The Division of Information Technology has been busy this year with four new projects being piloted this fall, all having to do with giving our students more access.  The October 15, 2009 issue of the UTPA newspaper covered the new technology benefits being available to all students.

The biggest improvement we have planned is an overhaul of the campus wireless network. Currently, the wireless network runs at 54 mbps, which was excellent in 2005 when it first went online. However in the foreseeable future, a spate of bandwidth-intensive services like Tegrity lecture capture, Blackboard, the Virtual Computer Labs, and even YouTube are expected to overwhelm our wireless bandwidth.

After the upgrade we will be running at N-Class speed: up to 300 mbps. We will also be increasing the number of computers that can connect to the network in any given location. More computers connecting in heavily-used areas like the Student Union and the Library means more opportunities for students to study and collaborate wherever they need to.

The second project, mentioned above, is the Tegrity Lecture Capture software. Professors and lecturers can use this program to record their lectures and upload them to Blackboard.  This allows the students to access the lectures if a class is missed, if a student is late, or if they want to watch it again before exam time.  Students are able to review the material as soon as the professor uploads it. Sound, video, and any media displayed in class is all captured and indexed.  Working with the Division of Academic Affairs, we have 23 professors and lecturers utilizing this application and hope to have more taking advantage of this opportunity in the coming semesters.

Another project being worked on is the Virtual Computer Labs.  This project will allow students to access applications normally only accessible from the University computer labs.  Some of these applications include: nursing programs, engineering software, computer science software and various statistical analysis.  To use the virtual Labs, go to http://vlab.utpa.edu (using Internet Explorer) and follow the on-screen instructions. After a short installation, a window opens which looks exactly like a computer screen in the ASB Computer Labs. That’s because for all intents and purposes, it is. Much of the software that you previously had to visit the Computer Labs to use can now be accessed from a web browser, anywhere on the Internet.

When you log off, everything you created in a Virtual Labs session disappears, so it’s important to save your work to a thumbdrive before you disconnect. In the future, we’ll be adding the ability for you to save your work to the Virtual Lab computer, effectively giving you a dedicated virtual computer in the labs, set up just the way you want to work. Finally, it is my great pleasure to announce a new kind of learning environment in the Academic Services Building: the Learning Studio.  This room is the first of its kind on campus: a comfortable, private room full of technology designed to make your meetings, study sessions, or collaboration groups a success. And the best thing is it’s only available for students to reserve.   It’s located at the ASB, room 2.112.

Some of the features included in this state-of-the-art studio are: a presentation podium with audio-visual controls, a 58-inch mobile monitor (known as a Smart Board) featuring a touch screen, wireless polling system, movable white boards, document camera, a video projector, and wireless tablets that will allow each student to use the Smart Board from their seats.  To use the Learning Studio, students may reserve a date and time with computer services.  Our hope is that they will use this room to its fullest potential.

Schedule:

• Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
• Saturday: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
• Sunday: 12:00 pm – 12:00 am