INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY

RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE ACADEMIC

PROGRAM

Janice Biros, Ph.D. Associate Vice President for Instructional Technology Support, Drexel University, Biros@Drexel.edu. Adele VarenasCoordinator Instructional Technology and TrainingAdele@Drexel.edu

Drexel University-Philadelphia, PA

• Private university founded over 100 years ago.

• Provide practical education and training for students of modest income backgrounds.

• Long technical tradition.

Anthony J. Drexel

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Drexel University-Philadelphia, PA. Cont.

• Long established Co-op program.

• One of the first universities to require personal access to microcomputer.

• Leader in academic courseware development during 1980’s and in academic integration of technology.

Office of Information Resources and Technology

• Largest Department- centrally supported services

– Network – Administrative Systems – Telephone – Training and Support.

Organizational Chart

President

S.O.M.

Dean

Recent changes

• Increased enrollment, larger pool, aggressive marketing and prospect management.

• Increased enrollment selectivity has brought better students with higher demands for technological service and opportunities.

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Recent changes II

• Assumption of management of MCP/Hahnemann medical school and college of health sciences (including nursing).

• Major transition of all administrative data systems from in-house developed system on Model 204 running on IBM 9121 to SCT Banner in client/server environment.

Effect of these recent trends

• Greater demands for speed and bandwidth on network.

• Transition from all Macintosh desktops to primarily Windows.

• Need for high profile services which could be aggressively marketed to attract new and better students.

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Effect of these recent trends- Cont.

• Increased training needs for both staff and end users, academic and administrative.

• Unique opportunity to make widespread changes with requisite resources available.

Overall Challenge

• Changes were dramatic, rapid and across all areas, making them difficult and complex to both implement and support.

Major changes

• Linking MCP/Hahnemann network with Drexel Network.

• Upgrading entire network.

• Membership in Internet II.

• Rapid introduction, piloting and full implementation of wireless network at all three campuses.

Phase I- Merging Networks

• Installing 3 T-1 between two main campuses-for faster access to Internet and improved speed for administrative users.

• Installing DSL links for suburban clinical practices.

• Standardizing all network switches.

Wireless specifications and costs

•Piggy-backed on top of a $5 million dollar infrastructure upgrade.

•Total Cost for wireless: $650,000.

-- $400,000 for Drexel University

-- $250,000 for Medical School.

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Implementing Wireless Service

• Laptop Loan Program in Library and Creese.

• Upgraded wireless cards.

• Introduced encryption.

• Favorable pricing for wavelan cards and purchase on web.

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Upgrading Network

• Bid Process-teams of bidders combining voice and data.

• Final Selection-PECOAdelphia and Qwest.

• Yipes Internet I

• Qwest for Internet I backup

• Qwest for Internet II

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Implementation Schedule

• Taking existing T1 services to an OC-48 Sonet Ring– Long distance traffic “switched” to Qwest

while Ring is built– Local voice carrier placed on net – Long distance traffic becomes dedicated– University City Campus – Queen Lane Campus– Center City Campus

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• PBX Extenders--MCK Inc.

• Allows PBX capabilities to be utilized at remote locations

• Attach extender unit at each remote location--housed near network router--utilizes data network for voice transmission

• Gateway is attached next to the switch--directly connected to TN off the PBX

• Traffic is transmitted over IP -box serves as converter for compression and decompression

• Enables utilization of full Symposium ACD capability

• Economical, easy implementation, no staff retraining

Interim Help Desk Phone Solution

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Optical Patch 1635 Market C.O.

3020 Market C.O.

Qwest

Yipes

MCPHU East Falls

DREXEL Univ. City

MCPHU Center City

Drexel and MCP Hahnemann Metropolitan Area Network

OC – 48 SONET Ring

Internet 2 traffic

Internet 1 traffic

Inter-campus traffic

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•Uniting all 3 campus PBXs

•Determine ownership of Queen Lane

•Install new Option 81C in Center City

•Standardization of voice mail systems

•These changes will facilitate creation of a virtual help desk, further integrating support services.

Voice Systems Future Goals

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Addressing Support Challenges

• Remedy Help Desk software.

• Symposium call distribution system.

• Voice menuing.

• Reorganization, training, and task/project management.

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5862….if you are a student, press 1, if you are a faculty of staff member, press 2

studentsfaculty

Questions on student bill press 1

Cable TV problem press 2

Telephone problem press 3

Network problem press 4

STS Office

2020 mailbox

CDN 7401

CDN 7402

No dial tone press 1

VM password change press 2

Report telephone/network problem…

press 3

CDN 7491

CDN 7491

CDN 7491

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 Master Script

GIVE RINGBACK

if cdn = 7491

then execute script irt_telephone

else

if cdn = 7492

then execute script irt_consult

else

if cdn = 7493

then execute script irt_support_admin

else

if cdn = 7494

then execute script irt_accounts

else

if cdn = 7495

then execute script irt_accounts_password

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Addressing Support Challenges

• Facilities Management work order/estimate program.

• Growth and development of web for support, communication and instruction.

• Contract employees

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Academic impact

• Increased support for online course development.

• Integration of technology into classes and to access new and non traditional students.

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Next Phase of Changes

• Put pilots into production if they prove practical and effective.

• Increase attention and support for academic technology exploitation and greater and more comprehensive penetration- ie. More extensive use of video, audio, animation on the web.

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Next Phase of Changes-Cont.

• Reestablishing University as a model of teaching and learning with technology and as a resource to other schools.

• Increasing and enhancing collaboration and demonstration of technological applications among faculty both internally and externally.

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Observations

• Can’t do one without the other. Technological innovation, however modest or ambitious, cannot happen in a vacuum. Must have extensive suite of support services accompanying them.

• Skills are paramount for success.

• Otherwise: high degree of frustration, lack of use of resources. Given rapidity with which technology changes, this can result in a waste of expensive resources.

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Observations- Cont.

• Must look ahead to convergence of technologies and how to leverage and exploit them in conjunction with one another.

• Need for a comprehensive, integrative approach to technological innovation that includes academic and administrative use and benefits. ∞

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For the Future

• Integrating help desk technologies to improve effectiveness and efficiency and increase accountability.

• Piloting cell phone program as precursor for merging services.– Cell phones extended arm in support.

• Piloting voice over IP as precursor of eventual merging of technologies.

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Irt_telephone/*check if queue is open, if not give nite auto-attend ms26981*/ If Day of Week = Saturday..Sunday then EXECUTE ClosedElseIf Day of Week = Monday..Friday and Time of Day = 17:00..08:59 then EXECUTE ClosedElseIf Date = Holiday then EXECUTE HolidaysElseIf Out of Service irt_telephone Then Execute ClosedEnd IFEnd IFEnd IFEnd IFGive RingbackWait 6 

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queue to skillset irt_telephone

wait 18

section loop

if not queued then queue to skillset irt_telephone

end if

give ivr 7220 with treatment 7016

give music 43

wait 30

execute loop

 

Section Closed

Give IVR 7220 with Treatment 26981

Section Holidays

Give IVR 7220 with Treatment 26984

DISCONNECT

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else

if cdn = 7497

then execute script MCPHU_Helpdesk

else

IF CDN = 7498

THEN EXECUTE SCRIPT FINANCIAL_AID1

ELSE

end if

end if

end if

end if

end if

end if

END IF

 

ROUTE CALL DEFAULT DN

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