Standard IIIC: Technology Resources

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The institution effectively uses its human, physical, technology, and financial resources to achieve its broad educational purposes, including stated student learning outcomes, and to improve institutional effectiveness.

Standard IIIC: Technology Resources

Technology Resources

Technology resources are used to support student learning programs and services and to improve institutional effectiveness. Technology planning is integrated with institutional planning.

1. The institution assures that any technology support it provides is designed to meet the needs of learning, teaching, college-wide communications, research, and operational systems.

DESCRIPTION:

Gavilan College provides the technology support needed by instructional and support programs and campus operations, identifying technology needs through the District Technology Committee (DTC), the Technology Master Plan (TMP), individual program plans and budget requests, surveys of staff and students, and the technology help desk.

The District's Technology Master Plan (TMP) is a "living" document. The TMP (3C.2) is a practical outline for the purpose of identifying and developing initiatives that will best support the overall strategies of the College. It is integrated with the Mission Statement (3C.56), Strategic Plan (3C.57), Educational Master Plan (3C.14), and the Facilities Master Plan (3C.58). The TMP and the Minimum Technology Standards for Classrooms and laboratories, a component of the Facilities Master Plan, serve as guides for College technology implementation (3C.59). The TMP addresses prioritization, standards for hardware, software, the internet, and network management, and also includes a Desktop Computer Replacement Plan.

The District Technology Committee (DTC) (3C.1) creates a task force annually to update the Technology Master Plan (TMP ). When the TMP is updated, input regarding technology needs and completed initiatives is requested from the entire College community (3C.1). Once needs are identified, program plans and budget requests are initiated for major technology projects. These program plans are evaluated and prioritized annually. The DTC reviews the progress of technology projects ensuring that goals are met.

Additional technology needs are identified through student and staff surveys, departmental requests, individual requests, and annual program plans with associated budget requests (3C.21, 3C.27, 3C.30, 3C.37, 3C.38, 3C.4). If funding is required, the program plans and budget requests are submitted to the VP of Administrative Services for prioritizing and submission to the Budget Committee. Due to the current state financial situation, budget requests do not always get funded even though they may have had the highest ranking or priority. One critical project recently funded through the Program Planning process was the

purchase of Microsoft Exchange staff email and the calendar system (3C.11). Occasionally, grants will fund technology purchases. These purchases follow the same standards described in Exhibit E-1 and Exhibit E-2 of the TMP (3C.2).

All programs and departments also go through an Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC) program review (3C.3) every three to five years, in which technology needs can be identified.

Gavilan College also gains information regarding technology needs through shared governance committees, ad hoc task forces, and feedback from employees and students (3C.21, 3C.27, 3C.30, 3C.37, 3C.38). Some of these committees include the Assessment Task Force, Distance Education Task Force, and the District Technology Subcommittee on the Website (3C.1, 3C.15, 3C.39).

Gavilan College has a support help desk for faculty and staff as well as a help line for students. Technology and training needs are identified from these support requests. Help-line personnel gather technology needs and forward the information to Management Information Systems (MIS ). Requests are either fulfilled by MIS or forwarded to the District Technology Committee (3C.1) for collaborative discussion. Many needs are effectively met through help desk requests.

Surveys of faculty, staff and students are administered throughout the year to evaluate the technology needs of the District. These include online surveys, computer center surveys, distance education surveys, and administrative services surveys. Overall, the surveys indicate a high-level of satisfaction with current technology. For example, according to the Administrative Services 2009-2010 survey, approximately 70 percent of staff surveyed accessed the wireless network, and of those, 92 percent agreed or strongly agreed that they have been able to successfully access the wireless system (3C.12).

According to the April 2008 Technology Needs Assessment Survey for students, "63 percent of respondents reported email as the way they would most prefer to get information about the College" (3C.10). The need for a student email system was included in program plans and budget requests, and funding was secured through a federal Title V grant (3C.11). Program plans and budget requests for the Microsoft Exchange staff email and the calendar system were funded by the general fund (3C.11).

An earlier 2008 Technology Needs Assessment Survey (3C.10) was disseminated to students regarding their technology resource needs. According to this survey, "Most students report that they are likely to access the internet via an on-campus wireless system. Seventy percent of respondents reported that they were "likely" or "very likely" to use an on-campus wireless system" (3C.10). In 2010, Gavilan College completed the wireless implementation to offer a secure campus-wide wireless network for faculty, staff, and students. In 2011, following the provision of increased bandwidth to the Morgan Hill and Hollister sites, wireless connectivity became available there as well.

The Library Laptop survey (3C.13) found that seventy percent of students would prefer to use a laptop computer rather than a desktop if given a choice. When rating the service of the laptop loan staff, over 73 percent gave an "excellent" rating.

Instructional Services, Student Services, and Administrative Services at Gavilan are all supported by technology. Technology accommodates Gavilan College's curricular commitment to classroom-based and online modalities of student learning. Currently, Gavilan College has approximately 1200 computer stations on campus and at the Morgan Hill and Hollister sites. The College has 25 computer labs, classrooms, and six mobile laptop carts that are available on campus and at the Morgan Hill and Hollister sites (3C.2). In addition, some departments, such as TRIO, MESA, DRC, and the library, provide laptops with specialized software that are available for students to borrow. The Student Success Center (PB11) was established in 2011 with Title V funding; it has two computer labs and iPads for student use (3C.5, 3C.6).

