Students, are you sick and tired of completely filling out the bubbles on the sheets used to get and give instructor feedback? Don’t worry about sharpening that No. 2 pencil because many of the instructor evaluation sheets can now be accomplished online, if your instructor chooses to use the new system. UNC’s IT department will be updating the archaic procedure formally called optical mark recognition, more commonly known as bubble sheets, this spring to a new web technology called EvaluationKIT.
Not all classes will be using this new technology this spring, but it is hoped that by the fall many faculty will begin voluntarily using the online course evaluation application. Not only is this a new and exciting technology, but it is also easier on our environment. Did you know that each year, the colleges and departments of UNC purchase and use approximately 60,000 forms? That’s a lot of paper. Not to mention, someone has to take all of those 60,000 forms and get them scanned… labor intensive and bad for the environment
About two years ago, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CETL) responded to faculty requests and put together a pilot using EvaluationKIT. The pilot proved to be successful and compatible with Banner and Blackboard. Extended Studies, CETL and I.T. are hoping that colleges and departments will voluntarily adopt the use of this new technology.
The majority of the funding for activity this came from the technology fee assessed to students and partially from the Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL).
If you’re a faculty member who is interested in using EvaluationKIT, please contact the representative from your college as listed below:
Clinton Harris College of Education & Behavioral Sciences
Deborah Borelli Humanities & Social Sciences
Chris Vegter & Janie Voris Monfort School of Business
Rebecca Croissant Natural & Health Sciences
Monica Coverdale Performing & Visual Arts
Colleges and departments who voluntarily use EvaluationKIT will have a lot of benefits. They will no longer have to pay for the OMR forms (bubble sheets), they will receive technical support and pedagogical evaluation assistance by request, they will be assured that only one evaluation will be accepted per enrolled student per course, they will be able to manage their own survey and get direct access to their college and department results only and also be able to provide their students with a common experience.
Let’s simplify things and lend a hand to our environment!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
UNC I.T. Helps to Bring Internet to Rural Schools
University of Northern Colorado IT department only supports internet services at UNC, right?
WRONG!
Last year, UNC partnered with CBOCES (the Centennial Board of Cooperative Educational Services) to bring internet to rural school communities such as Kersey, Ault and Gilcrest. CBOCES is an organization which provides cost effective, shared educational services and programs for 15 member school districts located in the Northern Colorado counties of Larimer, Weld, Morgan and Boulder. Their mission is to provide value-added resources that enrich educational opportunities for all students though collaboration.
One of the reasons that UNC’s IT department and Enrollment Management area partnered with CBOCES for this project was to get publicity into schools, promoting UNC and getting their name out to students so it is at the top of their mind as a choice for higher education. The internet service that UNC provides for these schools is called EAGLE-Net and it provides K-12 schools access to Internet 2 which is an education and research network. EAGLE-Net is short for the Educational Access Gateway Learning Environment Network and is a Colorado cost-sharing, non-profit consortium. EAGLE-Net provides educational benefits and services to connected Colorado school districts. UNC’s IT department is enabling the access for a technology-rich and quality education to students in Kersey, Ault and Gilcrest. These students would not be able to connect to Internet 2 without the collaboration and help of UNC and CBOCES.
WRONG!
Last year, UNC partnered with CBOCES (the Centennial Board of Cooperative Educational Services) to bring internet to rural school communities such as Kersey, Ault and Gilcrest. CBOCES is an organization which provides cost effective, shared educational services and programs for 15 member school districts located in the Northern Colorado counties of Larimer, Weld, Morgan and Boulder. Their mission is to provide value-added resources that enrich educational opportunities for all students though collaboration.
One of the reasons that UNC’s IT department and Enrollment Management area partnered with CBOCES for this project was to get publicity into schools, promoting UNC and getting their name out to students so it is at the top of their mind as a choice for higher education. The internet service that UNC provides for these schools is called EAGLE-Net and it provides K-12 schools access to Internet 2 which is an education and research network. EAGLE-Net is short for the Educational Access Gateway Learning Environment Network and is a Colorado cost-sharing, non-profit consortium. EAGLE-Net provides educational benefits and services to connected Colorado school districts. UNC’s IT department is enabling the access for a technology-rich and quality education to students in Kersey, Ault and Gilcrest. These students would not be able to connect to Internet 2 without the collaboration and help of UNC and CBOCES.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Antivirus and Firewall Protection for UNC Faculty, Staff and Students at NO ADDITIONAL COST!
Do your personal computer a favor and not only read this blog, but put the information to action! Malware such as viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, adware, bots, zero-day threats and rootkits are just waiting for the opportune moment to strike your personal computer and crash it. Well, don’t worry because UNC’s Information Technology department has your back! You can forget about paying the $49.95 (give or take) to renew the AntiVirus software on your computer and take advantage of the Symantec download that the University is offering at NO ADDITIONAL COST!
UNC’s IT department has recently made Symantec available for download to your personal computer, which will help ward away attacks from nasty malware. Symantec is new AntiVirus software that is now available to faculty, staff and students at UNC on URSA. This new software integrates essential technologies such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall, intrusion prevention, device and application control.
It is important to download this software because it will help protect your personal computer as well as protecting UNC’s network.
To download Symatec to your personal computer, just log into URSA, go to either the employee or student tab, and you will find a link to download this protective software. It gives you a choice to download either 32 or 64 bit, depending on the architecture of your computer. If you are unsure of the artitecture of your computer, go to “My Computer” and then click on“Properties.” It should tell you what type of operating system you have, either 32 or 64 bit.
