Sciences Advisory Group Agenda, Fall 2009

Monday, November 16, 3-4 pm, MBH 331

Agenda:

1. Announcements [5 minutes]

  • LIS and the CTLR are looking for examples of  innovative uses of technology to feature on the new Teaching with Technology Blog and in next year’s Pedagogy and Technology Fair.
  • Other announcements?

2. Effects of budget cuts on LIS services and resources (Carol Peddie) [20 minutes]

3. Updates and followup from previous meetings: [15 minutes]

  • Is DFS/middfiles faster than Tigercat?
  • Calendar for software updates:  coming.
  • Network registration issues for fixed-location computers: contact Howie.
  • Web Makeover:
    • Still haven’t determined date when old system will be unavailable.
    • Intellectual property:  The copyright guidelines in the college handbook are there to assist people to make this determination.  The handbook also has guidelines on sharing student records.  It is not our policy to review posted material unless we are notified that there is a problem.
  • Segue blog for updates.  And, Alex Chapin is interested in coming to a future meeting.

4. Next steps for our May discussion on research and tech instruction [10 minutes]

5. Feedback, please:  Are these meetings useful?  How could they be better? [5 minutes]

6. Next meeting:  March? [5 minutes]

Items for Consideration from May 2009 meeting of the Languages Group

These questions were raised in the Languages Advisory Group’s May 2009 meeting.

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.)

Notes from May 2009 meeting of the Sciences Group

The Sciences Advisory Group met on May 20, 2009

Attending: Carrie Macfarlane, Matt Landis, Jason Mittell, Steve Sontum, Bill Hegman, Pete Ryan, Matt Dickerson, Shel Sax, Stephen Ratcliffe, Bill Peterson, Roger Sandwick, Jason Mittell

The topics of this meeting were:

  • Web Makeover
  • Segue
  • Research and technology instruction for students

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Notes from Meeting 2 of the Humanities Advisory Group

Humanities Advisory Group Meeting Notes

(recorded by Shel Sax ; reviewed by Andy Wentink and Holly Allen)

The Humanities Advisory Group met at 8:30 a.m., on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, in LIB105.

Attending: Holly Allen, Judy Watts, Brett Millier, MaryEllen Bertolini, Randy Ganiban, Heidi Graswick, Brenda Ellis, Dana Barrow, Pieter Broucke, Shel Sax, Andy Wentink, Amy Morsman, Will Nash, and for 10 minutes Joe Antonioli

Agenda

1. Impact of impending web makeover on departments

2. Sunsetting of Segue as a course management system and the process of finding its replacement

3. Discussion of research and technology instructions for students. What topics should be covered during the First Year Seminar orientations that are most relevant to the Humanities division?  What research and technology skills should students possess upon graduation and how can we best provide training, support and development of these skills

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Notes from May 2009 meeting of the Languages Group

The Languages Advisory Group met on May 14, 2009.

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. Continue reading