Evaluating Information Technology at the University of Georgia
A Guide for Students, Parents, and Faculty
The following questions were developed by
EDUCAUSE
in cooperation with the National Association for College Admission
Counseling and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars
and Admissions Officers to guide students, faculty, and the
public in evaluating how information technology is being
incorporated into each college or university.
We think you'll be happy to know UGA's responses to these questions about information
technology, one of the major components of all university activities, and we
invite you to review more information about these areas of technology use at
UGA.
You'll find the EDUCAUSE questions and comments at:
http://www.educause.edu/consumerguide/
Questions Focusing on the Academic Experience
Questions Focusing on the Administrative Experience
Questions About Requirements, Services, and Costs
Questions Targeting the Social Experience
The quality and status of information technology at UGA greatly
contributes to our
prominence and consistently high rankings.
Moving up two points, UGA advanced into the top 20 in
U.S. News. & World Reports current America's Best Colleges
guidebook
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A university campus is a learning community that is devoted to the creation,
dissemination, and codification of information and knowledge. Teaching, learning,
and accessing information are all critical functions that are potentially enhanced
by digital technologies. It is important to understand how technology is used
in classes generally, and especially in your areas of interest or major, and
the extent to which faculty use these technologies in interactions with students.
What percentage of campus courses use electronic information
to enhance the course (for example, syllabi, reading lists, discussion
groups, demonstrations)?
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Over 1,000 courses currently use UGA's WebCT system for
online delivery of instruction and information. Hundreds of other courses
use Web pages other than WebCT, LISTSERV discussion groups, Usenet News
groups arranged on campus, and PC-based instructional technologies.
With 6,000 distinct course sections, there is a huge percentage of instructors
using information technology to enhance learning at UGA.
https://webct.uga.edu/webct/public/show_courses.pl
http://www.uga.edu/courses/courses.html
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Are technology resources available, used effectively to
enhance the learning experience, and designed to prepare graduates
in your major for successful technology use in their careers?
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Yes, generally across the curriculum.
It is important to check with advisors and faculty as the specifics
can vary between majors. |
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What library resources
are available online?
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The card catalog with subject, author,
and title search; databases; electronic journals by
subject area; historic and current newspapers from all
Georgia counties; numerous historic photographs in the
Special Collections; links to libraries across the nation
and throughout the world; full text of many books and
periodicals; state and federal government publications;
and much more. (Like the physical libraries themselves,
with a world of information.) http://www.libs.uga.edu/
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What electronic reference materials are
licensed and how accessible are they from outside the
library (for example, in the residence halls or
off-campus)?
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The UGA Libraries offers 265 databases
online; 132 are accessible from on and off campus, 58 are
accessible only from on campus, and 75 from the Libraries
only. http://www.libs.uga.edu/ref/databasescomp.html
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How does the University help students develop computer skills?
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UGA provides several options:
Students can enroll in a one-hour course called Online@UGA
(UNIV1120) and learn about using the UGA libraries online,
e-mail, WebCT and more.
http://www.uga.edu/online/
Most of the EITS computer labs have staff available to
assist students.
http://www.eits.uga.edu/sites/
All students may request assistance at the EITS computer
labs and the EITS Help Desk answers questions (by phone,
e-mail, or walk-in) on almost every topic to assist students
with using hardware or software.
http://www.eits.uga.edu/helpdesk/
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Does the University allow students to receive credit for
courses taken electronically from other sources?
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Yes, if a transcript is given from the
school or college. |
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Does UGA have a specific computer/IT competency requirement
for all undergraduates?
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No, although some departments may
require that students complete some computer skills testing
before receiving a degree. UGA does offer a specific computer/IT
competency course that all students are strongly encouraged
to take.
http://www.uga.edu/online/
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Are course reserves materials available
online via the Web?
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Materials placed "on reserve" at the Libraries
are there because they are not available in other formats. Through the
Libraries Web pages, information about these reserve materials is easy
to locate with a search by instructor name, department, and course name
that includes notes about whether the item is currently checked out.
Most materials that can be made available via the Web are not "on
reserve" but linked from the instructor's own class pages.
http://www.libs.uga.edu/faq/reserves.html
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What percentage of faculty has a
networked computer available to them?
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100% Every building on
campus has a connection to the campus network and the
Internet and every department has support staff to ensure
that faculty network connections are available every day. |
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What percentage of faculty use e-mail
regularly?
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Every faculty member can get
a UGA e-mail account at no charge and Registrar
information and most other administrative information is
delivered by e-mail. Of course, most faculty find e-mail
is a very convenient way to respond to individual student
questions or arrange office visits with students. |
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All students need to spend some portion of their time
conducting the transactional business of their college
experience, such as registering for classes, dropping and adding
courses, applying for and paying for student loans, purchasing
books, and so forth. Services can be mediated over networks to
make these processes easier and avoid lengthy lines which
historically characterized all too many campus experiences.
What information about admission and
financial aid is available online, and can necessary
forms be submitted electronically?
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All admission and financial
aid information is available online. Admission forms can
be submitted online while financial aid forms can be
printed from the most current source and submitted via
fax or regular mail. http://www.admissions.uga.edu/
http://www.uga.edu/fas/
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Can students access their personal
student information/data online?
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Yes, via the OASIS system. http://www.uga.edu/ses/
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Can students find out their grades online
at the end of a semester?
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Yes, via the OASIS system. http://www.uga.edu/ses/
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Is registration, including dropping and
adding courses, processed online?
