The University of Akron World Wide Web Committee

Transcription

1 The University of Akron World Wide Web Committee Midterm Report A Report of the Subcommittees of the WWW Committee Policy and Procedures Training and Support Electronic Learning University Services Web Development Web Access March 14, 1996 Dr. Randy Moore, Provost Dr. Graham Kelly, Assistant Provost Dr. Steven C. Myers, chairman

2 Introduction In Fall 1995, Interim Senior Vice President and Provost Randy Moore formed the World Wide Web Committee. Steven C. Myers, Associate Professor of Economics agreed to chair the committee and Dr. Graham Kelly, Assistant Provost was appointed as liaison. The committee was organized around six areas representative of the problems facing the committee. These six areas each are covered by a subcommittee whose members met over a seven week period. This report is a midterm report of each of these committees. As you will see in reading this report, there are some rather large issues posed by the subcommittees. However, much has already been accomplished. The Policy and Procedures subcommittee will introduce today two policies for WWW and computer use. Training needs have been identified by both the Electronic Learning and the Training and Support subcommittees. A new University of Akron homepage is ready to go on-line as a result of the Web Development subcommittee. The Access subcommittee has identified some concerns and the University Services subcommittee has a full schedule ahead. This report is to be used by the WWW Committee to access our progress at the midterm of the current semester and to help guide the future direction of the WWW committee. By having something in print, members may also seek ideas and opinions of others in the University community. In the end, we hope to have a Web Presence that will serve all the needs of the University. Goals These seven goal were introduced at the time the full committee was formed. To create a vision for the WWW which refuses to be bound by current levels of technology and resources. To develop the WWW to its greatest potential for service to students, faculty and staff of the University. To develop the WWW to its greatest potential for attracting friends to the University, e.g., alumni, potential students, potential faculty. To foster use of WWW to support the teaching, research and service missions of the University. To implement, ASAP, a Web team responsible for the University homepage and to give the mission of maintaining the web presence of the University to that team in whole or in part. To create an internal web for specific University uses and an external web for the public at large. To develop a policy of access that makes the fullest use of the Web for all members of the University community. Page 2

3 Executive Summary This section will not enumerate all of the points of the following six reports, but will try to concentrate on the most important items. The primary need for this committee grew out of the need for a policy that would cover the use of the Web at the University of Akron. To this end, two policy statements have been written. The first covers WWW Information Publishing policies and the second covers Information Use and Access. These policies are released for the committees consideration today. Access to the Web is critical. This includes having a wired computer (direct or by modem) and being able to run the appropriate software on that computer. For public areas, the issue includes whether there are enough spaces and how those computers are configured. Appropriate software includes Windows 3.x, Windows 95, or the operating system of a Mac. Netscape 2.0 is the de facto standard for University use. The use of helper applications and plug-ins such as WordVU and Acrobat Amber reader make the distribution of published material on the Web a simple matter. A need exists to move toward the ZipNet account for services. Not only will this allow the more efficient transfer of documents, but plans to allow personal homepages will require the use of a ZipNet account. Additionally, authentication of users in secure areas will require the ZipNet account as well. To support the new ZipNet accounts, a wide spread conversion of mailers to Eudora and Netscape will be necessary. These mailers already can interface with existing accounts on VM and Dax. They operate by poping the mail, or by staying logged on to the network just long enough to download or upload mail. Training is the key to the successful use of the Web. This has come up in nearly every subcommittee and some combination of on-line, walk-in and phone-in support need to be put in place. Most important seems the need to have a central facility where users can touch base with those who have the knowledge as well as providing a place for instruction and demonstration. The library has a major role to play in the Use and development of the Web. The search for and the provision of information is clearly what libraries do best. To lend support for an information center in the Library seems to be a natural extension of the services already performed there. A new University of Akron homepage is ready for release. It is a newer version, but not necessarily the only version to come. The empowerment of a Web Development team with the ability to make changes provide maintenance and updates is what is critical here. The subcommittee reports follow. Page 3

