SOU Technology Plan 2004-2005 Draft
SOU’s technology plan is subject to on-going review and revision in an effort to remain responsive to emerging needs and a changing fiscal environment. However, objectives are clearly understood and elements critical to the plan’s success have been identified. A brief description of each initiative follows.
ACADEMIC COMPUTING
Upgrade Blackboard to Enterprise Learning System
SOU has outgrown the
Basic Edition of the Blackboard Learning System. Features such as full integration
with the Banner SIS, automation of account and course administrative tasks,
more robust security options, and access to building blocks that will enhance
functionality for faculty are needed. In addition, an upgrade to the Enterprise
Learning System is required in order to integrate Blackboard with any portal
solution.
Improvements in Instructional Technology
Faculty from a
variety of disciplines are reviewing best practices in the use of
instructional technologies to improve teaching. This effort supports various
distance education initiatives being developed though
Extended Campus Programs and course re-engineering being conducted by the
Curriculum Committee. The work completed by the best practices group will be
used to inform decisions about which instructional technologies not currently
in use at SOU would benefit our faculty and support
strategic objectives. One focus will be on developing campus wide solutions for
managed electronic portfolios and implementing software tools that allow
recording and digitizing of lecture materials. Solutions adopted will require
strategies to train faculty in the use of these tools, operational and
technical support, and integration of materials created using these
technologies with the Blackboard courseware system.
WEB and E-BUSINESS.
Transitionfrom Web Site to Portal
Functional
objectives for the SOU Portal are described in the answer to question #10. Once
all e-business and other service delivery systems are shifted to the portal,
SOU will need to re-design the campus web site to complement the portal,
eliminate redundancy, and improve organization of information that will be
retained on the traditional web site. Both portal and web site will be designed
to make the web a strategic business value tool.
Increase E-Services
Our goals are to increase access
to services, and design delivery options that meet the varied needs of the on-
and off-campus student body. This will increase efficiencies and provide
expanded service levels to students for functions that cannot be automated or
that require individual attention. SOU has already implemented many routine
on-line service functions using Banner Web for Students. SOU will build on existing
Banner Web systems to continually add on-line self-service for students,
prospective students, faculty, and the SOU community.
Housing Selection System
Many universities
have systems that allow students to make their room and roommate selections
on-line, providing an enhanced service for students and creating efficiencies
for the Housing Department. SOU is evaluating possible implementation of a
housing selection system.
One Card Services
SOU is in the process of
negotiating a contract with Higher One to provide ID, Debit/stored value card,
and financial aid disbursement. The ID card will be used by campus Dining
Services, the Library, and the Bookstore, and will function as a debit card for
students who elect to open a bank account with Higher One.
Content Management
New approaches for managing web
content will be explored to identify better ways of helping the campus to keep
web information up-to-date. An increasing amount of the SOU web site will be
moved to database driven content management solutions such as Atomz.
ADMINISTRATIVE COMPUTING SERVICES
Oregon State University (OSU) / Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) – Fifth Site Review
Budget reductions in the State of Oregon Higher Education
system have necessitated a review of how IT Administrative Services are
provided by the Chancellor’s Office to the 4 smaller regional institutions in
the system. Oversight of the ETS technology team that provides these services
has been transferred to OSU’s IT department. That
campus is located in Oregon
220 miles away from SOU. A consultant hired by the State Board of Higher
Education will advise on ways to maximize the efficiency of operations. SOU
will participate in this review and make recommendations that align with our
business strategies and service requirements. Changes allowing the Oregon
universities to save money through group purchases and improving the
accessibility of services are anticipated outcomes of this review.
Data Warehouse Web Interface
Hummingbird’s BI/Query,
a user-friendly client/server application with a graphical
query/reporting tool, is used by SOU to access the student and financial Data
Warehouses. SOU plans to move from BI/Query to BI/Web to provide Macintosh
access, access from off-campus, regularly published reports, and ability for
users to schedule reports. This tool is needed to provide faculty easy access
to a broad range of student information.
