No Lazy Days In Summer for IT

By Donna Justice

 
At this time of year, we may all be looking forward to the lazy days of summer, but summer will be anything but lazy for Information Technology (IT) at UC Davis. Here are some of the highlights of major projects and activities.

Instructional Technology and Digital Media Center: The Division of Information Technology (IT) is making a few organizational adjustments. By fall, IT's instructional technology services will be housed in the new Center. The Center, created to provide a service-oriented entry point for faculty, will be composed of units within IT already providing instructional technology services to faculty, including Illustration Services, Instructional Media, and staff from other units.

Final decisions about staffing will be determined once the Center's Faculty Director is on board, on or around July 1. No major interruption of instructional technology services is anticipated.

Audio Visual Equipment Loan and Repair--the folks within Instructional Media who provide everything from overhead projectors and VCRs to audio recorders and public address systems--will not be part of the Center. Starting July 1, they will be under the management of Information Resource's computer labs and classrooms unit.

For details on the development of the Center, see http://vpiet.ucdavis.edu/ and the "Update".

Instructional Technology Funds (ITF) Projects: Several projects with campuswide implications are underway, all scheduled to be completed this fall. Several will make mobile computing on campus much easier. Most notably, two projects will enable laptop users to plug into the network from a variety of locations on campus, and another will provide limited access to high-speed wireless connections. In addition, MyUCDavis, a new Web portal site designed to make it easier for students and faculty to access UC Davis' online services from any Web browser, will be in pilot stage in the fall; full campus service is anticipated late fall quarter. MyUCDavis is a joint project sponsored by Undergraduate Studies, Student Affairs, and the Registrar's Office. For more information on all of the ITF projects, see http://it.ucdavis.edu/itf/.

Classroom Upgrades: By fall, 30 of UC Davis' 120 general use classrooms will be treated to an overhaul. In addition to new paint, carpet, and furniture, each of these classrooms will receive new audio-visual equipment and "Smart Panels" to control the equipment. For more information, see "Classrooms Receive Facelift this Summer".

Computer Lab Changes: Summer is typically a busy time for Lab Management. Hardware and software upgrades will be completed in several computer labs by fall. For more information, see "Computer Lab Renovations".

Conferences/Training: This summer, a number of technology-related conferences and training opportunities will be held on campus:

• IT will be hosting the annual University of California Computing Services Conference (UCCSC) for IT professionals from all ten UC campuses. For more information, see "Computing Services Conference Comes to UC Davis".

• For those interested in Windows 2000 deployment, IT will be hosting a presentation and a technical seminar focused on implementation of the new operating system on campus. For more information, see "Win2K Recommendations and Seminars".

• The Teaching Resources Center will be hosting the seventh annual Summer Institute on Technology in Teaching (SITT) conference. Instructors interested in how best to employ technology for instruction should consider taking advantage of this hands-on training opportunity. For more information, see "Hands-On Learning at Summer Technology Institute".