All of the district's computers currently run the latest versions of Microsoft Office, and anti-virus/anti-spyware software under the Windows XP operating system. Many machines will need to be upgraded with memory to run the Windows 7 operating system, and a few will need to be replaced during the 2012-2013 academic year (3C.49).

Through Measure E, a facilities improvement bond passed in 2004, Gavilan College was able to retrofit all classrooms using the media-enhanced technology to create "smart" classrooms. A smart classroom includes a computer teaching station with broadband Internet connectivity integrated with a VCR/DVD player supporting closed-captioning, audio and video controls, and LCD projector, and stereo speakers. Smart classrooms have become a standard feature in all renovated buildings (3C.50, 3C.7). In addition, Measure E provided a mobile cart for the presentation screen used in instructor training sessions. Major network infrastructure improvements were completed, such as relocation of the server room, relocation of MIS office, and upgrade to a new Avaya phone system (3C.36).

In addition to the smart classrooms, all instructors have the option of using the iLearn system to provide students online access to their curriculum materials and course information. Gavilan provides every full-time instructor his or her own computer. Computers are also available in many areas for part-time faculty and laptops are available in the library for checkout. Additionally, a computer is provided to each staff member who requires one as part of her or his job function. Additional mobile computer carts are needed for the teaching classrooms at the Morgan Hill and Hollister sites.

Cooperation among California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), Hartnell and Monterey Peninsula Colleges, with the Voyager integrated library system server residing at CSU Monterey Bay, has provided an integrated library automation system to students and staff. Association with some of California's best libraries such as University of California Santa Cruz has allowed the library to participate in cooperative training activities, informal consultation on technical issues, and shared collections.

In fall 2011, the Faculty Resource Center moved into the library building and changed its name to Teaching and Learning Center to reflect the new location and mission of staff and faculty training. The equipment available for staff and faculty use includes: color scanners (flatbed and duplex sheet scanner), digital video editing devices, equipment for audio recording, computer workstations with software applications, audio conferencing and teleconferencing equipment, streaming video equipment, VCR/DVD players, a data/video projector, digital cameras, video cameras, printers (laser and color), copier and Smart classroom equipment. The TLC works with the library to provide support materials for software adopted campus-wide.

The Student Success Center (SSC) is a Title-V-funded facility that provides a wide spectrum of support services to Gavilan students at a single location. In addition to services, students now have access to two small computer labs (14 computers), one of which is a smart room used for workshops. The SSC also has iPads, printing stations and a student-tracking timekeeper system. Popular software for specific student groups, such as digital media and nursing majors, was acquired in order to provide greater access for students to complete their required lab hours. In order to maintain compliance with the requirements of Americans with Disabilities Act, assistive software and hardware, such as the Kurzweil Program, FS Reader, and Zoom Text, was also purchased and installed through the grant.

The federal Title V grant also purchased 26 computers for the nursing program lab. Computer simulations and a videoconferencing system were added so that nursing students could fulfill much-needed "rotation" hours locally when placements in hospitals were not possible.

Student access to technology has also been enhanced with computer kiosks. Eight computer kiosks will eventually be placed on campus. These computer stations, distributed throughout the campus, offer students the opportunity to access the school website for information they may need regarding their grades, transcripts, appointments, course sequences, deadlines, instructors and/or institution-wide messages, course schedule information and so on. Currently one computer kiosk is located in the Admissions and Records area. Additional kiosks will be located in the Cosmetology building, the athletics area, and the Humanities building. Locations for the remaining four kiosks have not yet been determined.

Measure E funding enabled the college to implement the Banner Enterprise Resource Plan (ERP) system. Banner was implemented in Spring 2008 for Summer/Fall schedule, financial aid, and registration. The Banner finance module went live Summer 2009. Following the Banner core implementation, additional Banner products were implemented such as: xTender document imaging, AppWorx job scheduling, Luminis MyGav portal, MyDegreeWorks, and Resource25 scheduling software.

Other technology programs utilized by the Student Services departments include: Student Appointment Request System (SARS), Accuplacer (online student assessment and placement software), and the Gavilan Early Alert Referral System (GEARS) (3C.8). Upcoming new technological projects will include CCCApply and student email. An online student parking permit module was implemented in summer 2012.

Gavilan College Administrative Services are supported by technology for daily functions and business operations. The Banner ERP modules serving administrative services include Business Office (Finance) and student accounts. The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) handles the payroll function for Gavilan College employees; therefore the College uses the human resources software modules associated with the payroll program at the SCCOE.

Additional Administrative Services software includes the Gavilan Integrative Data System (GIDS) for research and instructional decision-making. The GIDS program is an executive reporting system that allows college personnel to retrieve and analyze course information, student demographics, FTES and cost information. In addition, it provides information on retention and persistence through the tracking of cohorts across multiple terms, disciplines, and courses (3C.41). The GavAlert program broadcasts emergency notification to staff and students through email, text messaging, and telephone calls.

Gavilan College assures that the needs of college-wide communications and operations are met effectively. Title V funding has provided increased bandwidth to the Morgan Hill and Hollister sites, improving network speed and efficiency. Faculty, staff and students can now effectively access network applications (3C.9). In 2011 an emergency alert system, GavAlert, was implemented to notify staff and students about campus emergencies (3C.42).

