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

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January, February, March, 1998 - Volume 9, Number 3
Contents
z From the Vice Chancellor: The Network . . . and Some Imperatives z Personnel Changes in OIIT z OIIT Announces Reorganization z GeorgiaFIRST-New Payroll and Accounting Project z Satellite Program Announced z System Streamlines Applications Process z University System Implements BANNER Web for Students z First-time Users Enthusiastic about Using BANNER Web z The OIIT Hires Director of Virtual Library Development z Capital Resources Summary on Web
From the Vice Chancellor: The Network . . . and Some Imperatives
by E. Michael Staman, OIIT
One of the problems that was to be addressed by the creation of the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) network when it was created in 1972 was that of connecting a series of super computers. By then, the nation's defense establishment had created an infrastructure which included a series of super computers which knew the location and plans for deployment of its key resources-aircraft carriers, troops, submarines, and other military matters.
The problem was that the loss of any single one of these super computers diminished the nation's defense capacity, and the question at hand was whether there were some way that all the computers could be interconnected so that they would all simultaneously have the same knowledge, creating a fully redundant infrastructure in which the loss of no single element would diminish the capacity of the whole. TCP/IP was used as the basic transmission protocol; at a point early in the process, some of the individuals involved discovered that they could use the infrastructure to send electronic messages to each other, and the rest is history.
Nobody in the 1970's predicted today's Internet, and even with the establishment of the NSFNet National Science Foundation network project in 1988, nobody predicted the evolution of the World Wide Web. Even when we privatized the NSFNet in 1994, few envisioned the sweeping changes that would be caused by the creation of a new global information infrastructure. Although the original DARPA project was a defense initiative, it was higher education that caused the expansion of the technology on a national (indeed, global) scale, and it was higher education that proved both the viability of the technology and the potentially tremendous market for its commercial exploitation.
In the process of privatizing the National Science Foundation network, however, we made two errors in judgment. The first was that we did not understand the full impact of rapid commercialization on the capacity of the network to serve our pedagogic needs, and the second was that we misunderstood the impact of that commercialization on

the development of advanced network technologies and services to meet our evolving needs. While the privatization of this federally developed resource was an outstanding success by any measure, both the ability of the network to respond to current production needs and the speed with which the private sector is developing new solutions are less than what we would hope.
With respect to technologies in higher education, we need to be continually focused on the future. Our needs will always be significantly ahead of those of the overwhelming majority of the commercial marketplace, and just as with all technologies, we need to find or to invent solutions for our needs as they evolve in a networked environment. Applications such as video streaming, visualization, access to remote instrumentation, and video to our desktops are but a few of the applications that we now envision in our community, and it is the imperatives of those applications that are causing our community to seek the deployment of new-generation Internet technologies and infrastructure to meet our needs. Whether we call it our distance education infrastructure, PeachNet, a gigaPoP, the DBNS, Southern Crossroads, Internet2, or the next generation Internet makes no difference. Fundamentally, all of these are the same project, and we need to create the public support, the public-private partnerships, and the political and financial will to get it done. We have no choice-these technologies and infrastructures are as fundamental to our colleges and universities as are the libraries, roofs on the buildings, and, indeed, the buildings themselves.
As always, I am interested in your comments and perceptions on these issues. If you would like, please contact me at michael_staman@oit. peachnet.edu.
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Personnel Changes in OIIT
Enterprise Technology Infrastructure Support (ETIS) welcomes Dr. Tom Maier, formerly with Agnes Scott College, as Executive Director for Enterprise Technology Infrastructure Support. ETIS also welcomes Mr. Jason Cobb as Systems Support Specialist II in Technology Support Services and Mr. Steve Miller as Electronics Technician III and Mr. Tom Holbrook as Network Systems Analyst in Telecommunications and Networking.
