III.C. TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
Technology resources are used to support student learning programs and services and to improve institutional effectiveness. Technology planning is integrated with institutional planning.
III.C.1. The institution assures that any technology support it provides is designed to meet the needs of learning, teaching, college-wide communications, research, and operational systems.
III.C.1.a. Technology. Technology services, professional support, facilities, hardware, and software are designed to enhance the operation and effectiveness of the institution.
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:
At WestLos AngelesCollege, technology services and accompanying professional support are providedbythrough a combination of district-based systems supported by personnel at the downtown District Office and college-based systems primarilysupported by college personnel in through theWest’s Information Technology Department (IT).
The College has a centralized IT department staffed by a Mmanager of Ccollege Iinformation Ssystems, a Senior Computer and Network Support Specialist, and three Computer and Network Support Specialists three micro computer specialists, and a computer technician. The Information Technology Department is headed by the The Ma manager CcIiSsreports to the Vice President of Administrative Services. AThe Technology Committee, co-chaired by the Vice President of Academic Affairs and a full- time faculty member elected from within the committee, offers advice aboutregarding the web sites, college applications, and faculty and staff needs, and the prioritization of new projects to be carried out by the Information Technology Department.
High-speed fiber optic cables connect all existing buildings to the centralized campus data centerservers. This infrastructureExisting network cables supportscollege applications, district applications, and Internet access in administrative, and faculty offices, and all classrooms. Buildings constructed in the last ten years feature network cabling to all rooms. Information Technology,in collaboration with the Marketing and Public Relations Department, maintainsthea variety of college websites[MA1], the college email system, and the telephone voicemail system in addition to anthe inventory of computer hardware and software.
Individual academic disciplines have developed infrastructure tofacilities which uniquely support specific learning objectives. Aart, Mmusic, Aaviation, Bbusiness, Ccomputer Science and English all have specialized computer laboratoriesy facilities. These facilities were created by, and are managed by, faculty who teach the classes that utilize the hardware and software on a daily basis. IT provides technical assistance when required or requested.
The Heldman Learning Resources Center (HLRC) maintains computer laboratory facilities open to all students. In addition, tThe Heldman Learning Resources Centerthe HLRC employs three Iinstructional Aassistants who help students use the computers , and theywho assist with the maintenance of the hardware and software.;Tthe Computer Science Information Technology Division employs oneIinstructional Aassistant.
The College is heavily dependent uponsupported by technology. Appropriate technologies haved been implemented at all levels. These include, but are not limited to, the following;
1) Admissions & Records including:;
a.Online student application, registration and fee payment
b.Online grade and transcript access for students
c.Queuing system to assist students in receiving service
d.District-wide student information system
e.Viatron student record imaging system
f. Digital media player system for public communication
2) Faculty:
a.Smart classrooms
b.Utilization of a Learning Management System (Etudes)
c.Online access to rosters, grades, and student information
d. ADX web-based content management system to assist faculty in posting course syllabi and materials
3) Academic Administration:
a. Electronic publishing and dynamic online class schedules
b.Electronic posting and tracking of faculty assignments
c. Online digital curricular material storage
d. ECD system used to maintain existing course outlines and to electronically create new courses
4) Library and Learning Resources Center:
- a. Maintains its own A website to support student awareness of resources including online periodical and reference databases and, 24/7 reference services
- A cComputer lab, laptop checkout, and smart classroom to support student access to Microsoft Office software, online classrooms, and online reference sources
- An IIntegrated Library System to automate the record keeping and lending of library resources and equipment
- An Instructional Media Center which provides training and support to faculty, staff and students in the use of audio and visual media to enhance teaching and learning
- A Language Lab, which incorporates various multimedia and online resources to accompany foreign language textbooks.
- Computer assisted instruction - PLATO software, provides self-paced training to improve student's skills in many topics including Math and English
- Vocabulary and spelling instruction software
AMaintains a computer lab and server to support these functions, including Internet access and computer classroom space
- AOffers video conferencing facilityies for collaborative learning environments
5) Counseling Center:
a.) DegreeWorks - Online tracking of students’ progress toward degrees and certificates
b. E/Chat online counselor advising system
6) Administrative Services:
.a. SAP accounting, financial, purchasing, personnel, and payroll system
b. District-wide employee portal
c. Work order systems for Information Technology and Facilities Management
d. Nebraska Book Co. point of sale (POS) system
7) Financial Aid Office:
a. ED Express award software system
b. Higher One aid disbursement system
8) Matriculation Office:
a. Accuplacer on-line Math and English assessment software
b. SARS on-line appointment system
c. APMS placement software
9) Transfer Office:
a. EUREKA on-line college catalogue system
b. Discover career assessment instrument
c. FAQ software
d. E/Chat on-line counselor advising system
10) Distance Education:
a. Utilization of a Learning Management System (Etudes)
b. Moodle online faculty/student communication system
c. Omni Update content management system to update websites
d. ADX content management system which allows faculty to post their syllabi
e. FileZilla file transfer protocol
The College makes assures that its diverse technological needs are identified by completing periodic assessments of the current environment toenvironment in order to match West’s information technology infrastructure with College and District requirements. More specificallyHistorically, the College meets anticipatedhas found it difficult to meet storage requirements as digital utilization has grownfor growth,. and the increased use of digital and multimedia for instructional purposes.
