W 0 R ~D " CONNECTS AT HARDING nternet access was available wireJessly in six buildings around campus for students with wireless-enabled laptop computers this year. Keith Cronk, vice president for Infonnation Technology Services, said the wireless access was in the library, the ground floor of the student center, the Heritage lobby, the Ptyor-England Center for Science and Engineering, the Honors House and the Mabee Business building. Wrreless access was also planned for the Thornton Education Center, Cronk said. "One of the places we've put wireless Internet is the second floor of the library so students can go and do group work there," Cronk said. "On the second floor of the library we have taken some of the study corrals away and put tables and chairs out, so if groups go and work there and take their laptops, they can connect wireJessly to the Internet. "We're going to have a research assistant stationed on the second floor to help people search for material they're looking for." Cronk said the library research assistants were available on weekdays from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Assistants at the infonnation desk on the first floor of the library were able to help students during other times, Cronk said. When browsing the Internet wirelessly, students were prompted to log in with their usernames and passwords, the same as in the computer labs and dorms. Cronk said the wireless access was an extension of DormNet, and therefore, utilized Websense, the university's chosen content filtering software. Cronk said wireless Internet access did not affect the computer labs' operating hours. The labs remained open for students during the same times. The group work areas in the library that had wireless access offered students more places to work on group projects with the ability to use the World Wide Web and to talk without watching their voice levels as much, Cronk said. Although wireless access was being provided primarily for academic purposes, Cronk said "the reality is the wireless [Internet access] will also be used a lot for social purposes." Increased wireless access on campus was not the only step lIS took to keep up with classes designed around group projects, Cronk said. "We have another plan we're going to put in place as soon as we can in the [library's] study/conference rooms," Cronk said."We plan to put a projector in them so that you can plug a laptop in and practice presentation work." Senior Pam Adell said she thought the projectors was a good idea. "Having projectors in the library will allow groups of students to rehearse presentations using power point," Adell said. "Ifs definitely a useful tool." -ANDREA STEElE JIM BAIRD, DIRECTOR OF DESKTOP COMPUTING, LISTENS to Keith Cronk, vice president for Information TechnolO<lY Services, at an ITS staff meeting feb. 11. ITS and DormNet added wireless Internet technology to six university buildings this year ·A. BEENE 155 - FACULTY .. ~ ..
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