4 Web Subcommittees The specific definitions of the subcommittees are given in this section and repeated at the top of each report. Chairs and members of each committee are given in each section. Policies and Procedures Subcommittee- Determine policies relating to the University's use of the Web including access and legal concerns. Develop procedures for Information Providers to follow. Web Development Subcommittee- Develop, maintain and enhance the University's Home Page, develop and maintain expertise in new and existing Web technologies, provide training to the Web Committee members, develop "back-end" processes for Web form processing, and develop other Web services of interest to the University. Training and Support Subcommittee- Evaluate products and development tools for Information Providers to use, develop training and support aids for academic and administrative departments interested in learning how to place their departmental information on the Web. University Services Subcommittee- Identify, design, and develop Web connections to University databases to provide an enhanced interface for students, staff, and faculty to access and maintain their University information. Electronic Learning Subcommittee- Provide training and assistance to academic departments interested in integrating the Web into their course materials. Also, provide classroom support on an on-going basis. Web Access Subcommittee- Provides recommendations to enhance the ability of all members of the University community to get access to the information on the Web. Develop training for effective use of the Web and providing assistance to users on an on-going basis. Page 4

5 Policies and Procedures Subcommittee Committee Co-chairs: G. Edwin Wilson, Paul Richert Members: Mike Sermersheim, Dolli Markovich, Joe Massey, Steve Myers, William Turanchik, Paul Herold, Katie Bruno Subcommittee charge: Determine policies relating to the University's use of the Web including access and legal concerns. Develop procedures for Information Providers to follow. Report of Subcommittee: 1. The subcommittee on Policies and Procedures of The University of Akron World Wide Web Committee has met a number of times. The committee has a drafted a proposed WWW Information Publishing Policy which contains a set of guidelines for official home pages and personal home pages. See the proposed WWW policy. 2. The subcommittee has also examined a rough draft of a proposed Interim Policy On Access And Acceptable use of University Computer And Informational Resources. See the proposed policy on access and acceptable use. 3. The subcommittee plans to start work on a third document entitled Style Guide For The World Wide Web, once work on the first two policies is completed. 4. The subcommittee intends to work to see that the proposed policies are adopted with necessary changes. 5. The subcommittee will examine new issues that need to be addressed concerning policies and procedures for the World Wide Web at The University. Page 5

6 Training and Support Subcommittee Committee Chair: Al Herbert Members: Sajit Zachariah, Keith Hunt, Jeff Franks, Katie Bruno, Steve Myers Subcommittee Charge: Evaluate products and development tools for Information Providers to use, develop training and support aids for academic and administrative departments interested in learning how to place their departmental information on the Web. Subcommittee Report: Our subcommittee has met twice to discuss various aspects of training and support. We have been focusing on five initial questions. The questions are posed below with a synopsis of our subsequent discussions. 1. What type of group should provide the training and support? Should it be a specific group in an organizational chart or should it be made up of a conglomeration from several departments? In order to provide a consistent training workshop it was felt that a central group would be best. This group should be encouraged to draw on specialized expertise from across campus. But that the majority of coordination and presentation of training should be developed centrally. Once this group is identified, it should begin to develop and present workshops to departments on how to create and maintain Web pages of information. 2. Where can a training facility be set up? Who should fund it both initially and continually? There are several small training facilities available now (Computer Center room machines; Gladwin Hall room machines). But these are also general purpose labs for students to access computers for homework assignments. As more training sessions are performed, then there will be less free time for students to access the equipment. It will be necessary to have one or two labs set up strictly for training. This would enable to training group to have better control on the condition of the equipment and software. Funding for such training facilities has been requested in the CCTC Five-Year Plan. If this is not feasible, then the subcommittee recommends that other facilities on campus begin to be better utilized. Page 6

7 There are several large computer classrooms spread across campus that may be able to be used as training sites. A coordination effort would need to be implemented with the responsible departments. 3. Do we need to inventory of hardware resources (scanners, digital cameras, etc.) software preferences (HTML editors, browsers, servers, etc.) and knowledgeable people (like Rick Wiggins, William Daunch, Steve Myers, etc.)? The subcommittee agreed that an inventory of centrally available equipment would be useful. But that this inventory would not need to include individual departmental hardware. This information could be made available via Web pages. Another recommendation was for User Group meetings and electronic discussion groups. These meetings and groups could facilitate interested parties on keeping up-to-date on what others are developing. 4. Similar to #1, whom should do the evaluation of new products? Should it be a single group or a conglomeration again? It is generally agreed that a central group be charged with and funded for the task of evaluating new hardware and software. But that if a department or individual wanted to evaluate something themselves, they could request the central group purchase the product for them. In return, the department or individual would produce a written evaluation of their experiences with the product. The central group could then add the evaluation to a database of such reports. 5. Where does the training and support of students fit? Training: Presently, students need to be trained on how to use the Web. The number of students requiring training in the future may decrease as more high schools connect to the Internet. But for now, a method needs to be available for the students to be exposed to the Web. Beginning this summer, all new students attending their two day, New Student Orientation, will create their ZIPnet ID during the process. So they will have access to the Web at that point. It is recommended that the training take place in two ways. First: Each University Orientation class should allocate two hours of class time to Web training. One hour would be an introduction to Electronic Mail; How to Send, Receive, File and Print messages. The second hour would be an introduction to browsing the Web and reading Page 7