Enterprise Applications Systems (EAS) announces several new employees: Ms. Mary Gross has begun work as an Information Analyst III with the Enterprise Application Systems group; Mr. Marion Berryman also joins the group as Systems Analyst II. Ms. Sheri Bracewell, formerly on the Virtual Services staff at the UGA library, joins EAS as Systems Analyst III. Two new employees have begun work in Applications Support: Ms. Beverly Norwood, Application Systems Technical Project Leader; and Ms. Linda Van Sickle, Technical Writer in Applications Certification and Consulting. Mr. Roark Kendron has replaced Mr. Tom Yarbrough as Systems Designer II in Financial Applications.
VLCIS (Virtual Library, Customer, and Information Services) announces three new employees: Dr. Judy Kelly, former Head of Reference at the UGA Main Library will serve as Director of Virtual Library Development; Mr. Ray Lee, formerly with the Medical College of Georgia, will be working in Virtual Library Development; and Ms. Dee Douglas will assist and support USG web services.
Dr. Jon Gordon has been hired as Instructional Technology Research Associate in Distance Education and Academic Innovation, Policies and Planning.
Mr. Dwayne Hamrick has joined Central Office Computing Activities as Computer Services Specialist III.
Ms. Sherrye Willett joins Business Administration & Contracts as an Administrative Secretary.
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OIIT Announces Reorganization
by E. Michael Staman, OIIT
The Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) is pleased to announce a new organizational structure which will reflect the key values shaping its future and, specifically, its views about the importance of

distance education, workforce and economic development strategies, management information systems and services, academic innovation and technology/pedagogy integration, digital library, state network for education, and customer service and support.
From a strategic perspective, the OIIT will focus on three major goals:
z fostering universal access to information and learning for the citizens of Georgia-in the process the OIIT will support solutions using both traditional and distance learning technologies;
z leveraging the foregoing in ways which will encourage the creation of both an international electronic crossroads for commerce and an economic climate in which the smallest business in the most rural part of the state can compete with its national and international counterparts; and
z deploying the best supporting systems possible to respond to the management information needs, customer service requirements, and administrative processes of all units within the University System of Georgia.
A number of strategies will allow us to accomplish our mission:
z First, we will work with the library community to cause GALILEO, which is already a best-case example of what a virtual library can be, to evolve into the best and most comprehensive resource of its kind in the world. GALILEO will evolve into a digital library and will become a central resource in our distance education strategy. In the process, it will encompass services which support research, instruction, public service, and both workforce and economic development.
z Second, we will prepare PeachNet for future applications, specifically those contemplated under the Next Generation Internet and Internet2 initiatives. PeachNet will continue to support all of education, the public libraries, and their related constituencies. We envision a single, high performance network which extends throughout Georgia and which is central to the needs of a diverse community of users and their applications. Examples range from K-12 and higher education, to rural telemedicine, to local and regional economic development.
In the process, we will create mechanisms which will foster rapid technology transfer to both the public and private sectors. We intend to expand and integrate PeachNet into high bandwidth initiatives (known locally as the gigaPoP and Southern Crossroads projects) and position the resulting infrastructure to be both a state network for education and a national leader in networked initiatives and services.
z Third, we will deploy the necessary technologies, training, and services to ensure the rapid and successful implementation of modern student systems, human resources systems, and financial systems throughout all of our colleges and universities. We will prepare the University System with the necessary tools for highquality information management, customer support, and decision support services. Initiatives such as the SCT BANNER student system and the PeopleSoft human resources and financial projects are important parts of this strategy.
z Fourth, we will foster academic innovation via strategies focused on integrating technology into the pedagogic process. We envision a future where the use of technology becomes routine in the classroom. We will facilitate such use by providing access to learning experiences for our faculties, by working with campus individuals charged with faculty support, and by creating an environment in which innovative successes and resources can be shared with others in the System and beyond.
z And, finally, we will work with all of the units within the University System to create a fabric in which distance education will become as normal a method for citizens to access education as is the residential experience today. We view distance education as a natural extension of the services and programs currently provided by System institutions, thus expanding our educational services and opportunities. The System's distance education strategy is not to replace, but rather to supplement, the more traditional educational models as we prepare future generations of students to enter the workforce.
