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Ask anyone about the greatest challenge with their Web site, and you are likely to hear the same answer over and over: maintaining the content. Most Stanford departments can't afford high-end content management systems, and aren't fortunate enough to have an expert they can devote to this task. Instead, keeping the Web site up-to-date many times falls to a departmental administrator or a faculty member for whom this job is one of many on their plate. Unfortunately, this means that many Web sites simply fall out of date, providing site visitors with stale, inaccurate information and a faulty perception of the department.
As Stanford's professional Web development group, Media Solutions has built on its unique knowledge of campus needs to take on the challenge of making Web site maintenance and other related tasks easier. Media Solutions' staff has developed a number of cost-effective Web tools and products now available to the Stanford community.
QUAD (Quick Update Administrative Database) enables simpler, safer, secure Web-based content delivery and administration, by a wider group of authorized workers, from any convenient time and location. Using QUAD, Web site maintainers can make updates without needing to know html. This tool provides simple file upload for publishing or controlling images and documents; time-saving and intuitive 'linking' of related records; record browsing and searching by field, including various sort options; SUNet ID and password authentication; and secure, full access from any Web browser.
Media Solutions' Events Calendar enables departments to easily publicize presentations, meetings, and other interesting events. It provides custom formats and views including both summary and detailed information about each event. Searching, sorting, and browsing events is simple, as is the updating process through a Web browser and Internet connection. The calendar allows for easy upload of supporting files and images, and highly controllable event submission by multiple groups or individuals. The data is portable to other systems and calendars, including the Events@Stanford University-wide calendar. See related article, "Stanford Web Site: What's New".
SiteBuilder provides the ability to quickly build basic Web sites and to structure content. You can rapidly build static Web sites of various sizes with up to four levels of navigation using a Web browser. Transferring old site content into a new site structure is easy, allowing content creators with administrative access the ability to add material within a structured look and feel. You can use a one-click interactive site map to create or delete pages, re-arrange the hierarchy of pages within a site, and then preview the entire site, as content is updated before any static files have been built.
Eviscerator enables on the fly conversion of Web site pages to text-only pages. Make any Web site more readable or accessible by creating an alternate text-only view, with a single click of the mouse, without maintaining separate sites. You can also use this tool to create a text-only version of Web site content for other purposes.
These new products are only a few of the ways that Media Solutions is responding to the online communication needs of the Stanford campus. To find out how Media Solutions can help you, see http://mediasolutions.stanford.edu/ or contact them at info@mediasolutions.stanford.edu, (650) 723-0381.
The Academic Technology Specialists Program attempts to bridge the gap between cutting edge software and information technology that is used for teaching, research, and pedagogical advancement. Two departments, Communication and Sociology, have recently joined the program. The joint Academic Technology Specialist (ATS) for these two departments, Michael Forte, is introduced below along with a description of an innovative course being developed by Claudia Engel, the ATS for Anthropological Sciences.
For more information about the Academic Technology Specialists program, contact Makoto Tsuchitani at mako@stanford.edu.
Communication and Sociology join the ATS Program with the arrival of Michael Forte who will act as ATS for both departments. Michael has a Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University. Before coming to Stanford, he was a consultant and contract software engineer for 10 years, working for a number of companies in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area including Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, McKesson, and dot-com startups. Michael designed graphical user interfaces, servers, database applications, internet and intranet applications, e-commerce applications, network communications software, and other general types of software applications.
Before entering the consulting arena, Michael worked at software companies involved in creating scientific and mathematical software. He also worked for companies doing neural and psychology research, systems administration, graphical visualization software design, statistical analyses, and grant proposal writing.
Before moving to the Bay Area, Michael worked at a number of universities in the Boston area. At Boston University, he did research on scientific visualization systems and mathematical graphical systems in the Computer Graphic Lab and taught introductory computer graphics. He also served as a consultant to faculty, staff, and students in the area of computer graphics software and hardware.
While at Brandeis University, Michael served as a statistical software consultant, graphics applications designer, and general computer center software consultant. While a graduate student, and for several years thereafter, he was a research associate at Harvard Medical School conducting research on perception and meditation. As one of the principal researchers, he was responsible for experimental design, all of the technical aspects of implementing the study design, and the statistical analyses of the resulting data.
