Overview

The Office of Information Technology is committed to supporting student success by providing key technology services that strengthen and enhance students’ educational and campus experiences.

Bluebook

Bluebook is a unified, publicly-accessible website that displays UTSA academic, financial and course information. The website, which launched in September 2010, was created to satisfy the requirements of Texas House Bill 2504 (now Texas Education Code, Section 51.974) which requires all public universities to make detailed course information (syllabus, faculty vita and departmental budget) available via the Web.

The Bluebook website not only meets the Texas House Bill requirements, but exceeds them by making it easy for prospective students and their parents to review important information that will allow them to make decisions on the student’s academic future.

The website also provides cost of attendance information (for full-time entering first-year students), textbook information and information on work-study opportunities.

OIT was charged with retrieving and aggregating data from several sources, presenting the data in an organized way and creating an online process that allows faculty members to upload required documents.

Email

OIT conducted a poll which showed a large number of students were interested in having the ability to change their official UTSA email address.

Since the completion of the Preferred Email project, students have been allowed to keep the UTSA email account or to set an existing email address as their official email account - the account where all official correspondence from the university is sent.

The project enabled students to easily change their official UTSA email address through an online process. So far, 34,244 of 56,797 UTSA student email account holders have changed their preferred e-mail address to something other than "my.utsa.edu".

Print Spot

As part of their technology fee, students are allocated a credit which allows them to print a set number of pages at no charge. Before PrintSpot, students were only permitted to use that credit in the three Student Computing Labs.

The Print Spot program increased the number of printers available to students across campus. Students are able to send documents to a centralized print queue, allowing them to release the print job at any of the 49 Print Spot printers across campus.

This new program allowed departments and lab owners to set up their printers to access Print Spot. In return, OIT assumed all operations and maintenance duties for those printers. In some cases, the existing printers were replaced with new equipment.

Since implementation, the Student Computing Labs have shown a decrease in the number of pages printed in the labs while the number of students and the total pages printed continue to increase. Students no longer have to wait in line at the Student Labs just to print a document - they can utilize a printer in virtually any corner of the university.

For some students, purchasing software is not a viable option. With the initiation of the MyApps website, students can now access a variety of software applications, free of charge.

A change was recently made to myApps to allow broader access to the software. Now the applications can be used in the Student Computing Labs, on campus via the AirRowdy wireless network, as well as off campus. The accessibility of the myApps website and its software enable students to have access to important tools from varied locations.

Upgraded Student Computing Labs

The Office of Information Technology operates three labs on campus that offer computers, printers and services to the student population. The recent renovations to the Business Building Lab and the opening of the newly-designed Information Commons in the John Peace Library (Second Floor) have provided visitors with high-quality equipment and an improved environment in which to work.

Because the labs see a steady stream of customers throughout the semester, the need for an effective working space was imperative. The collaboration and cooperation between the UTSA Library and OIT has proven to be effective and beneficial to all parties involved, especially the students.

The number and variety of wireless-capable devices on campus has increased tremendously in the past few years. In recognition of that fact, the Office of Information Technology has improved AirRowdy – the campus wireless network – for faculty, staff, students and guests of the university.

New equipment has been installed and the wireless network has been upgraded to the latest communication protocol (802.11n). Also, the new Air Rowdy was segmented into three channels – for students, for faculty/staff members and for guests. Students can log on to Air Rowdy in the morning and enjoy wireless connectivity all day without needing to log in again.

The increased security for the faculty/staff network eliminated the need for an on-campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) for secure communication. Faculty and staff wireless access is now encrypted, providing a secure way to work wirelessly.

The upgrade process included replacing existing equipment, publicizing the change and creating documentation of the setup instructions. Upgrading the network also allows us to better our Information Security Program Index (ISPI) score.

Overview

OIT has made it a priority to undertake several projects to provide university faculty members with services that advance their day-to-day work in addition to supporting the university’s mission of teaching, learning and research.

The Hybrid Course Academy is bridging the gap between learning in the traditional classroom setting and utilizing new forms of technology.

This innnovative program provides stipends to faculty members who attend the training sessions during their summer break.