Be sure to take advantage of Symantec to protect your investment!
UNC’s IT department has recently made Symantec available for download to your personal computer, which will help ward away attacks from nasty malware. Symantec is new AntiVirus software that is now available to faculty, staff and students at UNC on URSA. This new software integrates essential technologies such as antivirus, antispyware, firewall, intrusion prevention, device and application control.
It is important to download this software because it will help protect your personal computer as well as protecting UNC’s network.
To download Symatec to your personal computer, just log into URSA, go to either the employee or student tab, and you will find a link to download this protective software. It gives you a choice to download either 32 or 64 bit, depending on the architecture of your computer. If you are unsure of the artitecture of your computer, go to “My Computer” and then click on“Properties.” It should tell you what type of operating system you have, either 32 or 64 bit.
Be sure to take advantage of Symantec to protect your investment!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Employee Spotlight: Paul Sharp
Paul is happily married with 2 kids.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Being a Pilot: A Small Headache for the Greater Good
Chances are that you have been asked to be part of a pilot group at one point or another during your professional career. You may have even refused to take part because you didn’t want to deal with the inconveniences and headaches that participating in a pilot group can bring.
For those of you reading who might not know what a pilot group is, I will explain it now. A pilot group is also referred to as a pilot experiment, a pilot study, or just a pilot. According to Wikipedia, it is basically a small-scale preliminary study conducted before the main research in order to check the feasibility or to improve the design of the research. They are usually put together to avoid time and money being wasted on an inadequately designed project. A pilot is often used to test the design of the full-scale experiment so that adjustments can be made before rolling out the new project. The pilot participants have a vital role in critiquing the design so the design group can then make the changes necessary to make the change as painless as possible.
The IT department is often looking for people to test out new applications or changes to the ones that are already in use. Some of the applications that have been tested in a pilot group before being introduced to the rest of the UNC community include Windows 7, Office 2010, Apple 10.6OS, Internet Explorer 8, Thinapp Software Virtualizations, Grader, Academic Alert, Banner 8 and most recently MidTerm Grades and HP Thin-Clients.
On Friday, it was agreed upon that I would be a part of the HP Thin-Client pilot group. When I came into work this morning, I noticed that something giant and archaic was missing from my desk: my CPU (central processing unit). It was replaced by a smaller piece of equipment that was hiding behind my computer screen and was about the size of a Cheese-It box (regular, not family sized). Excited to be a part of cutting edge technology I tried to log on to my computer. It didn’t work the way that it normally did. Was I frustrated? Not really… Inconvenienced? Maybe just a little. So, I called tech support and they literally came running to my office to show me how it worked. After a two minute tutorial, things began to run smoothly. The tech support group asked me to keep a log of things that I noticed were different or more difficult. They want to know the bad things about Thin-Clients so that they can analyze and fix the problems before they are rolled out to a larger group. At the end of the day, I guess I don’t mind having a couple inconveniencing minutes to help improve a process and save other people from experiencing the same problems. I also really enjoy getting personalized support and learning the system a step ahead of everyone else.
If you’re a person who usually has trouble adapting to new technology, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot. If you are a person who likes to be a step ahead of your colleagues, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot. If you are uber-critical about new processes, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot.
So, next time you are asked to participate in a pilot, say yes! Change can be difficult, but if you participate in a pilot you can help make change a positive thing.
For those of you reading who might not know what a pilot group is, I will explain it now. A pilot group is also referred to as a pilot experiment, a pilot study, or just a pilot. According to Wikipedia, it is basically a small-scale preliminary study conducted before the main research in order to check the feasibility or to improve the design of the research. They are usually put together to avoid time and money being wasted on an inadequately designed project. A pilot is often used to test the design of the full-scale experiment so that adjustments can be made before rolling out the new project. The pilot participants have a vital role in critiquing the design so the design group can then make the changes necessary to make the change as painless as possible.
The IT department is often looking for people to test out new applications or changes to the ones that are already in use. Some of the applications that have been tested in a pilot group before being introduced to the rest of the UNC community include Windows 7, Office 2010, Apple 10.6OS, Internet Explorer 8, Thinapp Software Virtualizations, Grader, Academic Alert, Banner 8 and most recently MidTerm Grades and HP Thin-Clients.
On Friday, it was agreed upon that I would be a part of the HP Thin-Client pilot group. When I came into work this morning, I noticed that something giant and archaic was missing from my desk: my CPU (central processing unit). It was replaced by a smaller piece of equipment that was hiding behind my computer screen and was about the size of a Cheese-It box (regular, not family sized). Excited to be a part of cutting edge technology I tried to log on to my computer. It didn’t work the way that it normally did. Was I frustrated? Not really… Inconvenienced? Maybe just a little. So, I called tech support and they literally came running to my office to show me how it worked. After a two minute tutorial, things began to run smoothly. The tech support group asked me to keep a log of things that I noticed were different or more difficult. They want to know the bad things about Thin-Clients so that they can analyze and fix the problems before they are rolled out to a larger group. At the end of the day, I guess I don’t mind having a couple inconveniencing minutes to help improve a process and save other people from experiencing the same problems. I also really enjoy getting personalized support and learning the system a step ahead of everyone else.
If you’re a person who usually has trouble adapting to new technology, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot. If you are a person who likes to be a step ahead of your colleagues, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot. If you are uber-critical about new processes, you are the perfect person to participate in a pilot.
So, next time you are asked to participate in a pilot, say yes! Change can be difficult, but if you participate in a pilot you can help make change a positive thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)