The Academic Computing Committee
A Committee of the University Senate
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Action Issues

 

Laptop ownership requirement --- Chair Roger Salomon

     This Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the ACC will investigate what it takes to institute a laptop requirement especially since it was identified within the recently adopted Strategic Plan.  How is the laptop requirement funded (payment options, implications for financial aid, lease versus buy)?  Do students trade in their laptops after a period of time?  How do these get used in the educational context?  Are the laptops pre-loaded with discipline specific software and, if so, how is this licensing arranged? What has been reported back with regard to successes, failures, and new areas for investigation by institutions that have adopted laptop requirements?  What do students at institutions with laptop requirements have to say?  Is in-house maintenance a must for a successful deployment?  What models exist for high speed, off campus network provisioning? 

 

Physical security of facilities and hardware ---

     This Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the ACC will investigate security of MSU facilities and hardware.  What alarm systems are implemented and in which locations?  How does monitoring of these alarms take place?  What alternative alarm systems exist? What security devices exist for particular equipment (LCD projectors, kiosk computers, etc.)?  How have some areas been successful in keeping their losses to a minimum?  How is lost equipment replaced and how quickly is it replaced (implication for teaching facilities where faculty have relied on equipment that is not replaced in a timely manner)?    Are there best practices that could be adopted at MSU?   

 

 Wireless implementation at MSU --- Chair Anthony (Tony) Pemberton

      This Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the ACC will investigate the current implementation of wireless at MSU.  What are the future deployment plans?  Do they include wireless provisioning in open areas or only in University buildings?  Why move toward ubiquitous wireless computing provisioning at MSU based on practices at other institutions?  What kind of authentication will be used to join the MSU-WirelessNet (mdh coined term)?  Will we have encryption (WEP or WPA)?  

 

Leveraging middleware application services  ---

      This Ad Hoc subcommittee of the ACC will investigate what online/middleware services are currently provided and which could be provided in the future.   We recently learned of the online submission of student grades, but what other middleware application services exist and might be desirable?  Examples include HR middleware application services like consulting an individual employee's benefit plan, vacation time, sick time.  Students might want to be able to select housing and/or meal plans online, refill their RedHawk Dollars, apply for parking permits, see their most recent time sheet and pay tuition online.  What are the new middleware application services being added to MSU Web for Students (Faculty and Advisor Self Service, Employee Self Service)?  Can these middleware application services be unified under a common portal?  Are they secure (signed certificates)?

     **Note that the term middleware and application services are being used quite freely.  The ad hoc subcommittee could
 provide more accurate definitions of these terms in its report.

 

LMS (Learning Management System) Subcommittee  --- Acting Chair Patty Kahn

    This Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the ACC will study and advise on Blackboard and other learning management systems.

 

Digital Repository Subcommittee --- Chair Mary Mallery

     This Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the ACC will look at existing digital projects at MSU and different digital repository systems that might be implemented on a campus-wide basis.

 

Last updated: 04/08/08