Performance Evaluation: Academic Computing Labs

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Mission:

To provide excellent customer service, facilities and information technology support to Faculty/Staff/Students with functional computer systems and necessary software packages for the use in the academic environment.

Responsibilities:

The Academic Labs are responsible for providing support to students, faculty, and staff at George Mason University by managing and maintaining a variety of computing labs and providing the resources needed for preparing assignments, conducting research, and classroom instruction. The Academic Labs are also responsible for providing access to email and Internet from strategic locations on Fairfax campus by providing email express terminals.

Methodologies and Strategies for Fulfilling the Unit Responsibilities:

The Academic Computing Labs serve both faculty and students at George Mason University. Faculty reserve the computer lab classrooms for teaching computer related classes either on a one-time or semester long basis. All lab reservation requests and software installation requests are done online. The lab reservation coordinator responds to the requests within 48 hours. Open computer labs that are not scheduled for classes are also available for student use. The hours of operation are extended during mid terms and finals in order to meet the increasing demand during those times

There are well-trained lab consultants present at each location to serve our customers and provide on-site support and assistance. Our lab consultants go through extensive technical and customer service training at the beginning of each semester and through follow-up training as necessary

Academic Computing Labs support staff maintain all equipment in the labs and the lab technical support staff does most of the troubleshooting and repairs. The lab consultants check the equipment hourly and trouble tickets are reported to management staff through an online automated process

The rebuilding and set up of the workstations in the labs has also been automated. All the workstations are rebuilt daily using imaging software. This procedure has decreased the workstation downtime drastically.

Statistics

Student visits                            354,891

Class sessions supported          3,520

Pages printed                            1,723,271

Events supported                      34

 Goals for 2002-2003

 Accomplishments

Efforts Made to Improve Performance

·        Enhanced communication with students by displaying news, lab announcements and university information through “Active Desktop” on the computers in the labs.

·        Automated and intergraded databases to improve lab consultants website, enabling lab manager to generate statistical reports online. .

·        Improved teaching quality in the labs by replacing all the projectors with brand new projectors.

·        Developed and posted comprehensive lab policies in all the labs.

 Areas Needing Improvement

Participation in DoIT/ITU/University Activities

Faculty Survey Result and Comments

The following is a request for feedback survey sent to faculty teaching in the Academic Labs. 

Faculty teaching in the Academic Computing Labs,

I would like to get some input from you on how we have done, and assess the quality of support that you have received from us during the semester. Please let me know if you have encountered any problems, or if you would like to see any improvements made in the labs and with the way we provide services. You can simply reply to this email or if you wish, you may contact me by phone. I appreciate any input or suggestion you may have.

The following is a representative sample of responses to this request for feedback, received during the academic year 2001-2002

Fall 2001

I feel that support this semester has been great--good tempered and very obliging.  This may be the best semester (of many!) that i've ever had in that regard.

Joyce Johnston

The scheduling set-up is a dream.  During one of my sessions, the faculty computer "froze" and could not be brought back on-line.  Also, the Acrobat Readers are slower and more cumbersome that what I have at home with dial-up.  I did not think to get help with the computer from the staff.

Dr. Charlene Douglas

Thank you very much for the message. Yes, I have received excellent service in using the academic computing lab and I am very satisfied with it.

J. E. Lin

I always appreciate the prompt response that I receive when making lab reservations for professors in our department.  Also, your staff is most courteous and helpful.  Keep up the good work!

Edna F. Hertsch

I have had no trouble with the labs at all this semester. The staff has been professional, courteous, and helpful.  Keep up the good work !

Nancy C. Shaw

Thank you very much for your phone message and this e-mail which I received with no problem.  Appreciate your prompt response.  I also received a phone message from Ijaz assuring me I had been confirmed for a lab at the requested time.  Who knows what happened to the original e-mail confirmation?!

Virginia Wheeler

Your staff are always friendly and helpful. I would like to make a request, however, regarding the equipment in the labs. I use the overhead projector in A109, but the image on the screen appears a little fuzzy and it doesn't show up dark enough for students to view clearly from their seats.  If I am using an application, in which I can darken the font or enlarge the text manually, I do so. But, is there any way that the quality of the projection can be improved? short of getting a better quality projector? :)

Valerie Ruiz

I've had no problems.  Once a door was locked and another time I couldn't reach the overhead projector in Robinson A 105, and staff was quite helpful.  Thanks very much.

Emily Clark

Getting a lab is much easier this semester than in the past--and the turn around is very fast.  So far:  Very good.

Mel Nichols

Spring 2002

There were never any problems with the labs. The office staff was helpful making sure the rooms were open, equipment was ready for class, etc. Thanks for making it all run so smoothly!

Rebecca L. Weber

Thanks for your note re the academic labs.  I taught in Robinson A101 again this year.  The computers worked well, the support from the staff was speedy and very efficient and the new projector allowed us to share work much more thoroughly.  The only complaint, and this comes from both the students and myself, is the squeakiness of the chairs.  Just simple movements by the students while listening to presentations, for example, set off a cacophony of squeaks, which are really quite distracting.  And it’s much worse when the classroom is full! Many thanks,

Lesley Smith

Everything has always gone perfectly smoothly whenever I have used the labs.

Yvonne Surette

The support that I have received in using the Academic Computing Labs in this semester are excellent. I appreciate the help that I have received from your staff very much.

J. E. Lin

The support in the labs this term was excellent!  I was in ST 124 on Thursday nights.  The assistant helped with the class when I needed it.  Near the end of the term, the computers were freezing often.  Most notably in the second row on the left side of the room (facing forward). Scheduling for the summer was also easy and painless.  Thanks to the lab staff.

John J. Pendola

There was not one session in the last semester where we were able to use West 150 as assigned to us.  Every time, not once but every time, the projector was not working.  It was one of the worst services I have seen in my life.  We probably spend on average 20 minutes every class walking to another class to find a working projector.  Repeated attempt at getting the room reassigned so that we do not take the large West 150 room for 3 students was not successful.  Overall, despite everyone's effort - no one solve the problem until the semester was over.  

Farrokh Alemi, Ph.D.

 Overall, the process of securing a lab has gone smoothly. The support has also been as helpful as they can be, considering the circumstance (re: last Friday's nursing exam).  My only suggestion, would be that during the lab reservation process, when someone makes a reservation for multiple labs, all for the same course and at the same time, that perhaps some sort of red flag could come up, prompting whoever handles reservations to determine what software is being used, how it will be run (locally or via server), and whether or not the server can handle that number of simultaneous connections.

Terri Ann C Guingab,

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