This has been a busy summer for ITS, as I’m sure it has been for all of us. In this issue we will talk about summer changes that might affect you, such as classroom and Moodle updates, and forecast changes coming this Fall, such as new multi-function printer/copiers and the last steps of moving to the Dropbox and Google environments.
Over the summer ITS reflected on 2016-17, identifying areas of success and areas for improvement. As a result of those conversations, we brought in consultants to review our WiFi configuration and improve the Helpdesk wait queue. We also gathered 10 staff members last week to do classroom technology testing. And to help faculty get off to a good start, members of the Helpdesk and Academic Technology teams will be offering weekend support from 10am-2pm during the two weekends before school starts.
We have been knee deep in the construction projects, working with three firms to install networking infrastructure and audio-visual technology in classrooms and performance spaces. We’ve upgraded nearly 500 hundred computers, updated Colleague and ENROLL to handle the move from concentrations to minors, and supported the second cohort of Carleton Undergraduate Bridge Experience (CUBE) students. And much more. It’s been busy, but productive.
To learn more about how ITS keeps the technology infrastructure operational and moving forward, please read our 2016-17 Annual Report. You will learn about important projects and fun facts. For example, ITS installed 16 miles of cable in the Weitz addition, closed 10,141 helpdesk tickets and provided 150 hours of consulting with departmental File Management Stewards. Last year, Carleton faculty, staff and students printed over 5.8 million pages, and stored over 30 TB of documents in Dropbox and Google Drive. Whew!
It’s always exciting to turn the page to the next academic year, and its fresh opportunities. I wish you well as we begin the new academic year. Welcome back!