About IC - Instructional Computing Staff
Every IC service has a designated staff member primarily responsible for the service. Every staff member has a designee who takes over when the primary person is away from the office.
Primary service contacts are listed below. For a description of the staff person's responsibilities and their backup contact, click on their name.
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ITS Instructional Computing (ITS/IC) manages fourteen instructional computing labs throughout the campus. These labs have over 325 computers available for students to use. Of those about 50 are Sun workstations, and the remaining are about evenly split between Macs and PCs. Labs are used like classrooms: reserved by faculty or TAs for instruction. When not reserved for instruction, the labs are available to students on a "walk-in" basis. Even if they are not teaching in the labs, many faculty request to have academic software installed in the labs so that their students can complete homework assignments.
ITS/ICs Faculty Instructional Technology Center (the "FITC") has software and hardware that UCSC faculty can use for the development and maintenance of digital instructional materials. WebCT Learning Management System is a standardized tool provided by IC’s FITC. UCSC faculty can use WebCT to deliver web-based course materials to supplement their classroom instruction. At the FITC, student WebDevelopers provide faculty services such as audio and video digitizing, CDROM burning, flatbed as well as slide scanning, and web authoring. The FITC offers technology workshops for faculty such as the popular WebExpress series. FITC student WebDevelopers provides faculty four hours per quarter of free technical assistance to develop digital course materials, and train students in skills needed for academic courses. If faculty need more than four hours of assistance per quarter, they are recharged for the services beyond four hours.
Systems and Security
IC operates and maintains a total of 20 servers to support instructional services including several Solaris servers for web services, timesharing, and course lockers. IC maintains Windows and Mac OS X lab servers to efficiently run lab workstations and each workstation is restored to an original configuration each time it is rebooted. Software license "keys" are issued remotely to allow for simultaneous license use to reduce costs. A test and development lab is maintained in the IC office area.
Operations and Facilities
Lab workstations are replaced every three years. Monitors are replaced every four years. Lab equipment is distributed to the campus to enhance the scholarly environment. Labs are staffed by over 100 student employees who are trained systematically. Maintaining physical security with alarms and computerized locks (including codes for the 100+ employees) is complex. Developing new labs and moving existing labs requires resources.
Partnerships
- Developed and headed a committee to adjudicate proposals for over 150 surplus lab workstations; this equipment relocation proposal process has stabilized over the past four years.
- Collaborated with ResNet and the Provosts to better understand their student residents' lab computing needs, especially in the area of technical training and acceptable use policy implementation.
- Worked with academic divisions to garner input on improving course scheduling in the labs.
- Partnered with the Arts Division and Film and Digital Media to develop the Digital Media Lab.
- Partnered with the Music Dept. to develop the new Music Lab.
- Partnered with the Spanish Language unit to revise their web-based Spanish placement exams administered in the labs and elsewhere via the web.
- Collaborated with the UCSC Education Partnership Center to support the COSMOS program in IC labs, and to develop the Technology Innovation 2000 for bridging to K-12.
- Worked with the Virtual UCSC project staff to provide infrastructure support.
- Partnered with the Library’s Media Services on the Faculty Technology Support Team to deliver technology training to faculty.
- Participated in the Comm.on Teaching’s adjudication of Instructional Improvement (technology) Grant proposals.
- Continued to collaborate with Printing Services on the evolving effort to provide automated printing.
- With the Disabilities Resource Center, jointly sponsored moving the Adaptive Technology Room at Ming Ong to Cowell, and with the ADA comliance officer, developed a proposal for UC-system assessment of services needs.
- Partnered with Summer Sessions to provide an open-access lab for a nominal fee during the summer.
- Assisted the Center for Global, International and Regional studies in developing proposals for a technical internship program for UCSC students to work in non-profit organizations. Developed training curricula for student interns.
