ITB Meeting Minutes February 2, 1999

Absent: France Cordova, Jennifer Gebelein

Bob Sugar, ITB Chair, opened the meeting, announcing that the minutes could be found on the web. He then introduced Bob Kuntz, Assistant Chancellor for Planning & Budget, who presented an Overview of IT Funding at UCSB and Summary of FY 1998-99 Instructional Technology Allocations prepared for Meridith Michaels, Associate Director of the Budget, UCOP. Bob Sugar asked Bob Kuntz to provide more detailed breakdowns in some areas, and they agreed to meet prior to the next ITB meeting. Discussion about the presentation raised these points:

• Costs can easily be missed. For example, labs are supported by those whose salaries are not counted as part of the lab budgets.
• It is difficult to determine what is being spent and, therefore, what funds are needed.
• One must strive for consistency in how different entities respond to the survey.
• Recognize it is impossible to be exact.
• Formulate a set of rules to insure consistency.
• It is hard to translate the information into what is happening at the department level. It may be useful to take snapshot samples of various departments.
• In discussing operating costs for staff, software and hardware, it should be kept in mind that:
• Staff salaries are not paid with IUC funds.
• Salaries of grad students who are computer gurus are not counted as lab expenses, but they do provide support.
• Computers purchased with research funds would be almost impossible to track.
• There is a disparity in resources for small departments.
• L&S takes care of those departments that don't have computing staff.
• HUFA Computing Facility provides IT services (future presentation).
• There needs to be a standard that indicates what resources a good Humanities department needs.
• Campus needs to make commitment to core funding.
• More basic questions need to be asked:
• How do we set priorities?
• What is a "seat"? What should it provide?
• What resources do we need to carry out the mission of the campus in instruction, research and administration?
• We need to determine what the campus provides, and what we expect the students to provide.

Bob Sugar invited ITB members to attend an ITPG meeting where Stuart Lynn, Associate Vice President of Information Resources and Computing, UCOP, will present the results of the 1998 Systemwide IT Survey, on February 5, Seminar Room, Building 406, 3:45-5:00 PM.

Presentations

The following two presenters focused on students’ access to computing resources:

• Glenn Davis, Co-Chair, ITPG and Director, IS&C
  Access: Computing Resources at UC Santa Barbara
  ITPG Workstation Survey

 
• Mark Aldenderfer, Professor of Anthropology
  Summary of Student Access to the WWW Data in a large enrollment class, Fall Quarter 1998

Discussion Following the Presentations

• When we ask students to be creative on the web, we will have an access problem.
• We should include questions regarding access as part of teaching evaluations.
• Approx. 70% of students own computers. To what extent do these students use university facilities?
• There appears to be a need for additional facilities for students to print out material from computers. We should verify this with IC.
• Past surveys have indicated students use campus facilities even though they have their own computers, because they are convenient and their use is a social activity.
• Campus facilities have advantages, such as higher bandwidth connections to the internet.
• What level of services is really needed for workstations and networking?
• Only 10 out of 200 in the Student Access to WWW Survey mentioned they used laptops.
• We need to give undergrads facilities to put up web pages – provide students server space for this.
• "U Web Site" will provide this.
• The campus needs controlled forums where students can share, collaborate on assignments, comment on each other's work, etc.
• Microsoft client licenses are exorbitant for students - campus clout would help.
• How do we systematically find out what resources people want and need now?
• We need to formulate policies for instructional computing.
• Internet Service Providers versus campus modem pool
• Computer ownership
• As we make technology available, we should build in contingency for unanticipated use.
• What should be campus policies be? – we can’t project until we know what the policies are.
• Bren School is investigating how to create an environment where students have their own computer and ISP. The School provides support services.
• Residential Services will be adding 800 beds. What hardware/software and support should go into San Rafael dorm Technology Center?
• Business hotels have been grappling with this problem. We could extrapolate from this.
• The cost to replace workstations has gone down over time.
• Networking and services are the biggest problem.
• Target incoming students to find out how they want to use computers; are they bringing computers; what kind?
• Some may turn the question back to us. Parents want the University to say what they should buy.
• Formulate a standard questionnaire for students to evaluate their personal computer resources.
• Many students cannot afford computers and ISPs: we need to address how they will be served. Open access labs? Modem banks?
• What kind of computing support do faculty need when providing web-centric instruction?
• There should be 3 surveys: one for incoming students, one for students already here, and one for faculty. Ron Tobin indicated that Stan Nicholson could provide help with the surveys.
• When looking at Budget allocations (Bob Kuntz’s presentation), faculty instructional resources is the lowest number.
• How can faculty develop web-centric instruction?

Action Items for Next Meeting

• Dorothy Chun and Alan Liu will form a committee to develop a faculty survey.
• ITPG will develop the incoming student and existing student surveys.
• Bob Sugar will collect more detailed funding information.