Rutgers University Instructional Computing Initiative

[Editor's note: This document was written for Newark. However it outlines the history and scope of the Instructional Computing Initiative in general. There is very little Newark-specific information.]

Beginning with the Fall 1993 semester, a student computing fee became part of a multiple funding strategy in order to improve dramatically the instructional computing and information technology available to Rutgers students. Recent studies of comparative data from other institutions have recognized the need to integrate state-of-the-art computing into the academic experience in order for Rutgers students to be competitive with graduates from other institutions. In virtually every academic discipline, computing and information technology is a vital scholarly tool and has had a dramatic impact on both the teaching and learning process. The University, as well as its students, are sharing the costs of our commitment to provide the computing resources critical to an outstanding education. This document outlines the funding partnership for computing and describes how student fee revenues will be allocated and administered. It also provides details of current plans for the use of computing fee funds for this academic year.

In recognition of the need to improve and enhance instructional computing and information technology at Rutgers, the University is actively seeking five important sources of funding:

1. Reallocated, already-budgeted funds.
2. Additional State funding.
3. Special arrangements with computer hardware companies.
4. Private funds.
5. A student computing fee.

Efforts to pursue these sources of funding are already underway. For example, the University has given computing and information technology a high priority in budget requests to the State, and has been working with State officials to place the Jobs of the Future bond act on the ballot. The University and the higher education community were successful in helping the Equipment Leasing Fund become law. This fund will make significant resources available for computing and information infrastructure in the near future.

The University administration's strong commitment to improving instructional computing also led to a reallocation of existing funds to improve instructional computing capabilities. In the Spring of 1993, despite stringent budgetary constraints, $490,000 was earmarked for enhancing the public access laboratories on all campuses. Additional computers, software, laser printing and extended hours of operation were direct results of this decision of the administration to have an immediate impact on instructional computing. The computing resources and services provided as a result of the reallocation of these funds are listed in the Appendix at the end of this report. The University is continuing to provide significant commitment to student instructional computing initiatives.

Student computing fee revenues will be administered and allocated by a two-tier governance structure comprised of a University-wide committee and three campus planning committees. The Computing and Information Policy Advisory Committee (CIPAC), will establish Rutgers-wide policy issues and oversee the overall administration of the student fee initiative. This committee will establish University-wide criteria for the use of student fees, and will evaluate the overall effectiveness of computing and information technology at Rutgers on an on-going basis. The allocation of student fee revenues is based on percentage enrollments to the Camden, New Brunswick and Newark campuses, taking into account University-wide needs and requirements. As the coordinating advisory structure, this committee has the responsibility of preparing and publishing an annual accountability report detailing the actual use of all funds collected from student fees.

In addition to the CIPAC, each campus Provost has appointed a Campus Computing Advisory Committee to provide annual planning recommendations to the Provost for improvements and enhancements to student instructional computing facilities and services. Undergraduate and graduate students are represented on these campus committees and actively participate in preparing planning recommendations in collaboration with faculty members, Provost office representatives, Computing Services and campus Library representatives. Each Provost allocates fee revenues in accordance with established general University criteria and in collaboration with Computing Services and the Libraries as appropriate. Members of each Campus Computing Advisory Committee are represented on the University-wide Computing and Information Policy Advisory Committee.

Campus Computing Advisory Committees have been formed by each Provost and have prepared plans and proposals for new computing resources and services so that during the Fall semester there will be major improvements and enhancements in computing facilities available to students as a result of the computing fee. There was general consensus among the committees that the three leading priorities for the use of student computing fee revenues for the 93/94 academic year were:

To provide computing accounts for all matriculated students at Rutgers on host computers that provide electronic mail and world-wide access to information technology resources.

To increase the number of publicly available computer workstations and laser printers at each campus computing hub.

To substantially increase the hours of availability of campus public computing facilities.

Historically at Rutgers, students had to register for a specific course that requires computer use in order to obtain a computer account. Such accounts were only valid for the semester that students were enrolled in that course. As a result of the student computing fee initiative, all matriculated students at Rutgers can obtain computing accounts during their entire course of study at Rutgers which provides electronic mail as well as access to software and a wealth of library and world-wide electronic information resources. The intent of this initiative is to integrate computing and information technology into the student experience by providing personal accounts for each student. These student accounts will provide access to the growing wealth of electronic information technology. They will also permit students to use sophisticated software to communicate with each other, their faculty and their peers at other institutions.

