standard 3 - technology resources

• Tech Resources - revision 4-18-06

Technology Resources

Technology resources are used to support student learning programs and services and to improve institutional effectiveness. Technology planning is integrated with institutional planning.

1. The institution assures that any technology support it provides is designed to meet the needs of learning, teaching, college-wide communications, research, and operational systems.

The IT support at LA Mission College was restructured following a technology Master Plan to ensure that the needs of learning, teaching, college-wide communications, research, and operational systems are met. The technology committee along with technology staff do their best to make sure all needs are identified. Both employee and student surveys were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and use of technology by staff and students. This will be done again in Fall 2006.

a. Technology services, professional support, facilities, hardware, and software are designed to enhance the operation and effectiveness of the institution.

Descriptive Summary

The college has integrated technology into the student learning process, administrative services and to support teaching; support activities include:

- Facutly/Staff technology survey and Student Technology survey in 2003 had shown the results (need data here)

- Currently, Computer Network Support Specialist review hardware/software for compatibility and feasibility. College adopts the computer standards from District Technology committee; College IT manager attends monthly DTC meeting to collaborate and align the college technology and District technology. District IT provides direction and support to campus technology initiatives. These efforts are coordinated by the Vice Chancellor at District office.

- The college purchased 108 new Pentium V computers equipped with 108 flat panels in LRC in 2004. Upgraded additional 18 computers from P2 to P4 in 2006. The total P4 computers in LRC are 126. Installed the two new high resolution LCD projectors to assist teaching in LRC 234 and 205.

- Student Tracking System - Implementation of the current tracking hour to the legacy system in the computer lab is the first priority in the year of 2006. The new system allows faculty and students to track their time for credit any time on campus via the browser.

- With Title V grant, Math lab has 38 high end computers to support math software. It also includes the Smart board, document camera and mounting projector to assist teaching by using technology

- DSPS provides students with disabilities training to access the technology and software resources. The DSPS initiates these efforts in the High Tech Center located in DSPS office to assist their students the developed of computer basics skills in the use of campus instructional computer labs and classrooms. The DSPS staff including the DSPS Access Technology Specialist work with campus IT personnel and LRC personnel to make the Learning Resource Center accessible and compliant.

- Developed web based enrollment reports and on-line curriculum to academic affairs.

- Developed on-line course status reports to students to check the status of classes prior the enrollment.

- New email service is available to all full time/part time faculty members.

- All faculty computers with PII or III or Celeron are upgraded to Pentium IV. All faculty computers are connected to the college data communication network. All full time faculty members have a computer.

- District IT technology is responsible for maintaining routers and firewall. The firmware of these equipments is upgraded frequently. Internet access is maintained by CENIC site. College coordinated with Verizon, CENIC and District Office to plan and install the broadband service (T3) project.

- College IT staff developed How-to guides, documentation, and handouts for Outlook email and Secure FTPs. Provided on site support at faculty cluster during the first week of semester. Provided one-to-consultant or live support to support the new email services. Provided a series of Outlook workshops from basics to advanced levels to faculty and staff.

- The Chem lab has 7 computers for students, 2 overhead projectors, and TV’s that are used in instruction

- The Bio Lab has 7 desktops that are used by students to enhance learning of human anatomical parts through A.D.A.M.S. software, to perform Physiology simulation experiments through BioPac and PhysioEx software, to conduct research on scientific literature using the Internet, and to work on their laboratory investigation reports.

- The CAOT lab has 15 B&W laser printers and 57 workstations for students to use while learning computer applications and office technology. This lab also has an assistant who is working part time for the college.

- The CIS lab has three different computer labs. Two of them have newer computers, while the third really needs new work stations. These labs are central to the CIS program and are used throughout the day by classes and for open lab. The CIS department has lab assistants.

- In 2004 the Natural Science Department purchased the equipment needed to modernize our physics lab to CBL (computer based lab) capability. We purchased seven new DeskPro computers with flat-panel monitors for data acquisition. The data are collected by a complete set of Labpro sensors, including five sets each of accelerometer, motion detector, microphone, photogate timer, pulley attachment and dual-range force sensor. This brings our physics lab into the 21st century. In 2005, we also purchased three new telescopes for our astronomy program: 8-inch Newtoninan reflectors with Dobsonian mounts.

- Library had 20 student computers. In 2003 those were upgraded and 8 more were added. Now there are 27 student computers. Students have campus and home access (with a password) to the various databases the library subscribes too. The library also has Microsoft Office on our computers so students can type their papers, etc and print them (especially if the computer commons is closed) In June, 2005 the library upgraded their online catalog to Sirsi. Students can now access the catalog throught the internet at home.

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b. The institution provides quality training in the effective application of its information technology to students and personnel.

Descriptive Summary

- The college provides training to students in specific laboratories through instructional orientations. For instance, librarians provide instructions to students on how to conduct research using library resources and database resources. Staff members at LRC also provide orientations to students in the LRC commons, LRC 205, LRC 234 and Tutoring areas.

- The college purchased a one year package providing technical training for all IT staff. The training will enhance technical skill in supporting server services, email services, database services, student application services and new hardware.

- To provide support and increase the interest of faculty in distance learning, the Distance Learning Coordinator cooperated with the director of ITV program putting together the plans of training for trainers, training for faculty and proposing the stipend for on-line teaching.