One of the first projects Claudia Engel took on as the new Academic Technology Specialist with the Department of Anthropological Sciences was a collaboration with Professor John Rick, archaeologist and chair of the department. In Spring Quarter 2003, Professor Rick taught a class on Models and Imaging in Archaeological Computing. The first Anthropology class to be taught in one of the experimental learning spaces in Wallenberg Hall, the course provided students with hands-on experience in archaeological modeling and in using advanced computing technologies.
Experimental Classroom: While archeologists must learn to construct sites
and artifacts in three dimensions, students usually do not practice the professional
use of high-end digital archaeology technologies. The experimental classroom
in Wallenberg Hall provided an environment equipped with tools and technologies
that gave students a unique opportunity. They could simulate a data and computing
intensive archaeology research project, preparing for the complexity of their
future work as archaeologists. (For more information about the classroom in
Wallenberg Hall, see http://wallenberg.stanford.edu/exploring/room120.html.)
Simultaneous visualization on multiple big displays and sharing of content were two features of the room that were the most relevant for this class. When sharing and comparing their models and discussing different perspectives, students could develop critical thinking skills in their interpretation of artifacts and historical sites. During the creative visualizationprocess, working with different models from the accumulated data may lead to additional discoveries. Creating a virtual reality representation can provoke new and interesting questions to advance the research process.
Student Projects: Students worked on projects that included capturing of data, modeling of archaeological sites, representations in appropriate formats, and results analysis. By learning to work with Photorealistic Panoramas (Photovista/Reality Studio), GIS (ArcInfo), and 2D and 3D CAD (Microstation) students approached the central question of how to build evidence in archaeological research from various angles.
ATS Support: As the ATS, Claudia developed the learning design and technology part of the course proposal. She provided guidance to prepare the instructor and students for the appropriate use of the space and to make them feel comfortable in the experimental environment. In close collaboration with design and technology experts from Wallenberg Hall, Claudia directed the preparations and setup of the room before and during the quarter. She provided training and troubleshooting when necessary, and consulted with Professor Rick on an ongoing basis throughout the course.
The class was also a study object for the Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning (SCIL), which is performing extensive research to explore the ways that the combination of technologies and media support collaborative learning and work.
For more information, please send email to Claudia Engel, cengel@stanford.edu.
There's a wealth of information about Stanford email on the Web. The problem
has always been finding it. That problem was addressed this summer when the
University unveiled a new Web site devoted entirely to the subject of @Stanford
email.
@Stanford email is the campus's main email service. Stanford students, faculty and staff get their @Stanford accounts free when they obtain a SUNet ID. Because it's part of the University's core computer infrastructure, @Stanford email accounts come with all sorts of goodies by default. This includes such featues as an automatic anti-virus system, anti-spam options, password protection measures, Web-enabled auto-reply and forwarding. The new email Web site guides you to these and other email possibilities.
To see for yourself, take a look at:
This will be the sites' debut year. Please feel free to send comments or suggestions for improvement via the HelpSU link in the upper right hand corner.
The Academic Technology Lab (ATL) is a resource center for faculty, instructors and TAs who are interested in using multimedia to improve teaching and learning at Stanford University.
ATL now supports digital voice recording and improved audio editing with their purchase of an Audio Technica AT 3035 microphone, a studio microphone pop filter (eliminates popping noise associated with plosive consonants such as "p" and "b") and an Omni I/O device.
The Omni I/O is a record/playback "front end" that works with our USB Quattro digital audio interface to streamline the recording process. The Omni system resolves some of the most common problems and inconveniences with computer-based recording. In addition to eliminating the need to reconfigure between record and playback, the Omni I/O integrates seamlessly with all of today's music production tools, streamlining the typical desktop studio.
In addition to voice recording, the Studio equipment allows patrons to capture audio from LP record, audio cassette, minidisk and CD.
As well as providing improved support for audio digitizing, the ATL has also upgraded to the latest versions of Discreet Cleaner and Sorenson Squeeze. These software packages are used to optimize, compress and encode large digital audio and video files for use on CD-ROM or the Web.
Cleaner 5 required twenty minutes to encode for every one minute of source video. Cleaner 6 takes only 9.5 minutes per every minute of source video. Projects are now finished in half the time with better quality results.
Due to recent hardware upgrades, patrons now have access to two digital video editing stations with DVD-burning capability. The ATL now also has an additional scanner with document feeder.
The Academic Technology Lab is located on the first floor of Meyer Library in room 181. Lab hours are 1:00-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. Consultants are available to meet with faculty by appointment. To request a consultation, please email acomp-consult@lists.stanford.edu with a detailed description of your project and several dates and times you are available. The lab phone number is (650) 725-5522.
