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September 2008
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ACADEMIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS GROUP
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SunGard Presentation of Financial Aid
In June, SunGard representatives presented their Financial Aid system to C&C and the UCR Financial Aid group with a condition of running it as a stand-alone application with links to the legacy Student Information System. Reactions to the presentation were favorable to both the Financial Aid office and C&C. The Oracle/PL Sql system has a natural support path within C&C. We will be running the legacy SIS to the OFA system as we are already doing with other enterprise systems. Also included is a pre-defined "Operational Data Store" (data warehouse). For the next steps, C&C and Financial Aid will identify specific requirements and continue the product evaluation.
Update on Student Portal
The UCR Student Portal is in its final refining stages of development, and will be released to a pilot group of approximately 800 students this Fall. Included is access to all of the C&C supported single sign-on authenticated applications – iLearn, Webmail, Growl, iEval, and Me@UCR. The portal also includes several different types of messaging:
- Emergency announcements
- "Shoutouts" or campus happenings and events
- Messages sent to specific student profiles (College, Major, Class etc.)
- Alerts sent to specific students using actual SIS statuses (Payment due, Financial Aid document requirements, etc.)
Also included is a Facebook application, allowing students to access their UCR applications from within Facebook, or to access Facebook from their UCR portal.
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INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY GROUP
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Early Warning Pilot Expanded
The Early Warning System is a set of tools within iLearn that allow faculty to define and track student performance metrics for specific course items. The Early Warning System can alert faculty to students who may be struggling, and allows the instructor to proactively intercede on the student's behalf. The tool can then be used to communicate warnings to Students or Observers that a performance problem is beginning to appear or has become more serious. Warnings can be generated based on graded performance, late or missing course work, or attendance within the online course. A pilot program was initiated in the Spring quarter of 2008 with the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, the Learning Center, and Computing & Communications acting as partners.
The initial Pilot Program in the Spring of 2008 consisted of three courses and approximately 500 students. It was very well received by the faculty. Based on these results the Learning Center determined that the program should be expanded to include a wider variety of disciplines representing courses from all colleges. The Learning Center is now in the process of recruiting faculty to take part in this expanded Pilot program.
Blackboard Upgrade
The iLearn learning management system (Blackboard) is being upgraded to the latest version available (ver. 8). Included in this upgrade are equipment and database upgrades to increase performance. iLearn continues to be very well received and utilized by an increasing number of faculty not only for instructional uses but also for academic support communities.
The upgrade will include a redesigned Grade Center that will allow instructors greater ease of use and increased functionality. In addition the Grade Center will allow the possibility of better integration with the iGrade (electronic grade submission) system. Instructors will be able to indicate a column in the Grade Center that is identified as the official final grade. iGrade will query the iLearn database and draw that grade into its authorization process.
Additional capabilities available via the upgrade are additional student peer review, performance enhancements, and syncing of iLearn with Facebook via Bb Sync. This sync allows the student to be notified in their Facebook account when instructors have placed new items in their iLearn courses.
Course Capture System
This Fall '08 academic term, UCR will be piloting an open-source course capture solution. Content being displayed by faculty in UCR-Smart Classrooms will be captured along with microphone audio. Files will be made available through UCR's course management system, iLearn, as a download or video stream. Using standard Mac Mini computers and RGB encoders, all classroom projector content will be captured in native resolution, allowing students to have a library of high-quality audio and video lectures. The automation is facilitated using Apple's iCal and Applescript, allowing the process to be completely transparent to faculty.
Hyperstruction Studio Update
The Hyperstruction Studio, a 21st Century teaching facility at UCR with state-of-the-art technology, has reached its first anniversary. Functioning as a showcase classroom and incubator for implementing student-centered teaching, the Studio continues to promote to visionary faculty the possibilities of peer learning and student engagement. The Studio also is acting as a feeder of purposeful pedagogical technology to all our general assignment classrooms.
