FY96/97 Baseline Access, Training and Support Activities

Progress Report

San Francisco State University

August 1997

In FY96/97, San Francisco State University (SFSU) received two budget augmentations to support the implementation of the Baseline Hardware/Software Access, Training and User Support initiative within the framework of the CSU Integrated Technology Strategy. The first was a $50,000 allocation for faculty development activities and to assist in meeting the information competence expectations recommended by the Commission on Learning Resources and Instructional Technology (CLIRT). The second was a $914,476 allocation to enable the campus to accelerate implementation of the campus plan for achieving baseline capacity in the areas of hardware, software and network access, training and support.

San Francisco State University has been particularly successful in making effective use of these budget allocations. All of the proposed projects have been completed. The facilities, services and training provided by the projects have been enthusiastically received by a broad base of students and faculty. Many of the technology access needs of students and faculty have been addressed, the availability and use of training has increased dramatically, and infrastructure support elements have been implemented to insure the continued success of these programs.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION COMPETENCE

The budget augmentation for $50,000 was used for two projects. The Technology Enhanced Course Delivery Initiative was sponsored by SFSU's Center for the Enhancement of Teaching, and the campus Library undertook a project to improve the campus information competence program.

Technology Enhanced Course Delivery Initiative ($40,000)

The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching supported faculty in the development of creative projects that involve the use of technology to enhance the delivery of course content. The focus has been on the integration of technology into existing courses and/or alternative delivery of classes such as distance education.

An abstract of each project follows.

Integrating Dynamic On-line Auditing Technology (DOAT) into Undergraduate ACCT 506 Auditing Course

F. Choo, Business: Department of Accounting

Dynamic On-line Auditing Technology (DOAT) is a cutting-edge concept in auditing that will transform the traditional course in computer auditing. In DOAT, students learn to audit a dynamic - instead of a static - company online. The company is "dynamic" in the sense that it will be a fully functional company created by the instructor with all the accounting transactions going in and out of the company on a real-time basis. The technology also challenges the students' creativity and skill in detecting and reporting online fraud on a timely basis.

Management 405 And The Web: A Model For Teaching Large (And Small) Management Classes Using Advanced Technology

M. Pelletier, Business: Department of Management

This project will put Management 405: Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior in its entirety on the Web. Students will have access to the course via the Web by fall 1997. This new format will also be used as a delivery system for the class and will replace traditional slide-projected material.

Learning in an Interactive Video Environment (LIVE)

J. Hollenbeck, Education: Department of Instructional Technology

L.I.V.E. is a course to be taught in conjunction with ITEC 860 - Distance Education. The class will be taught in collaboration with two faculty members of the School of Education at California State University, San Marcos and will involve students at both campuses. ITEC 860 will employ compressed video conferencing for bi-weekly class meetings and utilize synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communications for the remainder of the interactions.

Molecular Modeling for Beginners

J. Keeffe, Science and Engineering: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Computational chemistry is fast becoming a routine adjunct to experimental work in academic and industrial labs. The advent of good molecular modeling software, together with high quality, integrated graphics, makes the visualization of computed results and structures dramatically effective for instructional purposes as well. This project will allow us to complete computational modeling exercises for first-year organic students. Exercises developed during the first phase of this project have been tested with approximately 400 students with positive results.

Multimedia Training of Cultural Diversity Skills

David Matsumoto, Behavioral and Social Sciences: Department of Psychology

This project will develop a prototype interactive, multimedia CD-ROM computer program to increase students' awareness of cultural diversity and foster the acquisition of certain key diversity skills. The work will build on a two-video resource that is already available and in use in colleges and universities across the United States today, with facilitator's guides and student workbooks. The ultimate goal of this project will be to use the prototype developed in this project as the platform with which to create a final version of an interactive, multimedia CD-ROM program that will be marketable to other colleges and universities under the SFSU banner.

Italian 103 Course Reader and Interactive Computer Audio Lessons on Libra Version 1.1

E. Nelsen, Humanities: Department of Foreign Languages

The product developed in this project will be an interactive course reader with a series of audio computer lessons for Italian 103 (third semester). This will be used as an alternative to a traditional standard textbook.

Technology and Culture Online

B. Avery, Humanities: Department of English

This project will develop an interactive online course to be delivered via the WWW called "The Production of Space in Early Modern England". The course will be offered in collaboration with Steven Shelburne, Professor of English at Centenary and Lynn Hold, Professor of Philosophy at Mississippi State. The focus of the class will be the impact of new media on knowledge and culture.

California Weather Events: WWW-Based Case Studies and Prototype Exercises

J. Monteverdi, Science and Engineering: Department of Geosciences and

D. Dempsey, Science and Engineering: Department of Geosciences

This project will develop a catalog of case studies of archetypal California weather events, with up-to-date descriptive text and references, for use in general education courses at SFSU and elsewhere, available on the WWW. It will also include two prototype, WWW-based exercises that require students to apply their understanding of basic physical principles to understand and interpret the events captured in some of these case studies.

