Meeting Notes - May 1, 2014
Present: Byron Lilly, Kevin Metcalf, Marisa Spatafore (co-chairs); Wayne Chenoweth, Brandon Gainer, Cecilia Hui, Marty Kahn, Shagundeep Kaur, Joe Moreau, Joan Peña-Ferrick, April Qian, Lorrie Ranck, Dennis Shannakian; Vanessa Smith (notes)
Call to Order
Approve the notes from April 17, 2014
Notes were approved with no corrections.
Spatafore suggested reordering the agenda to accommodate those who needed to leave early and asked for any quick news items. Chenoweth advised that Internet Explorer users update their systems because a bug has recently infected the web browser.
Technology Enhanced Learning Subcommittee
Ranck is developing a short nomination form and process for the subcommittee.
The form is designed to gauge nominees’ technological abilities and reasons for interest in the subcommittee. Nominations will close May 19. Ranck emphasized that the subcommittee will address all technology for teaching and learning and is not exclusive to online learning.
Lilly asked about meeting times, and Ranck suggested a Thursday afternoon monthly that does not conflict with the regular TTF meeting. Spatafore asked if there has been any other feedback. Ranck responded that there is general enthusiasm for the subcommittee.
Student email addresses
Spatafore introduced the issue of increasing student interest in .edu email addresses and noted the recent La Voz article. The results of a fall 2013 student survey were displayed.
Metcalf said the TTF discussed this issue eight years ago, but student interest was not as high. Moreau described how the survey originated and noted that students are most interested in receiving discounts using a .edu address. He proposed using a free cloud-based service like Google or Microsoft.
Moreau said he would open a project to explore this from policy and technical perspectives. Many questions need to be answered, such as if students will opt in, how much official business will be communicated via the addresses and if the computer use policy should be modified. Lilly mentioned that he sometimes texts students and a brief discussion followed about SMS messaging. Faculty and students are interested in sending and receiving text communications. Moreau stated that Blackboard is doing interesting things regarding source addresses and two-way messaging. Moreau suggested that members from both Foothill's and De Anza's technology committees be included on a committee to address the interrelated student communication issues. Spatafore expressed her interest in participating.
Update from Windows XP to Windows 7
Moreau provided the update. Districtwide there are 536 staff machines running XP and 880 in the labs. Some are not ready for hardware refresh and some have compatibility issues with Windows 7. Most computers will be updated by fall quarter.
OEI update
The steering committee will soon be inviting colleges to participate in various segments of the online education consortium. The total number of participating colleges will be between 10 and 20, likely on the lower end.
Kaur asked how this information will trickle down to faculty. Moreau said that all OEI updates and information are available at www.ccconlineed.org and that how campuses further share the information is up to them.
OmniUpdate migration
Spatafore displayed and summarized a message describing the migration to OmniUpdate version 10. OU will be unavailable May 13 and 14, and users should make necessary updates by the close of business on May 12.
Qian asked about training. Users can attend live demonstrations starting May 8. Moreau added that the new OU license is unlimited so additional users can be trained. Interested staff can contact the web team. Moreau also mentioned that the new Foundation site is live and utilizes responsive design.
Photo rosters
Lilly demonstrated accessing photo rosters through MyPortal, a new feature developed by ETS. A photo of every student with an ID card will show up on the roster. The dashboard can also be used to verify student identity and status.
Other agenda items
As previously suggested, Foothill dean of Global Access Judy Baker will deliver a presentation on the cloud. At Spatafore's suggestion, Metcalf will present briefly on the issue of net neutrality. There will also be an update on the implementation of the Student Success and Support Programs (3SP) legislative mandates, including priority registration. Gainer suggested information literacy as a topic for next year.