Monday Matters
Computers have become the premier tools for almost every type of work that takes place in the College of Education. Whether sending email communications, preparing PowerPoint presentations for a class, keeping grade rolls, managing accounting systems, or processing student applications, the computer is the first tool most of us turn to when we need to accomplish these tasks. That is why one of my long-standing goals has been to provide a high level of computer support to the members of the faculty and staff. It is no secret that I plan to continue to create electronic systems to help make our day-to-day operations more efficient, but these systems are built with the presumption that every user has a good working computer. When this is not the case, the electronic systems that are meant to make work easier actually can have the opposite effect and lead to both frustration and reduced efficiency. I cannot expect whole-hearted buy-in to a modern electronic way of doing business unless we first make sure that the necessary tools are in place for conducting such business.
I am pleased to announce that today begins stage one of a two stage plan that will result in making certain that every COE-supported computer is up to the necessary specifications needed for plugging into our growing electronic infrastructure and for giving members of the faculty and staff, as well as our student users, not only a working computer but also a defined process that will ensure frequent upgrades and a high level of desktop support. In this issue of Monday Matters I will describe the upgrade process and provide you a schedule so that you will know when your computer will be upgraded. Next week I will discuss the new systems we have put in place to give you support when you need it for hardware, software, and professional development related to technology.
No Computer Left Behind
The first steps in the upgrade process have actually already taken place during the past few months. First, I asked our Information Technology Office to review common business hardware and software standards and based on these data to make a recommendation for a strong baseline system to run productivity software. My idea is to move away from the model of replacing computers when they break down. Instead, we will review our baseline on an annual basis to determine whether this existing standard is sufficient to run current software. When we change the baseline that will in turn lead to College-wide upgrades until every computer is at or exceeds this standard. Here are the specifications for the new COE computer standard:
1.3 Gigahertz Processor
20 Gigabyte Hard Drive
512K of memory (RAM)
17" Monitor
CD Player with Read/Write Capability
Floppy Drive
Keyboard & Mouse
Sound Card & Speakers
We have also chosen the Windows XP Professional operating system as the current operating system standard. Thus, upgrades will involve both hardware and software.
If your COE computer is below this standard you will be scheduled for an upgrade. The second step of the upgrade process was to take an inventory of all computers so that we would know who is below the new standard and what parts will be needed to bring these computers up to standard. The inventory that the IT Office conducted is comprehensive, but there is still the possibility that something was missed due to computer swapping and computers that could not be accessed for the inventory. If you believe that your computer is below the standard (most of them are) and your computer does not receive an upgrade, please let us know. I'll discuss this further later in this column.
The third step of the upgrade process was to order the parts needed to bring all systems up to the standard. The first three steps of the process have been completed so beginning today the IT staff will start swapping computers and installing parts. This is a difficult process so I will explain this in more detail and ask for your cooperation in making these upgrades go as smoothly as possible. Phase one will be to upgrade everyone who needs a new processor. You can click here to view a schedule of computer upgrades for this first phase. The order was determined by ranking the computers in the inventory from worst to best. Those individuals with the most outdated systems will be the first to receive the processor upgrade.
The processor is the heart of the computer so these upgrades are the most difficult but will result in the biggest changes for the user. New cases will be swapped for old ones. The new cases contain not only the processor but also memory and hard drive upgrades. The hard drive is where your data is stored, so this means that data must be moved from your old computer to the new computer. This is where your assistance will be so important. The IT staff member who upgrades your computer wants to do his best to install all of the programs you need and move all of your data to your new computer. The easiest way for this to take place is for you to be present when the upgrade begins so that you can answer questions about the programs you use and the data you might have. IT staff members will contact you to set up an appointment for the upgrade. If you are unable to set an appointment or do not wish to be present during the upgrade, you may supply your user name and password and the IT staff member will do the best that they can to setup your machine. I strongly urge you to make and keep an appointment so as to avoid the hassle of having to install additional programs or hunt for missing data in the future.
Once software has been installed and data have been transferred, your old computer will be stored in a secure alarm-protected environment for a period of one month. During this time you should double and triple check to make sure that you have all the data you need. At the end of this month your old hard drive will be erased so that any data you may need after that point will be gone forever. If you have sensitive data that you do not want stored for a month, please move this onto storage media and erase it from your hard drive. Please let the IT staff member know if you need assistance with this when he arrives to upgrade your computer.
Everyone Can Have a Part
As you can tell by the phase one upgrade list, many users are scheduled to receive new processors. What about the rest of us? If your processor is at least 1.3 gigahertz the chances are still good that you will need a new part, such as new memory or a new CD player than can both read and burn CDs. In phase two of the upgrade process, to occur this summer or before, all machines that need additional parts will receive these so that the machine meets or exceeds the COE computer standard. I will be sending out information about phase two when that phase nears.
If you believe that you have a computer with a processor that is less than 1.3 gigahertz yet your name does not appear on the phase one upgrade schedule, please contact Pat Price. Pat will be collecting names and referring these to the IT Office so that they can check on your current computer specifications. If you are not on the phase one list, you probably will still need additional parts and will receive these in phase two. There is no need for you to contact Pat at this time. I will release a separate schedule for phase two in the future and you will have a chance to contact us at that time if your name does not appear on the upgrade list.
I trust that you appreciate our attempt to upgrade all computers in a cost effective manner and without a need for you to make computer upgrade requests. If you have any questions or concerns about the process, please feel free to contact me. My goal is to provide every member of the faculty and staff with up-to-date equipment that will enable us all to plug into new ways to do business.
Until next time,
Mike