For more information about the Academic Technology Lab, please see the Web at:
http://acomp.stanford.edu/atl/
Webmail, a Web-based email client that allows you to work with your Stanford email from anywhere, has new features and a hardware upgrade.
Each month, about 16,000 Stanford users use Webmail at least once. Its improvements include:
• Consolidation of IMAP URL (webmail-imap) and POP URL (webmail) into one,
• A hardware upgrade to provide load-balanced service through a pool of servers,
• An address book,
• Spell checking,
• Filter configuration, and
• A new user interface design created with input from Stanford community.
These changes should make Webmail easier to use and more reliable. Try it at:
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides individualized assistance and workshops to faculty and TAs interested in using technology to enhance their teaching or to simplify the management of their classes. CTL's Associate Director Marcelo Clerici-Arias (725-0127, marcelo@stanford.edu) and Academic Technology Specialist Jeremy Sabol (725-4164, jeremy@stanford.edu) are both available to discuss the appropriateness of a variety of instructional technologies for your classes, to help identify useful technology tools, to consider technology solutions to various instructional challenges, and to prepare formative assessments of the technology's effectiveness.
CTL specializes in researching and disseminating high-impact, low-threshold technologies that are not only easy and time-efficient to use but effective in achieving teaching goals. Examples include Web-based tools that can facilitate student collaborations, as well as interactive tools that allow you to immediately receive and display student responses to in-class questions or problems. They also welcome questions from those who are new to technology and those who, for example, wonder about the best way to find and use images in their teaching or how to encourage effective student participation in online forums.
This fall, CTL's faculty workshops include Making Online Discussion Forums Work and Getting Started with a Course Website; their TA workshops include Using PowerPoint Effectively in Your Presentations and Maintaining Websites on the Leland Servers. Workshops can also be arranged for some or all members of a department or for a professor and his/her TAs.
For more information about these workshops and CTL's technology services, please contact one of the individuals mentioned above or check the Web at:
http://teachtech.stanford.edu/
Meyer Library's Multimedia Studio (MMS) continues to offer one-on-one consultations
for its patrons. The individual consultations allow MMS consultants to tailor
sessions onimage and text scanning, video dubbing, PowerPoint, Photoshop, iMovie,
Final Cut, and Web design to the specific needs, interests, and technical levels
of patrons.
The Multimedia Studio is located on the second floor of Meyer Library. Consultations are available Monday-Friday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
For further inquiries or to make an appointment, please send an email to studio-consult@acomp.stanford.edu with a detailed description of your project.
ITSS' Software Licensing office negotiates and administers University-wide software licenses and volume discount agreements that make a wide variety of software available at significant discounts to members of the Stanford community. They are continually negotiating new contracts for campus users.
Their featured new software contract is UpdateExpert, software that is designed to manage patches and security updates to Microsoft software. Stanford systems administrators who currently use UpdateEXPERT report significant time savings.
Software Licensing's Microsoft Select for Students pilot project, which was begun last fall, was very successful. They will continue to offer students three Microsoft products for personal use - Windows XP Pro Upgrade, Office XP Pro, and Office Mac 10. To purchase the software, bring your student ID to their office. They'll bill you later. It's that simple!
For more information about the Software Licensing office, including a list of available software, order forms, and updates on their new licenses, see their Web site at:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/licensing/
To reach the Software Licensing staff directly, send email to software@stanford.edu or call 724-2424.
Since ITSS released version 3 of Stanford's Web Authentication software (WebAuth v3) last February, more than 70 campus Web servers have been upgraded to use it, including popular Web sites such as: www.stanford.edu, StanfordYou.stanford.edu, StanfordWho.stanford.edu, and webmail.stanford.edu. (See also, "Webmail Improvements".)
WebAuth v3 is a complete rewrite of WebAuth (a comprehensive system for authenticating web users), so it is noticeably different from WebAuth v2, in both look and behavior. Because ITSS expects both versions to be running in parallel for many months before WebAuth v2 is retired, users may see different WebAuth's, depending on which sites they want to access.
Additional technical information about WebAuth v3 is on the Web at:
http://webauthv3.stanford.edu/
Things will be a little different this year for the Sweet Hall Unix Clusters.
Free printing is going away, a cluster went away, and some hardware and software
were moved.
