This text file includes responses to the final question of the survey: Are there additional comments you would like to make about Information Technologies?
Responses are grouped by sample: Faculty, Staff, and Students. Identifying references
in this document have been replaced with [IRD], Identifying Reference Deleted.
Greater consultation with users prior to making decisions affecting large numbers of users would be helpful. Sometimes decisions and changes are made and we just have to "adjust". This takes additional time and energy which must be diverted from other activities.
Should never have migrated to Oncourse CL--also a problem to have students on both the Angel and Oncourse systems in the same semester. Help desk people are great but are of no assistance for online courses. If after hours, hard to get help from someone knowledgeable about Angel--the Bloomington people aren't helpful when the IUE people are not around. [IRD] has been very responsive to help with hardware problems--some of other staff not as knowledgeable as [IRD]. [IRD] is good with Angel questions--but should have someone as a back-up when she is gone. Response time is generally very good. Thanks for the support. Wish I could take advantage of more TLC programs.
TLC location is out of the way. This inhibits faculty use.
More support for Oncourse
Hopefully IT will provide training sessions this summer when I have time to "get educated." I am naive about the many ways technology can enhance my teaching.
My complaint is about the availability of computer rooms. I need 5 days a semester to test 25-40 students. It has been almost impossible to get rooms that have enough computers. The classrooms that do have enough are reserved by others most of the time. I tried to schedule these classrooms well in advance of the semester needed.
Since [IRD] has come to IUE there has been significant positive changes at IUE. She is open to suggestions, caring attitude and knowledgeable in progressing IUE to higher levels of technology. She offers and encourages faculty to use technology and offers assistance where it is needed. The Help desk has also improved in the manner in which faculty is addressed and assisted. I applaud [IRD] for her knowledge, dedication, insight, and her perseverance in moving IUE ahead in technology.
I do not use the campus wireless network myself, but I've heard numerous complaints from students who do. They have serious connectivity problems in Hayes Hall (specifically, to my knowledge, HY 003, 020, and 127). Students say that they complained to the IT Dept., that IT knows the problem is due to cell telephone interference, and that IT isn't doing anything about it. I'm unpleasantly astonished that our IT Dept. would either knowingly choose conflicting channels for these two forms of communication, or that knowing of the problem, they would not do anything about it. I hope that I've been misinformed.
There has been a problem recently with the scantron machine grading.
I have not been pleased with the phone service, the Suvon code is ridiculously long, my phone is extremely old and none of the lights flash when I have a message. Suvon works and then other times it does not.
Students still have trouble with their printing allotment. I would like to see them have the ability to add funds to their printing accounts online. Also, all funds that are in their printing accounts should stay there. This means that after one year an allotment should not be absorbed by IT. The students should not have to start from zero if they had plenty in their accounts at the end of the previous semester.
Oncourse CL has been an embarrassment to Indiana University and a major hindrance to development of distance education at the campuses. Faculty complain vehemently about the lack of features. Students have very negative comments on how this has been handled, including students with software development experience. I don't have any proposals to fix it at this point, so take this as merely a gripe about UITS, not IU East. I just hope it will be fixed.
It is very difficult to receive support for web page development and update to get the ability to manage webpages oneself - be they divisional, or student group related. No wonder IUE web-based information is so out-dated and useless in too many cases.
IUIE - Should get a data directory. It is unacceptable that there is no reliable information about what a datafield means. I found the IUIE training person's response of "Just try it and see whether the data looks like what you want" most unprofessional and unsatisfactory.
If someone calls the Help Desk from a student computer lab (leaving a message), that call should be returned to that computer lab.
may need to make available paper instructions to pc users
I don't use the TLC that often but when I do they are always very helpful, especially [IRD]. I have been disappointed with having projectors, etc. set up in classrooms. Sometimes the equipment is not there or does not work. Often I have to make repeated calls which is annoying when I am getting ready to teach. Often I work under the premise that things will NOT be there which is a terrible way to have to think but experience has proven me right too many times.
Please consider converting room WZ 222 (science) to a smart classroom; teaching station as in WZ 212 with ceiling mounted projector, sympodium and computer to support DVD and CD media.
Intranet hasn't been seen to be very useful in general on campus. May be marketing problem or simply is not useful for most people.
The projector in HH 020 has never worked correctly this year - I have to call IT every time to get assistance.
I fully appreciate what we have at IU East.
