Presented at NERCOMP Conferences

Ever wonder what your president really thinks about: the role of technology in higher education; the job of the CIO; career paths; the future? Join us for a interactive moderated panel discussion to learn how our panelists took their path to the top and what they learned along the way. Submit questions in advance to Joanne.kossuth@olin.edu for anything you've ever wanted to know about leadership, learning, and life.

Due to service demands, we often expect our ResNet and student staff to perform miracles. This panel discussion will explore and compare solutions from three different institutions to training, retaining, and providing growth opportunities for student workers while meeting or exceeding service-level expectations.

Panelists from academic computing and the library in three different types of institution will discuss the approaches their organizations have taken as they foster digital humanities research projects. Discussion will focus on the particularities of digital research projects in the humanities, the collaborative relationship of the contributors, and sustainability and scale.

MIT recently completed a benchmark study on the use of educational technology in subjects considered to count toward the core curriculum (General Institute Requirements). This presentation will discuss how the data was collected, analyzed, and implemented.

Technology innovators sometimes expect that users will embrace new ideas and new tools with open arms. In reality, most innovations are met with hostility and indifference, and it can take a lengthy campaign to persuade organizations to change the way they work. In an illustrated spin through Hollywood history, journalist and author Scott Kirsner will demonstrate how innovators like Pixar, George Lucas, and Bing Crosby (yes, "Mr. White Christmas") have changed the movie industry while facing enormous resistance. He'll also describe the three kinds of people that exist in every organization and some of the key reasons people tend to rebel (or go into a shell) when confronted with a new piece of technology.

This session will demonstrate how a redesign in overhead slides can create presentations that foster a more learner-centric rather than teacher-centric model. A change in emphasis from verbal to visual promotes active learning and increases comprehension, encourages deductive reasoning, and improves retention.

Moving from a paper-based subject evaluation system to an online system is fraught with peril. Our surprising findings were that business issues outweigh technical concerns, and that the key requirement was not a function point but flexibility. A panel will present these findings and a novel approach to requirements definition.

In evaluating student computing, Computing Services discovered that many students found campus computer labs inadequate for collaborative work. This presentation will cover the redefinition of one lab from assessment of student needs to space redesign, implementation, and initial follow-up assessment.

Bryant University implemented the Citrix Presentation Server to provide students with access to lab applications on their laptops. Faculty and staff looking to "share" application licenses can do so using our Microsoft SoftGrid environment. This presentation will describe our technology and rationale for implementing these solutions.

Multiplatform computing is not a new concept, but it has received renewed exposure with Apple's shift to Intel-based systems and the growth of virtualization. Based on experiences at the University of New Hampshire, do the compromises or complexities of multiple operating systems have corresponding benefits for computer labs and classrooms?