Our organizational structure which reflects the above values and goals has three major divisions:
Distance Education and Academic Innovation, led by Dr. Kris Biesinger;
Virtual Library, Customer, and Information Services, led by Ms. Jayne Williams;

Production Services and Networking, led by Mr. Randall Thursby.
These three individuals have been charged with creating environments under which we can evolve the best network and virtual library possible along with highly responsive production support and information services. We intend to build upon these resources to create an environment which will catalyze existing educational programs and newlycreated distance education opportunities to allow Georgia to enhance both the quality of life for its citizens and its business posture as it enters the next century. As we achieve these objectives, we will have made substantial progress toward the ultimate goal of providing universal access to information and learning opportunities combined with an environment which fosters workforce and economic development on a globally competitive scale. These values ultimately drive our daily efforts and organizational structure as we work to create the best possible suite of facilities and services for citizens throughout Georgia.
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GeorgiaFIRST-New Payroll and Accounting Project
by Lina Brennan, OIIT
GeorgiaFIRST, or Georgia Financial, Information, and Reporting Systems for Tomorrow, will provide financial solutions for the University System, including payroll, human resources, accounting, purchasing, and budgeting modules.
Benefits
The Board of Regents has contracted with PeopleSoft to supply the software for GeorgiaFIRST and with Empower Solutions to assist in project implementation. A number of benefits will be realized with the new system: 1) increased functionality in payroll, human resources, accounting, purchasing, and budgeting modules; 2) easier access to information through Graphical User Interface (GUI); 3) more information than is available in the legacy system; 4) greater reporting capabilities; 5) improved security; and 6) a centrally-supported system that stores data on a central server rather than on campus servers.
Implementation
GeorgiaFIRST will be implemented in phases by clusters of institutions: phase one-payroll system with limited HR functionality; phase two-additional HR functionality and the remaining financial systems for all institutions in the University System of Georgia by 2002. The project, which was kicked off in January, relies on an aggressive eighteen-month schedule to meet the goal of converting all payroll processing from the present CYBER system before fiscal year 2000. DeKalb College is the pilot site and staging point for the development of the systemwide model.
Cluster one sites include Kennesaw State University, Georgia College & State University, Valdosta State University, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Armstrong Atlantic State University, Georgia State University, State University of West Georgia, and the Board of Regents central office. Cluster two sites include remaining USG institutions.
Project Team
Ms. Jean Andrews is leading the pilot-site project team composed of staff from DeKalb College, Georgia State University, the Board of Regents, Empower Solutions, and representatives from cluster one schools. The team, which represents technical and functional areas, is building the centrally-supported model for GeorgiaFIRST to meet the needs of all participating USG institutions. The team has been organized into four focus groups led by a Board of Regents staff member and supported by an Empower Solutions consultant.
Steering Committee Goals
The Steering Committee for the GeorgiaFIRST project has adopted a "zero-modification, single application" approach to the initial roll-out of the software. The objectives are to minimize the enhancements or modifications and to manage the production environments from a central or regionalized perspective, rather than fully distributing software and database management responsibilities to institutions.
Communications

The project team has established a web site at http://www.peachnet.edu/gafirst and a listserv to facilitate communications about the project. To subscribe to the Georgia-FIRST listserv, send an e-mail message to listserv@uga.cc.uga.edu. Leave the subject line blank. For the body of the text, enter: subscribe First-L FirstName LastName (do not include a signature file).
The participation of all institutions is crucial to the successful planning and implementation of GeorgiaFIRST. If you have questions or comments, you are encouraged to e-mail Ms. Andrews at jandrews@mail. regents.peachnet.edu.