Two UCR faculty, James Tobias of English and Victor Zordan of Computer Science, will be teaching two separate classes but will team utilize the Studio's technology (3D projection) and an adjacent Flex Classroom addressing a single concept: creating and analyzing physical user interfaces within the gaming genre. When one of the courses requires the Studio facilities, that course will meet in the Studio while the other meets next door. The proximity of the two classrooms will allow students from differing departments access to the resources they need to complete that day's assignments and to interact with students from a different discipline.
A website has also been created to highlight all of the Hyperstruction features and progress: http://hyperstruction.ucr.edu.
iCollaborate Suite of 3 tools: Authenticated Instant Messaging, Upgraded iShare and Confluence as campus Wiki
Over the Fall quarter, C&C will be introducing a suite of web-based tools to be known as iCollaborate. This suite consists of Instant Messaging, File Storage/Sharing and Wikis. The introduction of iCollaborate will give faculty, staff and students new ways to more effectively work together in the electronic realm with peers, cohorts, and even collaborators outside the UC system. The IM system will be authenticated against the campus Enterprise Directory so that users will be able to positively identify who they are electronically conversing with. The iShare data storage and collaboration tool is being upgraded to the lastet version and storage quotas are being increased. Also, C&C is introducing wiki software for faculty, students and staff.
Watkins Computer Lab Renovation
In early July 2008 approvals were given for the renovation of the Watkins Computer Lab. On July 31, 2008 renovation began with the removal of hazardous materials and continued with new paint, carpet, and blinds, until completion on August 22nd. With the addition of new small form-factor Dell OptiPlex and iMac computers, Student Computing Services altered the layout of each of the lab rooms to provide an environment that can be instructional and collaborative, while continuing to allow for classical computer lab services. The newly renovated Watkins lab will be open for use on Tuesday, September 23. We look forward to seeing students benefit from the efforts of Student Computing Services and the other departments within C&C. |
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ENTERPRISE COMPUTING GROUP |
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Emergency Notification System (ENS) Upgrade
UCR is currently running a very successful Emergency Notification System which allows for text messages to go out to campus students, faculty and staff in the event of an emergency. C&C sends hourly feeds to 3N updating this emergency information. C&C is in the process of enhancing this system with additional functionality which would allow emergency text messages to be sent only to specific groups by location (ie. only to individuals in a particular building s opposed to the entire campus). This will require changes to the Enterprise Directory to modify the official CAAN (Capital Account Asset Number) and validate it against SMS. Enhancements scheduled to be complete by end of September. For more information: visit http://cnc.ucr.edu/ens.
Connexxus Travel System
UCR Connexxus has officially gone live and there are currently approximately 6000 users. Campus training sessions have been scheduled for the week of September 8th for all Travel Coordinators. Additionally, C&C has included a link from the general options of the iTravel main menu to Connexxus for easy access.
Enteprise Reporting System (ERS)
UCR's Enterprise Reporting system was designed to give PI's (Principle Investigators) a snapshot of their financial report and standing regarding personal grants and contracts on a continual as needed basis. The ERS has run on Microsoft Excel since its inception 10 years ago. Based on the new technologies available, C&C will deploy a web-based system to allow for easier management of files with single click access and no installations necessary, right from their faculty portal homepage. Mock-up available at http://santafe.ucr.edu/ers.
Staff Portal Upgrade: Upgrade to replace iViews
The UCR Staff Portal is in its final refining stages of development for a highly customized version of the portal (RSPACE), and is actively preparing for pilot deployment for Fall '08. Included is access to all of the C&C supported single sign-on authenticated applications and enhanced communication tools which will allow for adding content onto the portal. Additional enhancements include:
- "Announcement Alert" (for campus happenings and events)
- Messages sent to specific profiles (personnel program code, bargaining unit, home department)
- "Personalized Staff Alerts" (Messaging using web services to online applications which pull from a dozen application and will figure out what's in your cue and will send personalized alerts. Can also be used for emergency alerts.)
- Video Player with UCR related You-Tube videos
- Picture sharing with other net-IDs
LMS
Computing & Communications and Human Resources continue to collaborate on the deployment of the UC-wide Learning Management System. UCR will begin a pilot deployment of the LMS in early September using the campus' procurement card training, and will become the second UC location to bring the LMS into production during the fall quarter.
