2013 2015 Merced College Technology Master Plan Of f ic e of Tec hnol ogy and I ns t it ut ional Res e arc h
MERCED COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT Ronald Taylor, Ph.D., Superintendent/President Don Peterson, Principal Writer Bill Walls, Principal Writer Susan Walsh, Ed. D., Principal Writer Jeanne Bernardi, Editor 2012 2013 TRMPC MEMBERSHIP Area Representative ASMC Jacob Thielman/Fall 2012, Monique Tejeda/Spring 2013 Classified Senate Guy Near, Will Resendes CSEA Todd Blake Faculty Senate Kathy Kanemoto, Bill Walls (co-chair) MCFA Carl Estrella Grants & Institutional Research Director Cherie Davis ITS Director Don Peterson LRC Director Susan Walsh LRC Technical Manager Omar Amavizca Online Education Systems Manager Steven Alexander Los Banos Representative Charlie Schlinger Dean of Instruction Brenda Latham Interim Co-Associate Vice Presidents, TIR Don Peterson, Susan Walsh (co-chairs) Faculty Advising Member Cary Yanagi Internet Services Specialist Mike Smith Network Administrator Arlis Bortner Network Technician, ITS Walter Sherman Staff to TRMPC: Luis Flores, Pam Gomes, Jeanne Bernardi (recorder) Accepted by College Council March 12, 2013
Table of Contents College Mission Statement... 3 Strategic Plan... 3 TRMPC Mission Statement... 4 Executive Summary... 5 Focus on the Future... 7 Strategic Long Term Goals... 7 Strategic Objectives 2013-2015... 7 Service to End Users... 8 Support of Educational Trends and Curriculum... 9 Innovation... 9 Security... 10 Planning Rubric... 11 Reviewing and Revising Governance Policy and Procedure... 11 Overview of Current Technology... 12 Lease... 12 Computer and Audio Visual Classroom Technology Inventories... 12 Network Infrastructure... 13 ITS Systems and Services... 13 Blackboard... 13 SIRSI... 14 SARS GRID/TRAK... 14 Standards... 15 Online Support Systems and Services... 15 On-campus Technology Assistance to Students and Faculty... 15 Assessment Methodologies... 16 Determining Future Needs... 17 Appendix... 18 Relevant Board Policies... 19 BOARD POLICY 3710...19 BOARD POLICY 3720..21 Page 1
BOARD POLICY 3721...22 BOARD POLICY 3723...23 BOARD POLICY 4040...24 BOARD POLICY 5040...25 District Standards... 26 Computers...26 Printers...28 Classroom Instructional Technology...30 Cloud Computing Recommendations... 32 Inventories... 34 Intellectual Property... 39 Document Revision History... 40 Page 2
College Mission Statement In a rapidly changing and increasingly global society faced with great challenges, Merced College faculty, staff, and leadership are committed to continuously improving methods of providing an accessible, affordable, and relevant education that improves the quality of life for all students and their communities. Recognizing that education is never a mistake, Merced College serves as a gateway to the future by welcoming all students from our richly diverse region. We prepare our students for the next stage of their lives by providing the following: A supportive environment Committed and caring faculty, staff, and leadership Mutually beneficial community partnerships State-of-the-art facilities The latest technology Strategic Plan The use of technology to support and deliver education is one of the most important goals for the college during this planning period. To support student learning, instructional effectiveness, and staff development, an ongoing program of maintenance, innovation, and education will be undertaken. The following objectives focus on enhancing technology and systems integration: Objective 3.1 Prepare a Technology Plan that includes hardware/software, policies and training. Objective 3.2 Provide on-going training and education on use of the systems. Objective 3.3 Improve access to information via website delivery, cloud computing, and social media opportunities. Objective 3.4 Evaluate the appropriate use of technology in the delivery of instruction and student services. Page 3
TRMPC Mission Statement The mission of the Technology and Research Master Planning Committee (TRMPC) is to provide oversight, advocacy, vision and direction for all Merced College students, staff and faculty in the use of technology and college network resources, in the application of best practices in research and grant writing, in access to and use of information and audio visual resources, and in support of distance learning and student access to online services. TRMPC provides a forum for discussions of technology challenges and needs in Technology and Institutional Research, Instruction, Student Services, Administrative Services and all other areas of campus. TRMPC s mission is accomplished by: Setting standards for all district technology and software Staying abreast of changes in hardware, software and network technologies and evaluating them for use at Merced College Planning and implementing the roll out of new technologies including facilities, evaluation, planning and installation Establishing and reviewing best practices for using technology, for using information resources, for using audio visual and other media related technology, for providing online services for faculty and students, for seeking grants, and for conducting research Maximizing the deployment and use of hardware and software throughout the District Page 4