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Satellite Program Announced
by Michele Estes, OIIT
"Making the Connection," a satellite broadcast of the Board of Regents Office of Information and Instructional Technology (OIIT) will air on Friday, April 10, 1998, 1-3 p.m., from the satellite uplink studio at Valdosta State University's Department of Continuing Education.
The program will explain the technical requirements of connecting and using computer peripheral devices in classroom and lab settings. "Making the Connection" is an opportunity for new users to learn the basic terminology and concepts and for current users to update their skills. With an agenda that includes success stories, strategies for connecting devices, and tips for the purchase and use of equipment, this program is a unique offering that will encourage and assist the many users of instructional technology.
The targeted audience for the broadcast is faculty and staff in the University System of Georgia, Department of Education, and Department of Technical and Adult Education. Viewers are encouraged to participate before and during the program by submitting questions via the World Wide Web, through e-mail, and by telephone. Two expert panels will answer questions live during the broadcast, and following the program, questions and answers will be available on the Internet.
Broadcast viewers may videotape and distribute the program for educational and informational purposes. Information from the website may be printed and distributed. To receive the satellite program, contact your distance learning satellite personnel or media specialist. Satellite coordinates and other specifics will be available from the program web site, along with contact information and useful references for the program. "Making the Connection" website at http://asdl.peachnet.edu/dlearn/connected.html will publish more information as it becomes available.
Funding for "Making the Connection" has been made available through the Connecting Teachers and Technology initiative which is administered by the OIIT's Distance Education and Academic Innovation group. The program is being delivered in collaboration with PeachStar Education Services and Valdosta State University.
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System Streamlines Applications Process
by Brad Bacon, OIIT
The University System (USG) is developing a system which will ease college selection, admissions, and transfer. GA EASY -Georgia Applications and Electronic Advisement System-will allow prospective students to narrow their search for colleges within the USG and to apply online to any institution with minimal data entry.
Given class-size limitations at some of the larger USG campuses, many students who apply for admission at these schools are not accepted. Students may then end up applying to out-of-state schools or abandoning higher education altogether. The Chancellor wanted to address this problem by increasing the options available to prospective students, and the idea of a common admissions application developed.
The envisioned GA EASY system will consist of two main components: a school finder and an electronic admissions application. The school finder will allow students to effortlessly locate System schools that match a specific set of

criteria, such as location within the state, total enrollment, and major. The student may then explore the school's web site or request more information via e-mail, telephone, or postal service.
The common electronic admissions application will allow students to create an account in the system, fill in a modularized admissions application, and supply any other information required by the specific institution to which the student is applying. The data will be transferred to the institution and to a secure common data warehouse, where it will be available if the student wishes to apply to another institution in the USG.
Because most institutions in the USG are using the Oracle-based BANNER system, it was decided that the Oracle Web Application Server should be used for the service. Also, the decision to choose this web solution was influenced by the successful track record of the product as one of the few enterprise-worthy database to web solutions.
The use of the server allows direct data entry from the online applications to the BANNER student system at the campus and into the centralized system. For institutions not on the BANNER system, the appropriate translation tables will be created so that their information can be moved in and out of the common database.
A major challenge centered around the diverse makeup of the institutions in the USG: the individual schools require varying information on admissions applications. Indeed, larger schools tend to be interested in information different from smaller schools; also, campuses offer a wide variety of degrees and majors, which would be very difficult to represent on a common application.
The solution involved taking a modular approach to the design of GA EASY. There are two main components of the online applications: the common area and the institution-specific area. The common area is modularized further into several areas including name, address, high school, and previous college. The common area contains the elements deemed common to all (or most) of the admissions applications of the thirty-four institutions. The institution-specific area contains any elements that the school may require on its admissions application not included in the common elements. The modular design allows a prospective student to begin the process of applying and then exit and re-enter the system without losing any data.
Only the student will be able to retrieve his or her information, and the central database will not be used as a recruiting tool or for any other reason.