Students can access the College's online curriculum[MA2] using Etudes, West’s Learning Management System. The College continues cross platform collaborations between colleges within the District and The college also provides secure remote access to campus email and the Student Information System for faculty and staff.
SELF-EVALUATION:
The college is confident that this wide variety of software applications has successfully enhanced the operation and effectiveness of the institution.
[MA3]
The College is supported by technology. Appropriate technologies had been implemented at all levels. This would include, but not limited to the following;
Admissions & Records including;
Online student registration
Online grade access for students
Faculty
Smart classroom
Utilization of a Course Management System (ETUDES-NG)
Online access to rosters, grades, and student information
Administration
Electronic publishing and online class schedules
Electronic posting and tracking of faculty assignments
Library and Learning Resources
Maintains its own website to support student awareness of resources such online periodical and reference databases, 24/7 rReference services
Computer lab, laptop checkout, and smart classroom to support student access to office software, online classrooms, and online reference sources
Integrated Library System to automate the record keeping of lending of library resources and equipment
Instructional Media Center provides training and support to faculty, staff and students in the use of audio and visual media to enhance teaching and learning
e. Language Lab, which incorporates various software and online resources to accompany the Language textbooks.
f. Computer assisted instruction - PLATO software, provides self-paced training to improve student's skills in many topics including Math and English
g. Vocabulary and spelling instruction software
Maintains a computer lab and server to support these functions, including Internet access and computer classroom space
Offers video conferencing facilities for collaborative learning environments
Counseling
a. DegreeWorks - Online tracking of students’ progress toward degrees or certificates.
The College makes sure that its various diverse technologyical needs are identified by completing current assessments of the current environment, and map in order to match our information technology infrastructure to with Ccollege and Ddistrict requirements standards. More specifically, the College completes meets anticipated storage requirements for growth, virtualization strategy, and the increased use of digital and video multimedia for instructional purposes. requirement and the network and infrastructure strategies.
The College provides a strategic five-year road map with referenced Technical Architecture and Topology (?) for the enhancement of student and academic teaching experience (is this a reference to the TMP?).
The College evaluates the effectiveness of its technology in meeting its range of needs. The criteria for hwow effectively those needs are met are defining determined by students needs, technology standards, strategic manufacturing partnerships, enrollment, graduation rate, retention of students, and the impact of the College to on the local community, through Green initiatives., m Marketing of THE C,OLLEGE the College via mobile and social networking technologies, enhancing student experience through technologies like wireless, infrastructure for internet protocol (IP) phones and mobile computing devices, as well as the integration of multimedia, audio and video into instruction for classes.
The College makes decisions about technology services, facilities, hardware, and software by pro-actively engaging students as in fFocus gGroup on technologies deployed, setting up teachers or instructor as fFocus gGroup to [MA4]provide feedback on technologies, facilities, hardware and software, engaging in round table discussions with IT Directors amongst The Colleges, online surveys and review of different IT initiatives for students and instructors, developing questionnaires for continued and ongoing evaluations
Technology accommodates the College curricul[MA5]ar commitments for distance learning programs and courses. The College provides connectivity for remote students to securely access learning content. The College continues cross platform collaborations between colleges within District , or remote locations for secure access, proper learning experience, and continued educational experience. To ensure appropriate privacy and security measures, including fault-tolerance amongst contractual arrangements with different institutions, The College will annual continual assessments and audits for proper learning experience.
The College gives sufficient consideration to equipment selected for distance programs. Each Academic Division, including the Distance Learning Program, submits an annual Unit Plan describing their equipment needs.Requests for Academic Affairs are then prioritized by the Divisional Council.[MA6] There are never adequate funds for all the equipment that is requested, but the process is fair and items that are not approved the first year they are requested are often higher on the priority list in subsequent years. This process has been used to provide 25 online instructors and Distance Learning Center staff with laptops. This approach has proven effective for the prioritization of equipment purchases for individual use.
However, there has been some difficulty in ensuring access to computer labs for faculty/staff training.The Teaching Learning Center (TLC) was abruptly closed in Fall 2008 as part of the campus construction project.[MA7]
The space was needed for the Information Technology (IT) Department for additional computer servers. Although there is no denying the IT Department's crucial need to the additional space, it was unfortunate that the TLC was closed without faculty consultation and before a new training facility was completed.
