Mission
To provide information technology support to the faculty and staff of the College of Education for the purpose of helping them attain and accomplish the goal of offering students at the University of West Georgia "Educational Excellence in a Personal Environment".
Objectives
In seeking to accomplish our mission, Education Technology Services(ETS) will:
- Provide computer hardware support for college owned computers.
- Provide computer software support of college approved and legally licensed
software titles.
- Provide an efficient method of responding to technical problems
with computing equipment.
- Provide connectivity to college network resources (file storage, printing,
etc.) where possible and necessary.
- Provide limited server storage space for faculty and staff for file
storage and backup.
- Provide a web support page to help faculty/staff resolve computer
problems quickly and to disseminate information quickly.
- Provide network resources for instructional purposes (file storage,
software distribution, printing, etc.).
- Provide limited training for faculty and staff in using computing
equipment and software.
- Provide client and network policies to foster the protection of data and resources for faculty, staff, and the College of Education.
- Provide first responder technology support for all College of Education classroom
Policies and Guidelines
Eligibility for Services
Currently employed faculty and staff of the College of Education are eligible for the services provided by Education Technology Services. Faculty and staff who leave employment with the University will have all accounts and access levels disabled. Any computer files or records left in storage on college network servers or client workstations after employment separation will be subject to removal.
Services
The College of Education strives to provide information technology necessary for the faculty and staff to accomplish the goals of their specific job positions. However, due to the nature of funding for the College and University, all services listed below are provided based on appropriate funding by the College, University, or Board of Regents.
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User Access: Each verified faculty and staff member of college will be assigned a user ID and a password for access to the college network servers. It is the responsibility of the faculty/staff member to maintain security of his or her own password. For more information on how to change/set your password, click here.
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Computing Equipment: Each full-time faculty and staff within the College of Education will be assigned a single computer to accomplish the tasks associated with their job provided the computing equipment is available. The basic configuration that is provided is a computer with hard drive, operating system, appropriate RAM for OS, CD-ROM drive, network card, sound card, keyboard, mouse, monitor, and speakers (if available). Printers, Scanners, Digital Cameras and any other peripherals are not provided as basic computing equipment. (Note: See section G below regarding verifying support for peripheral equipment.)
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User Network File Storage: Each faculty/staff member will be allocated 100MB of server storage space. This limit is managed by software on our servers. If a faculty or staff member exceeds this allocation limit then he/she will be prevented from continuing to save files to the network server until files are relocated or deleted and the amount of used server space is below 100MB. If a faculty or staff member needs to have more than 100MB of server storage space he or she may request in writing to ETS for more server space. A request for more server space does not guarantee the granting of additional server space.
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Department Network File Storage: Each department in the College of Education is allocated storage space for sharing of files between members of a department. At this time there is no space allocation limit.
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Printing:
- Departmental: Auxillary Services provides each
department one black and white networked laser printer for their
department. Departmental funds can be used to purchase additional
networked laser printers if needed. For the printer to be connected
to the college network it must have at least a 10Mb network card,
communicate via the TCP/IP protocol, and must have drivers that
are compatible with the Operating System(s) of the computers that
will be printing to it. For each approved printer, a print queue
will be provided on the college print server for faculty and staff
to print. ETS will provide the services necessary to physically
connect the printer to the network, establish a network queue,
and connect computers to the print queue. Each department is responsible
for providing supplies for all their departmental printers. Service
work to network printers will be limited to removing paper jams
or resolving network-printing problems. For any other mechanical
problem of the printer, the department will be referred to off-site
repair facilities. Any costs associated with the repair work will
be the responsibility of the department.
- Network Copier/Printers: At this time, there are not
networked copiers in the College of Education. We will continue
to review this as an option in the future.
- Faculty/Staff Office: Faculty/Staff printers that are
connected directly to a computer will be supported only to the
point of installing drivers for the printer and physically connecting
the printer (printer cable or USB cable not provided). If appropriate
print drivers are not easily available for the printer then no
technical support can be offered for the printer. It is the responsibility
of the faculty/department to pay for any mechanical problems,
toner/ink, and paper supplies. It is recommended that ETS provide
a quote for any office printers.
- Classroom and Homework labs: Laser printers located in college computer labs are provided by the College of Education and service and maintenance handled by ETS. Problems with these printers should be reported directly to ETS. Printers located in departmental-only use labs are the responsibility of the department that oversees the lab. This includes paper and toner/ink supplies and any mechanical repair work that may be required.
- Departmental: Auxillary Services provides each
department one black and white networked laser printer for their
department. Departmental funds can be used to purchase additional
networked laser printers if needed. For the printer to be connected
to the college network it must have at least a 10Mb network card,
communicate via the TCP/IP protocol, and must have drivers that
are compatible with the Operating System(s) of the computers that
will be printing to it. For each approved printer, a print queue
will be provided on the college print server for faculty and staff
to print. ETS will provide the services necessary to physically
connect the printer to the network, establish a network queue,
and connect computers to the print queue. Each department is responsible
for providing supplies for all their departmental printers. Service
work to network printers will be limited to removing paper jams
or resolving network-printing problems. For any other mechanical
problem of the printer, the department will be referred to off-site
repair facilities. Any costs associated with the repair work will
be the responsibility of the department.
