Experience of Classes with the Portable Cloud Computing System and a Raspberry Pi Cluster
Takashi Yamanoue
Experience of classes which use the portable cloud computing system and a raspberry pi cluster is discussed. It is common to have a class using a Course Management System (CMS) on the Internet and “Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD)” of students in a class room of universities from 2010s. This makes managers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department of universities free from purchasing, maintaining and disposing of a lot of Personal Computers (PCs) in computer laboratories. This also makes surviving universities from COVID-19 pandemic.
After the pandemic, and when students came back to class rooms, we need much more class rooms where students and teachers can use the CMS for the classes and their BYOD.
In addition to this, special experiment environments for these classes are required, for exercises in some classes in an engineering school. The exercises should have minimal physical contact between students to avoid infection.
We made the portable cloud computing system before. A “Portable Cloud Computing System (Portable Cloud)” is a portable system that can turn any room into an ICT-enhanced classroom or an ICT-enhanced meeting-room. The portable cloud is a portable rack, which contains Wi-Fi access points, a network switch, and a server cluster. The server cluster includes a NAPT (Network Address Port Translation) router, a DHCP server, a captive portal. The Wi-Fi access points, the NAPT router, the captive portal and the DHCP server make the space where the Portable Cloud is located, Internet accessible. The server cluster also contains the “Distributed Web Screen Share (DWSS).” DWSS can share teacher’s PC’s screen with students BYOD.
We added a Raspberry Pi cluster to the server cluster of the portable cloud for exercises of classes.
The portable cloud computing system made us realize to have the technical English class, the computer architecture class with exercises and the parallel and distributed computing class, with minimal physical contact between students.
Designing for Healing: Technology Success Advocacy in Customer Service
Reagan Chestnut
The current rapid development of technology far outpaces the ability of the average user to keep up with those changes. The expectation that users are fluent in educational technology causes inevitable failures. Customer Service practitioners must assume that all customers have experienced these failures, and carry with them negative associations with technology in one way or another, whether they lost an important document in a hard drive crash, experienced a data breach, or have felt defeated when trying to learn a new piece of hardware. This complicated history with technology carries with it deep emotional and self-confidence ramifications that affect trust in both the technology and the service customers receive. Harm has been done, and relationships are broken before they are formed.
Therefore, it is necessary to design a customer service model that seeks to heal these pre-formed harms. Customer/user advocacy supposes a more active role than service. It necessitates anticipation of barriers and understanding of context. An advocacy approach meets the user where they are and improves user confidence in, and emotional relationship with, technology.
Using frameworks of trauma-informed and healing-centered customer service, universal design, and motivational interviewing, this presentation will discuss how to change the customer service model from transactional to transformational by focusing on user advocacy in customer service.
Designing a Useful IT Service Portal – Help End-Users Help Themselves
Jody Gardei, Pete Grondin, Jeff Horrigan, and Steve Beck
Technology is constantly changing and improving, as are best practices. Sometimes, the current technology does not improve as the organization changes, nor does it provide integrations with newer technologies to improve workflows. Add to the mix people who are comfortable and efficient at doing things in a certain way inside of known technologies. It is difficult to get people to change processes and habits without changing the technology. This is where we find ourselves – in the space between comfort and progress .
We recognized our existing IT Service Management (ITSM) tool had become overdeveloped because there was no administrative oversight of the additions and improvements being made to the system. The system had already been redesigned once a few years back and old habits soon returned within the “new” system. The old system was not client friendly. It was designed to provide IT staff with the details they needed but made it difficult for customers to find and get the support they needed. We needed something that improved the client experience and provided granular access to different functional areas of the system, and so the process for tool replacement began.
Some Considerations for Designing and Supporting XR Experiences in Classroom Settings
Owen McGrath
Academic computing support for Extended Reality systems and applications was, until recently, based mainly within specialized facilities and computer labs. [Note: the term Extended Reality (XR) used here broadly covers Augmented, Virtual, Mixed, and Holographic Reality modes.] The advent of affordable untethered consumer XR devices in recent years presents new opportunities, choices, and challenges for XR support in the curriculum. With untethered devices, ordinary classrooms or gathering spaces can become sites for XR-enabled activities. The considerations outlined in this paper are based on recent experiences supporting pilot projects in different disciplines and across different XR environments (e.g., stand-alone, social collaborative). The topics of this paper include: 1) describing some beneficial uses and roles for XR as applied to teaching and learning by early adopters; 2) considering service models for XR device deployment in courses; 3) noting specific infrastructure concerns, especially in terms of wireless connectivity and physical space management; 4) outlining current needs and challenges around security, privacy, accessibility, health and safety policy development for XR educational deployments.
Is it time to close computer labs?
Matt Darrington and John Felushko
Introduction:
As universities continually strive to optimize resources and meet the evolving needs of their students, the question of whether to maintain public computer labs on campus arises. To make informed decisions, institutions can leverage usage data to provide valuable insights into computer lab efficacy. This report highlights how LabStats can be utilized to determine the demand for public computer labs.
