Based on feedback from faculty and students, and after consultation with Academic Computing, ITS is changing the schedule on which we
create, update, and delete courses in the Blackboard system.

 

One concern was that our current schedule for adding students to their classes (the Friday before the start of the term) didn't allow enough
time to distribute initial assignments for Interim courses.

 

To remedy this problem, we will now be adding students to their Interim Blackboards the Friday of tenth week of Fall term.

 

Additionally, while our schedule currently calls for Blackboard sections to be deleted six weeks into the next term, we will now be
leaving Blackboard sections on the system for four terms (e.g. 06/WI will not be deleted from the system until the completion of 07/WI).

 

 

Week 5: The next term's courses are created and instructors are assigned to them based on the information in Datatel.

 

Friday of Week 10 (Fall term only): Complete rosters for Interim courses are uploaded.

 

Thursday and Friday of finals week: Classes from last year's term are deleted.  (e.g. if this is finals week of 07/WI, 06/WI courses will be deleted)

 

Friday before the start of the term: Complete rosters for the term's courses are uploaded.

 

Yes, this is the Internet on steroids.  Currently the College has 5 T-1 lines that are being maxed out.  This is due to giving people access to the network from off campus as well as just increased usage as the world becomes more and more net centric.  The Illinois Century Network  (ICN) provides 3 T-1 lines and Cogent provides 2 T-1 lines.  These systems are redundant and load balanced.

 

Several options were explored for resolving the maximized bandwidth problem.  The most cost effective solution is Opti-E-Man (Optical Ethernet Management) from AT&T powered by SBC;  a new vendor for Internet service.  NCC will keep the 3 T-1 lines from ICN and add additional T-1 lines from AT&T.  This solution will be redundant but not load balanced.  And as ICN was our primary Internet provider and Cogent our secondary,  in the new configuration AT&T will be our primary provider and ICN will be our secondary Internet provider.  

 

This is a 12 week project that we have started working on now and should have complete before the end of May.

 

Did you know that the word "Podcasting" entered the Oxford dictionary far quicker than any other technical term? The word is a contraction of 'iPod" and "broadcast."  An iPod is not required to subscribe and listen to podcasts.  Podcasts are not meant to be listened to live, but whenever and wherever is most convenient for the listener. 

 

Podcasting is a shift to M-learning.  M-learning or mobile learning, capitalizes on the increasing ubiquity of wireless networks and devices such as laptops, PDA's, wireless phones, MP3 players, and of course iPods.

 

Podcasting relies on "Push" technology.  In other words, podcasting does not only make audio and video files available; it makes them available automatically via a subscription. 

 

Some potential uses of podcasts are: news/updates; guest lectures; student presentations; student-produced podcasts; interviews; tours/fieldwork; internships; feedback/evaluation of student work; supplementary material such as speeches, music, or other audio and video recordings; short language lessons or other lesson that help students develop listening and speaking skills. The applications are limited only by ones mind. 

 

Two universities that are leaders in this field are Stanford and Duke.  Not to be outdone, ITS has created a Podcast.  In the weeks to come ITS will be exploring the possibilities of using podcasting for instruction, recruitment, admissions, development, and public relations.  In fact, some uses of this technology have moved beyond the discussion phase and into the planning stage.  This is an exciting new technology, but with any use of technology, it is important to take into consideration whether it is the best tool for the job.