Instructional Technology and Campus Outreach
Dr. Janice Biros, Associate Vice
President (AVP), leads the Instructional Technology and Campus Outreach Department,
which emphasizes Drexel's key mission of technology-focused education.
The department's focus is primarily on the support of "Teaching" side (including
faculty and student support services) of the "Teaching and Learning" paradigm.
Responsibilities of the AVP focus on the maintenance of close contact with the
academic community, serving as the "computing and technology" representative on
various University and faculty committees, initiating and supporting collaborative
teaching and learning initiatives among faculty, departments, and colleges as well
as the library. Other duties include serving as Drexel's representative to external
bodies especially in relation to academic computing (e.g., EDUCOM) and other external
constituencies which the institution has (or should have) "instructional computing
centered" relationships (e.g., the Philadelphia School District, international
programs, satellite campuses, etc.).
The AVP's responsibilities also include initiating and sustaining programs with
external agencies such as use of computing facilities by outside agencies, the
provision of commercial training, technical support contracts as well as the aggressive
pursuit of grants from foundations and government agencies.
Functionally organized "groups" within the Department include:
- Academic Web Development Group:
The goal of this group is to maximize the penetration of technology in all
aspects of the academic program. The primary function of this group is to
provide assistance to academic departments in their efforts to enhance the
contribution of technology to their curricula. This group provides faculty
with the assistance necessary to exploit web based technology to enrich and
enhance the academic program. Assistance is also provided for the development
and effective design of web based curricular and distance learning programs.
Consultants work one-on-one with individual faculty members and with departments
on technology integration projects. This group is responsible for the sponsorship
of programs (e.g., seminars, workshops, and external speakers) that further
these aims.
- End User Support and Training Group:
The purpose of this group is to provide centrally based, end-user computing support
for all individual members of the University community, students, faculty and
administrative staff including development and implementation of a Help Desk Triage
strategy. This group provides on-line, on- site and drop-in service. Members of this
group also provide workshops and seminars each term and maintain appropriate
web and paper based tip sheets and user-support publications. This group also
is responsible for supporting administrative end users implementing Banner
and other systems and ancillary software.
- Equipment Support Group:
This group is responsible for putting processes and procedures in place to
create a University-wide, cross functional, academic computing support community,
creation and facilitation of Special Interest Groups, development of families
of supported hardware and software products, and creation and advocacy of
complementary departmental IT delivery strategies. This group provides in-depth
technical programming necessary to maximize end user (primarily "desktop")
applications use. This group is responsible for the technical support of home
page development as well as programming in such applications as Excel, FileMaker,
Access, Brio Query (for ad hoc reports) and other developmental applications.
Members of this group generally spend most of their work week in the field.
- Administrative User Support:
This group is responsible for scheduling all centrally supported "computing/multimedia"
laboratories and classrooms and for the hardware and software used in them.
- Voice Communications/Telephones:
This Group is responsible for providing dial tone from two sources; the University
owned PBX and the telephone company's Centrex service. In addition, This Group
oversees voice mail and automated attendant systems.
|
