Wednesday, March 7, 2001

CCSU announces ITP choice

Provides flexibility, ownership options and lower fees

Clayton State President Dr. Thomas K. Harden announced last week that Clayton College & State University will be modifying its pioneering Information Technology Project (ITP), starting with the fall 2001 semester.

In January 1998, through the Information Technology Project, CCSU became the third public university in the nation, and the first in the southeast, wherein all students and faculty were equipped with laptop computers.

ITP is designed to incorporate the latest information technologies into teaching and learning at Clayton State through remote, unlimited "anywhere/anytime" Internet access, walk-up and telephone computer user assistance, e-mail accounts, on-campus laptop computer repair, and a universal campus card that provides access to services like the campus copy center, financial aid processing, food services and vending.

Over the past three years, the program has developed into an unqualified success in its most important measure the improvement of the learning and teaching process at Clayton State.

Indeed, a survey of students and faculty taken in the fall of 2000 found that more than three-quarters of those polled said that ITP has enhanced learning at Clayton State.

Furthermore, ITP has won national recognition, including a Pioneer Award from the Fourth Annual Conference on Ubiquitous Computing.

"Even a successful program can be improved, and the time has come to improve on ITP," says Harden. "Even with the program's success, there were clearly aspects of ITP that could be improved. After more than three years of listening to student comments about how to improve ITP, we have done so, through the next phase of ITP 'ITP Choice.'"

Starting officially in August 2001, ITP Choice will give students flexibility and freedom of choice in their mobile computing.

Clayton State will maintain its commitment to technologically enhanced learning and teaching through ubiquitous mobile computing on campus by continuing its requirement that all students have access to a laptop computer.

However, under ITP Choice, students will be given freedom of choice... in selecting a laptop computer and in selecting an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Whereas all students were previously equipped with a Microquest laptop computer owned by the University, students will now have the flexibility to make their own arrangements for obtaining laptop computers, including buying their own laptop, instead of leasing a University laptop as part of the $300 per semester technology fee.

"Clayton State students will now have the ability to enjoy the benefits of owning a laptop computer, as opposed to renting a Clayton State-owned computer," says Harden.

Since the University will no longer be purchasing laptop computers, another part of ITP Choice will be the reduction of the technology fee from $300 a semester to a suggested $38 a semester.

"Actually, if Clayton State were to provide the original ITP package of hardware, software and services in 2001, the technology fee would now have to be raised to approximately $400 per semester," notes Harden.

"ITP Choice also recognizes several facts regarding mobile computing in 2001. Since the Microquest computers are failing at a rapid rate and are no longer state-of-the-art, there is a need to adapt the program to the changing computing environment. The original ITP program, where the University rents computers to the students, is just too expensive."

Some of the other aspects of ITP Choice program are as follows:

Clayton State will establish faculty-approved minimum hardware/software requirements for laptops.

Students will be required to state that they have ready access to a laptop that meets those requirements.

Students will have variety of options, including ownership of a new laptop, ownership of a used laptop, ownership of a refurbished laptop, using an already-owned laptop, or leasing, sharing or renting a laptop to meet the minimum requirements.

A list of preferred (but not required) vendors of laptops will be circulated to all students.

The Clayton State student help desk The HUB will continue to provide hardware and software service to Clayton State students. The HUB will still assist all students with software problems and will also assist students with hardware problems if their machines are under warranty and the HUB is certified to service those machines by the vendor.

Even without a University-specified ISP, Clayton State will have an electronic "post office" e-mail address for each student, and student class list serves will continue.

Clayton State will hold a "Technology Fair" for preferred laptop vendors Apr. 17- 18, where hardware alternatives will be clearly defined, positives and negatives of alternative machines explained, and specific product examples shown.

Clayton State will maintain a rental program with the remaining working Microquest laptops for the fall 2001 semester for students with financial need, students about to complete their coursework, and for emergencies. The University will also have a more limited rental program for the spring 2002 semester, after which the Microquest laptops will no longer be usable.

Information on ITP Choice and laptop computers is being made available to all current Clayton State students, and all new students accepted for the Fall 2001 semester, through a variety of methods, including:

An ITP Choice website (http://itpchoice.clayton.edu);

The University's monthly newsletter, Campus Review;

A detailed brochure on ITP Choice;

Four Open Forums on ITP Choice two for students and two for faculty and staff;

The Technology Fair; and

An on-site ITP Choice Help Desk at The Hub.

Clayton College & State University, a member institution of the University System of Georgia, is located in Morrow in south metro Atlanta.