8 News. This second hour will highlight campus information Web pages, Internet search tools, and how to access ZIPnet from home. Second: Client Services should offer similar two hour training seminars for students who aren't presently taking the University Orientation class. If a faculty member wants their students to have specialized training on some particular aspect of the Web, they will have to perform the training themselves. The faculty member may reserve time in a training lab, but they must present the material themselves. The subcommittee agreed that at this time, training on how to write Web pages will not be offered centrally to students. Departments should begin to offer courses on how to create Web pages and students will be encouraged to sign up for those courses. Support: Client Services will provide both walk-in and phone support for Web access for students and faculty/staff members. There will be limited support for students developing their own web pages. Page 8

9 Web Development Subcommittee Committee Chair: Rick Wiggins Members: Jon O Donnell, B.S. Vijayaraman, Joe Massey, William Daunch, Richman Haire, Keith Hunt, Todd Ryan, Dan Deckler Subcommittee Charge: Develop, maintain and enhance the University's Home Page, develop and maintain expertise in new and existing Web technologies, provide training to the Web Committee members, develop "back-end" processes for Web form processing, and develop other Web services of interest to the University. Subcommittee Report: Current Status: - A complete re-design of the University Home Page is underway. This design is focusing on an attractive page with limited graphical content, an organization based on the University's organization, and an easy-to-use and maintain index with search capabilities. - Web pages devoted to aiding Information Providers with the development and sharing of CGI's is underway. These pages will provide access to locally developed CGI's with usage documentation as well as other information available via the Web. - Web pages devoted to aiding Information Providers with the creation and sharing of image files is underway. These pages will provide access to locally created imagess with descriptions as well as other information available via the Web. Objectives for the next 3 months: - Completion of the re-design of the University Home Page. - Completion of the Web pages devoted to aiding Information Providers with the development and sharing of CGI's. - Completion of the Web pages devoted to aiding Information Providers with the creation and sharing of image files. Objectives for the next 6 to 12 months: Page 9

10 - Design and develop a "Web Developer's Toolkit" for use by University Information Providers. This would include: standard page "template" tools, autofooter and autoheader tools, subdirectory indexing tools, security and authentication tools, and "page hit" reporting tools. - Assist with the specification and implementation of University Web policies. This includes providing input into the final content of the policies as well as developing procedures and tools that aid Information Providers in adhering to the policies. - Assist with the specification of the University Style Guide. This includes providing information concerning the technical issues of developing Web pages, such as bandwidth constraints, image quality and use of color, and use of common plug-ins. Page 10

11 Electronic Learning Subcommittee Committee Chair: Tom Bennett Members: Del Williams, Al Herbert, B. S. Vijayaraman, Rick Wiggins, Steve Myers Subcommittee Charge: Provide training and assistance to academic departments interested in integrating the Web into their course materials. Also, provide classroom support on an on-going basis. Subcommittee Report: RELEVANT ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED BY OTHERS 1. Classrooms should be wired for network access 2. The library should be wired so that students can bring in laptops and have access to the computer network. 3. Study spaces such as the Gardner Student Center should have spaces identified for student network access. 4. The cost for network connections in General Purpose Classrooms should not be departmental. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Create an ARCADE as the front door for technical intervention and support to instructors. Assemble a list of Faculty members who are using technology in their classes and are willing to share their experiences with others. Establish a knowledge base of How To type information including a list of support personnel that are available for instructional support. Have enough display devices (video projectors and Liquid Crystal Display Panels) available to support the classroom needs. Develop a training program to help the faculty integrate the WWW in their instruction Discussion topics were broken into four categories; Faculty issues, Student issues, Facilities concerns, and Issues that should be addressed by other WWW committees. Page 11