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Computer Hardware Repairs: Troubleshooting the mechanical failure of college owned computing equipment is supported by ETS. This support includes the diagnosing of problem, acquiring replacement parts, and replacing parts provided the computing equipment is under warranty and the warranty provides replacement parts or parts are readily available in ETS parts supply. Otherwise, technical support is limited to diagnosing the problem and replacing parts. The funding of the parts needed is the responsibility of the department that the computer resides.
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Computer Hardware Upgrades: The College of Education does not provide computer hardware upgrades. Acquiring larger hard drives, more RAM, additional drives, and other peripherals are the responsibility of the departments. If such upgrades are needed, it is recommended that faculty and staff contact ETS to make recommendations for appropriate upgrade hardware to insure that the upgrade is compatible with the computer it will be installed. Failure to follow this process may prevent a successful upgrade and/or cause additional computing problems. ETS will not install any upgrade part deemed not appropriate for a particular computer. Any problems caused by upgrade components not recommended by ETS are not supported.
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New Computing Equipment: New computers must be funded by a department, a grant, the Dean's office, or some other source of funding. ETS does not provide funding for the purchase of new computer equipment. Starting in 2001, ETS has implemented a Computer Upgrade Program for faculty and staff computers. ETS hopes that funding will be available each year to continue this effort. There is no guarantee this program will be funded year to year. Prior to any department purchasing of new computing equipment, it is recommended that the specifications of the computing equipment being requested be submitted to ETS to verify that the equipment will be able to connect and function properly on the college network. Once new computing equipment arrives, ETS should be contacted to setup the computer, install necessary software and properly inventory the equipment.
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Software Support:
- Software Licensing: All software installed on university
computers must be properly licensed. It is the responsibility
of each faculty/staff member to ensure that any software that
he or she loads onto his or her computer or computers that are
his or her responsibility is properly licensed with documentation
being maintained in each department's office. Any software found
on University owned computing equipment that is not legally licensed
will be reported to the Dean and Department Chair respectively.
- Faculty/Staff Desktop: Due to the wide variety of software
packages that are available on the market today, it is impossible
for any support group to be an expert at supporting all software
packages. Therefore, ETS has generated a list of supported software
packages that constitute the majority of use for the College of
Education (software list). Software support is limited to only
legally licensed software owned by the University installed on
University owned computing equipment being used for University
business and to the extent that it is being used to accomplish
a task that it was designed/engineered to do. Only the latest
two versions of any software on the software support list are
supported. Software not on the software support list that causes
problems/conflicts with supported software or computer hardware
is not supported.
- Faculty/Staff Laptop: ETS is not equipped to properly
provide phone support for off-campus computing equipment. Therefore,
all laptop technical support issues can only be dealt with on-campus
during normal university office hours.
- Computer Lab/Classrooms: Any software that will be installed
into a computer classroom or lab must be reviewed by ETS prior
to purchase to ensure that the software is compatible with the
computing equipment it will be installed on. Where possible, it
is recommended that lab/classroom software be server based to
be able to better manage distribution and upgrades to the software.
For software to be considered to be installed in a computer lab/classroom
it must meet the following criteria:
- Be legally licensed to run on the number of computers it
will be used on
- Compatible with all computer equipment it will be run on
- Satisfy a need for the course(s) it will be installed for
- Not conflict with any other software installed in the lab
- Have a faculty/staff member who is trained to use the software
To schedule a computer lab for an entire semester or just one time, please review this document.
- Be legally licensed to run on the number of computers it
will be used on
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Operating Systems: The College of Education provides an operating system(OS) on all university owned computers. Prior to upgrading to a new OS, ETS will thoroughly test the new OS to resolve any conflicts prior to implementation. Due to hardware requirements, some computers may not be able to handle an upgraded OS. It is recommended that those individuals wait for new hardware prior to upgrading their OS.
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Productivity Software: The University of West Georgia through the University System of Georgia has entered a Microsoft Campus Agreement that provides access to several Microsoft software products that include most Microsoft desktop operating systems, Microsoft Office suites, and some other software. ETS can install this software upon request provided that the computing equipment that it is requested for meets the minimum requirements.
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Productivity Software for Home: As a part of the MCA, faculty and staff may purchase the CD's of the software made available by the agreement. For more information and guidelines about this visit http://www.westga.edu/~mca. Software purchased in this method is not to be installed on University owned computers.
- Software Licensing: All software installed on university
computers must be properly licensed. It is the responsibility
of each faculty/staff member to ensure that any software that
he or she loads onto his or her computer or computers that are
his or her responsibility is properly licensed with documentation
being maintained in each department's office. Any software found
on University owned computing equipment that is not legally licensed
will be reported to the Dean and Department Chair respectively.