The College provides access to District programs and services to individuals with disabilities to the fullest reasonable extent possible, as guaranteed by the Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (3C.34, 3C.35). The Technology Master Plan (TMP) includes an initiative to develop an implementation plan regarding the updated Section 508 policy (3C.2). In support of Section 508 compliance, student computer labs with more than ten stations have a minimum of ten percent immediately accessible stations for students with disabilities. Computer labs with fewer than ten stations have at least one accessible station. The College engages in an ongoing process to ensure that the Gavilan College home page and every individual web page hosted by the college's web site follow Section 508 web standards. When new software is considered for purchase, the staff or faculty members involved evaluate the software for Section 508 compliance and use with assistive computer technologies. When the software does not meet the Section 508 standards, the College develops a plan to accommodate the students with disabilities until the software can be made 100 percent accessible. For example, the GoPrint, TimeKeeper, and Cybrarian systems are not fully accessible and require accommodations.

The High Tech Center (HTC) provides students with disabilities access to computers and computer training through state-of-the-art assistive computer technology (3C.43). The up-to-date educational software and equipment is designed to assist students with a variety of disabilities (3C.43). The High Tech Center also provides accommodations such as: alternate media (Braille, large print, electronic text, Audio books (Daisy, MP3), captioning, adaptive equipment loan, note-taking, adaptive furniture. Special accommodations can also include a scribe, a reader and transcription services.

Although the HTC lab is on the Gilroy campus, assistive computer technologies are installed on student computer stations throughout the Gilroy campus and at the Morgan Hill and Hollister sites. Once students are trained on assistive computer technologies, they can access the software at all locations. The Disability Resource Center maintains a goal of installing assistive software on at least ten percent of student stations in each lab. Currently, the assistive computer technologies are installed in the teaching computer classrooms in Morgan Hill and Hollister on an as needed basis. Additional licenses would need to be purchased to meet the ten percent goal.

Currently, there are assistive technologies in the Learning Skills lab, library reference area, the Computer Place, the classroom in Library 171, Business Skills lab and classroom, Writing Center, EOPS lab, Math lab, and Nursing lab. The Student Success Center and Assessment Center are working with the HTC instructor to provide accessible stations within those new computer labs. When the Morgan Hill and Hollister drop-in labs were updated to Windows 7, some of the software could not be installed. Funding was secured to update the screen reading and magnification software to work with Windows 7, so the drop-in lab computer stations at these locations are now accessible.

In the two large lecture classrooms in the modernized Social Science building, Gavilan has provided Assisted Listening Systems (ALS) and "Closed Captioning" capabilities via the DVD/BluRay video's "subtitle" selection. Portable assisted listening devices for student use in other classrooms can be checked out through the Disability Resource Center. The two large lecture classrooms in the Social Sciences building do not provide the capability of transmitting the instructor's voice over the ALS. The Media Services department has identified a need for ALS in all large lecture halls, including the theater, and has included this recommendation in the IEC Self Study report for Media Services (3C.40).

The Digital Media lab is used for the Gavilan College Digital Media program that prepares students to earn certificates, degrees, and transfer to four-year universities or begin careers in digital media including, graphics, animation, print, video, sound engineering website design and web development (3C.45). The lab is housed in the Library (LI 128) and contains 26 Macintosh computers. The workstations are equipped with comprehensive professional software and peripherals that give students the capability for creating music, editing digital video, designing highly interactive web sites, printing large format digital art and images and producing CDs and DVDs. These student projects may also be broadcast to the public on GavTV cable channel 18 (3C.46).

The Computer Graphics and Design program is a Career Technical Education (CTE) program that utilizes computer software to teach design concepts such as: 3D modeling, rendering as pertaining to the design fields of character and sets, architectural, mechanical, and interior products (3C.18). The lab is housed in the Library (LI 126) and contains 20 Macintosh computers and associated peripherals.

For each lab, there is one PC station for the GoPrint software, and four printers (one printer for commercial posters, one archival photo quality printer and two standard printers). Additional technology driven labs include the Macintosh laptop cart (which can be moved from room to room), the school newspaper computer lab and the Natural Science computer laptop carts. These computer labs are designed to supplement the teaching curriculum in different departments.

EVALUATION:

Gavilan College meets Standard III (C)(1).

PLAN:

None.

a. Technology services, professional support, facilities, hardware, and software are designed to enhance the operation and effectiveness of the institution.

DESCRIPTION:

Gavilan College evaluates the effectiveness of technology using various methods, such as survey results from students, staff, and faculty, and input to the District Technology Committee (DTC). The DTC membership consists of appointed representatives from all constituent groups on campus. The members serve in both an advocacy and an advisory role.

In order to enhance the operation of technology on campus effectively, decisions regarding technology services, support, facilities, hardware, and software are prioritized through the DTC. The DTC analyzes and finalizes decisions regarding the technology needs and the stated initiatives in the Technology Master Plan (TMP) (3C.2). These decisions are recommended to the President's Council for final consideration and are then forwarded to the Board of Trustees. If funding is required, program plans and budget requests are submitted to the Budget Committee for prioritization and submission for recommendation to the President's Council. As needed, subcommittees and task forces are created to study and research important issues before decisions are made regarding technology. An example of an ongoing subcommittee is the Subcommittee on the Website, familiarly known as the "Webheads" (3C.39).

Standards for software and hardware are described in Appendix E of the TMP (3C.2). Gavilan College faculty evaluate and decide which software versions are required for teaching and instructional labs. Once decisions are made, the timeline for including the software in student labs is included in the TMP (3C.2). Software programs in the instructional labs and teaching classrooms are updated by the Management Information Systems (MIS) department each semester as needed. Purchases of institutional site licenses are made where it is feasible and cost-effective. Gavilan College has site licenses for Contribute, Dreamweaver and Adobe Creative Suites which faculty can utilize to create their individual or class home pages. In 2011, a site license for the Adobe Master Suite was acquired.