Excellence in Delivery and Productivity Initiatives
In an effort to improve the
quality of education and services provided by the Oregon
schools, the Oregon Board of Higher Education identified several initiatives
that all Oregon schools will
implement. These initiatives include: K-16 statewide database; electronic
transcript exchange between all Oregon K-16 schools; secure Student ID
replacing the use of social security numbers; self-advising tool for all
students at Oregon universities;
and state wide common core curriculum/general education requirements. These
initiatives will require system process changes, integration, and the sharing
of data across Oregon’s
University System, Community Colleges, and public K-12 schools.
NETWORK & DESKTOP SERVICES
Gigabit Network Backbone
In early 2005, the campus network
router will be replaced with dual Cisco Series 6500 routers. This upgrade will
allow the institution to upgrade to a gigabit backbone and provide improved
reliability of the network. In order to implement the gigabit backbone, the
campus fiber infrastructure will be upgraded from multimode to single mode
fiber.
Phase 3 Building Rewiring
All of the major academic
buildings on campus have been upgraded to Category 5E cable. However, there are
a number of smaller buildings that have not yet been upgraded from Category 3 or
older cable. Capital repair funding was recently allocated for these building
upgrades. Work will commence in 2004-2005 with estimated completion during the
2006 academic year.
Enhancements and Security for the Wireless Network
SOU currently has a wireless
network that provides service in the Student Union and surrounding lawn and
open areas, Library, Education-Psychology Building, and the Computing Center.
However, more secured
solutions allowing maximum utilization of mobile technology is needed. To accomplish
this, the SOU wireless network will be expanded to remaining academic
buildings. A new security system will be implemented giving SOU configured
computers full access to the campus network. Campus community members will be
able to connect personal computers to the network through authenticated access
and visitors will still be allowed to connect outside the campus firewall. The
wireless security system will also be used to secure computers that connect to
the campus network using open access wired ports on campus.
Technology Replacement
SOU has kept campus technology current despite
fluctuations in fiscal resources. A very successful program was implemented
three years ago for scheduled replacement of all lab computers every 3-4 years.
A similar plan is being developed for faculty and staff desktop computer
replacement. In 2004-2005 all workstations not running a current operating
system will be replaced or upgraded to run the current release of Windows XP
and OS X. A replacement schedule will be established to ensure that, when
Microsoft or Apple releases the next major version, capable desktop equipment
will be in place.
Technology Budget Planning
A new budget model
for Information Technology is being developed. Changes in the IT organization,
new technologies that must be acquired for the institution to remain
competitive, technology obsolescence, network security, dependence on
enterprise technology solutions, and declining revenues for telecommunications
services make it necessary to revise the IT funding model. The new model will
outline life cycle costs for technology currently in use at SOU and incorporate
evolving information technology requirements of the institution. The model will
be reviewed with the Executive Leadership and used to project future needs.<
Document Retention and Storage
New paradigms are emerging for
document storage. Network storage has grown to mammoth proportions as
generations of documents remain on primary file storage. While the cost of disk
space has gone down, the cost of backup solutions and the impact that backups
have on network performance creates new network resource dilemmas.
Long term electronic document retention and archiving guidelines must be
developed in consultation with the campus community. New strategies for storage
of student and faculty course materials need to be considered with a focus on
electronic portfolio management and better utilization of the courseware system
to facilitate storage management.
IT POLICY DEVELOPMENT
Peer to Peer
Work will continue in refining
strategies for dealing with Peer to Peer activities. This includes
consideration of P2P blocking technologies, introducing legal file downloading
services on the SOU network, and continued efforts to educate the campus
community on copyright issues.
Security Policies SOU’s security plan will be reviewed to incorporate additional best practices for better alignment with recent legislation and to address the increase in security threats posed by viruses and operating system vulnerabilities. An effort to heighten campus community awareness of best practices will also be undertaken.
Disaster/Business Continuation Planning
The ETS Disaster Plan covers
preparedness for the Banner and Data Warehouse systems.
disaster plans should address the campus LAN and all on campus enterprise
systems such as e-mail, telecommunications systems, Blackboard, and the various
client server database systems. Over time, SOU has made steady improvements to
the robustness and reliability of campus network services. Upgrades planned for
2004-2005 include implementation of dual routers, dual fiber paths to the
Oregon University System network, and implementation of a redundant server
cluster on the Medford campus. A
review of business continuation plans with campus units, and an update to the
written disaster plan will also be completed in 2004-2005.