LMS Self-Assessment Tool
Computing & Communications continues the development of the LMS Self-Assessment Tool. Mockups of the system have been received favorably by a wide cross-section of campus constituents, as well as Human Resources and EH&S contacts from other UC campuses, to whom the system code will be available upon completion. UCR has recently engaged SumTotal, the LMS vendor, in a discussion regarding interoperability between the Self Assessment Tool and the LMS, and expects to have a development path for system integration shortly. Development of the system will begin shortly and C&C hopes to have a beta version of the system available for testing in the fall quarter.
Academic Personnel eFile Update
Snapshots - Snapshots have been completed and approved for 2007-2008. Academic personnel created and electronically routed 84 Snapshots (Merit actions) for faculty in the College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and the Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Creative Activities - The system will soon allow for entry of Creative Activities to support Fine Arts faculty. These activities include, but are not limited to, Performances, Playwriting, Poems, and Musical Compositions.
Bourns College of Engineering (BCOE) - C&C continues to work with the College of Engineering to facilitate the migration of existing BCOE academic personnel data to the eFile system.
Search and Reporting Tools - In August, Computing & Communications deployed a robust set of Search and Reporting tools. These tools give faculty the ability to utilize their own individual data and perform basic searches, create custom reports, create multiple versions of Curriculum Vita, and create National Science Foundation Bio-sketches.
Multi-Window Snapshot Viewing - In August, Computing & Communications deployed a Multi-Window Snapshot Viewing feature which allows side-by-side comparison of Snapshot data. Senate faculty as well as academic personnel staff requested this feature and the response has been extremely positive.
Support for 2nd, 3rd, and future Merit Actions - Beginning in October, departmental academic personnel staff and faculty will begin using the Academic Personnel eFile system to create and process Merit actions to be reviewed and approved for 2009. The system will be enhanced to recognize if a candidate has processed an electronic Merit in the past, and if so, automate the creation of the new Merit.
Grad SIS
Computing & Communications is continuing the successful pilot of GradSIS, UCR's new online graduate application and admissions system. Phase II of the pilot was deployed on September 8th, and has expanded from five to twelve graduate programs, and is expected to receive over 2000 applications for the 2009-10 admissions season. Phase II will also incorporate a number of new system enhancements, adopted and developed based on the feedback of Phase I programs.
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COMPUTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND SECURITY |
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Exchange
An Exchange server system was implemented using VMWare for Windows 2008 servers on Linux hosts, and Sun X4200 systems for hardware. Network Appliance volumes were used for the Windows OS images and for the message store. Computing and Communications personnel are currently testing the implementation using the Outlook fat client as well as web interface. Once tested and service support materials developed, Exchange will be offered to a wider Executive Administrator staff.
iCollaborate
Two collaboration tools have been upgraded, and an instant messaging service has been added to the suite of tools housed under the iCollaborate suite. The file sharing system, iShare, had software (Xythos) and hardware upgrades, plus the disk space available was expanded by using a Sun X4200 NAS. The campus wiki system, Confluence, was also expanded with additional disk space. An instant messaging service was added via Sun-Fire V215 machines, with secure authentication. More information about the UCR instant messaging service is available at the Computing and Communications' IM web site: http://cnc.ucr.edu/im/
Collaborative Clusters
UCR's collaborative cluster co-location facility is growing. In addition to existing clusters from the High Energy Physics group and Bioinformatics, Dr. Greg Beran's cluster arrived in August and has been running for approximately one month. Dr. Beran's cluster conforms to the centrally-hosted model in which researchers purchase hardware and software that conforms to C&C's cluster standards, and is managed by C&C personnel. Another researcher, Dr. Dimitrios Morikis (Bioengineering), has ordered a cluster that will soon be shipped, and he will also conform to the centrally hosted cluster model. Both researchers will join the UC grid.
