technology program administrator final3

8/2/2019 Technology Program Administrator Final3

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Running head: TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR 1

Technology Program Administrator

Practicum

Scott M. Price

Georgia Southern University

Dr. Hodges


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TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR 2

Technology Program Administrator

Technology Center Analysis

Executive Summary

This report was compiled to reflect on the services provided by the Information Technology

Services (ITS) and the ITS Computer Lab (center) at Kennesaw State University and how

successful they are in meeting its mission and goals. Their mission statement to provide support

and guidance for technology solutions that empower the KSU community to realize the University

mission utilizing the most effective and efficient means possible was utilized as a measure and a

definition of the desired outcome for the center.

The first section of this report is an extensive organizational chart that is demonstrative of the

commitment of the University in maintaining high standards and to servicing their faculty, staff

and student population. The second section details the several methods that were utilized for data

collection, including interviews, observation and collecting existing documentation, either at the

facility or online. The third section provides insight into the centers context and goals, including

how and why the center is there and who benefits from its existence. The centers activities

section describes what you would find in the center to provide the necessary learning and teaching

environment. All of these previous sections are analyzed collectively in the evaluation section.

Finally, there is a monthly report that can be used for highlighting the centers successes and

accomplishments.

Overall, the center is meeting the needs of its stakeholders. They offer hands-on training

workshops and plethora of on-line training through their ComputerTrain program. Kennesaw State

University faculty is using and integrating technology into their teaching. In addition to the main


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ITS Lab (center) their are multiple satellites labs for quick accessibility by the student population.

My recommendation is to improve the ambiance of the center, and make it a more inviting

environment. It did not compare to some of the other centers I have visited. They should look at

updating the look and feel of the labs to promote a more collaborative environment.


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Organizational Chart


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Methods

Several methods were used during the evaluation process. Interviews were done with two

staff members. The first staff member interviewed was an Information Technology Support

Professional at Kennesaw State University. He is the one of administrators of the central student

help desk. The student help desk is responsible for helping students learn how to connect their

personal computers to Wi-Fi. In addition, they troubleshoot viruses and spyware, and teach

students how to fix slow computers. The second interview was with the Associate Director of

Customer Support Services. She oversees all the computer labs, satellites, and the service desk.

Other methods utilized were collecting data from the Information Technology Services website

and brochures, as well as, observation.

Center Context and Goals

The Information Technology Services was established in 1993 at the current location in the

Burruss Building at Kennesaw State University. The mission and vision of which the summative

goal is to provide support and guidance for technology solutions in an effective and efficient

means and to partner with the KSU community to investigate and harness the power of

technology in a way that aligns with the Universitys mission. The stakeholders are the students,

faculty and staff. According to the interview with the Associate Director of Customer Support

Services, their goal is to have and provide resources to students and faculty to succeed in their

courses and teaching.

Key personnel are the system support professionals who support the individual colleges

and faculty staff, as well as, the system support professionals and student assistants that provide

training and assistance at the student help desk and computer labs. Future expansions are being


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geared toward virtual labs instead of additional physical space.

Center Activities

The ITS Outreach & Distance Learning Technologies Team offers training at no charge to

students, faculty and staff. They also offer face-to-face training, as well as online training through

ComputerTrain. There are hands-on training workshops offered at the center for these

applications and more: Microsoft Office Suite 2010, Dreamweaver 8, Files.kennesaw.edu (the

students personal online storage space) and GeorgiaVIEW. Space is provided at the center to work

in single space cubicles or to work in groups in conference rooms designed for multiple users.

Faculty has access to reserved rooms they can utilize for teaching. The students have access to PC

Windows-based computers, as well as iMacs. The center also provides the following services:

faxing, scanning, copying and printing.

Evaluation

The ITS Computer Lab (center) is definitely accomplishing its mission and goals. The ITS

as a whole offers extensive support and training to all stakeholders. My interview with both staff

members demonstrated how they were fulfilling the training and instruction needs of all the

stakeholders. During my interview with the Information Technology Support Professional, he

talked extensively about helping students. In this semester he and his staff had already assisted

and shown 400 students how to troubleshoot their personal computers. He also oversaw the

cleaning and rebooting of all lab computers on campus to keep them running efficiently.

The interview with the Associate Director of Customer Support Services revealed that the

ITS department as a whole and the ITS Computer Lab (center) achieve their goals by being open

seven day a week and offering 98 computer labs across campus for students and faculty to utilize.

Open computer labs have an employee to assist with problems and questions. Closed computer


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labs can be reserved as needed. She stated that they have 1700 computers across campus. Given

this information they are definitely providing technology services in a timely, efficient and

effective fashion. The organizational chart demonstrates the depth of their staff and the

commitment to providing support and guidance for technology solutions.

The resource center (ITS computer lab), from my observation, was constantly being used

and accessed. All areas were being used at one time or other, but the large computer rooms

seemed to be the ones used more often. The PCs and Macs were used with equal amount of user

time.

