Search Results of the Information Technology Survey
Question 1 to 6
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Search Results of the Information Technology Survey Question 1 to 6 |
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The Maximum Points: 7 |
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Current Score: 6 |
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Question 1: Which of the following statements best describes how your classes are housed and delivered over the Internet?a. We use a collocation service, or a private contractor to house and maintain our web server. b. We house our web server on our own facility, and it is maintained by our existing Information Systems staff with personnel assigned to ensure and guarantee 7 day a week, 24 hour/day dependability and stability. c. We house our web server on our own facility, and it is maintained by our existing information systems staff as best as can be accomplished with time and personnel constraints. |
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a = 1 b = 1 c = 0A distance education program cannot be truly successful until it has the trust of students and faculty that it will be operational all the time, or 24 x 7. When the system is down, little to no learning takes place. If the system is down for any length of time, students can become discouraged and angry, and may begin to lose interest in the class. Even if the system is down for just a short period of time, the experience is disruptive to students and fosters the belief that it could happen again. If you answered "a" or "b" to this question, you have solved this technical requirement. If you answered "c," then you should assess how important a program of online education is for your campus. If your plan is to develop a comprehensive online program, then you will need to include provisions for 24 x 7 system dependability and stability. Resources: A Teaching, Learning, and Technology Roundtable Click here to add additional resources. |
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Question 2: Our ability to deliver online courses dependably, 7 days a week, 24hours a day can best be described as:a. Excellent, our server never goes down, and classes are always online. b. Good, we have had 1 or 2 periodic problems, but we have little or no extended down time. Negative impact on online classes has been minimal. c. Poor, we have had several instances within a year where the web server has been down for more than a few hours. Negative impact on classes has been significant. d. Very Poor: Our server periodically goes down, and has been down for longer than 24 hours on more than one occasion. Negative impact on classes is unacceptable. |
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a = 2 b = 1 c = 0 d = 0System reliability is the most important technical factor for online education, and system crashes must be avoided. If you have answered "a" or "b," then you are succeeding in letting your students devote time to learning rather than on dealing with technical problems. If you have answered "c" or "d," then you should assess how important a program of online education is for your campus. If you would like to build your program, then you must find a way to ensure stability and dependability to your system and regain the trust of your students and faculty. Include in your campus plans sufficient funds to either contract for a co-location service for your web server with a guarantee of 24 x 7 maintenance and stability, or to hire sufficient trained personnel to ensure uninterrupted and efficient web service. Resources :This site includes a center called Education Service Center, Region 20 is dedicated to providing high quality service to the Education. Click here to add additional resources. |
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Question 3: Do you have staff dedicated to the development and maintenance of the online infrastructure? |
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Yes = 1 No = 0If you answered "Yes" to this question, you have a good start toward a successful online program. Enhancing and maintaining the online infrastructure at each institution will be necessary to support the development of distance education programs, improve the equality of instruction, and take full advantage of the distance education curriculum. Resources: Utah System of Higher Education Technology and Distance Education Initiative. This site includes Master Plan for Technology at Miami-Dade Community College. Click here to add additional resources. |
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Question 4: Does your college provide a means for research and development to ensure the currency of your online program? |
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Yes = 1 No = 0If you answered "yes" to this question, then your college understands that not only must the framework be established to begin an online program, but that it is important to also provide for its growth. The possibilities of online education expand constantly, creating new opportunities for learning and teaching. If you answered "no," then your campus may eventually find itself falling behind with online education. When you create or revisit your plan for an online program, look ahead and include provisions research and development to ensure continued growth. Resources: Click here to add additional resources. |
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Question 5: Do you use a dedicated web server for your online classes that is exclusively for the support of online classes? |
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Yes = 1 No = 0A dedicated web server gives you complete control of the configuration, content, and maintenance of your online courses. It also allows for growth without negotiations among other server customers and strain from different purposes. If you answered "yes," then your college has shown dedication to its online program. If you answered "no," then assess your online growth potential. Will you be adding additional online courses soon? It might be time to consider purchasing a dedicated server for your online classes. Resources: Secure Dog Hosting Click here to add additional resources. |
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Question 6: Do you have lab time available in your computer labs to enable students to take online classes from campus? |
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Yes = 1 No = 0There are many reasons why students might need to take online classes from college computer labs. Perhaps they are not able to take the equivalent class on their campus at the time or times it is offered, or perhaps there is no on-campus equivalent. As Internet access is a basic necessity for students who take online classes, and as many students do not have a computer at home, an available computer lab is a necessity for them to take the course. If you answered "yes," then your campus is adhering to the (almost) "any time, any place" principle that online courses offer. If you answered "no," then your campus may be shutting out some students who would like to take advantage of your online program. This Information Technology Strategic Plan points out the need for general-purpose computer labs. Resources: Information Technology Strategic Plan was written by Kpmg Peat Marwick Lip, developed in collaboration with St. Louis Community College. Click here to add additional resources. |