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University System Implements BANNER Web for Students
by Linda VanSickle, OIIT
SCT's BANNER Web for Students has received strong favorable response. BANNER Web's user-friendly software puts college course listings, admissions applications, scheduling, registration, directory, and financial aid information on the web. The BANNER Web solution promises to improve service to students, employees, and faculty, and to conserve administrative resources.
Public and institutional access allows potential students to obtain the information they need; admitted students can register for classes; and faculty and administrators can provide and retrieve detailed, current data by clicking an icon. Record maintenance and security of confidential information are guaranteed. BANNER Web is integrated with the BANNER Student and Financial Aid systems, Version 2.1, which are already in use throughout the University System.
Institutions can customize the program to meet their needs and styles. Students can handle their own registration or faculty can make entries as a specific institution requires. In addition, the look and feel of the program can be altered to reflect the personality of the campus: Clayton College and State University has developed its DUCK (Digital University Campus Kiosk) page at http://www.clayton.edu/.
BANNER Web Training
Following technical and functional training on BANNER Web, Georgia College & State University, Gainesville College, and Gordon College conducted beta tests during fall quarter. Clayton College and State University, the State University of West Georgia, Gainesville College, Gordon College, and the Georgia Institute of Technology have implemented the module.

Training for the project includes setting up and maintaining the Oracle Web server, installing BANNER Web and upgrades if needed, and using BANNER Web. The training teams include USG beta testers who will relate their experiences and offer the new user's perspective.
BANNER Web Functions
Students can view, update, and print records from the BANNER Student database when they use the BANNER Web for Students. Users can easily navigate the pages using hypertext links to move through the course catalog and class schedule, locate financial aid information, submit applications, and register for classes. Functions available for public access are separated from those requiring secured access.
BANNER Web offers College Catalog, a searchable list of all institutional courses for the year selected; Class Schedule, a searchable list of classes, times, instructors, and locations for the term selected; Admissions, which includes electronic application submission, status check, and transfer of data for admission; and Directory, a searchable telephone book of up-to-date departmental, faculty, and student information.
BANNER Web's Financial Aid Information facilitates communication between students and financial aid staff and provides links to primary financial aid web sites such as FAFSA, estimates of eligibility, searches for scholarships, access to federal aid information, institutional application procedures, and cost and award information. Registration includes all necessary functions, such as class options and selection, drop/add, student schedules, and fee assessments.
Increased access has greatly expanded the availability of a range of services and has provided round-the-clock information. In addition, users can interrupt the process without losing data already entered. Students can view and update their own student records, such as temporary address information, e-mail address, and emergency contact. They can also view holds on records, check grades, request and print unofficial transcripts, and view account statements. Access to permanent data and confidential records is safeguarded with a security system.
Plans are underway to implement BANNER Web for Faculty and Advisors and BANNER Web for Executives in order to increase the advantages of using the web for disseminating and retrieving data.
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First-time Users Enthusiastic about Using BANNER Web
by Linda VanSickle, OIIT
Comments from beta testers and the first group of BANNER Web users have been positive. Ms. Linda Brown, Assistant Professor of Biology at Gainesville College praised registration using the new BANNER System: "The ease with which I was able to search for open classes, drop/add courses, and print class rolls was amazing."
Ms. Karen West, Management Information Specialist at State University of West Georgia, eagerly discussed results from implementing Drop/Add on BANNER Web: "Students were pleased with the way the program worked the first time and didn't seem to have any trouble using it."
Ms. West reported that the biggest visible benefit was that the lines were tremendously shorter than usual and that students liked being able to search for a class and register for it immediately without waiting to see if the class had closed in the meantime. In addition, she said "installation was simple; we made minor, basically cosmetic modifications, but that was it." She noted that the only drawback, mentioned by another institution, was that response time was slow. However, both institutions expect scheduled upgrades to resolve the problem.
