The University of Pennsylvania's Online Computing Magazine
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September 1994 - Volume 11:1 [Printout | Contents | Search ]
Finding the right resource within Penn's rich array of support services is not always easy. This is particularly true in the volatile computing and networking area: Support organizations are simultaneously assimilating recent developments and anticipating new ones, and no single organization can answer every question. Where then should you turn? The School-based support organizations described below are often the best place to start. Their staffs are attuned to the needs of their constituents and their services have been tailored to meet those needs. Even if they don't have an immediate answer, they usually know where to find it. Complementing School support services are the central services offered by Information Systems and Computing (ISC). Turn to the back cover for a listing of the main ISC services and phone numbers. Many of the campus labs listed on page 18 also offer assistance to users. The PennNet Passport, a guide to computing and networking at Penn (described on page 14), contains descriptions of PennInfo and World-Wide Web information systems. The FAQ (frequently asked questions) files and other documents available via these systems provide a wealth of useful information. Finally, hardware and software vendors are often the best source of information for product-related queries. Many of them have 800 numbers, fax response services, e-mail addresses, bulletin board systems, and FTP services. Contact information for the vendors of many ISC-supported products appears on page 8. Good luck! Graduate School of EducationThe School provides support and facilities for students through the computer lab, as well as problem-solving and consultation to faculty and administrators. Instructional support is provided as needed, but is limited to technical help in setting up hardware and software. The computer lab machines have PennNet connections to the Internet. Electronic mail is available on the school network for administrative use. Student e-mail is available for those requesting it. Consulting is available in the computer lab Monday through Friday, 9:30 AM-5 PM, for supported platforms - MacOS, DOS, and Windows. Other services include file conversion between DOS and Macintosh and document scanning. Currently there are three classroom video projection systems with a PennNet connection for instructional use. Director of Computing Services: John Irwin, 898-2514 Graduate School of Fine ArtsSupport is provided to all School faculty, students, and administrators, as well as to non-GSFA students in GSFA courses. The GSFA Computing Center supports educational and research computing for all departments. The Center houses approximately fifty microcomputers, almost all of which provide Ethernet access to PennNet. The Help Desk located within the GSFA Computing Center is the primary point of contact for all end- user support services. Support is provided for a set of standard desktop applications, as well as various analysis and graphics packages. Basic support is provided by work-study students; more specialized software applications are supported by teaching assistants and faculty as part of the regular curriculum. A limited number of introductory classes for beginners are offered in the early fall, and specialized training classes for faculty and administrative staff are provided as needed. Electronic mail is available for all students on dolphin@dccs; contact the Help Desk for details. Faculty and staff may obtain e-mail accounts by arrangement with their department. End-user support: Questions regarding policy, resources, scheduling: School of Arts and SciencesThe School of Arts and Sciences offers a single point of contact for faculty, staff, and students who have a computing question or problem. They call one number - 573-HELP (573-4357). The question will either be answered then or referred to the appropriate SAS Computing staff member. The School supports public computer labs and departmental clusters. They include Macintosh labs (DRL 2N40, DRL MMETS, McNeil 104), PC labs (DRL 4N16, DRL MMETS, McNeil 108 & 109), and a NeXT lab (DRL 4E1). Electronic mail is provided to all SAS faculty, students, and staff on mail.sas. Communications and Network Services (CNS) plans and implements networking and communications. It provides a central repository of information about network devices and oversees the design, implementation, and ongoing operation of computer networks and data communications within SAS. PennNet connections and local area networks are handled through CNS. Customer Services and Planning (CSP) provides general support for desktop computing to faculty and staff in the School of Arts and Sciences. That support includes hardware and software troubleshooting, repair and maintenance of SAS machines, technology assessment and planning, and education in current and emerging technologies. Educational Technology Services (ETS) offers image and text scanning services; access to its electronic text library through World-Wide Web and Gopher; specialized Internet services, including World-Wide Web, Gopher, WAIS, and IRC; and electronic seminars on the Internet and electronic publishing. ETS also maintains the University Prep Center in Williams 633 and is responsible for high-tech classrooms in Williams 100, Leidy 10, Stiteler B6, 21, Jaffe, and DRL A-level. The Multi-Media & Educational Technology Services (MMETS) facility provides ongoing support to faculty, students, and staff in acquisition of materials on VHS tape, video disc, CD, computer diskette, and other media, for use in undergraduate classes. Faculty may use the audio studio to record lectures, interviews, and other course-related events. Limited duplication of audio and video tapes is also available. MMETS also has specialized media and computer classrooms that may be reserved by calling 898-4947 or sending e-mail to reserve@ccat.sas. The Social Science Computing Facility provides computing services to faculty and graduate students in the social sciences (McNeil 303). Social Science Consulting Services provides consulting support on operating systems (UNIX and DOS) and software packages (SAS, SPSS, Limdep, TSP, Gauss, GAMS, Aremos, etc.). Technology Integration Services (TIS) provides SAS departments with assistance in reviewing their current business practices and technologies and provides appropriate database and office automation tools. This group provides computer and software application training as well. Workstation Services (WKS) provides support for the operation, maintenance, and networking of UNIX workstations for faculty and staff in the School of Arts and Sciences. This support includes hardware and software consulting, aid to faculty and staff in the development of workstation facilities, and system administration support at various levels depending upon client needs. WKS also operates the mail.sas e- mail machine. Computing questions: 573-HELP School of Dental MedicineThe School's Audio/Visual-Computer Learning Lab is a comprehensive computer and audiovisual support center offering a variety of services and training opportunities. The lab is equipped with IBM and Macintosh computers, laser and dot-matrix printers, scanners, file conversion facilities, and