Executive Summary The primary purpose of the Merced College Technology Master Plan (MCTMP) is to outline the technology goals that will help the District achieve its strategic mission of providing Merced College students with an accessible, affordable, and relevant education that improves the quality of life for all students and their communities. The plan also serves as a guideline to support the current and future technology needs of Merced College, the college community and the community at large, and serves as a tool for evaluating the existing technology infrastructure, and related processes, equipment, services, training, and other technology systems the District currently operates. The document is comprised of the following areas: Strategic Long Term Goals Strategic Objectives Service to End Users Support of Educational Trends and Curriculum Innovation Security Planning Rubric Reviewing and Revising Governance Policy and Procedure Overview of Current Technology Assessment Methodologies Determining Future Needs The intent of this document is to centralize the technology information of the college and to assist in institutional planning, budgeting, and assessment. In doing so, this document addresses Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, and IIIC. The Plan will be updated as needed, or at least annually, through collaborative work of the Office of Technology and Institutional Research (TIR) and the Technology and Research Master Planning Committee. There are several assumptions critical to use and implementation of the Plan: Adequate funding levels, including lifecycle funding, as identified in the plan are provided Institutional standards are followed by all departments Strict adherence to technology policies and procedures The Plan is a truly living document and will be reviewed and revised as needed, or at least annually Page 5
The basic tenets at the foundation of the Plan are: Connecting students with appropriate technology in support of their academic work is essential to their success. (Strategic Plan Goals 1 and 3, Accreditation Standards IIC, IIIC) Existing technologies need appropriate support through lifecycle funding. (Strategic Plan Goal 3, Accreditation Standard IIIC) The success of students and college staff depends on currency and effectiveness of current technology. (Strategic Plan Goals 1, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC) It will become more critical to support end user technology, including personal devices, in order to provide services and access. (Strategic Plan Goals 1, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC) Wireless technology will grow in importance. (Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IIC, IIIC) The infrastructure that delivers technology must be continuously improved. (Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC) Page 6
Focus on the Future Strategic Long Term Goals 1. Enhance access to college online resources for students and faculty (ITS Program Review, LRC Program Review, Online Education Systems Program Review, Office of Grants and Institutional Research Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 2. Provide technology training to faculty, students, and staff in existing and emerging technologies: content, hardware and software. (ITS Program Review, LRC Program Review, Online Education Systems Program Review, Office of Grants and Institutional Research Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 3. Improve collaborative planning and decision making processes with all areas on campus as they relate to development, implementation, and maintenance of technology on all campus sites. (ITS Program Review, LRC Program Review, Online Education Systems Program Review, Office of Grants and Institutional Research Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication, Computation and Global and Community Consciousness and Responsibility) 4. Provide current online content critical to instruction, student services, administrative services, and other groups on campus involved in decision making. (ITS Program Review, LRC Program Review, Online Education Systems Program Review, Office of Grants and Institutional Research Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) Strategic Objectives 2013-2015 1. Complete the wireless network at all campuses: Merced, LB, and BRC. (ITS Program Review, Strategic Plan Goal 3, Accreditation Standard IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 2. Improve usability and currency of public facing web pages. (ITS Program Review, Strategic Plan Goal 4, Accreditation Standard IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 3. Provide for technological applications that expand access to online subscriptions and database holdings. (LRC Program Review, Strategic Plan Page 7
Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 4. Refresh technology in 10% of district classrooms, beginning with those with the most dated and failing technology. (LRC Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 5. Provide training for TIR staff to become proficient in current and emerging technological hardware and software used by the college. (ITS Program Review, LRC Program Review, Online Education Systems Program Review, Office of Grants and Institutional Research Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 6. Provide training to students, faculty and staff in use of: the Portal and Portal resources; online library resources; SharePoint design and use; Microsoft applications; Ellucian-Datatel; institutional metrics; Blackboard and GIS. (ITS Program Review, LRC Program Review, Online Education Systems Program Review, Office of Grants and Institutional Research Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IA, IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 7. Implement previously developed processes and checklists for installing technology in classrooms which require collaborative input for completion. (LRC Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 8. Maintain online licenses, databases and subscriptions critical to student success, on campus and online. (LRC Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) 9. Purchase, install and implement the Ellucian Integrated Learning Platform. (Online Education Systems Program Review, Strategic Plan Goals 1, 2, 3 and 5, Accreditation Standards IIC, IIIC, ILOs Communication and Computation) Service to End Users Students, faculty, and staff have access to and have come to depend on a wide variety of handheld devices, which are the next collaborative platform. Featuring fast always-on networks, smaller mobile devices that are as powerful as their desktop counterparts, and innovative user interfaces, the newest generation of handheld devices can run highly interactive content as Web applications. Page 8