- Staff development coordinator frequently emails to all users MS on-line trainings and other subjects that benefit employees.

- With District specialists, the college conducted several training sections to provide on campus training and retraining for administrative assistants and department chairs. These training sections included Protocol trainings, SAP trainings and BW trainings.

- The library offers six different information competency (one of the nine general education goals/SLOs that the college adopted in 2003) workshops during the day, evening, and on Saturdays. The workshops take place in either LRC room 205 or 234. The topics of the workshops are Research Strategies, Searching for Books, Locating Journal & Newspaper Articles, Internet I-The Basics, Internet II-Searching & Evaluation, and MLA Format. Each student is asked to complete an exercise at the end of each library workshop. These exercises are an attempt to measure whether the students can apply the skills learned in the workshop. The library also offers assignment specific orientations by request of instructors. The library always has a reference librarian on duty when the library is open. Students can get help with finding books, using the Internet or databases, or using Microsoft Office.

c. The institution systematically plans, acquires, maintains, and upgrades or replaces technology infrastructure and equipment to meet institutional needs.

Descriptive Summary:

- IT department is responsible for network computing, Web technology, audio/videos, telecommunication services and equipments for student, staff and faculty. Currently, IT department consist of 3 Computer Network support specialists, 3 Assistant Computer Network Support Specialists, 1 Media specialist and temporary Multimedia developer.

- Data backup and system maintenance are provided by IT department through college funding and special fund programs

- The college also invests in Scheduling and Reporting System (SARS) to automate student appointments, and call for registration. This software also allows students to electronically schedule their academic advising and appointments.

- The College understands the need for a strong, dynamic infrastructure to ensure support for existing technology requirements and expandability for inevitable new technologies and campus expansion. With the Bond measure, the college understands there has never been a critical time to analyze existing campus infrastructure and strategically plan for the future growth of the college.

Campus wide infrastructure project:

o Rewire and upgrade internet cable from category 3 to category 6; replace old switches with new switches. These new switches are ready for voice over IP.

o Enhance network security and bandwidth usage.

o Install wireless access in the classrooms and student activity areas to provide Internet access and assist teaching.

Campus services projects include:

Cyber café project

Multimedia Art building project

PE and Fitness center project

The IT department is also working with the architects of all new buildings to ensure that any technology plans are coordinated and at the current campus standards.

d. The distribution and utilization of technology resources support the development, maintenance, and enhancement of its programs and services.

- The TTIP funds provided from the State Chancellor to refresh computers every 3 years. Due to budget situation from State, the college had received a limitation funds from the last 4 years.

- However, with the shared governance concept, administration, Campus Technology committee, Academic Senate committee, and Instructional Council committee had approved to use the block grand resource to upgrade the computers for students, staff and faculty

- The college IT department maintains an inventory database of voice and data communication equipments. This information provides reporting capabilities to assist in assessing equipment and decision making to purchase the new equipments for student computer labs and computers for faculty/staff.

- The college has have a number of agreements and contract to upgrade software: Server hardware support, MS products, Norton Anti Virus Enterprise, third party software to support the student lab, tracking computer usage lab usage and student appointment, registration calling system.

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2. Technology planning is integrated with institutional planning. The institution systematically assesses the effective use of technology resources and uses the results of evaluation as the basis for improvement.

The technology committee is a shared governance committee and responsible for prioritizing and implementing the use of technology on campus. The committee part of the college council, the central planning committee at LAMC. Therefore, the decisions made by the committee are to sent to the college for approval. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of continued leadership at the college which has hampered overall progress at the college.

The college evaluates the replacement of technology in various ways. Inventories are made of equipment, and either sub committees are made to ensure that there is a fair and just evaluation and that new equipment is put in the right place. The college uses Webstar, which employees use to make work requests. After the Webstar request is sent, it is distributed to tech staff who fix the issue. The typical response to a Webstar request at this point is 2 days. If tech staff sees that certain computers are constantly being reported as having issues, they are replaced or fixed.

The need for computers in labs is evaluated in different ways. For the LC, this is a campus wide effort, but for CAOT, Multimedia, Engineering, Science and CIS labs, the evaluation is done by lab assistants and instructors who are familiar with their needs.

We prioritize needs for technology by requiring and evaluating the requests, but there is not a formal manner for these requests to be sent or evaluated. This needs to be improved.

One of the biggest problems the college has is a basic knowledge of the budget for technology on campus. Neither the current IT manager nor the technology chair has any idea of the total IT budget at LA Mission College.

Hanh is involved in the planning of new facilities and making sure that the network connectivity and technology services are the best for the college. The college has special prop A and AA funds for new buildings. All new buildings will have smart classrooms with technology in them. The details of network infrastructure, new technologies and

The current IT manager works with staff when they are working on developing special projects to make sure they coordinate them well with technology staff.

In some ways we don’t do this well because there a weak connection between leadership on campus and everyone who works at the college, so there isn’t a real centralization of decision making at the college.

The tech plan is not integrated with the educational master plan or the facilities master plan, and there is no strategical master plan for the college.

One member of the technology committee needs to work with the planning committee to ensure that we are all going in the same direction.

The biggest issue is the need to integrate the various committees on campus so that we all are on the same page and working together.