Faculty and staff can receive technology assistance on the first Friday of each month, and

varied faculty and staff workshops are provided each month, as well as online tutorials. Specific

workshops that facilitate student learning are continuously made available to all students. This

demonstrates how the goal of providing resources to enable students and faculty to succeed in their

courses and teaching is being met.

It is hard to make a recommendation for a system that is providing so well for its

stakeholders. All stakeholders have access, access is available seven days a week, distance

learning has been accommodated, and staff is readily available for hands on learning. The only

observation I made was that the main computer lab (center) was not as user friendly and inviting as

the other University technology centers I visited. The other University centers had comfortable

chairs and the collaborative spaces were more conducive to team activities. Attention had been

given to color, workflow, space, and comfort. KSU would do well to follow this example, which

would most likely increase the usage of the facility by students, faculty and staff.

Monthly Report

Do you know what Information Technology Services can do for you? If you are not sure about the


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answer to that question, then check out what we accomplished this semester:

Recorded over 27,000 logins last semester

Free Student Workshops provided this semester:

o Excel 2010& 2011

o Access 2010

o PowerPoint 2010 & 20111

o Word 2010 & 2011

o Computer security

o Dreamweaver 8

o Windows 7

o The iPad

o PC Podcasting

o Prezi

Do not have time for a workshop? Then take these same courses listed above online at

https://computertrain.kennesaw.edu

You can have your Mac and Windows too with our ten iMacs that have Dual Boot capabilities

Free Faculty Workshops provided this semester

o Camtasia

o Word for Mac

o iPad

o Podcasting on the Mac (garage band, graphics and video)

o Panopto for the PC and MAC

o Adobe Acrobat Professional X (creating interactive forms)

o Drupal for site editors

o Prezi

Come visit us today and tell us how we can better serve you. We are located in the Burruss


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Building on the fourth floor.

Appendix A


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Interview and responses: Information Technology Specialist

1. What is your job tittle?

Information Technology Support Professional

2. What are you daily responsibilities?

I manage computer labs, up to 125 computers. I supervise 12 to 15 student assistants that

are responsible for teaching students how to troubleshoot their personal computers for

software and hardware issues. I am also responsible for overseeing the rebooting and

cleaning of all lab computers on campus.

3. Did you receive any training for this position and if so what kind? How long have you been in

this position?

I already had technical computer experience prior getting this position I had to undergo

additional Managerial training prior to obtaining my current position. I have been in this

position for 5 years.

4. Do you feel that you are serving the needs of your students?

Yes, we have already helped 400 students this semester in troubleshooting and maintaining

their personal computers. We also offer numerous online Workshops and face-to-face

training for students and faculty. We are committed to servicing our students and faculties

needs. All workshops are free.

Appendix B


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Interview and responses: Associate Director of Customer Support Services

1. What is your job title?

The Associate Director of Customer Support Services

2. What is your job description, job responsibilities and the services offered by ITS?

I oversee the technical support for all the individual colleges. In addition, I oversee the

student help desk and the ITS Computer Lab. We have over 98 computer labs (including

the Main ITS Computer Lab here) and 1700 computers across campus. Open labs always

have an employee present to assist faculty and students. Closed labs can be reserved for

educational purposes (faculty reserved). I am especially excited about our Dual Boot

iMacs that we offer for students and faculty to utilize.

3. How long have you worked in ITS?

I have been with ITS since its inception in 1993. I was a student assistant.

4. What problems do you find students and faculty require the most assistance with?

Just follow directions

5. Is the organizational chart online correct and up to date?

Yes, but we are under some transition now. Delete the position for IT assessments because

my department absorbed this position.

6. What instructional technology tool would you want every teacher to know how to use?

GeorgiaVIEW Vista. Students and faculty have difficulty using this course management

system.

7. What do you see as the goals of the ITS Computer Lab (center) for students and faculty?

To have and provide resources to succeed in their courses and teaching.

8. What is future plans for the Computer Lab (center)?


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Expansion into virtual labs that allows you to be at home and still be at school at the same

time. We are not planning any physical expansion at this time.

Appendix C


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Observations:

My observations were done by sitting in the lab and observing the students and faculty and how

they utilized the services of the ITS Computer Lab (center).

Checklist:

Were all areas of the center being utilized? Yes

Were PCs and iMacs utilized equally? No- PC were utilized more than iMac

Was there adequate space for learning? Yes

Was staff attentive and available? Yes

Was staff knowledgeable? Yes

Was staff friendly? Yes

Was the atmosphere and design of the center inviting? No, it was plain and gray and seemed like

an oversized classroom. It did not compare well with the other centers I visited.

Appendix D


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Existing documentation:

Information Technology Services brochure

This brochure gives a brief description of the types of services the ITS Computer Lab

(center) provides.

ITS Kennesaw State University website: http://its.kennesaw.edu/

First Friday program where faculty and staff can receive technical assistance

ITS Workshops for Faculty and Staff

ITS Spring 2012 Workshops for students
http://its.kennesaw.edu/http://its.kennesaw.edu/

technology program administrator final3

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