In order to support student success and access, this trend will continually drive demand for bandwidth, services, browse-able and interactive content, and flexibility in delivery of content. Support of Educational Trends and Curriculum Curriculum changes have undergone a paradigm shift in that technology is assumed to be available to support outcomes of courses. It is not unusual for changes to be made in instructional outcomes and related texts that have great implications for available technology and technical support staff. In order to support curriculum improvement and student success, technology staff and services must stay abreast of the demands created in the instructional setting. This includes providing access to Blackboard capabilities to all instructors who want to take advantage of this powerful learning tool. Innovation Innovation is a constant reality. Examples of innovative technology that are becoming everyday reality at colleges and other institutions of higher learning include: Cloud computing for storage Telephony and interactive work space Virtual labs for students and work stations for staff Social media as a major form of internal and external communication Student response systems (clickers) provide faculty and students with another communication tool Spontaneous creation and distribution of educational content In Spring 2012, a TRMPC Task Force met and developed suggestions for implementing cloud computing applications at Merced College. After approval by TRMPC, the recommendations were presented to President s Cabinet. Merced College will need to participate in innovative strategies and services in order to stay competitive with peer institutions and to serve its students and faculty. For example, research needs to be done regarding the use of student response devices in the classroom setting in order for a District standard to be established. Page 9
Security Oversight and integrity of student and institutional data is a high priority to Merced College. This need is not only driven by the demand to protect the information of individuals, but also by legal mandates. Technological advances will provide both challenges to protecting information and data and opportunities for providing more secure storage and interactive work spaces. Merced College must allocate resources and personnel to provide security for data and technology. Page 10
Planning Rubric All projects, technology, and services included in the Plan objectives must address two or more of the items in the following Planning Rubric: a. Alignment with Program Review b. Alignment with Institutional Strategic Goals c. Alignment with Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) d. Support of Accreditation Standards Reviewing and Revising Governance Policy and Procedure Because there is an ever changing legal and technical landscape for District operations, it is critical that technology-related policies and procedures be reviewed at least biannually and revised as necessary. Policy and procedural changes can be initiated in a number of ways at Merced College, most notably through administrative direction or through the Academic Senate. Technology-related policies and procedures will be reviewed bi-annually by the Technology and Research Master Planning Committee. If TRMPC recommends changes in policy or procedure, it will create a sub-committee to develop proposed changes and, following a shared governance dialogue, will forward proposed changes to College Council for consideration. If recommended by College Council, the proposed changes will be routed through appropriate District channels. The critical factors to be considered when reviewing policies and procedures related to technology include: Security Legal and regulatory compliance Management roles and responsibilities Archiving changes in content ADA requirements Page 11
Overview of Current Technology Lease In February of 2001 technology at Merced College was in a state of disarray. There was no standard or uniformity in network equipment, computers, servers or fiber connectivity. Several courses of action were initiated, the first was to utilize the Gartner Group rating system to help evaluate technology companies and rate their products. TMPC decided to solidify on the enterprise tier rating for equipment. After considerable time studying each vendor the committee chose Hewlett Packard as the vendor of choice. This included computers, servers, storage devices, switches and core equipment. Hewlett Packard thus became the company for all hardware equipment for the District. The equipment manufactured by HP has been very reliable over the subsequent years. As the District embarks on the next iteration of the lease (mid 2013) considerable time will be spent in planning. This is done to select the proper equipment to allow the district network to operate efficiently for the next five years. Each area of the lease will be studied and evaluated with the help of HP engineers. The Purchasing department will also be involved in the project to keep the purchase of equipment in accordance with legal regulations. Computer and Audio Visual Classroom Technology Inventories Information Technology Services conducts an inventory of all computers connected to the college network annually. This inventory provides information on the year and type of computer and the software housed on each computer. This inventory is reviewed by the managers of the TIR area and by the vice presidents. Audio Visual maintains a current inventory of classroom technology (computers, projectors, document cameras, etc.) as items are installed and removed. This inventory is validated annually by staff visits to classrooms. This inventory is reviewed by the managers of the TIR areas and by the vice presidents. Lifecycle funding purchases are in part driven by the information in these inventories. Page 12