The Academy develops new methods for using classroom time and Internet resources in order to engage students in a blend of classroom and online environments. The course materials are greatly enhanced by using a mix of online and classroom experiences, engagement of faculty and students and student-to-student communication.

Over 65 faculty members have already attended the Hybrid Course Academy.

Faculty attending the Hybrid Course Academy will come away with the ability to successfully integrate online.

    ~ Michael Anderson, Director of Online Learning

I: Drive – Virtually Unlimited Storage

Faculty and staff have a great need for electronic storage space, and OIT is committed to providing the necessary tools.

Faculty and staff now have access to virtually unlimited storage on their "I: Drive" and departments no longer need to buy storage or risk reaching their space limit.

Adequate, reliable storage: another challenge solved by OIT.

5GB UTSA Email

Faculty and staff now have 5GB email inboxes, a huge increase from the 500MB inboxes they had previously.

Since more and more work at UTSA is being conducted digitally, a larger inbox is a necessity.

With this increase, OIT is providing email services more on par with commercial email providers.

UTSA email: a business necessity with uncommon characteristics.

The Office of Information Technology recognized the importance of working with the College of Engineering to bring the idea of an Advanced Visualization Laboratory to fruition.

The Laboratory, which is managed by the College of Engineering, allows researchers from all disciplines of art, science and engineering to conduct simulation and visualization research to better understand complex phenomena and translate data into images on large-scale and high resolution visualization walls or other display devices.

OIT provided the space to house the facility along with technical, project management and communications support for implementation and launch of the laboratory. In short, OIT ensured that the "VisLab" would be a success.

The collaboration represents a major shift in the way OIT operates and it illustrates our commitment to supporting the university's research mission and to reaching Tier One status.

The laboratory supports UTSA’s mission of teaching, research and community engagement and contributes to UTSA’s goal to recruit the world’s top computational researchers.

Electronic Promotion and Tenure

OIT, in collaboration with the Office of the Provost and Library Services, successfully transformed the traditional (paper-based) process of promotion and tenure into an electronic process.

Faculty reviewers as well as candidates for promotion and tenure now can access files from any computer with an Internet connection.

OIT provided comprehensive support for the transition by providing training classes, free Adobe Acrobat Professional software to the 2010 faculty, online training videos, instructional guides, in addition to technical support to both reviewers and candidates up for promotion and tenure.

Overview

OIT is committed to assisting UTSA Staff in utilizing technology to their strategic advantage, whether their tasks are administrative, managerial or they involve the support of the educational and research missions of the university.

5GB UTSA Email

Faculty and staff now have 5GB email inboxes, a huge increase from the 500MB inboxes they had previously.

Since more and more work at UTSA is being conducted digitally, a larger inbox is a necessity.

With this increase, OIT is providing email services more on par with commercial email providers.

UTSA email: a business necessity with uncommon characteristics.

I: Drive – Virtually Unlimited Storage

Faculty and staff have a great need for electronic storage space, and OIT is committed to providing the necessary tools.

Faculty and staff now have access to virtually unlimited storage on their "I: Drive" and departments no longer need to buy storage or risk reaching their space limit.

Adequate, reliable storage: another challenge solved by OIT.

InSight

With the release of InSight in May 2011, university leaders are able to make informed decisions about their information technology resources. This one-of-a-kind computer application was fully developed and implemented by the UTSA Office of Information Technology.

In the first release of this application, users can retrieve - and in some cases update and maintain - information relating to computer management (including, but not limited to inventory), computer age and computer reporting statistics.

Before InSight, effectively managing technology resources was a time-consuming manual process. InSight is the latest example of foundational infrastructure.

Overview

The Office of Information Technology has modified the departmental structure and strategically hired staff in order to align the Office of Information Technology's mission with the mission of the university. View the OIT Organizational Chart. (PDF)

Staff Changes

After a thorough review of the department's structure, changes were made to reduce duplication of effort and to address any gaps in support.

OIT welcomed a new Chief Information Security Officer, an experienced Project Manager and three respected Distance Learning and Academic Technology staff members.

Each of these new hires was made through a process that consisted of multiple searches and interviews. This is another example of OIT working to get the right people in the right jobs.

Audit & Compliance

Over the past two years, OIT has been working diligently to address and strategically plan for audits and compliance issues.

