Instructional Support Committee

Minutes of May 10, 2006
Noon
Faculty House

Attending: Bill Francis, Cecilia Knight, Christopher McKee, Jon Chenette, Justin Abramson, Anatoly Vishevsky, Mark Schneider, John Kalkbrenner, Katya Gibel Azoulay, Terri Phipps

This is the last official meeting for Mark, Katya, and Christopher. New and returning members for 2006-2007:

Margarita Pillado (2007)
Anatoly Vishevsky (2007)
Keri Kornelson (2008)
Cecilia Knight (2007)
Kara Lycke (2007)
John Whittaker (2008)

Richard Fyffe will also join the committee as ex-officio.

Minutes of last meeting will be approved via email.

Fast Track approval: One field trip (REL) has been approved - approximate cost $100.

Forum Computing Lab plans:

  • South Lounge and the Health Center will not be changed.
  • Booths will be open on both sides
  • Welcome Desk will be a satellite Help Desk for those not able to reach the Help Desk area
  • Current plan has fewer tables than before
  • Reinstated "café"-style bar for laptop use
  • Teaching area: More clear access. Most computers have been moved to the periphery of the room.
  • Help Desk area: Flexible space, but options are somewhat limited due to the configuration of the space (openings, stairs, etc)
  • Should the space remain unscheduled? Can exceptions be made on a limited basis? Who makes the decision about these exceptions?

    •      o Suggestion to allow scheduling in the morning, as this is perceived to be when demand on the space will be less. Criteria for scheduling regular classes in this space will be very high. ISC will make scheduling decisions for the coming year in terms of which classes can be held on a regular basis in the space.
         o Can the current Grill area, which will normally be open lab space, be scheduled when the classroom is too small or if higher-end equipment is necessary?
            * Possible, but faculty will need to be aware that classes may be interrupted. Upper classroom should be unscheduled if a class is in the open space.
        o Classroom space can be scheduled on an as-needed basis, similar to ARH 224, which is scheduled through the AV Center rather than the Registrar.
        o ISC agrees to allow scheduling of certain regular class/es in the morning hours starting in Spring 2007, and will assess this practice next May.
  • Suggestion to have a paper or electronic comment box to gather feedback from users.

    • Library Listening Room and AV media collection collaboration:

  • There are confidentiality issues of which student workers will need to be made aware. Such as, not divulging who has which item checked out.
  • Video collection will be made copyright compliant.
  • AV security system and Reserve requirements will be similar to Library's.
  • There are no major issues at this time.

    • A brief meeting of this year's and next year's members will be held Tuesday, May 16, at 12:30 at Faculty House. Lunch will not be available. New and returning members will elect the Chair for the coming year. A summary of this year's work will be discussed.

    Draft Guidelines for Workshops, Courses and Seminars to Develop New Teaching Competencies: We have received two proposals for summer study.

    Given the College's interest in promoting interdisciplinary studies, ISC now provides limited funding for faculty members to attend off-campus workshops, non-credit courses, and seminars that develop new teaching competencies in areas outside one's usual academic discipline. These programs should take place over the summer or during break periods during the academic year, but not during sabbatical or research leaves.

    Faculty may request up to $2000, including costs for tuition or registration, transportation, meals and lodging. The maximum allowed for meals and lodging will follow guidelines for attendance at professional meetings related to teaching, currently $50 per diem.

    Wireless access for guests:

  • If ITS knows who is coming, it is possible to register their laptops before coming to campus.
  • Instructions should be clear, easy to follow, and most of all, correct. Current instructions online need to be updated.
  • Auto-registration: Available on other campuses. Why not here?

    •         o There are serious security concerns. There are a number of non-College WAPs on campus. Guest users would need to be certain that they were connecting to a legitimate Grinnell College access point.
            o The Registration procedure offers an added layer of protection from outsiders using our network.

    Classroom AV interface: Bill drafted and distributed a set of questions to consider when discussing a standardized interface. Modules can be anything from button control panels to LCD monitors. With the variety of types and uses of rooms, equipment, needs, and expertise, how much uniformity is actually possible or feasible? Will every room be configured the same? How many devices should each module control? This project could take several years to complete, but initial steps will be taken over this summer.

    Campus copyright policy for posting scanned articles on Blackboard: This procedure bypasses obtaining copyright permission, which campus copyright experts and College Counsel believe is illegal. Faculty who make this request are putting their support assistants at risk. The College has a system in place to obtain copyright permission and place items on electronic reserve at Burling. To ignore or bypass this system puts the College at risk as well. Jon intends to inform faculty of this change of policy at the end of this semester or early in the summer via an email message.

    Support Assistants will be instructed that they should not continue to scan and post documents. If faculty insist, the assistants should contact their supervisor or Jon.

    Respectfully submitted,
    Terri Phipps