CBT license

Sponsor:

Alan Moses

Project summary:

CBT (now SmartForce) provides computer-based training modules on topics such as the use of common software applications and operating systems, general networking issues and specific network hardware (e.g., they are the official tier one training for Cisco products), programming languages, and computer support skills (e.g., preparation for various MS certification programs). We are currently coming up on year three of a three year systemwide license agreement. The first two years have been paid via "pass-the-hat". Usage to date has been lower than expected, but the program has not been widely promoted, especially to students.

How this project supports the academic mission of UCSB:

There are two target audiences for CBT at UCSB: technical staff can use CBT to solidify their work skills and explore new areas of interest; and students, faculty and staff can use CBT to improve their use of the productivity tools they use on a daily basis. Because of limited training budgets and few available alternatives for self-directed training, CBT could provide a baseline of training for the entire UCSB community. Usage would increase with greater promotion; at several other UC campuses, CBT has been marketed extensively to the campus community and now plays a central role in establishing baseline computing competency.

Funding source and how this project relates to it:

To date, this license has been funded via "pass-the-hat" by units who wanted the direct benefits of specific training modules. Although the training is freely available to the entire UCSB subnet, no one has specifically funded student, faculty, or non-technical staff use of this license. Because of the campus-wide benefit, some campus-wide funding would seem appropriate.

Costs:

$20,000 - $25,000

Matching opportunities:

UCOP cost-shared our portion of the fees because we said we could not otherwise afford to participate in the systemwide license. Full price is $30,000 per campus.

Staff support required:

The campus server is running on www.ucsb.edu, requiring annual installation, and occasional maintenance, by the campus network programmers. Other campus units can install their own servers to implement features not implemented on a campus-wide level (e.g., test and progress tracking).

Existing resources to be used:

Disk space and CNP time on www.ucsb.edu.

Project timeline:

The license runs on a calendar year; the final year of the three year agreement is 1/1/2000 - 12/31/2000. Fees are due to UCOP in December.

Life cycle of result:

This license agreement ends 12/31/2000. With the company restructuring currently in progress, it's unknown whether a similar license will be available after that.