Attending: Bryan Carson, Florence Feiereisen, Brigitte Humbert, Enrique Garcia, Joy Pile, Alex Chapin, Carol Peddie.

The topics of this meeting were:

1. Updates and announcements
2. Impacts of budget reductions on LIS
3. Old items – recapped answers to question from last meeting.
4. New business – questions from faculty.

1. Announcements:

• LIS and the CTLR are looking for examples of  innovative uses of technology to feature on the new Teaching with Technology Blog (see some of your colleagues’ work: Nancy O’Connor and Kyoko Davis) and in next year’s Pedagogy and Technology Fair.  If you or any of your colleagues might be interested in sharing how you’ve been using technology in the classroom, please let Bryan or Florence know.

2. Impacts of budget reductions on LIS (Carol Peddie)
Operating budget reduced by 9.5% or $340,000

• This includes library resources, software, professional development funds – everything but computers and network equipment.  Many cuts were made behind the scenes.
• LIS pays over $1 million in software contracts for existing software, and inflation rate 5% – 15%, so the reduction hits hard.
• Faculty software ranges from $100 for site license to $1500 per seat.
• The library resource budget was cut by over $100,000.

Some reductions in LIS so far:

• library resources cut by $100K:  bought fewer books, put money toward increasing costs of electronic resources and journal subscriptions
• maintenance contracts reduced from 24/7 to Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00
• going through software packages on a case by case basis
• eliminated Novell service contract
• changes in telephone services including eliminating phones in student rooms
• Lot of journals are bundled and therefore we can’t save money by canceling a specific journal, but getting print journals is no longer critical.

Capital budget (classroom equipment, projectors, computer labs, network infrastructure):

• cut by 35% – $650,000 — a major hit — almost a 50% reduction in 2 years ( $1.3 million in 2 years)
• desktop replacement will have to be reduced
• looking at computer virtualization
• looking at data on all public stations to identify the lowest-utilization machines, and retire them from service, e.g., 18 computers in CFA with very low utilization

Changes to services (some still under consideration):

• one impact for everyone will be reduced services; LIS has lost 23 people and probably will lose another 5 for about a 30% reduction in staff.  Our staffing is at about the same level that it was 10 years ago but demands for support are increasing.
• reduced support for showing of DVD’s in class; still support 16 and 35 mm showings
• restrictions in printing –  print release in library and public labs, started charging guests for printing
• reducing student telephone services – phones in common areas but mostly relying on student use of their own cellphones
• possibly a different process for requesting new equipment (still in process)
• we don’t have funds to buy multiple software packages that do roughly the same thing, so we might have to standardize
• film rental – change in process
• reduction in inter-library loans or some delay in service, e.g. no ILL over the weekend, etc.
• videotaping of campus events – needs to be reduced since media services has lost a number of staff.   Requests for taping lectures, special events, etc. are increasing but staff has been reduced.
• Help Desk – temporary coverage plan to shore up for staff losses but we may have to reduce hours in evenings and weekends.  We will keep in mind that Monterey folks, in a different time zone, still need help.
• We generally don’t try Vermont consortia because there are too few schools; some of our contracts are with Educause, NITLE, etc
• We are implementing a key server to accomplish just this but some applications don’t work with key server technology.  There’s also the possibility of virtualization.  We look at each software package and ask how it is licensed, how it is paid for and are there any potential savings to be realized
• LIS has been supporting language schools and schools abroad for years – our staffing is at about the same level that it was 10 years ago but demands for support are increasing

3. Old items (Bryan Carson)

Questions from last meeting:

• What is the policy on PC to Mac switch (for faculty)?
• What’s the upgrade schedule for XP to Vista?
• What’s faculty equipment replacement schedule going forward in the new fiscal climate?
• Answers reviewed here.

4. New business – questions from faculty.

• Segue Issues-Enrique asked for clarification of Segue shutdown.
  • Segue v.2 will be available for editing and creating new sites at least through summer semester 2010.
  • Edit-only access will be available after a new system is chosen.  (Lack of an alternative system would extend Segue’s availability for creating new sites beyond summer 2010.)
  • Read-only access will be available after that.
  • At some subsequent time, “migrate-only” access will be available until every site has been migrated to the new system for course websites.
  • There will be no shutdown of Segue until a new course website system (or systems) is up and running.
• Audacity
  • some faculty thought this application was too complex.
  • It’s a free application.  There’s no affordable alternative at the moment.
• Language Lab issues were raised by the Spanish Dept.
  • At some point we (LIS) will need to examine this issue more closely.
  • There needs to be some way for professors to listen to students and make corrections.
  • More than just the “iPod” solution is needed.
• Enrique asked if his students’ videos would be examples for Tech Fair and in the spring, and the “Teaching with Technology” blog.  (Yes, these are great candidates for this.)