Gavilan College provides for the management, maintenance, and operation of its technological infrastructure and equipment through the college MIS department (3C.34). The Management Information Systems (MIS) department has a staff of eight experienced professionals consisting of a MIS Director, an assistant MIS director, two senior PC technicians, two PC technicians, a programmer/analyst and a webmaster. MIS uses contracted services for network administration and special projects (3C.30). The MIS staff provides support for approximately 250 faculty and/or staff workstations, 800 student lab workstations, 50 central servers, over 30 enterprise applications, wireless (WiFi) access in all public student areas, as well as in many conference rooms and classrooms, and support for a campus network that includes the main campus, and two off-campus locations at Morgan Hill and Hollister. According to the Administrative Services 2009-2010 survey, 94 percent of staff surveyed, agreed or strongly agreed that the MIS staff has responded to their computer problems in a timely manner (3C.12). In addition, 95 percent of staff surveyed, agreed or strongly agreed that the MIS staff has effectively solved their computer problems (3C.12).

Gavilan's commitment to distance learning aligns with the goals in the Educational Master Plan (3C.14). Since the Distance Education (DE) program is constantly growing, the Distance Education Committee recommended that Gavilan become a part of the iLearn consortium (3C.15). As a member of this consortium, Gavilan is able to use Moodle (iLearn) as its course management software through our contract with CSUMB (3C.16). This offers Gavilan the ability to remain flexible and utilize current features as our DE program expands. Our DE website has a link to the iLearn system which is used for teaching, learning and communication between students, faculty and staff (3C.17). iLearn is a hosted solution based at CSUMB, and Gavilan's contract provides for reliability, disaster recovery, privacy, and security (3C.16). Through the MIS department, course and student data is uploaded from Banner every hour. New users to the iLearn system include staff and administrators, who use the system to facilitate communication for committees, groups and clubs.

Gavilan College hosts several San Jose State University courses through the use of Gavilan College video conferencing equipment. Through a partnership with San Jose State University's Academic Technology Network (ATN), Gavilan has hosted distributed learning courses and special programs since 1985. The first technology used to deliver live televised classes was TV broadcasting. ATN has three major technology delivery modes for instructional programming: videoconferencing, webcasting, and TV broadcasting. The college has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with San Jose State University through the summer of 2013.

Media Services provides administrative and instructional technical services and audio-visual equipment support to the main campus and the two off-site locations. Daytime hours for the center are the standard eight hours per day on weekdays, however staff start times vary to accommodate evening instruction support until 7:00 p.m. Media Services is also available for scheduled evening and weekend events or activities. Equipment can be delivered to classrooms for evening use or if scheduled through the center by staff. Currently it is staffed by two classified positions: one full-time and one part-time. The hours of operation for the media center have been configured differently since the last accreditation, with more flexibility to provide greater access for all college instructional programs.

The Media Services Center, located in the newly remodeled Social Sciences building, maintains and repairs classroom audio-visual equipment, troubleshoots, sets-up and installs, assists and prepares video editing and production as well as video teleconferencing. Media Services staff also makes recommendations on equipment purchases through a directive by the District Technology Committee requiring the Media Center's approval prior to making any A/V purchases (3C.2). Since 2007, the amount of A/V equipment has nearly tripled with projectors, document cameras, DVD/BluRay Players, SmartPanels and sound systems.

With the infusion of Measure E funding that provided for the purchase of electronic equipment, many of the classrooms were transformed into "smart" classrooms capable of delivering technology-enhanced instruction through the use of the newly purchased technology. Measure E, Title V and STEM funding have allowed for the standardization and replacement of projectors, document cameras, and SmartPanel/Pixie control devices, reducing the inventory of expensive projector lamps and downtime for repair. This has made for more reliable projection systems leaving the Media Services Specialist more time to concentrate and address other areas of demand, including working through problems of compatibility and standardization of older with newer technologies. Because of this situation, decisions need to be made on whether to repair or replace equipment and cost becomes an automatic consideration.

Since the last accreditation, the college has added more staff time (36 hour weekly part-time) to the center as all classrooms on the main campus are "smart classrooms" and many at the off-site locations have "smart classroom" capability thanks to Measure E Funds (3C.53). The 0.90 Media Specialist position allocated to the Television Studio and TV Field Production has been essential to the upkeep and updating of the studio and equipment used in field production. Faculty and students rely on this position to support the technical requirements and equipment used in the TV studio including: cameras, control room, audio and lighting equipment.

EVALUATION:

Gavilan College meets Standard III (C)(1)(a).

PLAN:

None.

b. The institution provides quality training in the effective application of its information technology to students and personnel.

DESCRIPTION:

Gavilan College provides quality training to faculty, staff and students, assessing training needs through surveys of staff and faculty (3C.21). A Professional Development Day committee creates and organizes the professional development day agenda and trainings each semester. Following the day's activities, evaluations are disseminated to all participants. From these evaluations, needs are assessed and new trainings are developed for faculty and staff (3C.22). As a result of these surveys, trainings have been provided for Microsoft Office suite and MyGav portal.

In 2011, the Staff Resource Center moved into the Library building and was renamed the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). The Distance Education Coordinator and a part-time faculty member staff the TLC. Training needs are assessed through individual faculty requests and survey results. The current Title V grant funds faculty opportunities for technology trainings.