All of the classrooms need to updated with new technology. They need computers for the instructors to use with DVD players and internet access and each room needs a projector that's connected to the computer. Thanks
There are too many steps to get to the people that one needs to see. While the help desk folks are quite knowledgeable about some things, they do not have the credentials to deal with some things. Why, no matter the problem, is everyone sent to the help desk? Shouldn't administrative staff (if not everyone) know who does what? Everyone, except higher administrators and some help desk staff, have a kind of lackadaisical (just talk to the help desk) attitude. This attitude creates a whole bunch of hassle and takes up a lot of time unnecessarily. IT staffs are not like this at other campuses. IU East is the most difficult to deal with in this regard.
It would help me to have complete grading policies, attendance policies, drop/add policies available directly from the Onestart page where grades are entered and class rosters are maintained. I could not find these policies at grade entry time without a lot of searching and even then I did not find good explanations of FN policies, for ex., or even instructions on where else to look for them. Thanks.
Survey adjuncts, find out what TLC workshops can be offered other than during the day
The services and staff are very helpful.
I use the teaching centers available in specified classrooms. The equipment always needs adjustment (i.e.: not connected to online services, buffering occurs when using videos from specific sites, etc.) I believe these work stations need to be checked each day prior to the first class to make sure they are in working order.
I do not use the IT department enough to make this survey meaningful.
The people make the difference. They are always welling to help. Great support staff
The idea that something as simple as a tech cart is unavailable to my class for the rest of this semester really makes me angry
I tried to steer my indiana.edu mail directly to a hotmail account and it works less than half the time.
I am very disappointed with the new Oncourse. New versions should incorporate changes gradually to avoid entirely new formats having to be learned all at once.
Technology is vitally important to teaching freshman writing. The newest version of Oncourse has been brought out too slowly to be effective, however. Had I known there would be no grade book, no direct e-mail connection and more "buttons" than real services and functions I would not have converted this past term. These things should have been worked out months ago.
The staff at the TLC are exceptional and always ready and willing to help with any questions, instruction with Oncourse, etc.! They're wonderful! It is also helpful to know that laptops are available. I have used them in the past year because at that time my computer at home wasn't working and I needed to be able to compile and write syllabi for classes. The library staff are also exceptional people! :)
I am very pleased with the services available, the competency of the staff and I really appreciate the fact that all of this is located in Hayes Hall
Additional TLC training for staff personnel.
Suggestions:
The IT employees are in meetings for too long and are not available to us to fix a problem. I was without a computer for over 4 hours because the staff was in a meeting and therefore unavailable. To me that is unacceptable.
Get rid of telephone menu a the main phone line.
Students do not find the web page easy to find information such as course requirements, current calendar of events, i.e. Spring break dates, registration dates, semester dates, bulletin with course descriptions (especially needed for summer transfer students for their advisors), etc. These links are imbedded, i.e. web page, department, academic advising, forms...no one would be able to browse and find this information without asking. The course descriptions are under become a student. I went to the Danielson Center site to get their mailing address. It isn't there. The web site isn't student user friendly.
Thank you!!
Service requested will be completed but no contact is made to follow-up with the customer to advise that is been complete, that is a customer service basic rule. Tell the customer that the request is completed, remind them that you worked on it for them and it was important, they are important. Follow thru, remind them you're there and it ain't magic, its done by real people.
When I have a problem, IT is always willing to help find the cause of the problem and fix it.
It seems that there are times when job "incidents" reported through the IT Help Desk just sit in the queue forever. Either they are not followed up on...or...they are completed but no word is sent back to the originator to let them know that the incident was closed.
I would like to see more emphasis on events on campus. We don't seem to know what's going on anymore. [IRD] used to keep up with all of that and it was where we could find it. Also, we don't keep up very well with email addresses, new employees, etc. on the list of employees. This has all went south when [IRD] left. It needs to be revived.
More assistance in setting up a video conference would be helpful instead of just having to walk into a room and set things yourself. Our campus is small enough that a technician should check the schedule and go to the video conference room before hand and make sure everything is up and running.
It would be helpful if the Help Desk could rectify the issues over the phone instead of waiting for technicians to make the trip to Connersville where our offices are located. I understand that some things can only be corrected by a service call.
I love the Tech Chat option, [IRD] is fantastic at determining the issue and assisting with resolution.
Equipment budget needs to be increased to provide larger selection of products. Telephones need updating.
Keep up the good work!
I would like to see a link on the IUE Homepage to the Indiana University homepage.
I would like to see working, transparency overheads in all classrooms. Not everyone likes to use the blackboard or PowerPoint.
In the new castle facility, one has a hard time being able to use the computers when a class is assigned to the room. Another place would be appreciated when the class isn’t using the computers so students can use the lab if necessary. Not everyone can afford a computer at home.
