_Chronological News Feed

While you were away: Summer 2018 Information Technology upgrades

Andrew Bruso
–

Information Technology Services is pleased to share information about a range of enhancements to campus technology and information infrastructure that took place during the summer of 2018.

Implementation of new technologies in learning spaces and administrative units:

  • The clinic in the Speech-Language and Hearing Center has a new, HIPAA-compliant digital clinic observation and recording system. This system utilizes streaming and webcam technologies.
  • Blackboard Ally, a tool for improving accessibility of web-based content, went live for all fall 2018 courses. Ally integrates directly with Blackboard to examine uploaded documents and files, notifying teaching faculty when course materials are not likely to be accessible to all students, and generating alternative files that address common accessibility issues.
  • The Banner system, used by administrative offices across campus to manage student records, is currently in testing and will roll out campus-wide this fall. Stay tuned for information about trainings.
  • Residence Life now has access to a new roommate matching system, which collects living preferences from first-year students to help produce good matches and room assignments.
  • This summer, Academic Advising began using a new system that automatically generates course registration suggestions based on first-semester plans, which helped new first-year students enroll in the best courses to start their time at New Paltz on track toward their degrees.
  • The Starfish Early Alert system is also live, helping faculty and staff identify and communicate feedback to foster student engagement, learning, and student success. Starfish replaces the time-sensitive academic success referral system, and has no time restrictions on its use.
  • A new web application was developed to manage registration overrides for instructors and academic departments.

Wireless and other network improvements:

  • Installed 181 new wireless access points in Bouton, Bliss, and Crispell to improve the performance of the wireless network. Configured residence halls with new networking gear and 10 gigabit network uplinks for improved network performance. These upgrades brings the total number of residence halls with 10 Gb uplinks to nine.
  • General network improvements and repairs were made in Humanities and Coykendall Science Building to remove unmanaged mini-switches and repair damaged infrastructure.
  • Aging network switches were replaced in Haggerty Administration Building.

Old Main Smart Classroom upgrades:

  • Information Technology Services has added new mic connections, Apple TVs and AV switcher systems to support modern usage by students and faculty.
  • New surface touch controls have been installed with “Help” buttons that provide common troubleshooting information.
  • Rooms that had a Smartboard as the main display in the front of the room (listed below) were replaced with an 86″ Clear Touch flat panel display for interactivity.

Other computer labs and classrooms with new or upgraded hardware:

  • Coykendall Science Building 119 – iMac lab
  • Humanities 105b and 107 – PC labs
  • Humanities 22 – Smart Classroom instructor station upgrade
  • Old Library 103a – graphic design iMac lab
  • Old Main 215 –education classroom
  • Student Union Building kiosks in the Atrium and basement level
  • Van den Berg Hall 113 – PC lab
  • Van den Berg Hall 115 and 221 – PC classrooms
  • Van den Berg Hall, multiple classrooms – replaced instructors’ computer stations for improved performance
  • Smiley Arts Building 102 – six new configured iMacs for Theater Sound Design lab
  • Smiley Arts Building Foundations studio classrooms – new iMacs configured and installed as instructors’ projection stations

New software and operating systems in labs and classrooms across campus:

  • PaperCut version 18.2.2 is now our upgraded print quota platform.
  • Rhino, the Computer Aided Design software frequently used in 3D printing, was upgraded to version 6 on PCs. Version 5 remains on iMacs.
  • Red Hat Virtualization, the system that runs Linux servers and virtual desktops in computer science and engineering departments, was upgraded to version 4.2.

Members of the SUNY New Paltz community can learn about campus information technology and place Help Desk ticket requests 24/7 at https://newpaltz.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/Home/.

Support is also available at the consolidated Service Desk in Humanities 103, which is staffed by trained student workers and open seven days a week (M-H, 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 12 – 5 p.m.). Email servicedesk@newpaltz.edu or call 845-257-HELP (4357) for more information.