Glendale
Community College
NCA
Self-Study Report, January 2002
Physical Resources—Information Systems & Services
Four departments
encompass the broad category of Information Systems and Services: Network
Services, Instructional Computing, Training and Educational Development, and
the Innovation Center. All four
Directors report directly to the Dean of Administrative Services. Weekly staff meetings provide coordination on an as-needed basis.
Network Services
Network Services is responsible for the
operation and maintenance of the computing and telecommunications infrastructure
for the College. The four
management levels within Network Services include: Supervisor for Technical
Operations, Supervisor of Network Operations, Network Manager, and Server
Manager.
The 1994 bond initiative provided funds for
improved voice, video, and data systems for the District and College. In a continuing effort to improve
service for student and employee needs, GCC’s network infrastructure has
been rewired. The telecommunications project provided enhancement of the
conduit system to support additional cable installation and to provide pathways
to new buildings, both planned and unplanned. A complete fiber optic cable network was installed, linking
campus buildings.
The telephone system was completely
replaced, providing capacity for growth as well as providing new capabilities
on campus, within MCCCD, to the community, and beyond. In each building, a self-contained data
closet was built, allowing for specific environmental control for data
communications equipment. Two new
"Category 5" data cables were pulled to each workstation location,
and networking electronics were upgraded for connecting all workstations to the
campus network.
Instructional Computing
Instructional Computing provides direct
support for students and faculty in the High Tech Centers and in other labs
across campus and at GCC North.
The Director is a nine-month residential faculty member on leave from
her department. Instructional
support is provided by a large group of Instructional Associates (IAs) and
Floor Coordinators.
Training and Employee Development (TED)
TED is the third
of 4 departments encompassing the broad category of Information Systems and
Services. The department’s
mission provides quality comprehensive learning opportunities and technical
support, in collaboration with the Technology Help Desk. These enhance GCC’s ability to
provide quality education and services to students and the community. Additional information is available on
the web at
http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/ted
The Technology
Help Desk provides technical support for GCC’s employees by responding to
requests for hardware, software, and communications services. The staff works with TED to offer a
cohesive group of services to assist in educating and empowering GCC’s
technology users.
Innovation Center
The Innovation
Center assists GCC employees to find, develop, and implement effective
educational applications of technology.
The Director is a nine-month residential faculty member on leave from
her department. The Innovation
Center employs an Instructional Technologist, a Project Manager for Web
Development, and 2 Programmer Analysts who lead the development of the College
web site, multimedia projects, database applications, and various instructional
applications.
Achievements since 1992
· A complete fiber optic cable network was
installed, linking campus buildings together, not only for data but also for
HVAC control and security systems
· The telephone system was completely
replaced with a modern, more efficient system
· The College Technology Committee,
specifically through an “Expectations Document,” develops strategic
planning for technology.
Additional planning for the management and expansion of instructional computing
resources is addressed by the Capital Review Committee, which has developed
multi-year schedules for hardware upgrades in classrooms and labs, outfitting
at least one-third of the classrooms with standard presentation systems. The current version of this document, (revised
Spring 2000), as well as annual planning goals, are available on the web at
http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/apollo/desktop/GCC/ctcxp2000.html
·
The
Instructional Palette replaced The Electronic Forum in 1998; it provides all
students enrolled in credit classes with a standard suite of productivity
tools, storage space on a College server, web publication space, and
communication tools. More than
12,000 individuals have used their accounts during Fall 2001. “Universal Access” has been
provided free of charge to students in a three-year pilot program
·
The Desktop
Project is a planned approach to deploy computer hardware and technical
training to full-time, Board-approved employees. Through the Refurbished Computer Project, the IS Group
deploys similar resources to other employees. The Virtual Office provides a full complement of
technology tools for adjunct faculty, including web page publication space and
access to online course rosters that incorporate student ID photographs. Over 300 full-time and adjunct faculty
regularly use the online course rosters
·
The College
also expanded web-based mechanisms to measure the use of and satisfaction with
the College's technology resources
·
Use of the
Instructional Palette has been tracked since Spring 1998; data is used for
planning purposes and is posted each Monday on the web
Team Analysis
Team 6 conducted
an initial analysis of factors likely influencing areas of improvement and
their relationships to the measures of success, which included a
highly-qualified technical staff that provide support in a timely manner,
maintaining currency in technological advances, along with stability and
student satisfaction with technology access. Technology planning and staying current with emerging
technologies were seen as strengths, but the lack of a comprehensive plan to
support training, department coverage, and cross-training, and competition for
employees were determined to be weaknesses. The consensus was there is a need to make training available
to employees to keep them abreast of technological advances and to reduce
employee turnover, which was deemed a threat.
Areas for Improvement
· Find an appropriate balance between general
use and specialized facilities, between distributed and centralized locations
Recommendations
· Develop a comprehensive plan for
training/cross-training technical staff
· Document systems, tips, and tricks to
create knowledge-base
· Survey students, faculty, and staff to
explore 24x7 service-related possibilities to determine if this should be a
College priority
· Identify funding sources for the highly
respected “Desktop Project” to replace 1994 bond monies
Content
Area Validation
The College must
consider alternative plans for technology needs as a contingency to the
unavailability of future bond monies.
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Last revised 1/8/02. Direct feedback to l.hawbaker@gcmail.maricopa.edu. See Legal Disclaimer.