For 2009 and the Spring of 2010 classroom computers labs were used for training. At times there was difficulty getting the necessary access to these facilities and ensuring that trainers had needed access to the Internet and specific computer software. The new Learning Studio opened in Spring 2010 semester and includes a Smartboard and a Smart Tablet podium. This allows trainers to incorporate videos, online resources, DVD excerpts, and podcasts into their training sessions and provides for live lecture capture. The facility will be fully functional once 25 ordered laptops have been installed.
The effective use of technology depends to some extent on the initiative of individual faculty members. Our contract with the American Federation of Teachers includes a minimum training requirement for online all instructors and, in addition, The College provides many opportunities for additional training through our Tech Fair workshops.The College’s Technology Master Plan committee has been charged with determining technology requirements. The TMP committee fulfills this particular requirement using several approaches:
Public open meetings are held periodically. The invitees includes; administrators, faculty, students and staff.
Electronic surveys are also conducted targeting the same audience which includes; administrators, faculty, students and staff.
The College’s website is also used as a tool to solicit input in this regards.
The survey results indicated that technology and its use is prevalent throughout The College. All participants stated that computers are used within their area, department, and/or discipline. Approximately 77% of the participants indicated that their students are using computers to complete or perform related course work or access college related information. Over 86% of the participants found computers and its related technology to be very useful in helping them work with students or solve student related issues. Nevertheless, over 49% of the participants felt that there were not enough computers or access to technology to meet requirements related to delivering student services. Approximately 40% of the participants indicated their use of some distance learning software. Over 32.8% were using ETUDES-NG and 6.7% were using some other distance learning course management system. Technology related to multimedia, animation, podcasting, and Web 2.0 is significantly under-utilized at The College. Approximately 20.2% of the participants felts that their classroom is not suitable to support the existing technology they are using. Participants expressed several suggestions related to identified problems:
Over 90% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed that more on-campus training would be beneficial.
Approximately 44% of the participants believe that a technology-based newsletter would be helpful.
Over 46% agreed that additional on-line training would be helpful.
Over 61% strongly believe the existing technology should be simpler and easier to use.
Over 52% strongly agreed that our existing technology needs to be more reliable.
Over 46% strongly agreed that technical support needs to be improved.
Approximately 54% strongly agree that existing classrooms and facilities need to be retrofit to support technologies.
The survey results also indicated that participants clearly expressed the desire to have more technology in their classroom and work areas. Over 39% would like to have access to high-speed color printers. Over 44% would like to have access to document scanning technology. Approximately 40% of the participants would like to have a Web 2.0 training labs for instructors. Over 41% would like to see support for Web 2.0 applications.[MA8]
SELF EVALUATION:III.C.1.b. The institution provides quality training in the effective application of its information technology to students and personnel.
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY:
The College West Los AngelesCollege provides a variety of computer and Internet literacy classes to students. The Computer Science Information Technology Division offers an Introduction to Computers class that exposes students to word processing, spreadsheets, presentation and database applications as well as Internet security and technology ethics., Tthis class is open to students, faculty and staff on ground and on-line. Students can also enroll in Internet research and library research classes. Online students are encouraged to enroll in Education 230, the Online Student Success Lab.
There is a diminishing demand for traditional Ccomputer Sscience classes because students have been exposed to computer technology most of their lives. As a result, enrollments in introductory computing classes have fallen significantly. Concurrently there is increasing need for more narrowly focused and technical classes leading to certificates in ComputerNnetwork Managementtechnology, Computer Network Security[MA9] , Computer Wweb Support & Database Administrationsite development, and computer security[MA10]and a combination Computer NetworkSecurity Management option. The Computer Science Information Technology Ddivision hostsldsanitsannual Aadvisory Ccommitteeannually, which consists consisting of a group of industry professionals,to help assess if West’s programs are relevant, to provide input about what employer expectations s will expect of West’s students, and to determine how the technology we are currently teaching meets the needs of employers. (III.C-1 Advisory Committee Agenda) (III.C-2 Advisory Committee Minutes) The Advisory Committee has documented these needs.
In Addition, the Heldman Learning Resources Center has application that helps students develop computer literacy, the HLRC The college’s library offers Library Science courses in library research methods, internet research methods, information literacy, and advanced Internet research. The library alsohas provides students with online 24/7 7 Library Support & Services & access to a Reference Librarian.
The effective use of technology depends to some extent on the initiative of individual faculty members.The District’sOur contract with the American Federation of Teachers includes a minimum online training requirement for online all instructors. I and, in addition, the College provides many opportunities for additional training through itsour Tech Fair workshops. (Tech Fair)
The Tech Fair provides faculty and staff with development workshops on various aspects of technology, specifically to enhance teaching and provide training on the use of instructional technology to improve student success.