The Teaching and Learning Center provides equipment and training for faculty who teach distance education courses. According to the Distance Education Faculty Survey from Spring 2009, large majorities answered "satisfied to very satisfied" in the following areas: reliability of the technology and software used for their courses: 91 percent; assistance from the campus Information Technology staff: 82 percent; assistance from the Distance Education Coordinator: 100 percent (3C.37).

A list of ongoing trainings is provided on the TLC website (3C.25). Individual appointments for help or training are available throughout the semester and drop-ins are welcome. Examples of on-going trainings include the latest Microsoft Office software, podcasting, anti-plagiarism software (TurnItIn), InDesign, social media, etc. Sign in sheets for these various trainings are maintained in the TLC (3C.26). According to the Faculty Distance Education 2011 survey, faculty indicated that they are satisfied to very satisfied with the ongoing trainings (3C.27).

The Faculty Staff Development committee (3C.23) is responsible for assessing the faculty professional growth activities, some of which can be related to technology training. They review and approve the flex contracts, co-curricular, and individual professional development plans. Technology trainings that include flex credit are initiated by the instructors and coordinated between the Vice President of Instruction and the TLC.

In addition to computer application courses, technology training for students is provided in the Library, the High Tech Center, the Learning Skills lab, the Writing lab, the Math lab, the Digital Media lab, and other campus labs, on a drop-in basis as requested by the student. Once the students are trained in the assistive computer technologies in the High Tech Center, the software is available in various student labs on campus and at the off-site locations. The Online Learning for Gavilan Orientations website is a centralized site for students that need computer help (3C.24).

An online non-credit student orientation course (LIB 732: Introduction to Online Gavilan) is also available for all students enrolled in online courses. Students may choose to complete the course as needed. Students who are enrolled in online courses can also attend trainings in the library each semester for additional assistance (3C.24). Additional online non-credit courses are available to assist students with online research and avoiding plagiarism. Another course that was developed for student training is Guidance 700: Online Basic Academic Skills. This online non-credit course is designed for entry-level students who want to improve their basic academic skills through the use of appropriate online software. The online non-credit information competency tutorials that are offered with the Nursing program include: Library 740: Information Competency for Nursing Assistants, Library 741: Information Competency for the Life Cycle, and Library 742: Information Competency for Nutrition.

When new software systems are implemented, trainings are provided for faculty and staff. Some examples include: MyDegreeWorks, MyGav portal, Banner Self-Service, Early Alert (Pilot Project), and Resource25 room scheduling software. Calls to the help desk calls are evaluated to determine the staff's technology training needs.

Extensive training was provided to faculty and staff during the implementation of Sungard's Banner, the Enterprise Resource Program (ERP) for the College. Initial training began in fall of 2006 for the departments most impacted by the new program. Training modules for MIS, financial aid, finance (business office functions) and student (registration, course scheduling) were completed by spring 2008 (3C.28). As additional modules to the ERP system are implemented, training by MIS and Sungard has been provided. Each fall semester, the Admissions & Records office provides an orientation to Self-Service Banner for part-time faculty. This includes information on how to access rosters, download rosters to Excel, access grading, and student email. The same information is presented in a welcome packet each term (3C.46).

MIS offers introductory Banner training as requested by new users. Detailed module training is provided to employees by their respective departments. For example, the Business Office offers training on the self-service finance module bi-annually to individual budget managers who require or request training. According to the Administrative Services 2009-2010 survey, 92.7 percent of staff surveyed, agreed or strongly agreed that the MIS staff has provided adequate support for the implementation of the Banner data system (3C.12).

The implementation of Banner required changes to some of the College's business processes. Some of these changes have resulted in streamlined processing, reducing staff time, and others have actually increased staff time that was required for the same process. As an example of streamlining processes, the Financial Aid department is able to provide increased services for students with the same amount of staff. Gavilan's new optical imaging software enables documents to be scanned at the counter automatically, updating the student database immediately so that the document can be returned to the student. Financial Aid now uses automated email to communicate with the students regarding required forms, award information and deadlines.

Students now have increased access to information regarding their student account, registration information, financial aid information, degree progress, and course information. Students also have control of their personal and contact information in a way that was not possible before Banner. An additional feature of Banner is that it is available 24 hours a day for student and faculty access.

MIS is currently rolling out Outlook to staff and faculty with individualized training to support the transition. Outlook allows users with smart devices to connect to their email and calendars while off-campus. Online tutorials for Outlook 2007 Basic Training are available on the Gavilan College intranet (3C.48).

The issue of including technical competencies in job descriptions is addressed in the Technology Master Plan (TMP), and this initiative is in the planning stages. The initiative states that we will include minimum technical competencies that are needed to do the job in the job announcement and/or descriptions and apply those competencies during candidate selection (3C.2). Job descriptions are generally updated following a re-classification study and are reviewed as a job becomes available. If changes are required, an outside consultant is used to review the job description. Any changes are negotiable with the respective unions. Negotiations regarding the inclusion of technical competencies in faculty and administrative contracts have not yet been discussed.

Results from the Summer 2012 Student Connection Survey indicate that nearly all survey respondents (91.6 percent) either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "The registration and application process was easy," while 87.1 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "The assessment/placement testing process was easy." Most students (80.4 percent) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "Technology is used as a part of instruction in most of my classes." Most students (91.9 percent) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "I have easy access to the Internet to do my school work" (3C.21).

EVALUATION:

Gavilan College meets Standard III (C)(1)(b).

PLAN:

None.

c. The institution systematically plans, acquires, maintains, and upgrades or replaces technology infrastructure and equipment to meet institutional needs.