Monitoring Usage Patterns:
LabStats enables real-time monitoring of computer lab usage, offering detailed data on the number of users, session durations, peak hours, and popular applications accessed. By analyzing this information, administrators can identify trends and patterns in usage over time. A decline in overall usage or a consistently low number of users during specific time slots could indicate a diminishing need for public computer labs.
Assessing Remote Access Usage:
With the increasing prevalence of personal laptops and mobile devices, students now have greater flexibility in accessing digital resources from anywhere. Tracking remote access usage, reveals the extent to which students rely on campus computer labs versus their personal devices. A significant decline in remote access logins may suggest that students are adequately equipped with their own devices, thereby reducing the necessity of maintaining public computer labs.
Evaluating Cost-effectiveness:
Closing public computer labs can result in significant cost savings for universities, but those savings can be detrimental to students who rely on public computing resources. Usage data can be combined with financial data to provide administrators with insights into the overall usage-to-cost ratio, allowing them to determine whether the investment in maintaining computer labs is justified. By combining the data of student management systems, software licensing, hardware upgrades, and maintenance costs, institutions can evaluate the financial viability of continuing public computer lab operations and how those decisions will affect specific student demographics.
Conclusion:
By monitoring usage patterns, assessing remote access usage, evaluating cost-effectiveness, and combining data sources, institutions can make data-driven decisions regarding the closure or transformation of computer lab facilities. Leveraging usage data enables universities to optimize resources, adapt to technological advancements, and provide students with the most efficient and effective digital learning environments.
Technology renewal program at Ithaca College
Dusan Ducic and Kayla van Dinther
In the Fall of 2002, Ithaca College, hereinafter referred to as “the College” formally implemented the Technology Renewal Program (TRP), to ensure that the institutionally owned computers are standardized and support the needs of the college while maintaining up-to-date software and applications, along with following any security protocol. Managed within the division of Information Technology and Analytics. The program covers all the computers on the Ithaca, NY, Los Angelas, CA, and London, UK campuses.
Training non-technical support technicians for technical roles
Cory Molner
As a result of the global pandemic and support staff layoffs across organizations, departments may have merged roles to create hybrid positions resulting in non-technical staff serving in specialized and technical positions. The results of these staffing models are that individuals that were not trained academic support technicians or event technicians were required to serve in roles that were outside of their knowledge base. In addition, these staffing models often lead to individuals being shared between areas of a department (e.g. library circulation, media services, testing services) throughout a single shift, requiring a large breadth of knowledge of not only technical aspects, but of customer service as well. Through an intensive, intentional training program, Academic Support Services Technicians may be taught the requisite skills to be successful in an unconventional support services position. These training programs must not only include the basics of the position, but the basics of troubleshooting, IT support, and live event support. In addition to the basics, these trainings also utilized established training modules from industry leaders in AV technology. This presentation will lay out the challenges of the position, and the steps that Cuyahoga Community College took to rectify the less than ideal situation, so that individuals may develop plans to work within challenging staffing models for Academic Support Services.
Print Management In a Post-Pandemic Environment
Brandon Hopkins
Printing has been a thorn in IT’s side for a very long time. Whether you are trying to figure out what archaic error messages such as “PC Load Letter” means, or attempting to fulfill a 15-minute executive SLA for your president who just wants to print a 200-page report for a board presentation on their personal inkjet printer, printing has continued to be a resource drain for IT organizations. This presentation will review my implementation of a print management system in a pre-pandemic environment, introduce the adoption of novel technologies to replace paper during the COVID-19 pandemic, and make an argument for why not only print management as a software tool is needed now more than ever before, but also demonstrate why organizations should begin to think about their own print management solution, printing policies, and printer security.
Printing can continue to be a drain on the organization’s resources, or you can assist your organization in presenting a cogent, rational, and tangible assessment of why they should care more about printing, and what you as an IT leader are prepared to do to assist with these changes. Doing so will allow IT to focus more on value-add activities, and less on setting up, maintaining, securing, and ultimately decommissioning printers, and managing all of the waste that is associated with them.
The Hidden Impact of Unspoken Norms (Panel)
Miranda Carney-Morris
This panel session aims to unpack the nuanced yet powerful influence of unspoken norms, such as implicit dress codes, on perceptions of professionalism, competence, diversity, equity, and inclusion across a variety of higher education institutions.
Unspoken community norms can shape collective assumptions about what constitutes professionalism and competence. The enforcement and interpretation of these standards often diverge significantly, making this an essential topic to explore in the interest of achieving genuine inclusion. Our panel aims to cultivate a diverse, robust conversation that reflects the broad array of experiences encountered across our educational communities.
The session will explore the intricate ways these invisible norms shape our institutions, influencing not just personal styles but also the overarching culture, environment, and perceptions within our schools. By shedding light on these often overlooked norms, we aim to generate deeper awareness, spark thoughtful dialogue, and challenge these embedded assumptions. We believe this discussion is pivotal for fostering a community that embraces diversity in all its forms – from the clothes we wear to the ideas we share.
