Office of Information Systems

Arkansas Tech University

Resource Summary

The Office of Information Systems strives to maintain a sound technical structure in which to nurture scholastic development. We maintain a high level of integrity and professionalism across all areas of our operation: Support Services, Information Security, Enterprise Resource Applications and Services, Technology Learning Resources, and Infrastructure Systems and Services.

OIS keeps the infrastructure technology current using the following policies and guidelines found on the  Technology Infrastructure Maintenance and Upgrade Policy page.

Networking Resources

  • The core network backbone is 20Gbit fiber with multiple buildings connected at 10Gbit, and all others are connected with at least 1Gbit links.
  • Arkansas Tech is also connected to the Arkansas Research and Education Optical Network (ARE-ON) with redundant 10Gbit links.
  • All residence halls and most academic buildings have 5ghz standard wireless access available.
  • Arkansas Tech provides each student with 100GB of email storage space and 1TB of cloud storage in OneDrive through Office 365.
  • In addition, the students are provided with 5GB of network storage space for their personal use.

Computer Labs

  • Our campus maintains 41 computer labs housed across almost every academic building. These labs collectively contain over 1,150 computer workstations.
  • About 40% of these stations are zero clients and are centrally managed.
  • Many computer labs are used as classrooms but are available to students when classes are not in session.
  • Eight labs (158 workstations) are dedicated to students only. The majority of these labs are located in the Ross Pendergraft Library & Technology Center, where student satisfaction is highly monitored.
  • OIS/Support Services evaluates all campus computer labs before each fall term. Computers and virtual machines are assessed for their age, warranty status, usage volume, and compatibility with the software needed for teaching and student use. Equipment is replaced and/or repurposed to provide the maximum benefit for learning purposes.

Classroom and Conference Room Technology

  • ITS maintains 191 classrooms and conference rooms across 22 buildings.
  • There are 32 classrooms containing SmartBoards.
  • Over 20% of all classrooms and conference rooms are equipped with lecture capture capabilities.
  • Many classrooms have wireless presentation capabilities via Apple TV or Crestron AirMedia devices.
  • You can find a complete list of equipment on our Classroom/Conference Room Technology page.

Software

  • All computer labs contain a core image of commonly used software.
  • Additional software per lab is requested by faculty members and accommodated on a semester-by-semester basis.
  • Students are also provided with the software they need through virtual machines available from anywhere in the world.
  • Engineering students share a dedicated pool of virtual machines specifically imaged with the software used in their classes. In contrast, all students have access to a pool of virtual machines with our core software.
  • Access to Office 2016 Professional is available to students through Office 365.

Computer Support Services

  • The Campus Support Center is available to faculty, staff, and students 24/7 through one or more of the following: online support portal, email, telephone, and/or remote assistance. Walk-ins are only available when the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center is open.
  • Support is provided for connectivity issues, common Blackboard needs, and a wide variety of other technology-related issues. This service is performed and monitored by full-time ATU Customer Service Representatives and part-time Student Workers.
  • Hands-on technical assistance is available during normal working hours to service labs, desktop computers, instructional equipment, instructor stations, and network functionalities.

Distance Learning

  • Academic Affairs handles the development and oversight of e-learning courses.
  • Technical support for the e-learning platform is provided by the Office of Information Systems (OIS), which has a Campus Support Center to field technical calls/visits and provides Tier I support. Tier II and III support the learning management system (LMS), and any other applications integrated with it.
  • ATU’s LMS, Blackboard Learn (BbLearn), is on a Software as a Service (SaaS) deployment method, hosted by Blackboard utilizing Amazon Web Services data centers, with a continuous delivery maintenance cycle; therefore, we no longer have or need maintenance windows. Continuous delivery, a software industry standard practice, delivers small monthly updates, including maintenance items, enhancements, and new features. The frequent and consistent basis of the updates minimizes the change management impact and ensures faculty and students are always experiencing the highest-quality learning environment.

Security

  • All information about students and employees is stored in a secured database (Banner). Access to that information is granted to only those employees who need the information to complete the responsibilities of their job position (least privileges methodology).
  • ATU endeavors to follow all state and federal government guidelines (FERPA and HIPAA) on student information.
  • You can find information regarding the current plan on the Information Security Plan page.