Tag Archives: 201210

Faculty and Staff Moving to Google Apps for Education

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Earlier this month, we sent an email from Debra Orr, Simmons College Chief Information Officer, to the entire Simmons community about faculty and staff email. We’re sharing her note again here just in case you missed the previous announcement:

In May, the Technology department worked with students to transition them to Google Apps for Education. This change involved not only using a new email platform, but also adding a powerful calendaring tool and a host of collaborative and productivity tools. We have gotten very positive feedback from our students. At that time, I let you know that Technology would be working to determine the needs of Simmons faculty and staff to help us choose an email and calendaring platform that would provide capabilities far beyond our current email platform and Meeting Maker.

I am pleased to share that we have reached a decision and that we have begun planning a transition of all faculty and staff email to Google Apps for Education. We believe that choosing Google Apps for Education will provide cutting edge tools for managing day-to-day work, and collaborating with colleagues and students. In addition to basic email and calendaring, Google Apps for Education offers tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations; interactive utilities for text and video conferencing; opportunities for real-time collaboration on projects; and so much more.

I want you to know that this decision was made after a careful assessment of the community’s needs and a review of how students have been served by Google Apps for Education over the last several months. The Technology team has also reviewed our agreement with Google and I can assure you that, beyond the cost and efficiency advantages of having the entire college on one email system, we will also benefit from improved data security. Simmons College will continue to own our data and Google will store it securely and will not use it for advertising or marketing purposes. In addition, moving to Google Apps for Education will create opportunities that greatly exceed those that could be developed in-house or by selecting a la carte products from multiple vendors.

Since May, I have been asked by many faculty and staff when they might be able to use Gmail and Google Calendar and how it will help with daily interactions with students. In the next thirty days, I will share a timeline for this project, as well as some additional details about how the transition will work and the hands-on training and support we’ll be offering. In the meantime, please let me know if you have questions or concerns about this change. I am confident that you will see immediate advantages over our current systems and I know that the entire Technology team is excited to begin working with you on this important project.

Debra Orr
Executive Director of Technology/CIO
Simmons College

Streaming Video Now Available from the Library

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Last year, Simmons was facing a number of issues that were making it increasingly difficult to deliver movies and other recorded media to our community: the previous broadcast system, which was cumbersome for faculty and students, was on its way out, VHS technology had become almost completely obsolete, and physical media like DVDs did not meet the needs of our online courses. Rather than trying to address these issues one at a time, the library staff partnered with Technology to determine how Simmons could meet the needs of our community by taking advantage of current media streaming technology.

From there, the library staff formed a working group to explore alternatives, test various products, and make recommendations for acquiring and implementing an appropriate solution. The team was led by Jennifer Ferguson and included Anne Croak, Paul Engelberg, and Justin Snow. Together, they put into action a mix of tools that tackled the issue of media obsolescence and created a long-term strategy for digital media distribution at Simmons.

In the end, the working group chose to provide access to streaming media by acquiring two significant collections of documentaries as well as investing in a platform for streaming feature films. These tools offer several advantages, including easier access to course reserves, expanded film catalogs for faculty to use in the classroom, access to media without trips to the library, and additional options for using media in blended and fully online classes. Thousands of documentaries and feature films are now available and, by the end of 2012, the library will be able to provide access to more than 20,000 streaming documentaries that can be viewed online at any time.

Simmons faculty and students are encouraged to explore the titles available by searching the library catalog or by using the library’s guide to finding media, where you can explore documentaries and feature films.

Upgrading and Improving Simmons Connection

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When Technology launched Simmons Connection in June, we promised that it would be an ongoing project that would be improved over time. During the last four months, we have received invaluable feedback from many members of the community, and we have used your suggestions to begin work on a second phase of Simmons Connection.

Over the next few months, we will be implementing several major improvements, including Moodle integration, a revamped news and announcements section that simplifies the workflow and incorporates sharing and social media, and inclusion of the Simmons directory within Simmons Connection. These changes should have minimal impact on how you use Simmons Connection and we will provide documentation and, as necessary, training on any new features.

During this time, we will also be creating a new Simmons Connection Governance Team, made up of various stakeholders at Simmons, who will help guide future changes by providing perspective on the needs of students, faculty, and staff. If you would like to be involved with this initiative, please contact the Simmons Connection team using this link.

We remain committed to constant, incremental improvement to our services so that they work better for you. Thank you as always for your feedback and patience as we make these enhancements.