DESCRIPTION:

Gavilan College provides for the management, maintenance, and operation of its technological infrastructure and equipment through the Management Information System (MIS) department (3C.51). The College has added significantly to the MIS staff during the past several years. The MIS department now has a staff of eight experienced professionals consisting of a MIS Director, an assistant MIS director, two senior PC technicians, two PC technicians, a programmer/analyst and a webmaster. MIS uses contracted services for network administration and special projects (3C.30). The MIS staff provides support for approximately 250 faculty and/or staff workstations, 800 student lab workstations, 50 central servers, over 30 enterprise applications, wireless (WiFi) access in all public student areas, as well as in many conference rooms and classrooms, and support for a campus network that includes the main campus, and two off-campus locations at Morgan Hill and Hollister.

Program plans and budget requests are submitted annually to provide for the management, maintenance and operation of our technological infrastructure and equipment. The general fund provides consistent funding for the ongoing support of the technology on campus. Since obtaining the Measure E bond, the institution has purchased new equipment to upgrade and renovate the infrastructure. Measure E provided funding to implement the computer replacement plan (3C.49). It also funded the creation of the new MIS server room and office complex. Measure E funded the purchase of the servers required for the ERP and the purchase of our new Avaya telephone and voicemail system. The Technology Master Plan lists these items as completed initiatives (3C.52). Several grants have provided for the purchase of new technological equipment and expenses. Wireless capability for the entire campus and the offsite locations was funded through the general fund and the STEM grant (3C.31). The replacement of the District's email and calendar system was paid for through the general fund through the program planning/budgeting process (3C.11).

The District Technology Committee analyzes and finalizes all decisions regarding the technology needs and the stated initiatives in the Technology Master Plan. If funding is required, the program plans and budget requests are submitted to the VP of Administrative Services for prioritization and submission to the Budget Committee. Due to the current state financial situation, budget requests do not always get funded even though they may have had the highest ranking or priority. With the state's fiscal uncertainty, Gavilan will continue to act cautiously and find ways to provide the best possible use of technology resources at the most reasonable cost.

The general fund provides most of the funding for the ongoing support of the technology on campus. Frequently, grants will fund technology purchases. With the Measure E funding, we were able to add air conditioning to most areas with computer labs, update software, hardware and renovate the campus infrastructure. There are occasions when needs cannot be met due to lack of funding or personnel resources.

In 2008, Measure E funded a new generator and a new state of the art server room equipped with cooling system and climate control. This room includes an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) unit that provides power for the entire server room that is connected to a generator backup in case of a power failure. Now that Measure E technology funds have been expended, Gavilan needs to explore alternative funding sources to continue to implement the computer replacement plan (3C.49).

When the College develops Educational Centers in Morgan Hill and Hollister, additional technical staff will be required to support the additional students, staff, and technologies. The Institutional Researcher anticipates a 3.68 percent increase in the enrollment per year in San Benito County (3C.33).

Gavilan College has addressed the need for offsite storage and disaster recovery. The current location of our offsite storage and disaster recovery is at the Morgan Hill site. We have completed our student data replication in a separate building on campus. This ensures that in the event of a disaster in the data center, we could switch over immediately to our standby server. Our domain name server (DNS) is co-located, so our Distance Education program can be accessed even if the Gavilan College server goes down. Once the offsite backup and disaster recovery plan is completed, funding needs to be identified for implementation and on-going maintenance.

Gavilan College has provided increased bandwidth to the Morgan Hill site where we plan to co-locate our backup data. To ensure system reliability and emergency backup, our Microsoft Exchange program is backed up with two new servers, with one server located outside the MIS building. MIS has a program plan and budget request in place to pursue the funding to complete the disaster recovery plan and the offsite storage (3C.4). Additional hardware, servers and switches are still needed to complete this initiative (3C.2, 3C.32). Given the current state budget environment, Gavilan College cannot guarantee when funding will be available.

Software as a Service (SaaS) is a solution where servers and software are housed offsite and provided by a third party. Gavilan College has moved some services to a SaaS environment where it can be done economically and securely. Examples include our iLearn distance education server, TimeKeeper attendance accounting program, Evolve nursing software and Accuplacer assessment testing service.

Gavilan gives careful consideration to technology equipment selected for Distance Education programs. The Distance Education Master Plan is a guide for supporting initiatives that have been identified and developed through our Technology Master Plan, the Strategic Plan, and the Educational Master Plan, as well as through our Distance Education Best Practices document, that will be implemented to best support the overall vision of the campus (3C.19). This Distance Education Master plan outlines and identifies initiatives necessary to support distance learning at Gavilan College.

EVALUATION:

Gavilan College does not meet Standard III (C)(1)(c). Although plans are in place to anticipate technology needs, these plans are sometimes not fulfilled due to insufficient funding.

PLAN:

Identify sources of funding for computer replacement as specified in the Technology Master Plan (3C.2) and for the offsite backup and disaster recovery plan through the program planning process (3C.4).

d. The distribution and utilization of technology resources support the development, maintenance, and enhancement of its programs and services.

DESCRIPTION:

The Technology Master Plan (TMP) guides Gavilan College technology resource allocation decisions. It includes technology use and distribution standards in Appendix E (3C.2). These standards include: hardware, software, web, network management, wireless and smart classrooms and labs. The TMP also includes a computer replacement plan (3C.2, 3C.49). The TMP includes network management standards to ensure the usability, reliability, performance and security of the network (3C.54).