]]> http://sites.middlebury.edu/lisadvisors/2009/12/10/languages-advisory-group-%e2%80%93-notes-from-fall-2009-meeting/feed/ 0 http://sites.middlebury.edu/lisadvisors/2009/12/10/1501/ http://sites.middlebury.edu/lisadvisors/2009/12/10/1501/#comments Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:23:00 +0000 Bryan Carson http://sites.middlebury.edu/lisadvisors/?p=1501 Continue reading →]]> Agenda for the Dec. 10th meeting:

1. Impact of the current financial crisis and budget cuts on LIS services and resources. (Carol Peddie)

2. Updates and announcements:  LIS and the CTLR are looking for examples of innovative uses of technology to feature in our new Teaching with Technology Blog and to participate in the Pedagogy and Technology Fair next spring. (Bryan)

3. Status of new College web site and departmental support.

4. Old items:

• What is the policy on PC to Mac switch (for faculty)?
• What’s the upgrade schedule for XP to Vista?
• What’s faculty equipment replacement schedule going forward in the new fiscal climate?
• answered here

5. New business

What is the policy on PC to Mac switch (for faculty)?

If the faculty member’s primary computer is due for upgrade, s/he can choose from either of our standard models, Windows or Mac, for her/his new primary computer.  If the end of the four-year replacement cycle has not yet been reached, and there is a desire to switch platforms, LIS will do what we can within budget limits to meet the request, but we cannot always guarantee that we can supply a brand new model.  LIS is committed to providing all faculty with the equipment they need for their teaching and research, within the limitations of the budgets we have available.

What’s the upgrade schedule for XP to Vista?

There is no upgrade schedule to Vista.  LIS has decided leap-frog over Vista and go directly to Windows 7 when the time is appropriate.  We have ordered all new equipment to date with a downgrade to Windows XP Pro with service pack 3.  Our reasoning:  Vista introduced too many challenges to our support structure and to our end users.

What’s faculty equipment replacement schedule going forward in the new fiscal climate?

There is no change to the LIS replacement schedule.  The replacement cycle is based on a four-year deployment.  The only caveat is that LIS will more closely scrutinize requests for any additional machines (i.e., beyond the standard “one primary computer per faculty/staff member.)

Attending: Co-conveners Bryan Carson (LIS) and Brigitte Humbert (French), Tom Beyer (Russian/FLAC Rep.),  Kyoko Davis, Enrique Garcia (Spanish), Larry Yarbrough (Religion/Arabic), Alex Chapin (LIS).

Topics for this meeting were

• College Web Makeover information and discussion
• Future Plans for Course Management Systems (Segue)
• Follow-up on Previous Action items
  • Web-based recording (Wimba/Clear)
  • Moodle/Measure demo and discussion

Alex Chapin was the guest star of the meeting giving a short presentation and answering questions about Moodle/Measure, our online testing system for languages.

Bryan started of the meeting with a brief explanation about how the web site makeover project is conceived and what the College hopes to achieve.  He touched on the collaborative nature of the project, how the new site is meant to be more participatory, more Web 2.0.  He asked how the language departments envision their web sites and if they could identify people who would be willing to be that contact persons in the departments.  We projected the Web makeover site and talked about the “400 stories”, what that meant and how to submit them to White Whale.  We also discussed the timeline of the project a bit.

The discussion of the sunsetting of Segue followed.  Alex and I explained that Segue was being phased out, but that it would still be fully functional this year and realistically into the next.  Furthermore, Segue would exist as read only for longer than that.  Alex discussed possible migration tools.  We mentioned that support for Segue was not broad-based (Alex and Adam) and that in we would investigate other systems in the future.  In the meantime, new faculty should consult with liaisons to establish what they want to do, and let LIS recommend the best tool for the job (WordPress or other applications.)  We stress that nothing would just disappear during the Segue sunsetting process and that content would not be a complete “do-over.”

They second half of the meeting was Alex’s presentation of Moodle/Measure online testing and Wimba and Clear web-based audio -video capture.  There was general discussion afterwards, especially about how Wimba was expensive, didn’t integrate well, and  as Tom pointed out, was not as easy as YouTube.  Clear represented an easier (and open source) solution.  Tom also encouraged Alex to go to the Dept. of Education about access to application, since in his experience, the Dept of Ed. is more open about open access than are some of its partners.  Alex said he’d check this out.

Action Items

• Alex will check on getting Clear set up locally.
• Bryan will find out
  • Upgrade schedules for XP to Vista
  • Policy on PC to Mac switch for faculty
  • faculty equipment replacement schedule going forward in the new fiscal climate

Next Meeting

Fall Semester.  Location and Time: TBD

Web Makeover

• How do you envision your Website?
• Who is the point person for your Website?
• Talk about 400 stories for White Whale.
• Questions

Future Plans for Course Management Systems (Segue, etc.)

