Welcome new faculty. This page contains answers to some of the basic questions asked by incoming faculty about the services that Instructional Technology provides.
Course Management Software
Blackboard is our current Course Management Software. It will still be use in for the 2008-2009 academic year. See the iTech Blackboard page for more information.
In the Spring of 2008, UPS made the decision to adopt Moodle as our new course management system. The planning and implementation of this will take place over the next two years. See The Move to Moodle page for current information.
Gradebook Software
UPS does not have a standard for Gradebook software. You are free to use what you wish. Both Blackboard and Moodle have gradebooks built into them. Check with your Department to see if it uses or has purchased gradebook software for its faculty. Grades are submitted using the course pages in Cascade.
Web Pages: The UPS Web Site
The official UPS web site is managed with a Content Management System (CMS). Departments have pages here, and faculty encouraged to create their web pages here and to put their professional information on it. The CMS is officially trained on and supported.
For more information, see the UPS Web Site Guide or contact Barbara Weist, Web Manager at x 2691 or via the Web Guide request form.
Web Pages: Making Your Own Web Site
We have a faculty web server where you can have space for your web pages. We provide access and hosting, but don’t do training or support for web design, the software or content. So, if you know how to do web pages already, and have software you want to use, this is an option for you. Contact Jean Huskamp huskamp@ups.edu who can set up a site for you.
Electronic Classrooms
UPS has over 100 electronically enhanced classroom with a data projector. All have the ability to project a computer; some have PCs in the room and some have only laptop connections. Many have VHS/DVD, sound systems, or other electronic equipment in them as well. See the E-Classroom section with individual pages for details of each room, including room pictures, how-to documentation, and video tutorials.
Media Equipment Delivery to Classrooms
Faculty can call and reserve media equipment and have it delivered to the classroom for a class. If you need VHS, DVD, cameras or other media equipment for a room that does not have it, you can call and reserve it. See the Media section for details.
Media Collections, Production, Conversion, Streaming
The Media Services part of IT can also do conversions of audio and video media formats for any curricular materials, inlcuding audio CD, VHS tape and DVD to digital format transfer. We also have a streaming media server for the streaming of audio and video files into Blackboard or Moodle. The Digital Collections server also contains extensive image collections.
Purchasing Software
Instructional Technology pays for certain enterprise-wide academic software, such as Blackboard, SPSS, and Mathematica, which is present on lab computers. Software for individual faculty use and for electronic classroom and lab use is paid for by the academic department, by the Dean’s office, or through individual faculty allotments. Contact your department administrative assisstants for details on your department’s procedures.