video and slide production systems. The lab offers training and software support to students and faculty in all major application areas. Computer literacy is achieved through direct one-on-one support from the small (1.5 FTEs) full-time support staff or from self-paced, online software tutorials. The lab also has many PennNet-connected computers for student use. Faculty members use the lab for incorporating computer-based instruction into their curricula, for electronic communications with students and other faculty, and for their individual computing needs. The lab also serves as the central hub for Spin, the Student and Patient Information Network, which permits authorized students and faculty access to clinical and academic records and to a bulletin board to post messages and announcements. Spin is accessible through PennNet. Charles Canby, Learning Lab Supervisor, 898-8957, School of Engineering and Applied ScienceComputing and Educational Technology Services (CETS) provides computing support for instructional and administrative activities within the School. Some individual departments administer research and instructional computing in support of departmental activities. The SEAS Ethernet provides access to all computing facilities within the School and on PennNet. CETS operates Eniac, a group of interdependent Sun computers, which are the principal time-sharing machine used to support course work, electronic mail, and news. Accounts are available to SEAS students, faculty, staff, and those taking SEAS courses requiring the use of Eniac. Portable computer displays are available, by advance reservation, to SEAS faculty for use within most rooms of the Engineering buildings, and fixed displays are available in two classrooms. CETS also maintains seven microcomputer labs for instructional computing, all of which are networked into SEASnet. They include a Mac lab, 3 IBM PC/compatible labs, and 4 SPARCstation/X terminal labs (reserved for SEAS students only). A typical student will use Macs, PCs, and Suns, as well as a variety of application software, during his or her undergraduate years. A multimedia student orientation show, "Welcome to the Net," will be given at scheduled times during September. Hotline: 898-4707 School of MedicineThe Offices of Computing and Information Technology provide centralized academic and academic administrative (i.e., non-health care) computing support for the Medical Center. Staff members assist Medical Center faculty, staff, and students with the installation, use, and upgrading of computer hardware and software (primarily Macintosh and IBM PC/compatible machines). Phone consultations and brief visits to the office are free; however, there is an hourly fee for on-site consultations, depending on the service required. Information Technology also administers the Microcomputer Center, located in the Biomedical Library, as well as a number of satellite centers. All machines have access to PennNet. In addition, the staff provides technical assistance to the Biomedical Library in support of Penn's implementation of MEDLINE, hosts a medical informatics seminar series, supports vendor demonstrations, coordinates connections to the campus network, provides contract programming, assists students and professors in locating existing and developing educational software, and produces a quarterly newsletter, "CIT*News." The Medical School Computer Facility provides a platform for a growing suite of online services, including: All-in-1 electronic mail; MedInfo; PennInfo; NetNews; electronic interlibrary loan/journal photocopy requests; and, for medical students, access to MARC, a clinical course evaluation system. Additionally, VMS mail and POP mail are available. Also available is a resource center that provides special-purpose equipment and services (such as scanning services and computer projection equipment). Fee-based accounts for nonaffiliates of the Medical Center are available by contacting the Facility. Offices of Computing & Information Technology: 898-9755 School of NursingComputing support is divided into two spheres - faculty/administrative support and student support. In addition, the undergraduate curriculum supports an instructor who is responsible, half time, for computer content integration in the curriculum. The School has two computer labs devoted to student use and a facility devoted to research computing. All computer labs are wired to the PennNet network for e-mail, library, and Internet access. Faculty and administrative users are on a Novell network, which provides full PennNet access, shared software and hardware, and electronic mail. Consulting support for students who have course-related computer assignments is provided by staff in the Microcomputer Lab. Training for students is provided in structured sessions scheduled by the course instructor. The lab staff also assist faculty with the integration of computer technology into the curriculum and with the creation of computer-assisted audiovisual materials. Data projection devices, as well as other audiovisual equipment, are available upon request through the Audio-Visual Service Center. Software development in areas of computer-aided instruction and multimedia production is available through the Instructional Technology Service Center. Administrative and faculty consulting is provided on an as-needed basis and includes the acquisition and use of computer equipment as well as network-related functions. Director of Faculty and Administrative Computing: School of Social WorkThe School currently has no structured computing support services. A computer lab with a limited number of IBM PC/compatible computers is available to School of Social Work students when it is not being used for teaching. The Wharton SchoolWharton Computing and Information Technology (WCIT) provides computing services to support the faculty, students, and staff of the Wharton School. Some services are available to other members of the University community based on availability or, in some cases, on a cost-recovery basis. WCIT offers a series of two-hour hands-on "short courses" on selected computing topics such as the basics of electronic mail and communications. WCIT short courses are available to University affiliates at a nominal charge. Wharton's microcomputer labs include DOS/Windows and Macintosh systems. Consulting support for the systems and software used at the Wharton School is available on a walk-in basis, by telephone hotline, and electronically. Supported platforms include DOS/Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, and VAX VMS. Electronic mail is available to all students, faculty, and staff. Wharton's School-wide network provides access to host systems, file servers, and to PennNet. All computer lab stations have access to Wharton's local area network and PennNet. Electronic courseware, exercises, and class notes are available for download from the labs and by dialing in. The Reprographics unit of WCIT provides duplicating and publishing services. Electronic output services provide hard copy from user- prepared files on a wide range of output devices, including 300 and 600 dot-per-inch laser printers, a digital typesetter, and color printers. Wharton's Classroom Support Services division provides AV equipment and services for conferences, instruction, and research. Consulting: 898-8600, 212 Vance Hall, or |