• Free printing in Sweet Hall is no more. While it seemed a valuable service to those who used it well, the reams and reams of wasted paper in the recycling bins on the second floor Sweet Hall could not be ignored. Free quarterly printing quotas were discontinued this past summer. Students will now pay 10 cents per page, the same price charged by the Libraries and dorms. The total cost of each print job is displayed when a print command is issued, and is deducted from the CardPlan account associated with each person's Stanford ID card. For more information go to http://www.stanford.edu/services/cluster/printing/.
• The Leland Unix Cluster in Meyer Library is going away. The 24 Hour Study Room in Meyer, which formerly included the Unix cluster, will remain a study room. People who need computing resources can use the Macs in the Meyer lobby (also on the first floor), go to PC/Mac cluster on the second floor or, if they crave Unix power, step across the way to Sweet Hall.
• As for workstations, there are now about two dozen fewer Solaris machines available on the second floor of Sweet Hall. The Fable workstations that used to be in Meyer have been moved into the basement of Sweet Hall, thereby creating an "all-Sun" lab for classes. Half of the Linux workstations in the basement were moved up to the second floor of Sweet Hall to make room for the Fable machines.
• The Tree1 and Tree2 compute servers have been replaced by two new compute "clusters": 10 Sun V210s in one cluster and 12 Dell dual-processor servers in the other. They'll keep the "Tree" name.
With staff STAP funds reduced from $1200 to $800 per year as of September 2003, if you are a Stanford staff member you will have to manage wisely to meet your professional development/training needs. Making the most of your training dollar by taking the most appropriate courses is now more important than ever. Computer applications will continue to evolve and expectations of staff computing skills will continue to grow.
Technology Training Services knows this and is working hard to provide you with the tools necessary to plan your training: training grids that help you determine which courses to take, and when; clear, concise, informative descriptions of courses offered including those for instructor-led and online, self-paced courses; and, knowledgeable staff to help you by email or phone.
ITSS Technology Training Services offers a variety of lab and lecture classes. For information about all the courses they offer, see the Training Opportunities Guide, call 723-4391, or go to the Web site at:
http://techtraining.stanford.edu/
In response to requests for one-on-one, customized training at different levels on different desktop applications, the topics covered in Training by Appointment will now include: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, FrontPage, Internet Explorer; FileMaker Pro; HTML; Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash; Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat, PageMaker; and Windows or Mac desktop management. Staff can use STAP funds to pay for this one-on-one training.
To register for and set up a 90-minute training session, which includes corresponding with the instructor to establish learning objectives, go to http://techtraining.stanford.edu/byappointment/.
ITSS Technology Training Services is always adding new topics to its classes offered for Stanford staff and faculty:
Photos, Graphics, and the Web: This class covers the basics of getting, preparing, and posting photos and graphics to a Web site.
Dreamweaver Lite: This half-day basic introduction to Dreamweaver is just enough to get started or help those who are maintaining a Web site.
JavaScripting: Topics include JavaScript objects, methods, properties, events, user-designed functions. Exercises cover preloading images, opening new windows, and form validation.
Database Rescue: Get help solving problems with existing FileMaker Pro database files.
Essential Web Skills for Oracle Financial Applications
Sundial: An Introduction to Campus-wide Calendaring
ITSS recommends the following standards for computer systems that are used for general academic and administrative use at Stanford. A system should be able to:
• Run at least four applications concurrently (e.g., Internet Explorer, Eudora, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel),
• Run current off-the-shelf, general purpose business applications, and
• Run current Stanford-specific administrative applications.
This standard must be adjusted accordingly for users who place either higher or lower demands on their systems (e.g., for special purpose applications on the high end or simply as a Web-browsing terminal on the low end).
Based upon experience with the continuing changes and improvements in desktop computing capabilities, ITSS also recommends that a 3 to 4 year replacement cycle would create an adequate platform to support standard business applications. However, each computer should be assessed on a regular basis to ensure that it continues to support the unique work applications of its user.
For additional information, see the Web at:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/itss/ess/adminapps/recommended.html
If you are buying a new Windows-based computer, ITSS recommends purchasing one of the Stanford Dell Bundles. The Dell Bundles offer preconfigured desktop and laptop computers that will meet the needs of most students, faculty and staff, and are available at discounted prices. You can find more information at:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/itss/dell/dell_program.html
Most Web-enabled administrative applications in use at Stanford will work with any standards-compliant Web browser. However, a few applications must be accessed from a specific browser (e.g., Axess, CoreFIN, Kronos, and Webmail).