I keep getting emails with news and updates for things at IU ([IRD], [IRD], etc.) and there is no way to unsubscribe from these mailing lists.
On Oncourse when instructors post assignments, sometimes they don't open (home computer)and no one seems to know why. This is an inconvenience and I pay for this service. I should not have to make extra trips to the college to print my assignments.
New Oncourse is difficult to navigate, and difficult to change options. The loss of the Oncourse mail and the class roster causes me not to like the "new" Oncourse.
perhaps many of the services I have never heard of before could be better "advertised"
I have had several experiences with the IT department, which is very helpful, and the Student Help Desk which is not very helpful at all.
Oncourse CL needs lot of work before I feel that it will be effective. One of my larger concerns about it is that there is no way to contact the other students in the class. If there is a project, group or otherwise, there isn't any communication.
Make sure IUE information emails are only sent once. I receive at least two each time one is sent.
Some things that I would like to see are all departments available through the IUEast website available with course descriptions for all program requirements (Natural Science & Math). There are some that are under construction that I would like to have access to from home. Also the email via Oncourse would be more convenient if it were up and running. I love the opportunity that Oncourse affords students to participate in distance learning and this was a big reason that I decided to come back to school. IT here at IUEast is the best. They fixed my computer for me so that I could complete my online courses and they did a fantastic job. I hate to hear that the state is cutting their funding and I hope that there is a change of heart on that decision or that there are other avenues that can be pursued so that the IT department can continue to move forward. Thank you for the opportunity to be heard!!
1. Technology in the classrooms that the professors do not know how to use. Either make it so intuitive that it is obvious to non tech people how to do it, or have mandatory training.
I have always received an answer for every question I have ever had. I am very satisfied with IT at IU East.
should be available more hrs
keep up the good work!
24 hour computer lab accessibility for students whom do not have internet access from home. Quiet computer lab environments!
The Linux lab got worse, and I hate to even go in there. You can never get anything to print out. Something really needs to be done about that lab!!!!
Lab consultants are never available. Lab computers are too slow, way too slow. Peripheral use is too limited, bring back the zip drives. Mac lab is a joke, no one is there and the equipment is not functioning.
Having the computer labs open more often to students who have classes only on the weekend would be more helpful and greatly appreciated.
At times, numerous computer labs are closed at the same time because there are classes in them. This can be frustrating when I want to use a computer, but can't seem to find an open one.
I have tried the angelware program and I really like it much better than the OncouseCL. It is easy to navigate but the grade book is really lousy.
I would really like to see lap tops that are available for overnight student check out. I know that the library carries some but they is always a waiting list. Some times students just need a computer at home for one night to get a paper or exam written. When you work on top of going to school it is very hard to get to the computer labs while they are open. Being able to check out a lap top to accomplish some of these things from home. If this is not possible I would at least like to see longer hours for the library or computer labs. At some other universities libraries are open 24 hours or at least until midnight. I don't think that it is necessary here to stay open 24 hours at all but it would be nice to have some later hours.
I think they try to help students in need and they really did with joy. I appreciate their help. This is my 2nd semester and I don't know how the ITS service was in the past year to compare it.
**Keep up the good work :-)
The only suggestion I have is to expand the hours the computer labs are open. I am only on campus Friday evening and Saturday, so the ability to use the computer labs is limited for me.
I find One Start hard to navigate through and cannot always find what I need.
The website needs to be updated, the wireless connections comes and goes, whenever I need a computer lab there seems to be a class using it.
I don't consider myself to be stubborn when it comes to change, but the new Oncourse format and layout is not user friendly as opposed to the older style. I'm sure I'll get used to it but so far I'm not impressed at all. My you should do a survey on that alone...work on Oncourse!
I can never get on any library pages from home. My password never works with IUCAT or other web pages. I can log onto Oncourse, but never the library. It is very frustrating to think I should have access to all of the library web info at home, but can't log in. I've mentioned it several times, yet it still won't work.
I'm tired of teachers relying to heavily on OnCourse even though we see them in class. They are unprepared and unorganized. Things posted on OnCourse are in no sensible order. None of my teachers this semester pass back work or even keep an online grade book.
When I needed help trying to sign in (because I had never done so before) when I called the help desk, they just kept saying, well it must be YOUR computer that is causing the problem, and really didn't help solve the issue. There was a problem with the link that I had been given to use.
Availability of the computer labs has been a problem for me in the past (Summer '05). I didn't have a home computer and had to make my schedule around computer lab availability. I was due to deliver and it was uncomfortable for me to walk building to building to find an open computer lab.