dwaldron February 20th, 2009
During winter break, the Office of Information Technology completed an upgrade of the Computer Science Lab located in Taylor Hall. This lab is now home to 17 Mac Pro towers. These Apple computers are configured to run both MacOS and Windows XP. Wooster’s Computer Science lab is among the first in Ohio to configure Apple hardware in this way. In addition to the lab computers, an Apple server was installed in the lab to act as a file server, DHCP server and web server for the CS Department to use in their classes.
Regarding the upgraded lab, Associate Professor of Computer Science Denise Byrnes writes:
“This year’s computer science lab upgrade was completed in an efficient and timely manner due to the efforts of the OIT staff, with special thanks going to Mary Schantz and Michael Benchoff. The staff took the department’s wish list of requirements, determined the most cost effective solution and negotiated with Apple to purchase the lab computers.
The new lab technology is an exciting addition for the department and our students.The Apple server supports more dynamic lecture content with immediate sharing of computer files and computer window contents. The lab computers run three different operating systems, Unix, Mac OS X Leopard, and Windows XP. The lab now supports large scale distributed computing with Apples’s XGRID software.
Associate Professor of Computer Science Simon Gray adds, “…the lab is beautiful…[It] should be an ideal space for a studio approach to teaching CS.”
dwaldron January 20th, 2008
In an effort to better inform members of the campus community about the various information technology resources available to them, the Office of Information Technology has launched an effort to enhance the documentation of these resources and to improve its organization and accessibility. New documentation is being created in the College wiki and links to it can be found under the “Computing Resources” tab of the IT website. Currently, the wiki contains information about audio and video production resources, copying and printing services, classroom technology, IT help desks and networking services (including wireless). The documentation initiative will continue throughout the Spring 2008 semester and into the summer, and many new documents will be created. The initiative is being guided by User Services Intern Catherine Grandgeorge.
dwaldron September 1st, 2007
As was the case last year, IT devoted a good deal of time and resources to upgrading computer labs over the summer:
- Physics Lab (Taylor 101)
The Physics lab’s 13 17-inch table lamp iMacs were replaced with new 20-inch iMacs.
- Economics Lab (Morgan 217)
This lab’s 29 15-inch table lamp iMacs were replaced with 29 new 17-inch iMacs.
- Timken Science Lab
The Timken Lab’s 17 eMacs were replaced with new 17-inch iMacs.
- Chemistry Lab (Severance 111)
The 13 15-inch table lamp iMacs in this lab were replaced with Dell Optiplex 745’s running Windows XP.
- McCreight Lab (Gault Library Lower Level One)
This lab’s 19 eMacs were replaced with 15-inch iMacs removed from the Economics lab.
In addition, the computers in the Psychology Lab and the Digital Media Lab in Ebert received significant memory upgrades. All new machines installed in computer labs were equipped with 2 gigabytes of memory.
A significant number of computer labs were also upgraded last summer. These include the Geology Lab in Scovel 305 and the general purpose lab in Taylor 209. The computers in the Psychology and Biology mobile carts were also replaced. Kauke Hall reopened after its renovation with four new computer labs. The public lab in Taylor 205 and the Wired Scot internet cafe were also significantly enhanced over summer 2006. The McCreight lab in Gault Library was created using computers removed from the upgraded labs in Taylor.
Information on all campus computer labs–including the software applications installed in each–can be found on the IT website. Select the “Computing Resources” tab and follow the “Labs and Classrooms” link on the subsequent page.
dwaldron August 6th, 2007
In an effort to improve visibility and provide efficient and helpful service, IT has moved the student help desk from Taylor 205 to Andrews Library. It is now located just behind the circulation desk. Our student consultants are trained to solve a variety of problems involving the hardware and software that we support. In addition to telephone support, these students are available in Andrews Library to provide walk-in assistance for virus, spyware, email, wireless, and printing issues. If the student consultants are unable to solve the problem, it is immediately escalated to the appropriate IT department. Network issues are submitted as work orders to the Department of Networks, Telecommunications, and Systems. Other issues will be addressed with the appropriate staff and the user will be contacted with a solution.