For a complete list of administrative applications that have specific browser requirements, go to:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/itss/ess/adminapps/browsers.html
It's back to school time! As you pull out your book bag and begin to gear-up for an exciting Fall Quarter, let the Stanford Bookstore Computer Store be part of your preparation. Come to the Computer Store where Stanford students, staff, faculty, and departments can purchase computer products and software at discounted prices.
The Computer Store carries a variety of items that you may want to consider:
• Hardware from Apple, Toshiba, and IBM, plus a host of other computer-related products from major manufacturers.
• Software at academic pricing for Macintosh and Windows-based systems from vendors such as Adobe, Borland, Macromedia, Microsoft, and Symantec.
• Peripherals and supplies such as Palm, Sony, and Handspring handheld devices, mobile phones, ink and toner cartridges, cables and laptop accessories.
In need of computer repairs or memory upgrades? No problem, the Stanford Bookstore Computer Store Computer Service Center repairs Macintosh and PC systems, in or out of warranty, and the Computer Service Center also stocks memory modules to upgrade computer systems. The Computer Service Center offers on-campus pickup and delivery for Stanford departments. Other customers are welcome to use the drop-off window located on the main level of the Bookstore. The Computer Service Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For details, contact the Bookstore at 725-6136, extension 338.
When purchasing a computer system, software or supplies through the Computer Store, individuals may pay with cash, check, or credit card when accompanied with a valid Stanford ID. Campus departments must use an online Standard Purchase Requisition form, which should be forwarded to Procurement. Departmental orders totaling less than $1,500 can be purchased with a Stanford Purchasing Card (VISA/MasterCard) or Rapid Purchase Order (RPO) which can be faxed (325-3476), or brought into the store and used like cash. Bookstore Requisitions (SU-12s) can be used for cash and carry purchases of less than $500.00
To learn more about the Stanford Bookstore Computer Store, drop by the Stanford Bookstore, located in White Plaza or call (650) 725-6116 (or 800-533-2670). They are open Monday through Friday,7:45 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Saturdays, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Sundays, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Visit the Computer Store Web page to see available hardware, software and peripherals:
http://www.stanfordbookstore.com/
AppleTalk routing was officially turned off on Stanford's main campus on August 25, 2003. ITSS made the decision to phase out AppleTalk routing because:
• The equipment used to support AppleTalk routing on campus was aging and it was difficult to repair or replace if it failed.
• The support of a separate backbone for routing AppleTalk required significant resources.
• There was a declining use of AppleTalk routing as old Macintosh systems were replaced by new systems and older AppleTalk-only applications were upgraded to new versions that supported TCP/IP.
• Apple Computer has supported the use of TCP/IP for file sharing and printing services since Mac OS 8.1. Apple stopped routing AppleTalk on its corporate network in October 1999 and has indicated that its future direction for file sharing and print services is an IP-based architecture.
AppleTalk zones no longer appear in the Chooser and you are no longer able to browse AppleTalk file sharing and printing services on remote subnets. Connecting to computers and printers on remote subnets now requires TCP/IP.
Detailed instructions on using TCP/IP connections are available at the official AppleTalk Routing Retirement web page:
AppleTalk traffic on the local subnet for file servers and printers has not been affected by this change. Note that SLAC discontinued the routing of AppleTalk on October 1, 2001. The School of Medicine is not affected by this change and will continue to route AppleTalk internally.
If you've been thinking about making your video or audio resources available
online, but were deterred by what seemed an overwhelming process, then you're
in luck. Now, the process can be as simple as dropping off a tape to ITSS.
You don't have to worry about creating digital files, indexing the material,
storing the content, or operating streaming servers. ITSS provides all the
services you'll need to make your material as easily accessible to your clients
as a Web page.
It's as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Visit their Web site at http://streamingmedia.stanford.edu/, click on the Request Service link, and complete the easy-to-use form.
2. An ITSS representative will contact you to get details and arrange a time for you to drop off your content.
3. ITSS takes care of everything else you need to provide the content online and provides you with a URL that allows your clients to view the material. (You can add it as a link to your Web page or just distribute it.)
Many enhanced services are available, including authoring (combining video, screen captures, PowerPoint presentations, etc.), indexing (making your video content searchable), and webcasting (sending your content out live).
