Ongoing Support for Student Access Systems and Maintenance.
Sponsor:
Bill Koseluk (Instructional Computing)
Project summary:
Presently, 475 computers of the 1244 are in service for open access and instructional purposes for the campus, serving over 135 courses each quarter and thousands of students. These are supported with only 2.0FTE of technical personnel from Instructional Computing. This is very difficult, and the lack of support is further exacerbated by rising demands for increased access. 35 new stations are being added to that support group and so another CNT II FTE at $65K is needed to help provide technical support for the increased number of stations.
How this project supports the academic mission of UCSB:
One cannot overstate the importance of a modern computing environment for students. Campuses are widely judged by the extent and efficiency of its computing facilities. Computing has long been known to be an indispensable adjunct of education. As UCSB aspires to the highest levels, there can be no question as to the importance of a vibrant technology presence on campus. Therefore, to create effective student computing environments, equipment must be replaced on a reasonable schedule. Once computing is in place, reliable, workable ongoing maintenance is essential.
Funding source and how this project relates to it:
There is no funding for this request at this time. Instructional Computing can continue to support 475 systems with 2.0 FTE, and it may even absorb the addition of new facilities with little new support. However, the quality of the support is likely to decrease while the stress on existing staff is surely to rise.
Costs: initial-year and recurring:
Systems support - $65,000 CNT-II (Salary and benefits)
Matching opportunities:
No matching opportunities are available though it is likely that various departments will supplement shortfalls in funding.
Staff support required:
See Costs, above.
Existing resources to be used:
None
Project timeline:
Ongoing
Life cycle of result:
Indefinite