• Announcements (aka sunsetting)
• Questions and suggestions

Tracking issues (this is follow-up from action items)

• Moodle / Measure (This is follow-upon Stefan Mulla’s and Sandra Carletti’s project.  Alex Chapin can answer questions.)
• Wimba (and Wimba-like possibilities/ web-base video capture – Alex Chapin)
• Questions

Topics for next year (time permitting)

Attending: Co-conveners Bryan Carson (LIS) and Brigitte Humbert (French), Tom Beyer (Russian/FLAC Rep.), Tom Moran (Chinese), Stefano Mula (Italian), Enrique Garcia (Spanish), Larry Yarbrough (Religion/Arabic), Joy Pile (LIS), Shel Sax (CTLR/LIS).

Introduction

Round-the-table intros

Bryan offered an explanation of charge and function of the Advisory Group and referred faculty to the blog for more detailed information. He emphasized that the Groups supplement rather than replace the individual Liaisons for departments.

Language Advisory Group – meeting agenda for 2009-02-24

Topics gathered from faculty before meeting

• Smart classrooms and the special needs we have when teaching languages in them (particularly the ability to move about the room as we teach rather than stay stuck behind the console)
• Funds for buying books now that the College is trying to save money. The professor is concerned that many important contemporary French texts need to be purchased to complete our collection, but doesn’t know if new budget constraints will allow it.

Classroom Issues (discussion)

• There are special needs for Foreign Languages – professors cannot be stuck behind the lectern.
• Screens cover the writing surface – (“write-on-the-board” button — program the touch screen button to raise screen, switch input, bring up lights, whatever else to allow using the whiteboard.) (note: this theme recurs in other Div. meetings.)
• Storage – cupboard for props, maps, etc. – maps: possibly web-based, projected.
• Idea of dedicated classroom is not realistic, particularly when class size can push one into another location
• Bryan mentioned that no more smart classrooms will be added to the current inventory, as a budget reduction. The focus will be instead on maintaining and upgrading the ones we already have.
• Not all classrooms have a computer, so carrying a computer and other stuff can be an issue, particularly for small physiques/women/older instructors.
• There are no computers in smart classrooms in Atwater, Freeman, Cooke
• Sunderland 110 needs renovation
• Need to rethink the components in our smart room – do we really need DVD players when can play them from a computer
• Can we simplify our classroom configurations to minimize components and requisite faculty training
• Issues about bringing in personal computers to class and issues of printing and registration on the network
• Issues with Mac projection – and dongle. Can we have a dongle (set of dongles?) in every room?
• Stefano asked if faculty could have a choice with the type of machine they receive from the College. Many faculty members may not need as heavy or powerful a machine for their classroom use. The problem arises with the training the Helpdesk staff to support computers. The more different types of software and machines there are on campus, the more difficult it is to have staff who are trained in an ever broader array of tools to troubleshoot.
• Idea that instead of giving everybody the same computer, we give each faculty a dollar amount and then faculty could augment
• Some faculty would like cheaper computers and be able to specify what it is that they want, rather than have the make and model dictated to them.
• Discussion about a recent e-mail saying not to put anything personal on a College machine. This issue/policy is totally unrealistic – there is no separation between life and work.

Book-buying Issues (discussion)

• Joy explained that departmental allocations have for the most part evolved into a single large pot of money. Although the book funds have been decreased by 5% this year, faculty should continue to send their requests for books, DVDs and music to Joy and she will facilitate the purchasing of materials.
• There was a discussion of e-books, and a request that they be available to more than one user at a time. The cost of textbooks is becoming prohibitive. Faculty hope that e-books might help mitigate textbook costs for students.
  1. Depts completed 2007-08: Chinese, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish & Portuguese.
  2. Depts scheduled for 2008-09: French, Italian, Arabic
  • Bryan recommended Moodle for Stefano Mula’s and Sandra Carletti’s online workbook exercises. They could use the existing Moodle online testing instance to create new modules. Shel suggested that Joe Antonioli’s Digital Media Tutors could help faculty accomplish such projects over the summer.
  • Bryan announced that there are now 3 classrooms with dual projection capability – Library 201, a classroom in Axinn, and one in Hillcrest.
  • Bryan mentioned a several go-links: go/mls for the master location schedule, go/scheduling to schedule a classroom, and go/software. Faculty were assured that the software list will now be updated more frequently.
  • The faculty representatives were all aware of the MiddMedia server, which is taking the place of Muskrat, but several said the space allocated was not large enough. They were advised to request more space from Joe Antonioli.
  • There was a discussion of acquiring language lab software, so that students, particularly in Chinese could listen and playback their own pronunciation. Shel mentioned that there is some on the market for around $10,000. If the departments split the cost among all ten languages taught at Middlebury, it might be possible to jointly purchase this, even in this more financially constrained environment.
  • Issues/future of e-texts and e-books
  • Language labs and “lab-like” solutions
  • Check out Wimba as a possibility if each department would be willing to chip in.
  • Stefan will contact Alex Chapin about the online testing module Moodle RE: 2nd-year Italian exercise (Mula/Carletti).
  • Schedule next meeting for exam week (per group consensus).

Academic Technology Assessment (announcements and discussion)

Topics for Future Meetings

Action Items