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Printer-Friendly ModeITS launches CardMail upgrade, new online learning system
New 'VSpace' Web site could potentially replace aging Blackboard
August 25, 2006 —
Information Technology Services has been busy over the summer refining and upgrading some of the services offered to students and faculty members.
The improvements include upgrades to the CardMail e-mail client, increased bandwidth allocation for students and faculty, implementation of the Ruckus multimedia network, the addition of six more wireless "hot spots" around campus, the trial run of the VSpace online learning tool, and the upgrading of 227 computers around campus.
Potentially, one of the most important upgrades concerns CardMail. SVSU's e-mail service has undergone numerous upgrades over the summer. The client's inbox now reserves 100 megabytes of space for messages and attachments. Ken Schindler, the director of ITS, expects this to increase to 200 MB by September.
In addition, the system was moved to new server equipment in order to provide more consistent performance.
A major upgrade that was announced via a campus-wide e-mail from Schindler is the implementation of a spam-blocking feature. According to Schindler, spam was a major problem, clogging up the network's arteries and damaging performance for most of CardMail's users.
"Right now...we're blocking 51 percent of incoming e-mail," Schindler said. He also estimates that 81 percent of all incoming e-mail is spam, and that by Sept. 1, most of this spam will be blocked. Schindler also states that there has been a 20 percent increase in spam nationwide.
"One school decided to go so far as to not take e-mail from outside anymore," he said.
Another major change concerns the implementation of the VSpace online learning tool. The official Web site, www.sakaiproject.org, states that VSpace is "an online open source Collaboration and Learning Environment." According to Schindler, one feature in particular keeps it distinct from the Blackboard system: "The security is there."
Schindler continued, saying that a commensurate security upgrade for Blackboard would cost SVSU as much as $50,000. He went on to criticize the tool: "Their finance model is to try to make as much money as fast as possible."
Schindler hopes that the trial run of VSpace this fall (over 60 sections are expected to use it) will convince people of the tool's superiority.
"We hope the faculty come back and say 'yeah, lets do this.'"
Schindler also said that the University has installed six new wireless "hot spots" where students can access the Internet wirelessly.
"Four out of six spots were determined by students," Schindler said. A survey was conducted near the end of Winter semester wherein students voted directly as to where they would most like to see additional wireless access.
The new spots are in Groening Commons, the theatre "green room," the Student Center lounges SC 135 and SC 137 (the triangle-shaped rooms adjacent to the C-Store) and the Science East student lounge in SE 146.
The wireless service, which operates at a recently-upgraded 6Mbps, can be accessed with a 802.11b wireless card.