For more details on any of the streaming media services, see:
http://streamingmedia.stanford.edu/
ReportMart, a Web portal containing reports for the new ITSS administrative systems at Stanford, has added a new reporting tool, Business Objects. At this time, the use of Business Objects will be limited to Oracle Financials (Delphi) reporting while all other reports delivered through ReportMart (PeopleSoft, Kronos, Pinnacle, etc.) will continue to be written in Brio. (See "Future Vision of Report Mart" below.)
Business Objects has been added to:
• To provide a more robust and easier-to-use ad-hoc reporting tool.
• To provide the requested drill-down capability for financial reporting that allows a user to quickly navigate from summary to detail data.
• To eliminate the need for Citrix for Mac clients. (The current Brio tool requires Citrix for Mac users.)
Stanford's vision is to migrate to a single reporting tool that meets all client reporting needs. The advantages of standardizing on one tool include a reduction in the number of tools that clients need to learn, and lower support, maintenance and training costs.
Such a migration will first involve confirming with ReportMart clients that Business Objects meets their reporting needs. Next, a project plan will be created and submitted for funding that describes the process for converting existing Brio reports to Business Objects reports (including impact, training, timelines, costs, etc.). This evaluation and plan will occur in the fall of 2003, after Oracle Financials is in place.
For more information, contact Karen Gibbons in Enterprise Reporting at kgibbons@stanford.edu.
Last spring, Stanford faculty, staff, and students attended what has become a regular event: the IT (Information Technology) Open House sponsored by SUL/AIR and ITSS. There attendees received information about purchasing computer equipment and software through Stanford programs, connecting to SUNet from their home, technology in the classroom, programs to help in teaching, course software, data collections available for research and instruction, and more. Representatives from about thirty campus-wide technology service groups were there for attendees to meet, ask questions of, and learn about resources.
The next IT Open House will be held on January 14, 2004, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Oak Lounge on the second floor of Tresidder Union. Watch the Web for details at:
http://itopenhouse.stanford.edu/
The Stanford Voice over IP pilot process, which delivers voice services via an IP network, is drawing to a conclusion. Stanford's Information Technology Systems and Services staff piloted two incumbent vendors' VoIP solutions including the deployment of ~700 IP phones and integration into its existing legacy telecommunications system consisting of more than 35,000 analog and business telephone devices.
The pilot process was very useful in evaluating how new voice and network technologies could be expected to perform in Stanford's environment. However, the pilot deployment of the vendors' VoIP technologies was not enough to fully evaluate all the issues critical to a larger deployment of voice services to the entire Stanford community. ITSS therefore took the additional step of issuing an RFI to ensure they had a clear picture of each vendor's technology, business direction, and product pricing, as well as integration with Stanford's existing services and systems.
The RFI was valuable in revealing the cost necessary as well as each system's ability for Stanford to fully take advantage of the benefits of VoIP. In addition, conversations with the vendors and industry leaders suggest we are on the cusp of dramatic change in the delivery of voice services with the introduction of wireless technology for VoIP.
As a result of ITSS' findings, Stanford is not in a position to proceed with a complete replacement of its legacy telecommunications system and instead is looking at a migration strategy that will replace the legacy system over the next several years.
Stanford's strategy is to install the Nortel Network's core VoIP technology while retaining the existing edge voice and network equipment in the closets and adjunct systems. VoIP will then be deployed to clients as part of new building construction, major renovations, and other areas where the client can show benefit from the use of VoIP technology. The goal is to use Stanford's existing equipment for its full useful life where possible while ITSS researches the emergence of wireless technologies that could cause a fundamental shift in the direction of communications technologies and services.
ITSS has developed an initial implementation plan to deploy core VoIP technology at Stanford while completing a future technology assessment. Stanford will then develop the follow-on phases of its project plan with the knowledge they have gained from the assessment. This plan allows Stanford to continue to invest in the future while managing its risks as that future evolves.
ITSS Computer Resource Consulting provides fast, reliable technical assistance (desktop, network, hardware, and software support) and consulting services to the local Stanford community, as well as agreed upon satellite and remote locations associated with Stanford University faculty, students and staff.
For those departments or groups who require desktop and/or network support, yet do not have enough IT projects or technical support needs that demand a 100 percent or or 50 percent contract, Computer Resource Consulting now offers a 30 percent contracts (3 days per week). An ITSS OnCall Services team member would provide dedicated support to an organization three days a week, every week (of the clients initial choosing) to provide rapid response, informed expertise, and consistentlyhigh-quality technical and proactive solutions.
