Attachment B

Faculty Senate Agenda

March 10, 2011

FROM: Academic IT Committee

Bob Buckley, Committee Chair

TO: Faculty Senate Executive Committee

DATE: February 25, 2011

SUBJECT: Recommended use for University Computer Labs for Academic Purposes

The following recommendations were approved unanimously by Academic IT Committee members at its February 25, 2011 meeting.

Recommended Use of University Computer Labs for Academic Purposes

Academic Information Technology Committee

Feb 25, 2011

Beginning in the spring semester of 2011, the Faculty Senate’s Academic Information Technology Committee believes that too much University-level computer lab resource is currently being allocated as exclusively open labs for student use. The growth of on-line, hybrid, and large classes has increased demand for large computer labs in which to administer exams. The Committee is aware of numerous complaints from professors who cannot get access to such labs for testing purposes.

The Committee therefore recommends that two of the largest University computer labs on campus, AIRC 1016 and LIBR 2000, be designated for administering exams for on-line, hybrid and large classes. AIRC 1016, with 81 computers, should be proctored for extended hours each day, enabling students to take on-line exams in a controlled setting after showing their identification. LIBR 2000, with 95 computers, should be available for one-time use by large courses that need to administer exams to all students at one time. The reservations can be handled through the current Astra system. LIBR 2000 would still be open for student use when not specifically reserved for exams. A monitor positioned outside of LIBR 2000 should display the times when it will be closed for testing.

The Committee believes that both labs are required for testing purposes during peak demand periods around midterms and finals. This should leave a substantial amount of time open for student use during off-peak periods. Many students own laptops and all have access to them through the university’s laptop loan service, and there are many smaller open labs on campus, so this change should not adversely affect students.

Providing resources for on-campus testing will benefit the campus community by encouraging more on-line and hybrid courses. Some departments are resistant to increasing on-line courses because of concerns about testing validity. Facilitating on-campus and proctored exams will help to address this. A proctored lab would alleviate the demand for make-up testing at the university’s Testing Center, which has sharply reduced its capacity due to budget constraints.

The provision of large computer labs for testing purposes, such as the two we have identified, should be done at the university level because most of the colleges do not have enough resources or demand to do so individually.