Instructional Resources and Technology Services
Laboratory Software Installation Guidelines

Approved by the COE Technology Committee ~ December 1998

Introduction

The Instructional Resources and Technology Services' (IRTS's) computer laboratories are an integral component of an educational experience for students, faculty, and visitors. Any UNI student can use an unscheduled laboratory computer to perform Internet searches, complete classroom assignments, or perform any number of computer functions such as communicate via e-mail. In addition, the laboratories are scheduled for use to assist faculty in the teaching from within a structured classroom environment. Finally, to serve the needs of UNI faculty and the needs of the educational community in general, the laboratories are also scheduled for seminars and presentations. With these customers in mind, it is the desire of IRTS to maintain a high level of laboratory stability, and support. To this end, IRTS has put together the following guidelines to help prospective users adapt these computer laboratories to meet their software needs.

Each laboratory has a "standard" set of software that is installed, serviced, and upgraded throughout each semester (Table 1 and 2). The selection of this software is based upon funding, need, software licensing, and supportability. "Non-standard software" applies to all software that has not been purchased or supplied to IRTS and is where there are not enough software licenses to legally install the software on all workstations in the Macintosh Laboratory (21 stations) or the Windows 95 Laboratory (13 stations). The list of standard software is a changing collection of tools. Inclusion or exclusion from this collection occurs through process of planning and one where consideration is given to the user, computing resources, network resources, support resources, and curricular and instructional mandates. Non-standard software can become part of the standard set.

The most important users of these labs are UNI students. It is mainly through their approval that software and hardware are added to these laboratories. The source of the funding for this effort is Student Computer Fee money. The College of Education Technology Committee is composed of UNI students, UNI faculty, and UNI staff who decide, on an annual basis, what will be added and maintained in the labs.

Each computer laboratory is engineered in such a way as to complement the needs of the individual and the needs of instructors and presenters. A second source of funding used to add software to the standard configuration can come from the College of Education, the University, and/or departments. The decision process behind the selection of software is collaborative. Examples of this second source would be college funded cross-curricular seminars or departments who depend upon availability of software in a consistent and accessible environment.

A third source of software that can be included in the standard configuration manifests itself when a user needs to present unique concepts, content, or computing metaphors. This software is specialized in nature. It can have a short longevity in the list of standard software due to its special qualities and its limited application to the computing population as a whole. Examples of this software are role-playing software/games, educational software, and multimedia-encompassing presentations. The source, applicability, and timely access of this software is usually based upon the needs of the seminar leader and the duration of the seminar. There is no funding made available to purchase multiple licenses.

The amount of effort required to maintain a sound and stable computer laboratory has grown due to the computing paradigm of the personal computer, the proliferation of software, and the approach to computer labs mandated by the use of Student Computer Fee money. In many cases software, hardware, and documentation vendors take an approach that is primarily based upon the expectation of stable and open computing platform such as personal workstations. However, this approach has an alarming effect upon a computer that is shared by the entire student body. Files become destroyed, operating system extensions become replaced, pictures appear, and the opportunity for inadvertent insult or damage increase. It is therefore seen by IRTS as beneficial to have some practices, guidelines, and controls in hand to help maintain a useful lab in order to meet the needs of the general student body, classroom instruction, and university seminars.

Guidelines

The following guidelines are written to help maintain a useful lab as well as provide a framework to promote healthy discussion and expectations for requests to change standard set or makeup of a laboratory are needed. All users of the computer laboratories managed by the College of Education - Instructional Resources and Technical Services Department are expected to consider these guidelines.

(1) All software that is to be installed, evaluated, or otherwise executed on a computer that is in a lab (hereby referred to as "used in a lab") will be evaluated for a period of time by the Information Technology Specialist and discussed with the IRTS staff to determine its legitimacy. A member of the IRTS staff will make a request submission through the completion of a Technical Support Request Form. The determination will be communicated to the submitter before the evaluation period expires. The evaluation period will not exceed four weeks. The legitimacy of software will be evaluated based upon the following criterion:

- the availability of funding for multiple licenses,
- the original software distribution media,
- content of the original software license agreement,
- release/publication date and version,
- released documentation describing the software's platform compatibility,
- the vendor's technical support phone number(s),
- and the required variance from the standard computer configuration.

Given the case where a single software package or multiple software packages need to be installed on a single computer, IRTS will schedule a non-laboratory computer.

(2) All media to be used in a lab will remain in the possession of the IRTS library collection until the software is released from use. "Release from use" shall be determined by the amount of time that is necessary or required in order for the software to be evaluated and to deliver curricular value during one course period.

(3) A request to install demonstration software will be considered. As a precaution, a request to purchase a released version for all computers in that laboratory will be investigated. Demonstration software, by its nature, is not directly supported vis-à-vis phone support. If, during the evaluation of the software, it is decided that a greater degree of support will be required the installation may be delayed until the topic can be scheduled and discussed at a COE Technology Committee Meeting.

(4) In the event that a computer is rendered inoperable due to unforeseen circumstances, the inoperable computer will be repaired and the state of the disk drive will be returned to the standard configuration at any moment in the school year. Non standard software will be installed as time permits.