12 FACULTY One of the most significant deterrents to a faculty member integrating technology into their curriculum is the support mechanisms. To that end we support the following: Conclusions 1) Departments support faculty and staff to get initial network access. 2) Knowledge Base/FAQ is first query for new users. Link to Home Page. 3) Faculty Users work with new users. 4) Expert Phone List 5) Promotion of WWW use ie. Who is using it to teach with and how are they using it. 6) Funding for development - release time, equipment, design assistance etc. - Arcade STUDENT Every student must have access to the WWW and to materials that the instructor makes electronically available. We strongly support full electronic access and a healthy training program to support students in their use of technology. Conclusions 1) Most student issues should be addressed by either the access committee or the policy committee. 2) Training students to use technology will come from an upgraded version of the existing VM and mail training. 3) A Knowledge Base should be created to support both Faculty and Student users at all levels. FACILITIES The committee members entheaustically endorsed a the idea of a single entry point into the technical arena. This Front Door will be the focal point for instructional support in the classroom and for WWW integration. Conclusions 1) An arcade should be established which includes: A) Hardware with support B) Meeting/Classroom to learn/experiment in. C) Software to try. D) People - Technical, Artistic, Support, Instructional Design E) Research to stay current. F) Build alliances to push the envelope. 2) Classrooms should have network access for free. 3) Classroom support unit (AVS) should provide laptops and display devices. Page 12

13 University Services Subcommittee Committee Chair: Keith Hunt Members: G. Edwin Wilson, Steve Myers, Oletha Thompson Subcommittee Charge: Identify, design, and develop Web connections to University databases to provide an enhanced interface for students, staff, and faculty to access and maintain their University information. Subcommittee Report: Current Status An internally developed Data Access server is currently running under MVS, providing a Web interface to institutional data The creation of ZIPnet ID's is the only production process currently making use of the MVS Data Access server Several prototypes have already been developed to test the feasibility of accessing student records information Objectives: next 3 months Convert data access server from HTTP protocol to internal protocol and disable connection capabilities from all but trusted addresses Convert selected prototypes from direct connection to connection through CGI Develop initial set of data access applications Identify needs and establish priorities by soliciting input from the responsible departments, the Web committee and other interested parties Authorization for these efforts will be needed from appropriate departments and should be obtained while developing specifications and design Develop first online directory for students ( address only) Convert faculty/staff directory from gopher Page 13

14 Objectives: next 6 months Convert faculty/staff online directory to dynamic lookup and eliminate batch processing and time lag Requires implementation of the new Human Resources system which is already scheduled for this time frame Convert student directory to dynamic lookup and enhance with additional information based on individual preferences Requires a remote database capability to allow changes to the database structure while minimizing impact to current systems. This requirement will be met by the installation of a new RS/6000 server including DB2/6000. Design an improved authentication and authorization scheme for data access based on ZIPnet ID instead of UA ID and PIN The DB2/6000 database which is part of the RS/6000 installation should also prove useful here. If Netscape chooses to add Kerberos functionality to the Navigator browser that would be extremely helpful, otherwise the technical issues are still somewhat undetermined. Implement process for creating ZIPnet ID's for all new students This needs to be established as a priority in the orientation process Analyze feedback on current and potential data access applications from all interested parties We should advertise the availability of the services to promote their use, and implement an online feedback mechanism (simple interface) to solicit comments Objectives: next 12 months Improve current data access applications and develop new applications based on feedback and experience Need to monitor technological developments so that we are prepared to incorporate new capabilities The identification of new applications could drive the need to convert current data to different formats to make it available online Convert to new authentication and authorization scheme Page 14

15 Web Access Subcommittee Committee Chair: Graham Kelly Members: William Turanchik, Mike Cheung, Dolli Markovich, Joe Massey, Al Herbert, Debbie Keller, Tom Bennett, Jeff Franks, Jim Hardy, Steve Myers Subcommittee Charge: Provides recommendations to enhance the ability of all members of the University community to get access to the information on the Web. Develop training for effective use of the Web and providing assistance to users on an on-going basis. Subcommittee Report: The Access Subcommittee of the WWW Committee met on January 30, 1996 and March 5, Problems and issues regarding Web access were discussed. When appropriate, solutions were formulated. The current state of campus connectivity and Web accessibility is: 75% of offices on campus have connectivity 50% of offices are capable of Web access 10% of computer access is through six Information Services labs 90% of computer access is through restricted labs controlled by colleges and departments 25% of departmental computer labs have Web access 50% of residence hall rooms are network enabled 77 modems are provided by Information Services The following buildings and rooms are connected Polsky's is wired for connection CBA building is wired for connection Olin 124 has a live connect Mary Gladwin 111 is connected through an Atlas server through the Chemistry department Auburn Science and Engineering Center are wired but have other problems which make them difficult to use Board of Trustees Room in Gardener Student Center has recently been wired Notice of the above led to the following discussions: Page 15

