Computer Labs

LSUA’s Information and Educational Technology (IET) Services department maintains nine computer labs across campus with 197 computers. Three labs are classroom labs and six are open-access labs. The list of lab and classroom locations [1] details the locations and the number of workstations in each computer lab. Computer Lab schedules [2] (hours of operation) are posted throughout campus and are available on the IET Services website. On the Annual Survey of Students [3] (Spring 2005 - item 53), 76.9% of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “The hours that the ETC lab is open are sufficient to meet my needs,” 18.7% had no opinion, and only 4.3% disagreed with the statement. Periodically, counts [4] are made of the number of students remaining in the ETC lab until closing time. At this time, the numbers indicate there is not sufficient need to warrant staffing the lab after 9:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday. It is anticipated that when on-campus housing is available, the need for student access may change. LSUA continues to monitor the situation.

Student satisfaction with lab equipment is an important factor to consider as well. Item 50 on the Spring 2005 Annual Survey of Students [3]   indicated that 85% of students are satisfied with the hardware equipment available in the student computer labs with 3% disagreeing and 12% with no opinion.

The campus Acceptable Use Policy [5] defines computing resources, explains student responsibilities, and gives examples of non-acceptable uses of facilities with possible sanctions. Policy Statement 237 [6] outlines the policy for allocation of computing resources and the assignment of priorities for computer use.

Software

Equipment is only part of the technology equation. LSUA maintains software licenses to ensure students have access to the software needed to accomplish learning objectives. Academic departments determine what software will be used for course work. Educational Technology reviews new packages to ensure they can be supported on LSUA’s network. Some software packages [2] are available campus wide. Students use Microsoft Office Professional to write papers, prepare presentations, and create spreadsheets and databases to complete assignments. The Microsoft Campus Agreement ensures LSUA students, faculty and staff have access to the latest versions of software typically used in the workforce. LSUA also maintains campus licenses of Norton Anti-virus to protect student and faculty work and hardware. Item 51 on the Spring 2005 Annual Survey of Students [3]   indicated that 82.5% are satisfied with the software in the labs with 3.7% disagreeing and 13.8% having no opinion.

LSUA uses the course management system Desire2Learn.  This system allows faculty to post course materials online for accessibility any time.  Communication tools allow students to contact their instructor or each other through the system which students can access through their my.LSUA portal.  LSUA creates a course site for every section of every course.  This allows faculty who wish to use the system to manage their course site whenever they choose.  It also allows students to access classmates even if the instructor chooses not to utilize the site.  During Spring 2005, 30% of the 474 course sections that were created were utilized to some degree.  The system is also used to deliver Internet courses.  Seven Internet courses were offered each semester for Spring and Summer 2005.  Six Internet courses are scheduled for Fall 2005.

Students, faculty, and staff have campus e-mail accounts that can be accessed through the Internet. A number of software titles are content specific and requested by faculty to help students achieve learning outcomes. SPSS (statistical software) has recently been upgraded to 25 concurrent users to allow installation in a campus lab for student use for course work as well as in faculty offices for research. Nursing and allied health titles have been purchased to augment didactic and clinical courses. Several software programs assist students in preparing for board certification exams. Plato and Skills Bank programs offer remediation for students who need assistance in specific areas. Plato was recently updated to the web version,  allowing students to access material from home. Plato includes a biology and a chemistry series. Other software titles are designed to help students make personal decisions. Discover is a career exploration program available both on and off campus.

Maintenance and Upgrades

While having an adequate number of labs and workstations is important, a critical aspect of providing technology is ensuring resources are available to replace equipment on a regular cycle so that students always have access to current technology. LSUA has dedicated student technology fee money to ensure that lab computers are replaced on a regular basis. The Student Technology Fee Plan [7] is dedicated “to the acquisition, installation, maintenance, and intelligent use of state-of-the-art technology for the purpose of supporting and enhancing student life and learning and of preparing graduates for the workplaces of the twenty-first century.” The plan details the priorities for spending funds on replacement equipment for current labs, classroom technology, grants for new projects, etc. The current approved budget for the student technology fee [8] shows allocations for each spending area. The expenditures to date [9] show progress on purchasing the items approved for this fiscal year (as of August 2005). In addition to recurring expenditures, the Student Technology Fee Committee has approved 17 grant proposals in the past three years (since inception).

