May 12th, 2006 by Lyle Wiedeman
The newest instrument in the ever-expanding EEE toolbox is the online Survey Tool. The tool allows any instructor, TA, or staff member to create and compose a quick and easy survey and then target a specific audience for responses. Results can be analyzed online and in real time.
“By the time we returned from lunch, we already had 14 responses. We were very excited. We never had this fast of a turn-around time when we were mailing out bulky, paper surveys,” said Adam, who has just finished overseeing the school’s 4th major survey.
Any faculty or staff member with a UCInetID can create and publish a survey. Instructors who want to survey their class will find a link to the tool in their MyEEE / MyInstructorClasses module. Other UCI staff can access the Survey Tool from the ToolBox in EEE’s main page navigation bar or go directly tohttp://eee.uci.edu/toolbox/survey/
A fill-in-the-form wizard guides you through each step of the way when you build a survey. Surveys can be reused or shared with a colleague. To make the survey address easy to remember, you can designate an alias, called a “Friendly URL”.
Surveys can be deployed to students in specified classes, research groups, or even to the general public, depending on the settings you choose. The tool generates e-mail and sends it to your target audience, containing a link to the survey.
Data results can be viewed, even as responses are coming in. You can review the results in a graphical display or download them as a spreadsheet.
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering began using the EEE Survey Tool immediately after it was launched to solicit feedback from industries in and around the community regarding eight engineering programs. Iris Adam, Senior Analyst for HSSoE, reported that one survey was sent to two hundred people, and results came in very quickly. “By the time we returned from lunch, we already had 14 responses. We were very excited. We never had this fast of a turn-around time when we were mailing out bulky, paper surveys,” said Adam, who has just finished overseeing the school’s 4th major survey.
NACS has created an example survey to illustrate the tool. You are invited to check it out at http://eee.uci.edu/survey/article-sample
May 12th, 2006 by Lyle Wiedeman
On Tuesday, May 2, 2006, UCI hosted the second meeting of the systemwide UC Information Technology Guidance Committee (ITGC).
The ITGC was established by the UC Office of the President to undertake an 18-month process of consulting with stakeholders at all the UC campuses. Its goal is to guide future UC investment in information technology to promote an effective academic information environment.
The formation of this committee recognizes the increasingly important role that information technology will play in sustaining the enhancing the University’s academic quality and competitiveness and in ensuring essential business effectiveness and efficiencies.
The meeting, held at Langston Library, consisted of three sessions: Infrastructure/Administration, Instructional and Student Computing, and Research Computing. A wide range of faculty and staff from throughout the campus attended. More information can be found at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/itgc/
May 12th, 2006 by Lyle Wiedeman
NACS would like to welcome Harry Mangalam to our Research Computing group, and announce that Isaac Straley has accepted the position of Interim Manager for our IT Security group.
Harry Mangalam earned his Ph.D. in Physiology/Pharmacology from UCSD, and has held positions at the Salk Institute, the National Center for Genome Resources in Santa Fe, and at Acero, a Bay Area commercial bioinformatics company, as well as IT support positions within UCI’s College of Medicine and Earth Systems Sciences. Harry has been under the thrall of computers since the days when floppy disks really were big and floppy.
Harry’s position is a joint appointment, with half his time supporting Dr. Falko Kuester’s HIperwall project and the other half with NACS Research Computing, assisting faculty with their computational science needs.
Isaac Straley’s previous position was within the IT Security group he now leads. Prior to joining NACS, he owned his own consulting business, providing services to financial institutions famous for their attention to network and data security issues. His background includes both technical and management experience. He is also a life-long computer fanatic.
As Interim Manager of IT Security, he will be working with NACS and the campus to ensure a continued safe and reliable computing environment.