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Yes, via the OASIS system. http://www.uga.edu/ses/
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Can students pay bills, receive loans,
and make campus bookstore purchases using online
procedures?
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Students may make online
payment of tuition and various fees that are covered by
sponsorships, loans, grants, or scholarships, or they can
select credit card payment. http://www.bulletin.uga.edu/bulletin/fin/index.html
A variety of e-services are also available online,
from ordering a gift basket from Food Services to
appealing a parking ticket.
http://www.uga.edu/ses/
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What campus and community services are
covered by "smart cards" or "debit
cards"?
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Students can use their
UGACARD as identification to ride city/county bus service
at no charge and they can use it as a debit card to pay
for events and movies at the Tate Student Center, pay for
photocopies and laser printing in libraries and computer
labs, and pay to use washing machines and dryers in some
of the residence halls. http://www.uga.edu/ugacard/
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What student information does the campus
provide routinely to parents?
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Parents are invited to
attend Orientation where they can attend various programs
to learn about student life and which offices to contact
for information. Several departments have Web pages with
information specifically geared to parents. http://www.admissions.uga.edu/orientation/orientation.html
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There is a strong interaction between the quality and extent
of services a university offers and the costs associated with
this infrastructure. There is also a tremendous variation in the
ways universities charge for these services. To evaluate the
benefits received, and to be able to directly compare costs, you
will need answers to these questions.
What, if any, technology fee is charged
and what does it cover?
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UGA charges each student $75
per semester as a technology fee, covered as other fees
under the Hope Scholarship program. This fee is used to
expand and maintain information technology systems that
directly impact on students and the learning experience.
Adding and upgrading computer labs, adding cable modems
in residence halls, expanding help desk services for
students, and adding more computers in student
organization office workspace are some of the first
projects covered by this fee. http://www.busfin.uga.edu/trust/fall_2000.html
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Are students required to purchase their
own computers?
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No, although recommendations
are available to assist students who wish to purchase or
upgrade a computer. http://www.uga.edu/resnet/comprec.htm
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How does the campus make computing and network access
financially available to all students?
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Computer labs are open during the day,
evening, and weekend hours to ensure that students have time to
use computers.
http://www.eits.uga.edu/sites/
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Does the campus assess extra fees for network connections
in the dorms?
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No. |
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If I bring my own computer equipment to school, what kind of support can I expect from the campus?
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Several support options are
offered:
Student Technology Support Service assists students in the residence halls with connecting their computers to the Internet.
EITS provides virus protection software and Help Desk assistance at
no charge.
Also, warranty service is available
through the UGA Electronics Design and Maintenance Shop.
http://www.uga.edu/resnet/
http://www.eits.uga.edu/helpdesk/
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Does the campus have a plan for keeping
the hardware current, and if so, what is the replacement
cycle?
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Yes, UGA has a plan to
evaluate and replace hardware in the student labs each
year, as technology fee monies are available. |
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How does the campus support printing for
students, and is there a charge for this?
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Printing is available in all campus labs.
EITS and the Library charge 2.5 cents per page for printing, with the
exception of registration schedules which are printed at no charge.
College and departmental labs generally offer printing for class projects
at no charge. |
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Social and extracurricular activities on campus play an
important part in making a more complete educational experience,
and technology can play an important role in creating and
managing these social communities. Therefore, it is important to
understand and appreciate the tools that facilitate electronic
communities on campus, allowing for greater communication,
interaction, and integration within the broad campus milieu.
What is the ratio of lab computers to undergraduate enrollment?
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UGA has 130 computer labs for students, with over 2,700 computers available. Many of the labs are open are open during daytime, evening, and weekend hours. Even with our increasing student numbers -- over 24,000 undergraduates -- UGA continues to exceed the 1 lab computer per 10 student ratio. |
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What percentage of students uses e-mail and other
software applications on a regular basis?
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Over 28,000 students (undergraduate and graduate) have ARCHES accounts for e-mail and many students have other e-mail
accounts in addition to or instead of ARCHES. With many
professors making it easy to students to contact them by
e-mail and many clubs using e-mail as the major method of
announcing meetings and events, more students are relying
on e-mail every year.
Many classes require students to submit term papers and
reports on word processors and to use presentation software for
group projects. Doing research on the Internet or with the University's
online library system, most students use computers and software for classes.
http://www.arches.uga.edu
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Does the campus allow personal student Web pages?
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Yes. Students have space on ARCHES for personal Web pages
along with online instructions for preparing and maintaining
their pages.
http://www.arches.uga.edu/webpages.html
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Is contact information for students, faculty, and staff
readily accessible electronically?
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Yes. UGA's online phone book includes contact information for all faculty and staff and contact information for all students who choose to be listed.
http://www.uga.edu/phonebook
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Is there a campus code of behavior for use of computing resources?
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Yes. UGA has policies on computer security and ethics that apply to all faculty, students, and staff.
http://www.uga.edu/compsec
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What social activities and services are
available over the Web?
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The UGA Homepage link called
"Student Life at UGA" leads directly to the
Department of Student Activities, student organizations,
recreational sports, and UGA Today news about the campus.
Student Activities links students to sorority and
fraternity information, international student activities,
leadership programs, volunteer options, ticket
information for campus events, and much more. http://www.uga.edu/student/
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Are there Web sites for student
organizations and clubs, and are these linked to the
campus Homepage?
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Yes. The UGA Homepage
includes a link called "Student Organizations"
that leads to membership and activities information on
nearly 200 student organizations. http://www.uga.edu/student/stuorg.html
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