SFSU Use of Information Competence Funds ($10,000)

The Information Technology Team at SFSU supported an Information Technology Initiative Award for a library faculty member. Funding provided faculty release time, student assistants and software. The funded project, "Developing Information Competency Equitably with Multimedia: A Conceptual Approach," resulted in the development of an interactive multimedia tutorial that teaches conceptual skills essential for effective searching of bibliographic databases. These skills include topic formulation, database selection, field identification, limitation and manipulation, Boolean search techniques, natural vs. controlled language, proximity searching and truncation.

SFSU expects to continue to develop the current Library Requirement as an Information Competence Requirement, and to offer the Requirement in a way that provides for individualized, self-paced learning that is distributed to students both on and off-campus.

BASELINE HARDWARE/SOFTWARE ACCESS, TRAINING AND USER SUPPORT

The Baseline Access, Training and Support award for $914,476 was used to support a variety of information infrastructure projects. Progress on individual components of SFSU's access, training and support initiative is described below.

Expanded Student Modem Pool ($166,926)

A new student modem pool was implemented with the purchase of an Ascend Max TNT and the installation of seven T-1 circuits to provide a total capacity of 168 in-coming 56 Kbps lines. With the one hundred 28.8 kbps modems already installed, the campus now has 268 modems for student use. SFSU systems staff wrote customized code to authenticate modem users via SFSU's centralized Kerberos database. The installation was completed in April, and there was no blocking on the new modem pool between the time of installation and the end of the semester. At this time, it is not known whether the two modem pools will meet all demand during the fall, 1997, semester.

Faculty Modem Pool ($57,458)

A new faculty modem pool was implemented with the purchase of an Ascend Max 4004 and the installation of three T-1 circuits to provide a total capacity of 72 in-coming 56 Kbps lines. SFSU systems staff wrote customized code to authenticate faculty users via SFSU's centralized Kerberos database. The installation was complete in February and Computing Services no longer receives complaints about inadequate remote access services for faculty.

Curricular Web Server ($49,291)

A Sun Enterprise 150 server and Netscape's Enterprise Web server were installed to support online curricular materials for the faculty, following extensive consultation with the faculty about their requirements. A full-time staff member was hired to develop content for the Web server and to assist faculty with their production of Web-based materials. The new server was announced to the faculty on August 12, 1997.

Faculty Help Line Staff ($31,564)

An additional Information Technology Consultant was hired in the Help Desk group during the spring 1997 semester. The consultant is responsible for handling calls to the faculty telephone help line and for making "house calls" when college-based staff are unable to respond to a faculty service request. The consultant has been busy since his first day on the job.

Collaboratory ($109,305)

The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching at SFSU built a facility specifically for the use of collaborative software tools. The facility uses Ventana software, a specialized collaboration tool. It also has a custom-designed conference table with slide-out laptop drawers, a rear projection system, and a complete suite of audio-visual equipment. In addition to being a valuable resource for campus programs, the collaboratory has attracted the interest of corporate organizations and may be a source of revenue for the university.

Electronic Class Lab ($150,182)

In response to the need for a university-wide "computer lab" which could be scheduled by faculty on an occasional basis for classes, Computing Services built a 20-workstation Electronic Class Lab (ECL) in the campus library. In addition to computer workstations, the ECL has ADA-compliant furniture, a rear-screen projection system, and a full suite of audio-visual equipment. The new facility will open in September 1997.

Training Center ($91,071)

The Computing Services Training Center was moved into a larger space and improved with the addition of multimedia software, a conference table and chairs, videoconferencing equipment, air conditioning, and a microphone system. A rear-projection system will be built in December 1997.

Training Position ($20,061)

An additional full-time trainer was added to the Computing Services staff this spring, bringing the full-time training staff to two positions. The additional trainer made it possible to offer training classes during the summer for the first time, and classes were very well-attended - 350 training class seats were filled in June and July alone. The Training Center was also able to offer classes in Photoshop, Pagemill, Pagemaker and Front Page for the first time.

24-Hour Computing Lab Expansion ($28,883)

The 24-Hour Student Computing Lab was enhanced with the addition of six new workstations and new software, particularly Photoshop, Front Page, Pagemill and Pagemaker.

Faculty Technology Training ($54,853)

The Center for the Enhancement of Teaching installed twelve new state-of-the-art workstations, as well as new scanners and printers in its training facility. This facility is used for faculty training, as a resource center for faculty incorporating technology into the curriculum, and for developing materials for online teaching.

Campus Backbone Capacity Upgrade ($74,563)

To improve the speed, performance and reliability of the campus data backbone network, switches were installed in most of the major academic buildings to segment network traffic and provide high-speed links to backbone routers. In addition, most of the aging horizontal coax still in service was replaced by 10-Base-T ethernet connections.

Digital Distribution System ($80,319)

Audio Visual/ITV services extended the scope of the campus fiber-based, digital video distribution network. The digital network will significantly increase the capacity and improve the quality and flexibility of video services at SFSU.