Meeting Minutes

Columbia College

September 13, 2007 – Community Education Room

Attending: Gary Mendenhall; Marty Gang; Melissa Colon; Robert Gritz; Kelley (KC) Marshall; Brian Greene; Cass Larkin; Wendy Link; Don Smith; Susan Vegter-Slape; Ida Ponder; Doris Goldson (recorder)

Guests: Connie Mical, Mike Torok

1. Committee Membership – Gary Mendenhall

Committee membership is currently comprised of 13 members:

Gary Mendenhall, Dean, Vocational & Economic Development

Ida Ponder, Computer Science, Vocational Education

Don Smith, Computer Science, Vocational Education

Melissa Colon, Instructional Technology Center/Computer Science, Vocational Education

Tim Elizondo, Speech, Arts & Social Sciences

Marty Gang, Director, Technology/Media Services, Institutional Operations

Wendy Link, Technology & Media Services, Institutional Operations

Brian Greene, Librarian, Learning Support Services

Mario Cordova, Director, Special Programs, Learning Support Services

Kelley (KC) Marshall, Disability Services, Learning Support Services

Robert Gritz, Datatel/Fiscal Services, Institutional Operations

Cass Larkin, Financial Aid, Institutional Operations

Susan Vegter-Slape, Datatel, Student Learning

Copies of the Columbia College Technology Plan/Mission Statement were distributed. Gary stated the Technology Committee will continue to meet every other Thursday, 1:00-2:00 pm., and will continue to develop membership by encouraging Arts & Sciences faculty and other key staff members to participate in the committee.

NEEDED ACTION: Committee chairs, along with Mike Torok, Dean of Arts & Sciences, will review instructor schedules to determine availability of Arts & Sciences faculty members.

2. Update on Web Site Hack – Marty Gang

IT assures Columbia College there was no compromise to the server during the recent hack which occurred last week. IT restored the entire server, not just our website, using a backup from Wednesday, September 5. All current updates have been replaced to the best of Technology/Media Services knowledge with the exception of some faculty pages.

NEEDED ACTION: Marty will send an email to all CC staff recommending they back-up all pages for which they’re responsible.

3. ITC Report – Melissa Colon

There is increased use and demand of the ITC and additional staffing is needed. Melissa currently provides supervision for limited scheduled hours. As an example of the increased demand, the Library is planning to hire a student to complete a digitization project. This means a student will be working in ITC when Melissa is not in the room, but supervised by Brian from the Library. Hiring an instructional assistant would provide constant supervision and allow the room to be more available for use. This position needs to be considered a priority. Kelley Marshall mentioned there may be possible supplemental money to support an instructional assistant position.

4. Distance Education Report – Melissa Colon and Marty Gang

The Title 3 grant writer will be meeting with the Distance Education (DE) Committee, deans and others who feel vested in distance education on October 5, at 1:00 pm in the ITC. A pre-meeting is scheduled for September 21, 10:30 am-12:00 pm, ITC, to prepare for the October 5^th meeting.

This summer Pat James, from Mt. San Jacinto College, was hired to develop the DE Plan. The DE Plan needs to be in place before Title 3 is written. Pat has been on campus and has met with key personnel. It was noted Title 3 (a three-year grant) will fund a full-time faculty certificated position to work with distance education.

NEEDED ACTION: At Gary’s request, Melissa will forward the Distance Education Plan to the Technology Committee when appropriate.

5. Scheduling WebCT Orientations in Library – Brian Greene

Brian discussed the number of WebCT requests he has received requesting use of the Library Demo Lab. The point was made that equipment is widely available in classrooms and the instructor can actually give this orientation inside the classroom. It was also discussed that some instructors, who teach regular classes and include the various components of WebCT as part of their class, prefer students go to the Library to introduce WebCT to their students. Another issue is people want an available physical space where students can be online and actually practice WebCT components. A class, How to Succeed as an Online Student, also provides WebCT instruction to students.

As Title 3 progresses and more and more classes begin using WebCT as enhancements to their classes, space will be limited in our existing computer labs for WebCT use. Connie Mical suggested with the upcoming facility changes pending on campus, possibly the college needs to look into a designated all encompassing computer lab where faculty and students could schedule blocks of time. This would help facilitate WebCT needs. Gary mentioned this specific suggestion, along with creating a new position for an instructional assistant, should be considered as Title 3 is developed.

Brian will direct future WebCT requests to Melissa or Wendy. It was determined by the Technology Committee WebCT orientations will not be offered in the Library Demo Room.

6. Update, New YCCD Wireless Project – Marty Gang

IT plans to extend wireless capabilities to every classroom on the Columbia College campus and also to some of the common areas. It is their goal to complete the project within 2007/08 FY.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:

Datatel R17 to R18 upgrades status and plan (Marty and Robert)

Student email update and possible policy considerations (Marty and Susan)

Technology Plan and Summary of Recommendations

Website conversion - Front Page to Dreamweaver (Marty)

Software Plan Review

NEXT MEETING DATE: Thursday, September 27, 2007, 1:00 – 2:00 pm, Tamarack Hall Staff Room