Classroom Technology

In addition to labs, LSUA is rapidly adding classroom technology to give instructors flexibility in presentation methods to meet the needs of various student learning styles. For the past four years, LSUA has targeted the implementation of a recurring grant (the Carl Perkins Local Application Plan) [10] for incorporating technology in the classroom. Because LSUA has combined these grant funds with student technology fee funds and operating budget dollars, LSUA has been able to provide computers with LCD projectors in many classrooms. From the beginning of this process in 2000, faculty input was sought to determine the most appropriate type of setup for the various size rooms. Faculty selected the style of podium and type of control panel. Through newsletters [11] [12] and e-mail, [13] faculty members are informed of available resources and encouraged to offer suggestions and input for improving teaching technology. Larger rooms and rooms that are used most often are scheduled for the full installation with ceiling mounted projector and speakers, a locking podium and computer, VCR, DVD player,and permanent mounted controls that are consistent across campus. Although component parts have evolved as the technology improves, every effort is made to ensure that basic control of the system remains consistent while allowing faculty to be comfortable with the technology in multiple classrooms and buildings. Smaller rooms are receiving Smart Expressions carts which incorporate all the same functionality as the large classrooms in a stand-alone cart. In addition to permanent installations, the mobile carts allow for multi-media opportunities in classrooms where permanent installations have not yet been purchased. These less expensive mobile units allow for greater coverage across campus and have been critical to filling the instructional needs of faculty based on requests to department chairs. The inventory of carts [14] and podiums shows the type of installation in each room.

Training

To ensure that technology is utilized efficiently by faculty, staff, and students, Educational Technology provides numerous training opportunities. Educational Technology staff includes a full-time Educational Technology Specialist, who uses a variety of approaches to identify and address training needs on campus.

Faculty Training
At the beginning of each semester, a needs assessment is conducted regarding faculty training needs. Results of the needs assessment [15] are then used to schedule training sessions throughout the semester. The Ed Tech Specialist conducts both group and individual sessions. According to the quarterly report for July - September 2004 [16] , 70 group and individual sessions were held. The quarterly report for October - December 2004 [17] shows that 60 group and individual sessions were held; third and fourth quarters, January - June [18] , 2005, 82 sessions were held.

The Ed Tech Specialist maintains a Desire2Learn (D2L) orientation site for faculty that provides tips on Desire2Learn and instruction sheets on using basic features. The discussion area is available for faculty to exchange ideas on how to effectively use Desire2Learn for student learning. LSUA offers online courses. To assist faculty with teaching in the online environment, Educational Technology offered an online course to faculty called "Teaching Online" in Fall 2003. The administration approved a $500 stipend for up to ten faculty to complete the six-week online program. The syllabus [19] describes the participation requirements. The Internet course checklist [20] is used to review on-line courses. The call for participants is included in the Faculty Newsletter.

Student Training
Students are provided with opportunities to enhance their use of technology through training sessions, access to Educational Technology staff and trained student workers, written instructional documents, and online resources. At the beginning of each semester, the campus calendar [21] announces the schedule of training sessions that are offered through Educational Technology. Faculty are also informed that they can arrange for their class to receive orientation topics pertinent to that course, such as course-specific software.

Another valuable asset to students is the availability of well-trained student workers in the computer labs. The Fall 2005 student worker training agenda [22] shows the topics covered during group training each semester. Additional information is conveyed throughout the semester as new software or technologies are installed. Student workers also answer the help desk phone which students can call for assistance.