Decisions about the use and distribution of its technology resources are made college-wide through the District Technology Committee (DTC) that includes representatives from all constituencies, including faculty, professional support staff, students, administrators, and supervisors and confidential employees. The DTC makes recommendations regarding the use and distribution of technology resources. These are forwarded to the President's Council and President and then to the Board of Trustees for final consideration. The DTC updates the Technology Master Plan (TMP) annually.

All departments and programs participate in the review/planning budget process. Every three to five years, each program completes a self-study for review by the Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC ). The IEC is a representative, shared governance committee. The IEC review includes an assessment of the program's technology resources and needs. Recommendations are shared with the President's Council and the Board of Trustees. If there are recommendations for technology improvements, these are submitted as program plans through the annual program planning process. When additional funding is required, a budget request is attached to the program plan. Budget requests are then submitted to the shared governance Budget Committee for ranking and prioritization according to a rubric.

Gavilan College has invested to ensure access to reliable and up-to-date technology for students and faculty. Measure E funding provided significant infrastructure upgrades (3C.36). These upgrades include: fiber optic backbone, network switches, firewall, power supply, and upgraded network speed. Contract services of an outside firm provide quality network administration services and conduct network security audits. Wireless capability for the Gilroy campus and the Morgan Hill and Hollister sites was funded through both the general fund and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) grant (3C.31).

The Measure E bond allocated funds to replace District computers during the last four years.

With the Measure E funding expended, Gavilan will need to identify alternate sources of funding for ongoing technology expenditures. To provide the best possible learning environment for students and to ensure an up-to-date platform for constantly evolving instructional software, Gavilan College needs to follow the Desktop Computer Replacement Plan, a component of the Technology Master Plan.

The Gavilan College Technology Plan prioritizes computer needs and states that computer classroom labs should be kept up-to-date and maintained to the extent permitted by available funding. Once the labs are properly equipped, money can be spent on other areas such as faculty/staff computers. As part of the plan, it is suggested that the computers in the labs be recycled for use as a faculty/staff computer if possible (3C.2).

All of the District's computers can currently run the latest versions of Office, anti-virus and spyware software under the Windows XP operating system. Many machines will need to be upgraded with memory to run the Windows 7 operating system, and a few will need to be replaced (3C.49).

When the Morgan Hill and Hollister drop-in labs were updated to Windows 7, some of the assistive computer technologies could not be installed because the programs were incompatible. Alternative funding was located for updating the screen reading and screen magnification software that now works with current operating system. Gavilan does its best to ensure that all computer labs have the required accessible stations for students with disabilities.

Gavilan College gives special consideration to technology equipment selected for Distance Education programs. The Distance Education Master Plan is a guide for supporting initiatives that have been identified and developed through the Technology Master Plan, the Strategic Plan, and the Educational Master Plan, as well as through the Distance Education Best Practices document (3C.19). The Distance Education Master plan outlines and identifies initiatives necessary to support distance learning at Gavilan College. The Distance Education committee works continuously on issues regarding the evolving distance education standards, best practices and plan.

Gavilan College primarily uses Moodle (iLearn) as its course management system, for developing and distributing course materials. Gavilan has site licenses for Contribute, Dreamweaver and Adobe Creative Suite which faculty can utilize to create their individual or class home pages in addition to using Moodle. New users to the online system include staff and administrators, who are using the system to facilitate committees, groups and clubs.

To maximize the effective use of technology, the College provides quality training opportunities for faculty, staff and students. Surveys are developed and disseminated periodically to students and staff to determine training needs (3C.21). In addition to computer application classes, technology training for students is provided in the library, the High Tech Center, the Learning Skills lab, the Writing lab, the Math lab, the Digital Media lab, and other campus labs on a drop-in basis as requested by the student. Students can also self-identify needs to the instructor or can request assistance in the Tutoring Center.

In 2011, the Staff Resource Center moved into the Library building and was renamed the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). The Teaching and Learning Center provides both equipment and training opportunities for faculty. Needs are assessed by individual faculty requests and survey results. The current Title V grant funds faculty opportunities for technology trainings. According to the Distance Education Faculty Survey from spring 2009, in the following areas: 91percent were "satisfied to very satisfied" with the reliability of the technology and software used for their courses; 82 percent were "satisfied to very satisfied" with the assistance provided by Management Information Systems (MIS) staff and 100 percent were "satisfied to very satisfied" with the assistance provided by the Distance Education Coordinator (3C.37).

Professional Development Day (PDD) is organized at the beginning of every semester. The PDD committee creates and organizes the professional development day agenda and trainings. Technology trainings are often included in the agenda (3C.22). Following the day's activities, evaluations are disseminated to all participants. From these evaluations, needs are assessed and new trainings are developed for faculty and staff (3C.22).

The College determines that technology needs are effectively met by periodic surveys (3C.10, 3C.12, 3C.21, 3C.27, 3C.37, 3C.38). In addition to surveying the faculty, staff and students, Gavilan also periodically surveys Internet users for feedback regarding our web site with Website Feedback Survey. The results showed that over 56 percent of participants' primary purpose in visiting the Gavilan College website is to use the Self-Service Banner (3C.38).

EVALUATION:

Gavilan College meets Standard III (C)(1)(d).

PLAN:

None.

2. Technology planning is integrated with institutional planning. The institution systematically assesses the effective use of technology resources and uses the results of evaluation as the basis for improvement.

