Tech Training Tidbits

Following is what I have learned so far regarding anticipated major software upgrades that will have campus-wide impact. Further assessment is needed regarding the significance of each upgrade to the end-user community.

*Will complete the MS Office 2007 (PC) upgrade by fall 2008.

*Anticipate the upgrade to MS Office 2008 (Mac) fall 2008 pending the results of the pilot group March 25 - May 29. Pilot group details available at Feedback Forum

*Anticipate a multi-year phased transition from the operating system Windows XP to Vista after the release of service pack 1. Perhaps in conjunction with the computer replacement cycle? This initiative may begin as early as spring 2009. Also discussion of the impact of XP service pack 3 and Vista follow-up operating system for tentative release by Microsoft end of 2009.

*Anticipate upgrade to Banner 8 academic year 2009-2010. Also anticipate use of additional Banner modules such as Prospect/Recruiting, Advancement, and further use of existing functionality (i.e. survey tool, syllabus, course catalog).

*Phased Blackboard Campus Edition upgrades tentatively planned for . . . BbCE 8–fall 2008 (minimal impact to end user), BbCE 9–spring 2009 (minimal impact to end user), BbCE 10 “next generation” fall 2010.

Up to this point, the objectives of the training unit have been determined on an annual basis. This approach has served us well throughout the start-up phase of the Information Resources Training Services unit because it allowed for the necessary flexibility to address the immediate needs of the campus community.

As IR Training Services celebrates its fourth year this May, longer-range planning is necessary to ensure we continue to meet the needs of the campus community, providing technical training programming that meets our standards of excellence with streamlined resources. What will be the technology development needs of Rowan University 2008-2011? How may we prepare the training team to best meet those needs? I invite you to follow us on this journey of designing our 3-year plan.

Annual reports from 2004 - 2007 are available at http://www.rowan.edu/toolbox/training/about/#AnnualReport

With the spring semester half over, Information Resources Training Services is already working on our summer 2008 schedule. To be posted to the IR Online Training Center sometime at the end of April, here’s some of the things you can expect:

MS Office 2008 (for Mac users) (New!)
E-Portfolio (New!)
Blackboard (Bb-CE)
Podcasting
Blogging
Topic specific MS Office 2007 sessions
CustomGuide Online Training
Navigating through Information Resources Training Services’ Resources (New!)

To keep an eye our calendar for updates, visit: http://www.rowan.edu/irtraining Why not check out the rest of our spring calendar and our training resources while you are there?

The Information Resources Training Services Team