Network Infrastructure The network at Merced College provides mission-critical infrastructure to all buildings and its currency and health are critical to the success of all who work and study at Merced College. The network has undergone substantial upgrades in the last five years. It is critical that the health of this network and its role in supporting instruction and connectivity internally and externally be a priority for funding. ITS Systems and Services Datatel, the Strategic Academic Enterprise (SAE) system, has been used by the district since 1999. The SAE provides student information, accounting information, human resource information, and on-line registration. The Help Desk provides assistance to faculty and staff, enters help tickets, processes reports and produces documentation. The web design area creates and updates site content as well as assisting site contributors. Network services provides students, faculty and staff with access to critical resources including internet, portal, email, Microsoft office products, SharePoint, SQL databases, wireless access and data repositories. The desktop support area installs new computers, maintains computer images, and troubleshoots computer problems. Telecommunications support adds, changes, and maintains all telephone connections. The student lab area supports all student labs consisting of imaging computers, maintaining lab software and tracking use of software. Blackboard The District adopted Blackboard Learn 9.1 as its Learning Management System (LMS) in 2012. The college had previously used the WebCT line of products which Blackboard purchased in 2007. The District uses Blackboard to host its online classes and to provide supporting content to students in on-campus classes. Blackboard provides many features useful to students and faculty including online discussions, assessments (exams), chat, messaging, plagiarism checking through SafeAssign and a grade book. The Online Education Systems department provides faculty training for Blackboard and assists students in using Blackboard through the Student Help Desk. Page 13
SIRSI SirsiDynix Symphony is the integrated library systems used by the Merced College Library to catalog and circulate library resources to students and faculty. The system currently provides access to more than 50,000 items in its database. These library resources are easily accessible to students and faculty via the online access public catalog (OPAC). The OPAC provides an easy-to-use interface that allows users to quickly and effectively search and find books, journals, music, or other resources that students can use to support their academic work. The items are easily and effectively circulated to students at the library s circulation counter by the use of a SIRSI Workflows client that allows staff to easily scan student s identification cards and verify the student s enrollment status. The students that are enrolled can then check out items and return them after completing their work. The student database is updated frequently to make sure that all enrolled students can get immediate access to library resources. SARS GRID/TRAK SARS GRID is an easy-to-use appointment scheduling software package for student service offices. It has a colorful, intuitive row and column structure for easy viewing and updating. It also has a walk-in component to register and track unscheduled visits and is web-enabled for students to manage their own appointments and for advisors to work with their own schedules off-site. Users include advisors, counselors, schedulers, students and administrators. It is perfect for multiple users in both centralized locations and multiple de-centralized locations and departments. Each department can create its own unique scheduling criteria. SARS GRID was designed and tested with extensive input from college advising and counseling offices. SARS TRAK is a student self-serve check-in/check-out system for measuring students' use of college services, such as advising, counseling, library, labs, tutoring, career centers, and other services. A personal computer at each site prompts students to record their arrivals, reasons for their visits, and departures. Students can enter their identification numbers using a keyboard, touch screen, or scanning device, such as a card reader or wand. Since students are prompted by on-screen instructions, no training is needed. SARS TRAK supports multiple languages. When integrated with SARS GRID, students may use the system to self-register for walk-in visits and check in for appointments, at which time the advisor will be notified of the student's arrival and the student's attendance will be recorded. Students may also use SARS TRAK to book same day and future appointments. Page 14
Standards Standards for technology are developed by TIR staff with the collaboration of the Technology and Research Master Planning Committee. Standards are reviewed annually by staff and managers and by TRMPC as technology changes. Online Support Systems and Services Merced College provides online support systems and services for technology through a variety of licensed software platforms. These include: SharePoint for collaboration and information distribution The Portal for staff, faculty, and student access to specific institutional information Web Advisor for student registration and other processes and information Online library reference assistance for students who are unable to come in to the library, including Text-a-Librarian and LibGuides Geographical (geospatial) Information System (GIS) software that allows users to visualize, question, analyze, interpret, and understand data to reveal relationships, patterns, and trends Online counseling for students who cannot come to campus Microsoft IT Academy Image Now WebAdvisor Student Clearinghouse LibGuides CCCApply Live@edu On-campus Technology Assistance to Students and Faculty Merced College provides on-campus technology support and services to students and faculty through: The AV Help Desk for faculty The ITS Help Desk for students and faculty The Student Help Desk Page 15