Becoming Change Aware
Cara Maat
Has your department ever been impacted by a large-scale, institutional change? Have you ever had to facilitate a new process or strategy within your department? How about having to show up every day to work while you’re processing a significant change in your life at “home”? It is often said that “the only constant thing is change” (Heraclitus). Whether through the lens of technology or a personal experience, most people can identify this as true in one way or another. Due to its complexity, “change” is often the thing that doesn’t always fit into a clean strategy or process. Change often lives in the space between process and people. It is structural and personal; tangible and intangible; wonderful and horrible, and so on.
I feel strongly that being “change aware” as a leader is crucial to the success and health of any organization, department, group or even relationship. Change awareness is rooted in empathy and requires flexibility and adaptability. In the form of an interactive presentation (more of a workshop feel)- participants will be invited to reflect on the realities of change, learn a handful of change management/leadership tools, and have a shared experience with co learners.
Be a Tech Detective
Lisa Brown and Victoria Waldron
In the fast-paced world of technology, being a “Tech Detective” is a critical skill for IT professionals seeking to solve complex challenges and uncover hidden solutions. This presentation explores the mindset, tools, and techniques of a tech detective, guiding the audience through the process of investigating and resolving perplexing technology issues.
This session will
- Define the role of a tech detective; highlight the essential attributes that a tech detective would possess.
- Delve into a detective’s toolbox; discover the range of diagnostic and troubleshooting tools one may have.
- Learn how to collect relevant information, detect patterns, and identify potential root causes of issues, ultimately leading to more precise and targeted problem-solving.
- Engage in and solve actual case studies.
Second Time in the Second City: Reworking Documents for Elevated Accessibility
Mo Nishiyama
Creating and maintaining accessible text documentation is extremely important for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) considerations. Our colleagues and intended audience members process and interact with information in a different manner. And as consumers of our digital contents become more diverse, we need to ensure that the way we present contents is inclusive.
In this hybrid presentation and hands-on workshop, we will discuss several best practices for improving document accessibility, with focus on elevating existing documents.
Book Club LIVE: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways
Laurie Fox
In this active presentation, we will explore the principles and practices outlined in Sarah Stein Greenberg’s book, “Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways.” This book was read and enjoyed by the SIGUCCS Book Club in May 2023.
As leaders and innovators, we often face complex challenges that require us to think outside the box, inspire creativity, and cultivate curiosity in our teams. By understanding and applying the strategies presented in the book, we can unlock our creative potential, drive innovation, and foster a culture of continuous learning. This workshop will bring the book’s concepts to life, providing participants with a hands-on and interactive learning experience. Through collaborative exercises, participants will experience the power of teamwork and learn how to create an environment that encourages open and inclusive ideation.
Mastering Customer Requests – Triage Guide to Efficient Resolution
Karl Owens
In a large organization, IT support typically isn’t handled by a single IT department or individual. When requests come in, it is vital to efficiently route them to the correct supporting individual or department. This way, customers receive the best possible response to their issues. Having a formal triage process empowers a complex IT organization to respond effectively to end users’ needs. Building and maintaining such a process requires a deep understanding of an organization’s priorities, customer advocacy, and streamlines request processing for quicker resolution.
To accomplish this the University of Oregon has adopted a simple triage methodology for processing incoming technology service requests. We affectionately refer to them as the “Three Cs”. Clean, Clarify and Conclude.
Revolutionizing Scheduling: Building Efficiency from Code to Calendar
Maddie Backhaus, Liam Cunha, Jordan Martin, Sujan Niroula, and Sam Solheim
In the world today, there are countless ways for us to create and manage our schedules. Everything from the Apple Calendar to a pen-and-paper schedule can help us manage our time. What happens when you must manage not only your time, but a schedule for more than 20 part-time student techs?
In the past four years, Drake University’s Information Technology Services department has implemented several technologies in efforts to adequately manage scheduling part-time student techs at the Support Center. Several notable technologies are Microsoft Shifts, Microsoft Bookings, and 7Shifts, and most recently scheduling has been managed with Microsoft Excel. We realized that these technologies were not configurable to our specific needs. In our search for a viable alternative, we realized that there was one resource we had left largely unutilized: our student techs.
Many of our student techs are majoring in computer science, artificial intelligence, or similar fields of study. Surely some of them would be interested in modernizing our scheduling practices while strengthening their coding skills. Through the investigation of these possibilities, we decided that an efficient solution would involve creating a scheduling web application. The technology relied upon for this development includes but is not limited to JavaScript, React.js, SQL Server, and C#.
In this paper, four part-time student techs will show how they have taken on this challenge, and plan to design, develop, and eventually deploy a scheduling web application for their workplace. Through the initial stages of application development, we hope to share our insights as we initiate this project.