This service is especially handy for those organizations who:
• need onsite server administration and maintenance;
• do not require 100 percent or 50 percent contracted support;
• have one or more mid-level to large scale IT projects (mass computer setups and/or upgrades, server setup and maintenance, etc.); and
• are small in size (number of employees) and have an infrequent need for dedicated desktop, sever and network support.
To request more information or sign up for this service, please contact the ITSS OnCall Services team via email at itssoncall@lists.stanford.edu or the ITSS OnCall Services manager, Auston Davis at 723-2794. For more information regarding ITSS OnCall Services, please see their Web site at:
http://crconcall.stanford.edu/
More than 500 Stanford students came through the Digital Language Lab last spring to take the Stanford Language Center's online Simulated Oral Proficiency Interviews or SOPIs.
The SOPI is a testing device developed by the Center for Applied Linguistics to determine a student's facility in speaking a foreign language. During the SOPI, students view pictures depicting real life situations accompanied by audio prompts in their language of study. The Online SOPI system, developed by Academic Computing, records student responses to these pictures and audio prompts and stores them in a database. SOPI raters then listen to student responses and give each student an appropriate rating on a nine-point scale.
This year the Language Center offered SOPIs in seven languages. The Language Center administers the SOPIs in CourseWork, Stanford's modular, open source, learning management system. Students login to CourseWork to take their SOPIs and instructors rate SOPIs through an administrative interface in CourseWork. See also, "Stanford's CourseWork: A Major Milestone and New Features".
Next year SOPIs will be given in at least four additional languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, and Swahili. Academic Computing is currently enriching the SOPI system to allow for on-demand delivery of SOPIs, randomization of SOPI questions, and more. The online SOPI improves efficiency, flexibility, and ease of administration and plays a key role in the Language Center's mission to improve foreign language instruction at Stanford.
For more information about the Digital Language Lab and the services and facilities it offers for Stanford faculty and students, see:
Essential Stanford Software (ESS) is a collection of site-licensed and Stanford-developed software programs that ITSS makes available to faculty, staff, and currently registered students, free of charge. Essential Stanford Software includes:
• Norton AntiVirus (Mac) and Symantec AntiVirus (Windows) for anti-virus protection,
• PC-Leland/MacLeland for SUNet security and password protection,
• Eudora for email,
• Internet Explorer for Web browsing,
• SecureCRT for secure telnet (terminal emulation),
• SecureFX and PC-AFS for secure file transfer, and
• And more!
You can download software from the ESS Web site at
Essential Stanford Software is updated frequently, so it is a good idea to check the ESS Web site regularly.
An ESS CD is available to help you avoid downloads via the Internet and install these applications quickly. Residential Computing distributes this free CD to incoming students. Copies are also available at Distributed Computing Consulting in the public computing cluster on the second floor of Sweet Hall, or from ITSS at the Oak Trailer in Jordan Quad or at Bambi Modular near Roble Gym. A valid Stanford ID is required.
ITSS offers a CGI (Common Gateway Interface) Service that allows Stanford users and groups to improve their Web pages. CGI programs can provide dynamic Web documents, collect Web-based user input, and allow server-side processing. When a browser requests a URL that accesses a CGI program, the Stanford CGI servers can securely execute that program from the owner's AFS (the Stanford enterprise file service) space and use his/her AFS space for input data and output results. (For more information about AFS space, see http://www.stanford.edu/services/afs/.)
As a member of the Stanford community, you can get a CGI account with ITSS' new CGI self-activation tool. This tool is for accounts requested by individuals only. Group CGI account requests should continue to be submitted via HelpSU at http://helpsu.stanford.edu/.
To set up your CGI account, go to http://cgi.stanford.edu/ and click on Personal CGI Service. After you are Web-authenticated, a script creates your account, sets up your CGI-bin directory in your AFS space, and sets the appropriate ACLs (permissions) for the directory. Note that it can take up to 24 hours for your account to be active.
Various Stanford computing groups offer electronic resources and services that instructors can use for their courses. These resources and services are collected on the Web at:
Instructors can go to that site to find a variety of computer- and technology-based services that can help them start, organize, and teach their classes.
ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST PROGRAM | RESIDENTIAL COMPUTING | STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDIA SOLUTIONS