DESCRIPTION:

The District's Technology Master Plan (TMP) is a "living" document. The Technology Master Plan (3B.34) is a practical outline for the purpose of identifying and developing initiatives that will best support the overall strategies and goals of Gavilan College. The TMP sets priorities for technology needs. It is integrated with the Mission Statement (3B.52), Strategic Plan (3B.42), Educational Master Plan (3B.40), and the Facilities Master Plan (3B.10). The TMP addresses prioritization for smart classrooms, standards for hardware, software, the internet, and network management, and also includes a Desktop Computer Replacement Plan. Appendix H of the plan provides a list of completed initiatives during the time period of 2006-2008; many of which improved the technology available to the classroom setting. In addition, current initiatives are identified by all parts of the institution. Gavilan College makes every effort to follow the TMP and the Minimum Technology Standards for Classrooms and laboratories, as outlined in the Facilities Master Plan (FMP) (3B.50).

Decisions about the use and distribution of its technology resources are made college-wide through the District Technology Committee (DTC) that includes representatives from all constituencies, including faculty, professional support staff, students, administrators, and supervisors and confidential employees. The DTC makes recommendations regarding the use and distribution of technology resources. These are forwarded to the President's Council and President and then to the Board of Trustees for final consideration. The District Technology Committee (DTC) (3C.1) forms a task force annually to update the Technology Master Plan (TMP). Plans for improvement and future facilities decisions are assessed and considered and are included in the annual update of the TMP (3C.2).

The College assesses whether technology needs are effectively met by periodic surveys of students and staff (3C.10, 3C.12, 3C.21, 3C.27, 3C.37, 3C.38). In the spring 2008 semester, a Technology Needs Assessment Survey (3C.10) was disseminated to students regarding their technology resource needs. According to this survey, "most students report that they are likely to access the internet via an on-campus wireless system. Seventy percent of respondents reported that they were "likely" or "very likely" to use an on-campus wireless system" (3C.10). In 2010, Gavilan College completed the wireless implementation to offer a secure campus-wide wireless network for faculty, staff, and students. In 2011, following the increased bandwidth to the off-site locations, wireless connectivity was provided as well. According to the Administrative Services 2009-2010 survey, approximately 70 percent of staff surveyed accessed the wireless network, and of those, 92 percent agreed or strongly agreed that they have been able to successfully access the wireless system (3C.12).

Surveys include: web site survey, computer center survey, distance education survey, and administrative services survey (3C.10, 3C.12, 3C.21, 3C.27, 3C.37, 3C.38). Overall, the surveys indicate a high-level of satisfaction with current technology. According to the Administrative Services 2009-2010 survey, 94 percent of staff surveyed "agreed to strongly agreed" that the MIS staff has responded to their computer problems in a timely manner (3C.12). In addition, 95 percent of staff surveyed "agreed to strongly agreed" that the MIS staff has effectively solved their computer problems (3C.12). Gavilan College also periodically surveys Internet users for feedback regarding the college web site. The results of the Website Feedback Survey show that over 56 percent of participants' primary purpose in visiting the Gavilan College website is to use the Self-Service Banner (3C.38).

Results from the Summer 2012 Student Connection Survey indicate that nearly all survey respondents (91.6 percent) either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "The registration and application process was easy," while 87.1 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "the assessment/placement testing process was easy." Most students (80.4 percent) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "technology is used as a part of instruction in most of my classes." Most students (91.9 percent) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "I have easy access to the Internet to do my school work" (3C.21).

Survey results are discussed by the District Technology Committee (DTC), and used to update and create initiatives in the TMP. The completed initiatives are listed in the TMP (3C.2, 3C.52, 3C.55). The current and ongoing initiatives are included in the body of the TMP (3C.2). The TMP includes the status of each initiative as it relates to safety, security, compliance, cost-savings, educational experience, and operations. The DTC makes recommendations to the President's Council, which then makes recommendations to the President regarding the requests. The Board of Trustees approves the annual update of the TMP.

The Measure E bond helped fund a revised Facility Master Plan (FMP) with an organized and planned capital outlay to bring the physical campus into alignment with the goals identified in other campus plans. For example, smart classrooms guidelines are defined in the Minimum Standards for Classrooms and labs (3C.7), a component of the FMP.

All programs go through an Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC) program review (3C.4) every three to five years, in which technology needs can be identified. As technology needs are identified, program plans and budget requests are developed and updated annually (3C.4). Program plans and budget requests are reviewed and prioritized by the Deans and Vice Presidents as appropriate. Their recommendations are sent to the Budget Committee. The Budget Committee makes recommendations to the President's Council and then to the President and the Board.

Grant funding has been used to secure important additions and improvements to learning and teaching technologies and achieving institutional goals. With the involvement of many individuals, the College has been the recipient of several short- and long-term grants for technology. Recent examples of grant-funded projects include the Student Success Center, the purchase of 150 laptops and the purchase of several servers. The planning and preparation process for grant submission includes gathering input and feedback from a focus group to determine program development needs and to form and refine activities and objectives for the grant. These focus groups do not always include all stakeholders. The MIS department takes into account hardware, software, systems management support, end user support, development support, communications support, and training to give a total cost of ownership (TCO) picture of the real costs that are identified in the Technology Master Plan (3C.2).

EVALUATION:

Gavilan College does not meet Standard III (C)(2). As state funding levels have declined and the Measure E technology projects have been completed, Gavilan College needs an institutional commitment to ongoing funding of the Technology Master Plan, with defined strategies for seeking alternate funding sources. These strategies should use the College's shared governance process and include opportunities for all stakeholders to participate.

PLAN:

Define an institutional process to evaluate, plan, and seek grants.

Standard IIIC: Technology Resources

Standard IIIC: Technology Resources

Standard III (C) Evidence