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Higher
ed learns notebook PC lessons
By
John Cox
Network
World, 04/11/05
WORCESTER,
MASS. - More colleges and universities are requiring students
to have notebook computers. And the notebook growth is sparking
far-ranging changes in the way these institutions do computing.
One issue
is simply scraping up the added resources for deploying, maintaining
and managing hundreds or thousands of student and faculty
notebook PCs. But a larger issue is giving students a range
of collaboration tools, including RSS feeds and Weblogs, and
giving faculty course management applications and helping
in instructional design so that computing becomes part of
the very fabric of a school's education.
At Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., that larger issue has
a name: ubiquitous computing. It is a combination of applications,
support, collaboration tools, wireless LANs (WLAN) and other
resources to support the school's goal of interactive learning
through real-time access to individualized information.
"This
is a key theme for Rensselaer," said Sharon Roy, director
of the school's academic and research computing group, speaking
at last month's annual conference of the North East Regional
Computing Program (NERCOMP ). Several NERCOMP presentations
dealt with notebook computing issues.
Roy said
that the interactive learning project is a way to reduce the
number of lectures, increase student participation in class,
let them work in teams and shift faculty into coaching roles
instead of the traditional "sage on the stage."
At the
end of the 2004 school year, the campus boasted about 1,624
notebooks compared with just 292 desktop PCs. All students
now are required to have a notebook PC. RPI offers students
a deal on IBM Thinkpads, models T30, T40 and T50. In an innovative
working relationship with IBM, a standard RPI image is installed
during the manufacturing cycle, which saves time in distributing
the notebooks to students.
The school
launched a series of student surveys to track how they actually
use their notebooks, and how those use patterns change over
time. That data will make it possible to identify problems
and opportunities for IT response.
The influx
of portable PCs has spurred the school's efforts on mobile
computing for faculty, too. Some early adopters have used
notebook computational software heavily in courses on math,
physics, chemistry, CAD and biology. "These early adopters
now are good role models [for other faculty]," Roy said.
"Peers in the departments are now an important source
of knowledge on educational computing."
IT staff
at three Massachusetts state colleges, speaking in another
NERCOMP session, echoed a number of Roy's conclusions and
recommendations.
Worcester
State College saw notebooks as a way to free students from
having to wait to use desktop computers in nearly 50 computer
labs at the school's 56-acre campus. The labs were expensive
and required lots of support resources, said Donald Vescio,
the college's associate vice president of academic affairs.
He, like
many others, stressed the benefits of having standard notebook
platforms with standard software loads. "It simplifies
support and training, it creates process efficiencies, and
it's predictable," he said. "We wanted no surprises."
He pointed
out a trend at Worcester State of faculty actually using computers
less for in-class coursework so they can interact directly
with their students. But various kinds of computer-based learning
projects, done outside the classroom at the students' convenience,
are surging.
Bridgewater
State College IT staff emphasized the vital role of a software
package that includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, and active
scanning of student laptops before they can connect to the
school's network. These programs block an array of threats,
minimize support and optimize the network's performance, according
to Eric LePage, coordinator at the school's teaching and technology
center.
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Notebooks
on campus
Recommendations on managing the growing number
of mobile PCs:
•
Go with standard software and hardware to simplify
deployment, troubleshooting, maintenance, security
and management for hundreds or even thousands
of notebooks.
• Create incentives against theft, with high
deductibles ($500) for notebooks reported stolen.
• Consider asset tracking software, such
as Absolute Software, which identifies a stolen
or missing notebook whenever it re-appears on
the network.
• Look for software, such as tools in Bradford
Software’s Campus Manager, to automate initial
student registration on the network.
• Instead of diving into a student’s
hard drive to diagnose the plague of spyware problems,
keep a standard, updated notebook software image
and just re-image the infected notebook (use a
USB drive to back up/restore student data).
• Consider using 802.1X for authentication,
especially if you have a campus WLAN.
• Plan early to provide faculty with resources
and training for instructional design so they
integrate notebooks into coursework, both in and
outside of class.
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Like
many other institutions, Bridgewater State uses Blackboard
course management software. It also is devoting more
staff, along with faculty acting as a peer support group,
to train professors in designing computer-based instruction.
To cut down on computer distractions during class, a
program called Software Secure, lets a teacher lock
up the notebooks except for access to Microsoft Word
for note taking, or limit students to a specific Web
site. "Some students did not like this," LePage
acknowledged.
At
Framingham State College, the growth of laptops coincided
with the spread of a campus-wide WLAN. "We can
now offer campus-wide access to the Internet and the
Web," said Andrea Pickles, director of Framingham
State's academic technology training and support group.
A key element in the school's approach has been investing
in tools and training to support faculty. The IT group
organizes summer institutes and workshops, technology
teaching circles, multimedia support, and, if requested,
in-class support for initial technology deployments.
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Bryant
University, in Smithfield, R.I., scrapped a complex, confusing,
error-prone paper-based registration process to deal with
newly issued notebooks first connecting to the network. The
IT group installed Bradford Software's Campus Manager application.
Now students just type in their username/password combination.
The software then identifies the notebook's media access control
address and coordinates a range of tasks: enabling or disabling
the appropriate ports; enforcing usage policies; and managing
bandwidth. "We now know who is active on any given port,"
said Scott Lessard, laptop support specialist at Bryant.
Trial
and error convinced the IT group that it was simpler and quicker
to replace a notebook's software image if the PC was crippled
by spyware or viruses than to delve into the hard drive. Support
technicians quickly back up student data, then replace the
image, cutting the time from one to two hours to 20 to 30
minutes.
Notebooks
are creating a new on-campus dynamic for students. "They
communicate through Instant Messenger and e-mail constantly,"
Pickles said. "We see it as bringing students together,
especially our freshman. We thought at first notebooks might
keep them isolated, but it's been quite the opposite."
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(Network World)
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