Ms. Susan Daniell, Registrar at Gainesville College, has also been very pleased with the BANNER Web and the enhancements that Information Technology Staff (ITS), led by Mr. Rick Coker, Mr. David Connor, and Ms. Margaret Garmon, have made: "ITS created an advising transcript, called tranguid, of comprehensive information about the student, including academic history, testing requirements and results, and other requirements. They enhanced the registration product so that the advisor receives crucial, detailed student information and visual warnings about student needs."
Ms. Daniell went on to say that "faculty also appreciate the new system very much-especially the ease of access to information, the enhanced search capability, and the ease of navigation. Faculty especially liked searching for multiple courses during a single transaction when building a schedule with a student. She added that "this

registration was smoother than usual because of the information available to faculty. They can look at all the student information, identify any holds, finish the scheduling process, and send the student on. The number of student trips is reduced to one, and that's improved service."
Ms. Tonya Lam, Registrar at Clayton State College and University, was also very enthusiastic about first use of BANNER Web: "It gave us the opportunity to distribute more information in a truly user-friendly way. We brought some of the program up during the fall, but winter is the first quarter we let the world use it. We started with the academic summary, which the faculty really wanted and needed. It was exciting to show them that we finally had what they had been asking for and how easy it was to use."
Ms. Lam also explained how BANNER Web helped resolve a difficulty in getting grades out to students: "We had a problem where the address files were inaccessible, so grades couldn't be mailed to students. Since all of our students have laptops, I sent a message telling them they could look at their grades by using BANNER Web. It solved a problem fast and saved us a lot of telephone time."
Students and faculty also have access to their personal contact information at Clayton State College and University. They can update their own current addresses and phone numbers, while the program keeps the permanent record intact. Ms. Lam has appreciated the capability of the program to generate a distribution list for each class. Faculty and students can select the list and e-mail everyone in the class-a bonus for classes that are taught entirely online.
Ms. Lam said that reviews from Clayton State faculty have all been very good; even those who have not liked using BANNER have applauded BANNER Web. She added that "on the last day to register for winter quarter, the number of hits on the DUCK site was very high. Faculty were busy using DUCK to get the information they needed to register students."
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The OIIT Hires Director of Virtual Library Development
The Office of Information and Instructional Technology is pleased to announce that Dr. Judy Kelly joined the staff of Virtual Library, Customer, and Information Services March 2, as Director of Virtual Library Development.
Dr. Kelly, formerly Head of Reference at the University of Georgia Main Library, will report to the Executive Director of Virtual Library, Customer, and Information Services. She will be responsible for the coordination of public userinterface design for GALILEO, the GALILEO website, system-created electronic texts, and the commercial electronic resources mounted on local servers and networks or resources accessed via the Internet. She will be responsible for the integration of these various resources to promote public awareness and facilitate their access and use.
The success of GALILEO has generated even greater success; as a result, the electronic information resources offered by the GALILEO libraries are growing at an accelerating pace. These resources are, in effect, developing into a virtual library, one that is equally as important to its users as the more traditional print-based collections and services.
As library users are provided the convenience and analytical power of accessing many resources via electronic means, it is increasingly important to present a unified, functional, easily navigable, and esthetically pleasing "public face" for the many diverse electronic resources of the library now and in the future.
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Capital Resources Summary on Web
The Office of Facilities has begun the process of putting the Five-Year Capital Outlay Projects funding requests online. The summary form, which is a mechanism for providing concise, consistent information across institutions, is now available for completion and submission via the web. This step is the first in a series planned to simplify the request process and augment the capabilities of the Office of Facilities to handle data.
While the request is in the review phase, both the institution and the central office have access to the form for purposes of revision. The web version of the project summary is also used for reporting and presentation.

Capabilities for supplemental materials and references will be added later.
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 Phone: (912) 681-0866 or (404) 656-6174 z E-mail: jayne_williams@oit.peachnet.edu
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