IT Times: February 1998: Faculty Participant

Faculty Participant Paves the Way

by Matthew Matuszak, Communications Resources

In joining the Remote Access Pilot (see Remote Access Pilot story), Geology Professor Kenneth Verosub hoped to get faster and more convenient access to the campus network. "The pilot seemed like a reliable way of logging on," he said when asked why he decided to participate. But he also realized that, as with any pilot project, problems were likely to arise.

Indeed, Verosub encountered a few difficulties. He needed assistance upgrading his computer's operating system and Eudora software, and installing a higher-speed modem, among other things. Complications led to four and a half hours of assistance from the pilot's technical support staff. (On average, members of the first pilot group required one-half hour of technical assistance to ready their systems for participation.) Accessing the pilot system also required a new-style password, which Verosub obtained himself from the appropriate Web site (see Resources at the end of this article).

By making suggestions for improvement to the pilot team, Verosub is paving the way for a simpler process and increased technical assistance for future participants. "I felt IT needed to provide a lot of hands-on support or make installation very simple," he says. "Make sure people have the modem they need. Provide information on what's needed and where to get it."

Verosub does not consider himself a computer wizard. Only recently did he begin to incorporate technology into his teaching and research. Like many faculty, he uses the network primarily to access the Web and email. While most of his Web development work has been accomplished on campus, Verosub says he finds working at home to be less distracting. "I have finally arrived," he says, commenting on the increased and more convenient access he has to the Internet from his home. Earlier this quarter, Verosub decided to augment course lectures and reading materials by developing a page of Web links for his introductory Geology 1 course. With faster and more reliable connections to the network, he has been able to use the Web to research honors programs similar to the Davis Honors Challenge (which he directs) and scholarship and fellowship application programs. In addition, he is able to communicate more quickly with the graduate student who is developing a Web site in conjunction with a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF).

"Because of the pilot, I am able to go to the site immediately when the student contacts me. Previously, this would have been impossible," he says.

Verosub's experience, together with those of the other participants, will help prepare for the next phase of the Remote Access Pilot in March. In response to participants' comments, Technical Support Coordinators (TSCs) were incorporated into the current phase of the pilot to augment the level of support available, and hardware and software recommendations were made available on the Remote Access Web site.

Resources:

New-Style LoginID:
http://mothra.ucdavis.edu/UCDLoginID

Remote Access Web Site:
http://access.ucdavis.edu