Information Security Program Index (ISPI) The ISPI was created by UT System to provide an overall gauge of the success of the information security programs at each System institution. OIT created a comprehensive document that contains a detailed strategy for improving the university ISPI score. In February 2011, nearly every midstream goal was met and significant progress was made on the May 2011 goals. No other UT System institution has attempted to create a similar program to address deficiencies in their campus security program.

AUDIT: Asset Management In order to better manage computer equipment, the Office of Information Technology has implemented a configuration management tool (Configuration and Asset Management Information indicator of the InSight computer application) that will be required - by policy - to be installed on all university-owned laptops, notebooks, desktops and servers. This tool is capable of gathering and reporting on the asset, providing information such as general location, usage and installed software.

AUDIT: Change Management Audit findings suggested an improvement in overall change management process in order to reduce cost, ensure impact to business is minimal and changes meet business objectives. OIT will document comprehensive change management procedures and practices across the entire department to ensure appropriate controls are in place when changes are made to OIT-managed applications.

AUDIT: IT Funding The audit recommended that OIT determine whether the university is effectively managing funds spent for information technology by evaluating resource allocations, management and usage of funds spent on hardware, software, telecommunciations and personnel.

AUDIT: TAC 202 This audit finding seeks to ensure that the university is in compliance with Texas Administrative Code Chapter 202 regulations. This chapter deals with Information Security Standards and covers security standards/policies, responsibilities, risk assessment, physical protection of resources, disaster recovery and information security safeguards.

AUDIT: WebCT/Blackboard The audit findings recommended establishing written policies/procedures, securing vendor admistrator passwords and creating an automated interface between Blackboard and Banner.

Overview

OIT has taken a proactive approach to enhancing and upgrading our technology infrastructure with the goal of supporting the systems and applications of a Tier One research university.

Server Virtualization

Server virtualization is a process used to configure a single server (computer) into several partitions, allowing a single computer to do the work of multiple computers.

Advantages to virtualizing servers

• Allows us to use fewer physical servers

• Takes up less space in the data center

• Reduces cooling requirements

• Saves the university money

A virtual server can be created in just hours, instead of the weeks it took to set up a single server in the past.

Technicians from OIT were involved in the data center redesign and they continue to be involved in the server virtualization process for the entire university, from defining requirements to provisioning the equipment.

Network Upgrade

Over the past three years, OIT has been working on a project to upgrade the entire university computer network, an essential infrastructure improvement supporting UTSA’s future as a Tier One research institution.

The network upgrade involves providing a flexible and scalable network design to support the changing university environment. When complete in December 2011, the network will be highly reliable, will provide high bandwidth capacity and will position UTSA for future network growth.

ASAP Stabilization

The rapid growth in the number of students at UTSA presented challenges for the Automated Student Access Program (ASAP) online application.

This application is used for a variety of student and faculty/staff functions, but it receives a tremendous amount of access during each semester registration period. Increased enrollment activity has generated strain on the system, causing numerous problems as students attempt to obtain the classes they require.

OIT spent over $300,000 to upgrade hardware and to contract with specialists to analyze and make recommended changes to the application. OIT staff also has spent many hours analyzing the software to identify and solve the problems to stabilize the application. We are still working on eliminating the issues (and preventing future ones) so that we may offer a stable environment to students and faculty.

The number and variety of wireless-capable devices on campus has increased tremendously in the past few years. In recognition of that fact, the Office of Information Technology has improved AirRowdy – the campus wireless network – for faculty, staff, students and guests of the university.

New equipment has been installed and the wireless network has been upgraded to the latest communication protocol (802.11n). Also, the new Air Rowdy was segmented into three channels – for students, for faculty/staff members and for guests. Students can log on to Air Rowdy in the morning and enjoy wireless connectivity all day without needing to log in again.

The increased security for the faculty/staff network eliminated the need for an on-campus Virtual Private Network (VPN) for secure communication. Faculty and staff wireless access is now encrypted, providing a secure way to work wirelessly.

The upgrade process included replacing existing equipment, publicizing the change and creating documentation of the setup instructions. Upgrading the network also allows us to better our Information Security Program Index (ISPI) score.