VIII. Support for Student Computing

Recommendation 8: IU must provide the information technology tools, infrastructure, and support services so that students may effectively engage in learning and research, appropriate to their various academic disciplines and areas of study. IT support for students should include technology support centers and a computing environment that is seamless across boundaries of campus, home, residence hall, and community.

Action 54. UITS, with the departments, schools and campuses, should develop a model for student technology support that provides:

• A basic level of support and technology infrastructure to all students;
• Advanced support, typically for advanced degree students in graduate and professional programs, that is discipline-specific and may be integrated with the teaching or research activities of a school or department; and
• Advanced support to undergraduate students, as needed, especially for students in disciplines which do not provide such specialized support.

Front-line support services on the two core campuses have been extended to improve student access to IT help. Hours at the IUB Support Center now match those at the IUPUI Support Center, Monday-Thursday, 8am-9pm, with both Centers having extended evening and weekend support hours. Four new professional staff members were hired at the core campuses to enable this extended support, each receiving rigorous training to prepare for longer nighttime and weekend hours. Provisions were made for late-night support by training Student Technology Center staff to field calls that "roll over" from the Support Center telephones. Consultants can attempt to solve callers' problems or log their requests for expert service during the following shifts. This extended support makes telephone and personal contact support services available virtually around the clock. Actions 55 and 57 extend support hours and resources to those in the IUB residence centers.

Access in Student Residence Halls

Action 55. UITS should work with the Halls of Residence and Residence Life, at IUB and IUPUI, to provide students with a seamlessly integrated computing environment, available on campus, in the residence halls, including academic support centers, or from remote locations.

Action 55 calls for UITS and Residential Programs and Services (RPS) to develop a seamlessly integrated computing environment, providing a standard set of resources and tools in the Student Technology Centers and residence centers. In March 2000, responsibility for information technology resources in the IUB residence centers was moved from RPS to UITS. A manager of the new Residential IT Services (RITS) group was appointed and three staff members were transferred from RPS to UITS. The hiring of 40 part-time hourly staff, now underway, will complete the staff.

UITS is replacing and managing equipment in the Residence Technology Centers, with the first equipment replacement completed in May 2000; by Fall 2000 all 260 computers had been replaced with modern equipment and software. In addition, the Telecommunications Division began to replace network equipment in the residence centers, with completion expected in 2001.

In conjunction with Action 54, extended hours of support are being delivered in the residence centers through the IUB Support Center. Two full-time positions have been filled, with staff receiving rigorous training to prepare for extended evening and weekend hours. By Fall 2000, on-site consulting and support services were made available to residents through the RITS team. During the first week of the Fall 2000 semester, RITS served over 1,000 walk-in customers and made nearly 1,000 room visits. Telephone and e-mail support was redirected to the campus Support Center, increasing the load there by 510% over the same period during the previous academic year.

Action 56. Housing on the IUPUI campus should be planned carefully with involvement of UITS and others, to ensure that it is developed as a premier living and learning community, making effective use of technology for student learning.

Student housing options at IUPUI have been considered by various students, faculty, and administrative groups since 1980. An October 1999 report by the Anderson-Strickler consulting firm found a demand for housing and stated that construction is financially feasible. Campus and University administration officials have determined that IUPUI will house no more than 10% of its student population (or 1,880 full-time equivalents), consistent with its peers. The first phase of new housing development at IUPUI, to be privately developed and managed, is not, however, expected to approach 1,880 units. UITS will work with IUPUI residential planners to ensure that the new housing is developed as a premier living and learning community, demonstrating effective uses of technology.

Action 57. UITS, in partnership with the Halls of Residence and Residence Life, should develop a program to provide teaching and learning technology and support services in one or more selected residence halls, as one part of an on-campus pilot in distributed learning.

Action 57 calls for creating a partnership with the Office of Distributed Education during the 2000-2001 academic year to identify one or more selected residences at IUB to be a part of an on-campus pilot in distributed learning.

Student Ownership of Computers

Action 58. IU should consider a program of incentives to increase student ownership of computers, including some combination of direct financial assistance, negotiation of institutional discounts for student purchases, on-campus sales and support, and encouragement from the highest levels of the University. IU should further evaluate programs that would require computer ownership for all students.

Although IU does not require students to own a computer (because of the potential impact on students' expenses), such ownership continues to climb on the core campuses. Some 85% of students on the Bloomington campus and 88% on the Indianapolis campus now own or have access to a computer at home. The incentives in place to encourage ownership are believed to underlie these figures, now at an all-time high. Each year, The Computer Buying Guide is updated with current hardware and software recommendations, instructions for connecting to the IU network, and special offers on computers. Prospective students receive this guide before matriculating, enabling them to research purchase options before arriving on campus. During new student orientation sessions, UITS staff members advise students and their parents about IT resources. IU continues to leverage the buying power of the University by working with such vendors as Dell, Apple, Compaq, and Gateway to secure special pricing on high-quality computers and software.