16 1. With only 77 modems we are far short of the 200 required to meet the anticipated demand. Demand does not appear to be the only problem when dialing up as users have been frustrated by clogged control. 2. CCTC has made file servers, lines, and backbone upgrade its high priority items. These will be pursued through LRPC and BPCC. 3. A strategy for classroom and conference room wiring is needed. Some strategically located classrooms should be wired, but wiring is not necessary for all rooms. The cost of wiring ranges from $30 to $350 per room. President Elliott has indicated in response to a memo from Interim Provost Moore that she supports wiring of classrooms and asks the wiring proceed. A small subcommittee of the access subcommittee will develop a list of classrooms and conference rooms that should be wired. It is noted that these should include rooms in Gardener Student Center and Martin University Center. 4. Each wired room is assessed a $10 per month service fee. There are varying opinions as to how the service fee should be handled for general purpose classrooms and conference rooms. These include waiving the service fee for these rooms and raising the fee for all other users a nominal amount to cover the lost fees. 5. Since 90% of computer access is through restricted labs, it was proposed to develop a survey of college and departmental labs. The survey would ask for eligible users of the lab, number of ports, whether Web access is available, a contact person, and hours available. If the owner of the lab desires, the information can be made available to the campus community through the Web. 6. The issue of who can gain access to the Web was discussed. Faculty and students can be granted access to the Web by obtaining an account from Information Services. UA is not going to act as a provider to the general public. Guest IDs are allocated on a limited basis. Examples of those eligible for guest IDs include emeritus faculty, employees of temporary agencies, and those taking continuing education courses that need computer access. Other universities do act as Web providers to their alumni. This could be a possibility at The University of Akron. 7. The university should investigate participation in Warner Cable's Line Runner project. The university probably would supply more information to the project than any other supplier. Members of the Access subcommittee will meet with a representative from Warner Cable to further explore this possibility. 8. Web access should also be provided to students with laptops at study carrels in the library or elsewhere throughout campus. This can be accomplished by modem look-alikes. Page 16

17 The University of Akron World Wide Web Committee Dr. Randy Moore, Provost Dr. Graham Kelly, Assistant Provost Dr. Steven C. Myers, chairman Member represents phone William B. Turanchik Alumni 5881 G. Edwin Wilson Arts & 7372 Sciences John O'Donnell C&T 8871 B.S. Vijayaraman CBA 5442 Steve Myers Chairman 7421 Sajit Zachariah Education 5316 Mike Cheung Enginering 7282 Neil Sapienza F&AA 8194 Dolli Markovich Grad School 6737 Joe Massey Grad Student 5376 Al Herbert Info Serv 7174 Debbie Keller Info Serv 5254 Rick Wiggins Info Serv 5303 Keith Hunt Info Serv 7968 Paul Richert Law 7447 Mike Sermersheim Legal 6018 Tom Bennett Library 6102 Jeff Franks Library 6052 Todd Ryan Library 8063 David Woodruff Nursing 7894 Katie R Bruno Polymer bruno@polymer.uakron.edu Graham Kelly Provost 7017 kelly%provost%uakron@banyan.uakron.edu Oletha Thompson Student Serv 7274 thompson%studentserv%uakron@banyan.uakron.edu Kay Rogers Univ Comm 7476 rogers%univ_comm%uakron@banyan.uakron.edu Paul Herold Univ Comm 5800 r1pah@dax.cc.uakron.edu Dan Deckler Wayne 8761 deckler@uakron.edu Tim Zarkovacki Undergrad rep r3tkz@dax.cc.uakron.edu Jim Hardy Subcommittee 7798 jkh@odin.chemistry.uakron.edu Martin Seigel Subcommittee 7389 siegel%bustech%uakron@banyan.uakron.edu William Daunch Subcommittee 7352 wad@atlas.chemistry.uakron.edu Richman Haire Subcommittee 8184 rhaire@uakron.edu Del Williams Subcommittee 7496 williams@uakron.edu Page 17