On the cutting edge of technology

IUK’s Hancock views high-tech growth as both employee and student

Hancock has witnessed a multitude of changes in just a few years. As a student, he likes the impact Oncourse has had on his classroom studies:

“It is a system that allows more interaction between faculty and students. I like it because it takes assignments that used to be turned in as ‘paper’ copies and moves them electronically to the instructor.”

Hancock, reflecting upon his role as a full-time library employee, said access to more electronic journals adds an increased variety of options.

A major recabling project completed during the summer has had a tremendous impact on the advancements in technology the campus has made, including increased desktop computer efficiency as well as providing up-to-date documentation (blueprints) of wiring f or the entire campus, according to Gordon Welty, IUK vice chancellor for information technologies. The recabling also ushers in major upgrades in Internet connectivity.

In May, IU Kokomo Chancellor Ruth Person and IU Vice President for Information Technology Michael McRobbie announced that the Indiana General Assembly was providing funding for the upgrade of network services. IU Kokomo was provided enough capacity to mee t current data networking demand from campus to commercial Internet, support more advanced video services and speed sufficient to support the university’s participation in Internet2. Eventually, this connection will carry converged voice, data and video s ervices for the campus.

Under a new organizational structure, IUK’s Office of Information Technologies (OIT) has added additional technical support staff, newly designed multi-media classrooms and almost 200 new desktop computers for faculty and staff.

In conjunction with the university-wide “Making IT Happen!” conference last month that focused on information technology and services, legislators, educators and representatives from regional business and industry joined IUK administrators in the dedicati on of a state-of-the-art learning facility.

A new computer lab is under construction, and a number of faculty members are enhancing their classes with multi-media technology. The university is investing more than $90,000 a year in new technology classrooms that offer the ability to instruct with th e aid of desktop computers, PowerPoint presentations, cable television, VCRs and Internet access.

“Our faculty has shown great enthusiasm for the new technological ways to present their material,” said Welty. “Faculty also will be actively involved in distributed education as we develop courses to be offered over the Internet. We have a vision about h ow technology can help the education of our students. Our staff is actively pursuing ways to bring state-of-the-art technology to the campus and have IU Kokomo on the cutting edge of technology when compared with IU’s regional campuses throughout the stat e.”

The OIT also is pursuing additional resources to support information and instructional technologies. “Through a comprehensive budgeting process, we have implemented a replacement funding model which will enable us to replace desktop computers every three years. That will ensure that a computer or networked printer will be replaced short of its life cycle, providing continually updated technology,” said Welty.