Assessment Methodologies All areas of TIR conduct regular assessments of their services, technology, and collections (where appropriate). ITS assessments include annual surveys related to evaluation of technology, trend analysis of workload data, an inventory and evaluation of campus computers, and Program Review. LRC assessments are developed and implemented for each area. Library assessments include surveys on systems and services, trend analysis of workload data, inventories and evaluations of collections, analysis of materials usage, and Program Review. AV assessments include surveys on systems and services, inventories and evaluation of technology, trend analysis of workload data, analysis of material and technology usage, and Program Review. Online Education Systems assessments include trend analysis of workload data, surveys of students, technology surveys, usage by and number of Blackboard end users, and Program Review. The Office of Grants and Institutional Research assessments are developed and implemented for each area. Grants assessments include user surveys, trend analysis of workload data, analysis of grant submissions and success, and Program Review. Institutional Research assessments include faculty and student end user surveys, trend analysis of workload data, analysis of research requests and delivered research findings and analysis, and Program Review. Page 16
Determining Future Needs The Office of Technology and Institutional Research determines future institutional needs through a variety of resources and analysis of information. These include: Technology and data market trends Merced College and California Community College curriculum requirements Software and hardware updates for technology currently in use at the college Input from end users constituent groups including Academic Senate, Master Planning Committees, and Associated Students of Merced College Federal and state regulatory and legal requirements Program Reviews Accreditation Standards Page 17
Appendix Relevant Board Polices Board Policy 3710 Intellectual Property and Copyright Board Policy 3720 Acceptable Use Board Policy 3721 Computer Technology Maintenance Board Policy 3723 Information Security and Privacy Board Policy 4040 Library Services Board Policy 5040 Student Records and Directory District Standards Computers Printers Classroom Instructional Technology Cloud Computing Recommendations Inventories Computer AV Classroom Equipment Intellectual Property-Article XXI of Faculty Contract Page 18
Relevant Board Policies BOARD POLICY 3710 AND COPYRIGHT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Legal References: Education Code section 32360 Copyrights; use of funds Education Code section 32361 Use of employee worktime Education Code section 72207 Authority to secure copyrights Education Code section 81459 Sale, gift or exchange of published material; license of copyrights Labor Code section 2870 Employment agreements; assignment of rights Labor Code section 2871 Conditions of employment or continued employment; disclosure of inventions Federal Copyright Law of 1976, 17 U.S.Code section 101 et seq. The objective of the District is to establish an environment that fosters and encourages the creativity of employees and students, as well as compliance with the law. The purpose of this policy is to protect the interests of all concerned parties by identifying the rights to any intellectual property that is the natural outgrowth of employment or service to the District, and to inform all concerned parties of their legal obligations to comply with federal and state copyright laws. The Superintendent / President of Merced College is charged with implementing provisions of the Education Code which authorize the securing of copyrights in the name of the Merced Community College District to all copyrightable works developed by the District. In the case of works made for hire copyright law allocates ownership of the work to the employer, in this instance the Merced Community College District. The Superintendent / President may allow for ownership of a work for hire to be transferred to its creator by written contract with the approval of the Board of Trustees. It is the intent of the College that all members of the College community adhere to the provisions of the United States Copyright Law of 1976, as amended (Title 17, U.S. Code). Merced College sets forth these policies for all employees to demonstrate respect for intellectual property and compliance with the law: 1. No employee of Merced College may reproduce any copyrighted work in print, video, or electronic form in violation of the law. 2. Merced College directs its employees to obtain permission from copyright holders directly, or their licensing representative, unless the duplication is Page 19
authorized by (a) specific exemptions in the copyright law, (b) the principle of fair use; (c) the fair use guidelines; or (d) applicable licenses. Adopted 1/18/05 Page 20
BOARD POLICY 3720 ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY This policy applies to students, faculty, and staff. The Merced Community College District (hereinafter referred to as MC), which owns and operates a variety of communications systems which are provided for statewide use by students, faculty, and staff in support of the programs of California community colleges and are to be used for education, research, academic development, and public service only. Commercial uses are specifically excluded. All students, faculty, and staff are responsible for seeing that these systems are used in an effective, efficient, ethical, and lawful manner. This document establishes rules and prohibitions that define acceptable use of these systems. Unacceptable use is prohibited, and is grounds for loss of computing privileges, as well as discipline and/or legal sanctions under federal, state, and local laws. Communications systems are defined as services such as E-mail, Internet access, the telephone system, and campus electronic networks. Adopted 6/15/04 See Administrative Procedure 3720 Page 21