Gallaudet Technology Services

Earl Parks, Executive Director, Gallaudet Technology Services

Gallaudet Technology Services (GTS) provides essential resources, end-user training and support for academic and administrative uses of technology at Gallaudet University-for the University and Clerc Center communities. Offices that provide direct support to students include the Help Desk, Media and Classroom Support, eLearning and Web Authoring, and Video Services. Offices that provide back office or indirect support include Data Center Operations, Enterprise Information Systems; Information Security and Networks; and Software Systems and Engineering. Five offices (Help Desk, eLearning, Video Services, Data Center, and Software Systems) comprise a unit designated as GTS Operations.

GTS encompasses the responsibilities of the three former technology units (Academic Technology, Information Technology Services, and Clerc Center Technology Services), with those unit names discontinued in March 2010 (CCTS) and March 2011 (AT, ITS).

Gallaudet Technology Services manages the following major web sites and services:

• Gallaudet Technology Services www.gallaudet.edu/GTS.html
• Technology Help Desk and Media Reservations helpdesk.gallaudet.edu
• Blackboard Learning System my.gallaudet.edu myclerc.gallaudet.edu
• BISON Campus Solutions bison.gallaudet.edu (University Student Information System, Campus Employee Portal)
• Powerschool K-12 Student System and IEP Pro pwrsch.gallaudet.edu
• Clerc Center Intranet Web Sites (restricted access): Office Management, Digital Assets, Sharepoint
• Classroom Technology classrooms.gallaudet.edu
• Digital Video Library videocatalog.gallaudet.edu, Gallaudet TV tv.gallaudet.edu
• myThreads (ASL Annotations) mythread.gallaudet.edu
• Gallaudet You Tube Channel youtube.com/GallaudetVideo
• Echo 360 Classroom Capture System www.gallaudet.edu/GTS/Services/Echo360.html
• EchoSign Electronic Signatures gallaudet.echosign.com
• Web Conferencing Tools: fuzemeeting.com (for GU), gallaudet.webex.com, gallaudet.nefsis.com
• Enterprise Content Management (ECM) webnow.gallaudet.edu:8080/webnow
• Institutional Web Sites www.gallaudet.edu, clerccenter.gallaudet.edu (collaboration with web authors)

GTS Operations provides instructional and technical support for Gallaudet's online learning, academic, electronic communication, and business systems, and is dedicated to enhancing the Gallaudet community's academic, business, and personal success through uses of technology.

GTS Operations emphasizes the use of video technologies - both live and on-demand - to facilitate bilingual learning and personal productivity. Video Services supports the development and use of academic video for courses, BISON TV, and promotion of academic programs; produces institutional video for recruitment, central administration communication, recording of campus events, streaming web video services, and operation of the campus cable TV system and the Gallaudet Video Library. GTS supports various accessibility technologies - including real-time captioning for classes, offline captioning for video/audio materials, and assistive listening systems.

GTS Operations has a major role in teaching and supporting faculty in using online and face-to-face learning tools. The eLearning and Web Authoring staff provide eCurriculum and web authoring training for faculty and professional staff. eLearning staff also provide extensive support for student learning in courses at the University and K-12 levels. There are separate portals to the Blackboard online learning system for the University and Clerc Center communities.

GTS Operations includes management of the Technology Help Desk, a one-stop center for all technology service requests for Gallaudet University and Clerc Center students, faculty, teachers, and staff. The staff of Help Desk, Media, and Classroom Support coordinate and track all technology service requests and provides media services and client support services, including technical help for University student personal computers. GTS staff supervise the central student computer labs (JSAC 1100, HMB W121) and manage technology in classrooms scheduled by the University Registrar.

GTS Operations (Data Center Operations, Software Systems and Engineering) provides the hardware and software infrastructure in three data centers on campus, provides the data storage and backup system, and supports the many software applications provided for the community by Gallaudet Technology Services. Software applications for both the University and Clerc Center communities are supported. These offices also offer consultation services to offices that are considering setting up systems in the cloud (hosted off-campus). Business continuity is addressed via redundancy of systems, onsite and offsite backups for selected services, and disaster recovery drills.

GTS manages the primary electronic communication systems, including email/calendaring, the web content management system (CMS), Gallaudet TV, the data network, and the voice phone network. GTS facilitates the work of Sorenson in maintaining the video phone network. These services are provided by GTS Operations, with GTS NetOps collaboration in the management of video, data, and voice networks.

GTS Operations leads the University WebCom, working collaboratively with various marketing, public relations, and enrollment offices on campus, and provides training and back-end support for the campus web content management system. The Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) participates in institutional technology planning and the setting of future technology goals. TAC also reviews and helps promote all current services and tools available through Gallaudet Technology Services (GTS).

Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) provides back office support for enterprise academic systems and primary support for enterprise administrative and business computing functions, including the Peoplesoft data bases for Campus Solutions, Human Resources, and Finances; the Powerschool Student Information and IEP systems for the Clerc Center; and the Gallaudet CRM (Contact Relationship Management) system.

University students, faculty, and staff access the student information system via the BISON web site, where they use self service modules to get information and perform actions such as registering for classes, viewing courses, paying bills, and submitting and viewing course grades. Prospective students use BISON for online applications. University and Clerc Center employees use the BISON web site for employment self-service. Clerc Center teachers and staff and the parents of MSSD and KDES students use the Powerschool web site and IEP software for accessing K-12 student records. The EIS team leads the Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) committee, working collaboratively with offices on campus to improve student services.

The EIS team supports offices on campus in the use of Peoplesoft, Gallaudet's primary ERP (enterprise resource planning) system and in the exchange of data with other systems (some managed by other offices and some managed by the EIS team, e.g., Blackboard, National Student Clearinghouse, Student Housing, ADP eTime/Payroll). Starting in FY12, the EIS team will take a leadership role in integrating the ERP system with ImageNow, an enterprise content management (ECM) system, which will automate various admissions, financial aid, and business processes. ImageNow has been used on campus (supported by GTS Data Center Operations) since 2003 for selected offices.

The title of Information Security Officer (ISO) is new at Gallaudet as of March 2011, a reflection of the increased emphasis on information security. The ISO has an expanded role-institution wide-to oversee the security and integrity of information on University computers and systems and provide end-user education regarding information security issues. The ISO develops policies and oversees implementation. Information Security and Networks manages the campus firewalls and network access systems.

The Network team provides the campus with both basic and advanced network services. It provides wired and wireless data network access (400 Mbps connectivity with commodity Internet and Internet2 services); network management for data systems and voice phones, oversight of the outsourced management of the Cable TV network (with TV content managed by Video Services), cabling services; consultations on network security, and other services to the Gallaudet community. The network team is responsible for protecting the network from unauthorized access and securing it from traffic that may harm the network and devices connected to it.