Over time, we expect to expand the number of services offered by the student help desk. The loaner laptops and projectors available to faculty and staff will now be circulated from the student help desk. (Visit the Computing Resources area of the IT website for further details.) Shortly, the help desk will begin circulating still cameras, video cameras, tripods, digital recorders and microphones for student academic use. Further announcements will be made here on the blog.
Student technicians will continue to be available in Taylor 205, to provide support for the Windows and Macintosh computers and the scanners located in this lab. These student technicians also support the poster printer and provide assistance with the multimedia services provided by the Instructional Technology Department.
dwaldron February 8th, 2007
In conjunction with our initiative to enhance our help desk operation, User Services has adopted a proactive lab maintenance program. Student technicians now visit each of the 28 campus lab spaces on a weekly basis. During these visits the technicians clean all keyboards and displays, run routine maintenance programs on the lab computers, and check for a variety of technical problems. Any problems uncovered are reported back to the help desk for resolution. We hope that these efforts will uncover problems before they impact instruction and other activities in the labs. If you experience problems in one of our lab spaces, please report it to the help desk at 330 287-3000, extension HELP (4357).
dwaldron November 21st, 2006
A new poster printer (an HP DesignJet 800PS) is available in Taylor 205 for faculty, staff and student use. Printing takes place via the Pharos system. Student print accounts will be debited $4.80 per linear foot. For faculty and staff, Pharos will record the same charge against the appropriate account. Instructions are available on the IT documentation site. Questions about the poster printer should be directed to the help desk at 330 287-3000 x4357 (HELP).
dwaldron November 8th, 2006
The McCreight Learning Laboratory is now a computer lab! In an effort to provide more computing options, the College has opened a new lab in Gault Library. It is located on Lower1 across the hall from the Media Library. The lab consists of 19 eMacs running system 10.4. These systems feature Microsoft Office, End Note, Real Player, Firefox, GroupWise, and Canvas 8. The McCreight Lab is also equipped with a data projector. It is not only a nice public computing space, but is available to schedule for classes.
If you have a questions regarding the lab or the software that is installed please feel free to contact John Shatzer at x2608 or email him at jshatzer@wooster.edu. If you wish to schedule the McCreight Lab please contact Susan Burt at x2152, or email her at sburt@wooster.edu.
dwaldron October 20th, 2006
The computer lab in Taylor 205 has been enhanced in a number of significant ways. This summer, the lab’s 16 general purpose computers were replaced with new Dell OptiPlexes running Windows XP. The computer furniture was also replaced to provide much more spacious and comfortable work areas.
A new poster printer is also available in Taylor 205. Printing takes place via the Pharos system. Student print accounts will be debited $4.80 per linear foot. For faculty and staff, Pharos will record the same charge against the appropriate account.
Taylor 205 also now provides audio and video production facilities. The lab contains four new iMacs with the following software:
- iMovie for digital video editing. Each workstation is enabled (with DA converters) to import video from a variety of sources, including Mini-DV, DVD, VHS and DV codec.
- iPhoto for importing photos from digital cameras for storage and use in video and slide projects
- Garage Band for creation of digital music, sound effects, podcasts and multi-layered audio projects
- Audacity for voice recording and multi-layered audio projects
- Photoshop CS for photo editing
In the very near future the lab will add two PC’s to support video editing with Windows Movie Maker. These workstations will also be equipped to import video from various sources, including Mini-DV, DVD, VHS and DV codec.
A sound booth has been added to the lab to support audio production. It contains a MacIntosh G4 tower equipped with Audacity and a condenser microphone. The booth is equipped to digitize audio from cassette and other analog sources.
The office of Media Technology Manager Anthony Liccardi is now located within the Taylor 205 lab so that he can manage the multimedia production resources and provide related assistance. Instructional Technology Intern Joe Benfield is also based in Taylor 205.
dwaldron October 13th, 2006
IT has taken a number of steps to resolve the printing problems that have plagued the Wired Scot. In order to eliminate the centralized print queuing system that has been the source of much of the difficulty, we replaced the terminals with computers. Also, we have asked our student help desk workers to begin each shift by visiting The Wired Scot and correcting any problems that they find. This means we visit The Wired Scot eight times on a typical day. If you do encounter printing problems please call us at extension 2312.