For the past two years the Newark campus has piloted an experimental program to provide accounts for all students. The new computing resources provided from student fee revenues will provide a dramatic enhancement and consolidation to this highly successful program started on the Newark campus.

To provide these capabilities to students on all campuses, computing fee revenues were used to purchase the following UNIX-based computing systems from Sun Microsystems:

  
             Busch Campus             SparcCenter 2000
             College Avenue Campus    SparcCenter 1000
             Livingston Campus        SparcCenter 1000
             Cook/Douglass Campus     SparcCenter 1000
             Camden Campus            Sparc 10/512MP
             Newark Campus            SparcCenter 1000

Each of these systems are attached to the Rutgers University Network (RUNet) which provides access to other computers and international information resources. In addition, to facilitate access to these systems for students living in off-campus locations, computer fee revenues were used to increase the number of dialin ports for students with personal computers. The expansion of modem dialin ports are distributed by campus as follows:

  
             Camden             12 new dialin ports
             Newark             12 new dialin ports
             New Brunswick      48 new dialin ports

In anticipation of significant additional demand for dialin access due to the creation of computing accounts for all students, University non-fee revenues of $100,000 were allocated to upgrade all slower speed dialin modems to high-speed newer technology modems and to increase the number of dialin ports by 82 for a total of 270 public dialups University-wide.

A special edition of the OIT Newsletter will be issued in early September that is devoted entirely to the Instructional Computing Initiative. In that issue, students will find detailed information on how to use their computing account as well as how to access a broad variety of information resources such as the Rutgers Library On-line Catalog system. Also included in that issue is a listing of training seminars in the use of computing and information technology offered by the OIT Education Series. The special edition of the OIT Newsletter will be widely distributed to students and will be available at each of the computing hub locations.

A major priority in the committee reports and recommendations was to increase and enhance student access to microcomputer and workstation technology and to provide high quality laser printing capabilities to students on all campuses. A substantial increase in the hours of availability of public access student computing facilities was also assessed a high priority. The model of establishing large computing hub facilities on each campus with greatly expanded hours of operation evolved as a priority recommendation. The following plans are underway to improve and enhance student instructional computing on the Newark campus:

The major September initiative on the Newark Campus includes the purchase of 52, Intel 486 workstations with high-resolution color monitors to be placed in the labs associated with the newly formed Faculty of Management. Thirty of these workstations will be placed in a newly designed multimedia instructional classroom with computer projection equipment and RUNet networking connections.

RUNet networking connections will be provided in four lecture halls on campus to be used with computer projection equipment for instructional presentations.

Other proposals for improving and enhancing student instructional computing facilities will be considered in the Fall when the Campus Advisory Committee convenes in September.

This is the first year of what represents an on-going funding partnership to significantly improve and enhance student instructional computing at Rutgers. Through the dedicated efforts of many involved in the process, we have been able to make tangible improvements at our public facilities that will be available this fall. In five years time, the student computing fee initiative will dramatically transform the technological computing resources and capabilities available to all Rutgers students. It is this vision, collegially endorsed and strongly committed to by the University administration, that will effectively equip Rutgers graduates with the technological knowledge and skills to be active participants in the information age.

In the Newark Law School, fifteen Intel 386 workstations and five Macintosh microcomputers with high resolution color monitors were placed in the Law Library. A high-quality laser printer as well as document preparation software were also acquired.

Three Intel 386 workstations were placed in the Law Journal Center at the Law School.

Three high-speed laser printers and supplies were purchased for the following public access labs on campus: School of Management Lab; English/Journalism Lab; and in Dana Library.

Thirty Intel 486 computer workstations with high-resolution color monitors were acquired for the Lab supporting the School of Management.

Network connections to the Rutgers University Network (RUNet) for all acquired systems.

Wages of Labor funding was utilized to increase weekend hours of availability of OIT public access facilities, as well as the Law and Dana Library facilities during the Spring 1993 semester.