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Data Backup: All documents, spreadsheets, images, data, etc. created/maintained by software installed on a computer are the responsibility of the faculty/staff assigned to the computer. This means that the faculty/staff member is responsible for backing up their data files to some other media that is or can be separated from the computer equipment itself (i.e. floppy disk, zip disk, network drive, etc.). Data stored on college network servers are backed up daily.
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Training: There are several opportunities for faculty and staff in the College of Education to gain new skills or refresh their current technology skills.
- In-House Technology Training: ETS enlists the help of
knowledgeable faculty and staff to assist with in-house technology
training. Technology training is developed based on College of
Education faculty and staff need. In-house training sessions are
offered in both Fall and Spring Semesters. All faculty and staff
are encouraged to attend at least two sessions per year. Prior
to each semester, a new program
bulletin will be sent to each college faculty and staff member.
E-mail reminders will be sent out a few days prior to each session.
- Technology Tips: college faculty and staff can review a list
of "Tech Tips"
of past technical issues and resolutions. It is highly encouraged
that new faculty and staff review these tips to answer some commonly
asked questions. Tech Tips are sent out via e-mail as needed.
You can submit a Tech Tip to the Director of ETS for distribution
and archival.
- On-line Tutorials: There are various on-line
tutorials available on the web. ETS has developed and linked
to tutorials that are specific to the College of Education faculty
and staff needs.
- New Faculty/Staff : Once hired, faculty and staff are encouraged to set up a time with ETS for new hire training. An ETS staff member will assist you with acquiring login's and passwords for the various accounts you will need access. The trainer will also get you acquainted with your new computer, how it works, answer your questions and point you to other resources that can assist you.
- In-House Technology Training: ETS enlists the help of
knowledgeable faculty and staff to assist with in-house technology
training. Technology training is developed based on College of
Education faculty and staff need. In-house training sessions are
offered in both Fall and Spring Semesters. All faculty and staff
are encouraged to attend at least two sessions per year. Prior
to each semester, a new program
bulletin will be sent to each college faculty and staff member.
E-mail reminders will be sent out a few days prior to each session.
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Web Development: The web has become an important tool in the sharing of information. Many students, faculty and staff rely on that information as the most recent or correct version. Due to this fact, it is highly recommended that each unit review their unit web site information quarterly and update as needed.
- Department Web Pages: ETS supports web development activities
within the various educational departments. Some units will develop
their own web site while others will rely on ETS to maintain their
departmental web site. Either way, it is highly recommended that
all web pages have some consistent information from department
to department and maintain a professional appearance.
- Intranet: The College of Education has developed a secured
web-site known as the college "Intra"net. This web site
contains information specific to faculty, staff and administrators
of the college. This site is only accessible via a login and password.
You can obtain a login and password by contacting an ETS member.
The intranet contains resources such as:
- Forms
- Committee information and minutes
- Directory
- Services (equipment checkout, technology request list, etc..)
- Downloadable software
- Tech. Tips
- Technology Training
- On-line tutorials
- Personal profile information
- Forms
- Student/Faculty/Staff Web Pages: All UWG students, faculty
and staff should have a sun account for checking e-mail and storing
web pages. Each can develop their own personal web page and upload
it to their sun account using their login and password and an
FTP program. Before starting a web page, all web developers should
follow the Web
Publishing at UWG guidelines.
- Department Web Pages: ETS supports web development activities
within the various educational departments. Some units will develop
their own web site while others will rely on ETS to maintain their
departmental web site. Either way, it is highly recommended that
all web pages have some consistent information from department
to department and maintain a professional appearance.
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Equipment for Checkout: Checkout equipment is provided for a maximum of two weeks of concurrent use by any one individual. The intent of this equipment's use is for College of Education faculty and staff to present at conferences or work on tasks if away from their offices for short periods of time.
All equipment must be returned to TMC at the end of each checkout period to be checked and made available for the next user. If equipment is needed for longer than two concurrent weeks, a justification request should be submitted to Matthew Clay (mclay@westga.edu) to obtain approval.
If you checkout a piece of equipment for a two week period, you cannot check out the same device or another device until a day after it has been returned.
Upon checkout, all equipment and parts have been checked by TMC staff and are in working order. The individual who checks out the equipment is responsible for any lost parts and/or damage to the equipment. Please test the equipment prior to leaving on a trip to make sure you are fully aware of how to operate such equipment. You can contact a TMC or ETS staff member if you need assistance using the equipment.
Please check the inventory list in the carrying cases to make sure all parts are included when returned. A full description of each device available for checkout is located on the college Intranet under Services.
What type of equipment is available?
- Laptop Computers (Windows and Macintosh)
- LCD projectors
- Combo units (include both computer and LCD projector rolling
carrying case)
- Digital still cameras
- Digital video cameras
- Laptop Computers (Windows and Macintosh)