New Co-location facility
The co-location facility in the central campus machine room is growing so much that C&C's own collaborative cluster has been moved from the there to a separate facility off-campus. This facility, run by Acorn Technology Corporation, is approximately 2 miles from campus. It houses C&C's collaborative computational seed cluster, as well as several other systems to provide service redundancy via geographical disparity. The facility is well supported by Acorn staff and has several layers of redundancy, including two power generators. It is connected to UCR via a 10Gb fiber link provided by the resourceful work of UCR's Network Services team. They are also working on redundant fiber to Acorn.
This collaborative cluster housed at Acorn will provide computational resources to researchers with limited funds but who need to run short-duration compute jobs (e.g. 24 hours or less) with a way to do that. In addition, this cluster will also allow researchers to contribute nodes for the capability to run compute jobs that need to run for longer times. This C&C collaborative cluster is currently installed, powered up, and networked at the off-campus facility.
Organizational tuning
The Computing Infrastructure and Security group has grown in recent years and experienced pains associated with that growth. In past years the group was made up of a handful of Unix system administrators. Currently, there are 16 people with a variety of skills including Windows and Active Directory experience, policy, and people knowledgeable in modern web services that use Ajax, Java, and Tomcat. This has greatly complicated the management of projects, and while projects are completed and successful, project tracking was lacking. Consequently, more structure was introduced, including moving the Manager position to Associate Director, and creating an additional manager and three technical leads. All of these positions will now be responsible for project management. This will alleviate the load and strain on the former single Manager, so that day-to-day management of the group's activities will be transferred, and the Associate Director and Director can concentrate on group vision and planning.
ID Engines NAC System
C&C's Network Services team set up a wireless test deployment of the ID Engines network access control (NAC) appliance in their lab. Several Network Services and Computing Infrastructure and Security people are testing the appliance, with the goal of replacing the current wireless authentication system (Authgate) before students arrive for Fall quarter. Once this initial testing phase is complete, the ID Engines AutoConnect service will be deployed and tested in the C&C building. This service will greatly help distribution and configuration of client wireless supplicants. In parallel, training material and web sites are being developed so that Helpdesk personnel can support the product.
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DATABASE GROUP |
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Continued Negotiations with Oracle
Negotiations continue with Oracle regarding licensing costs for Oracle RAC and other Oracle Products. In order to reduce cost to the campus we are offering our services as a reference site as well as a launching point for students wishing to start a career in Database or Application Development.
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NETWORK SERVICES GROUP |
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Final Decision on Foundry for Border Router Purchase
C&C completed a long RFP process and purchased two Foundry XMR routers to replace eight-year-old border hardware. There was an amazing cost savings by going with the Foundry solution, but there are some difficulties being worked on by the Foundry software engineers and members of Network Services.
Wireless Upgrade
The entire UCR campus wireless network was upgraded this spring/summer to an LWAPP (Light-Weight Access Point Protocol) topology. The controller based architecture and thin access-points will allow growth and security that the fat client/campus wide vlan/WDC (Wireless Domain Controller) architecture could never realize. With the west campus build-out and proposed Medical Center, users on the UCR campus will enjoy the same look and feel no matter the location and have roaming/failover capabilities that will provide secure and reliable data services.
Resnet Upgrade
C&C, in conjunction with the ResNet IT staff, has restructured the topology in the Resnet domain. The changes include a router at the top of each building network. These changes are to reduce single points of failure, remove NAT servers, and provide hardware needed for a future 802.1x NAC solution.
Falkirk
ResNet Housing has purchased the Falkirk apartment complex adjacent to the UCR main campus. The apartment complex has twenty separate building, several geographically placed washrooms, a pool, and a recreation room. C&C has been asked to present proposals that would provide campus networking for the students living at this complex.
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FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
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CFAO Search Committee
Computing and Communications' long time Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (7 + years) has announced her transition to Northern California's East Bay Area. This personal decision and early announcement have provided C&C the unique opportunity to recruit for a replacement and provide for a transition period. C&C's CFAO is an important senior-level manager position that is responsible for not only Finance and Administration, but also IT Security Policy for the campus, as well as Audit liaison tasks. A search committee has been formed and interviews will begin in the coming weeks.
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