply for admission, register for classes, and check financial aid status. Service to students will improve at institutions using BANNER Web for Students by providing them with anytime, anywhere access to student information.
Five test sites have received the software and have participated in a three-day training course that covered both the technical and functional aspects of the system. Several of those institutions have already made great strides in customizing the system to meet the needs of their administration and student population. For instance, Clayton College and State University has tailor-made its home page.
In November, these test sites reviewed their success with the OIIT and provided pointers for future training sessions. Additional training sessions will be offered in December, January, and February so that all institutions will have the training needed to implement the BANNER Web for Students.
In addition to the BANNER Web for Students, the University System of Georgia has acquired the BANNER Web for Faculty and Advisors and BANNER Web for Executives software. While implementation plans have not been finalized, training is anticipated for the new products in spring 1998.
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26th University System Annual Computing Conference a Success!
by Andrea I. Wilson, OIIT
The 26th University System Annual Computing Conference held October 22-24 at the Rock Eagle 4-H Center was again a success. A total of 723 System faculty and staff and vendors attended this year.
Dr. E. Michael Staman delivered the keynote address, and for many attendees, this was their first opportunity to meet Dr. Staman since he began his new position as Vice Chancellor/CIO with the Board of Regents in early September.
The theme, "Bridging the Funding Gaps," connected the ninety-four educational sessions by offering insights into the many efforts involved in funding technology. This year's conference offered something for everyone, with sessions addressing a wide array of topics such as "Funding, Creating, and Using an Electronic Classroom," "Using the Internet to Locate Funding for Your Project," "Multimedia for Teachers," "GALILEO, Behind the Scenes," and "Features of BANNER 2000 3.0."
Outstanding vendor exhibits have become a tradition which gives the opportunity for much anticipated, hands-on computer demonstrations, information on the latest advancements in computing hardware and software, and a glimpse into the future of technology. In addition to the displays, several vendors presented sessions on the vendor track which gave a more in-depth look at their products.
Along with the high quality presentations and vendor displays, the conference provided attendees with a mix of funfilled activities which included the annual miniature golf tournament, a live band and dance, a fireworks show, a magician, door prizes, and plenty of time for one-on-one interaction with colleagues and friends.

Special thanks are extended to the following vendors for offering sponsorships that afforded us the opportunity to put on another successful conference: Apple Computer, Cisco Systems, Dell Computers, Interface Electronics, Paramount Network Services, Scientific & Business Minicomputers, Southern Business Communications, Systems & Computer Technology, and Sun Microsystems.
Call for Presentations brochures for the 1998 computing conference scheduled for October 21-23, 1998 will be mailed out by the end of December.
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Millennium Worries
by Lina Brennan, OIIT
So there you are on January 2, 2000 when the bank holding your mortgage calls and says "Happy New Year, we're foreclosing. Have a nice day." After inquiring, you hear "Your check bounced. It was dated 1900." This and a million other horror stories are part and parcel of the "Millennium Bug" threatening to eat the software that keeps your pay check coming.
Not to worry-BFS to the rescue! Payroll and accounting staff of OIIT are hard at work and are supremely confident that 01/01/00 will truly be a Happy New Year for all University System employees.
PeopleSoft Human Resources and Payroll is our first solution to the Year 2000 problem. PeopleSoft is Year 2000 compliant, and the overall plan is to have these modules installed on every campus by July 1999.
However, we will also be prepared if we do not meet this goal. The projected date for the first test of the modified legacy payroll system is July 1998. Accounting system modifications and testing are scheduled for completion prior to July 1999, and changes to the Budget Reporting System were completed last January. At this time, it appears that the inventory application will not require modification.
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Academic Technology Training for Faculty Makes a Difference
Over the past three years, 181 faculty representing all 34 University System institutions participated in two oneweek technology training workshops.
Upon returning to campus, faculty are integrating technology either into an existing or new course and are serving as a resource for other faculty on their campus. Participants reported that the faculty development workshops accelerated their personal use of technology by more than a year.
A survey of 60-out of the 180 participants trained in three years-revealed that over the next year on their home campuses they will redesign 84 courses affecting over 6,000 students; will make 289 presentations to nearly 4,500 faculty; and will mentor an estimated 705 individual faculty in the use of instructional and distance learning technologies.
All campuses were provided funds to employ an individual to provide technical and training support for faculty positions. The initiative has resulted in an Instructional Technology Support Specialist (ITSS) position to provide support for course development and faculty mentoring activities on each campus and at a number of residence centers and off-campus sites. In addition, these positions provide a variety of services, such as instructional, technical, and GSAMS support.
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Survey Results of Distance Education

by Diane Chubb, OIIT
The National Center for Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, published the results of a survey on distance education offered by institutions of higher education (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Distance Education in Higher Education Institutions, NCES 98-062, by Laurie Lewis, Debbie Alexander, and Elizabeth Farris. Bernie Greene, project officer, Washington, D.C. Oct. 1997). The survey provides the first representative data about distance education offerings at two- and four-year institutions.
For this study, distance education was defined as education or training courses delivered to remote (off-campus) locations via audio, video, or computer technologies. The study, which collected data in fall 1995, reported percentages of institutions engaged in a variety of distance education activities.
Major findings of the report are as follows:
z A third of higher education institutions offered distance education courses in fall 1995 and another quarter planned to offer such courses in the next three years.
z Public institutions offered distance education courses with much greater frequency than did private institutions.
z Distance education courses were delivered by two-way interactive video at 57% of institutions.
z About half of the institutions that offered distance education courses in fall 1995 directed such courses to students' homes.
z Most courses were designed primarily for undergraduate students.
z About a quarter of the institutions that provided distance education in fall 1995 offered degrees that students could complete exclusively at a distance.
z Increasing student access was an important goal for most distance education programs: making courses available at convenient locations rated as very important by 82 percent of the institutions and reducing time constraints for taking courses rated as very important by 63 percent.
z Among all institutions, including those with no plans to offer distance education at some future time, factors frequently reported as preventing the institution from starting or expanding distance education offerings were program development costs, limited technological infrastructure and equipment failures, and equipment maintenance costs.
The full report is available at http://www.ed.gov/NCES/.
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Information Technology, Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) News Bulletin, is published by the Board of Regents, Office of Information and Instructional Technology, 270 Washington Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. Suggestions and contributions are solicited. Unless otherwise noted, permission to reprint articles in whole or in part is granted provided that 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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