University Business - June 2012 - (Page 3)

sponsored web seminar digest The cost-effective learning environment Remote management of A/V tech at Texas Woman’s University saved money, maximized staff w Casey Foulds Instructional Operations Systems Administrator Texas Woman’s University In 2003, a typIcal classroom Install would cost up to $30,000 per room. It was typical for us to have a project list of 20 instructional spaces that would need some kind of technology consideration. we were moving from a rolling cart system to permanent installations with control systems. It was difficult to get funding. while the rest of the world was going green, we were going blue. you could drive through our campus at night and see blue lights glowing through the windows from all the projectors that had been left on. despite the signs we put on every projector, it was disappointing to realize how much money we were spending on lamps because people didn’t turn the projectors off. technology problems in the classroom detract from learning time. Here’s an example: the projector lamp blows. the instructor will send a student down the hall to the secretary and ask to call It. we get the call and send someone to the classroom. By the time we get there, assess the situation, find the equipment we need and replace the lamp, the instructor may have lost most of the class time. as we moved forward, we wanted our classrooms to be intelligent, not just smart. we looked at what other campuses were doing and came up with a list of action steps: • Standardize • Innovate • Integrate • Support we assessed how our learning spaces were used. we set a goal for every space to be manageable with the right equipment and with customized touch panels. the space had to be user friendly because you never knew who would be using it. we took the time to crunch some numbers and be able to show key benefits and cost savings to the administration, including: • How much we would save in lamp costs and staff time if we could control the projectors remotely and make sure they were turned off. • How much money and time would be saved by providing the same equipment in each classroom. • How much innovation would benefit instruction and our overall reputation. there’s a “wow!” factor. when we received the oK to move forward, we had several key priorities that included projector control, remote management, a client communication module and deep reporting capabilities. to meet these priorities, we chose amX’s rms solution in 2004. we were confident in the dependability of the products themselves. we also liked the idea that amX integrates with many third-party providers. Every day, the rms Hotlist shows me on a single screen the status of every asset including what is working and what is not. we are only one click away from a detailed description of everything going on with each device. I can see class schedules for a room so scheduling maintenance will not conflict with instructional time. support was another major area of saving. we saved more than $20,000 a year by managing lamps in projectors effectively. the rms’ ability to show utilization also helped us make better decisions about what to replace. and another $12,000 was saved annually by power consumption control. today, our team has three full-time staff to manage 150 classrooms on the denton campus, as well as remote management in dallas and Houston. users in remote locations can tap a help desk button on the touch panel to communicate with us. the help desk button is a huge success on our campus. the help desk has five minutes to assist remotely. If they can’t solve the problem in five minutes, they will notify us and we’ll send someone if we have to. our core values have been maintained while our capabilities were significantly enhanced: Faculty drive our technology and the administration is on board with innovation. To view this web seminar in its entirety, visit bit.ly/ws041712 http://www.bit.ly/ws041712

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - June 2012

University Business - June 2012
Contents
Editor's Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Viewpoint
Marketing
Independent Outlook
Special Section: Thinking Green
4G: Is It Time for an Upgrade?
Unified Security: All Together Now
Collaborative Workflow
Campus Finance News
3 Student Aid Myths
Deepening the Donor Pool
Keeping Tuition Within Reach
Internet Technology
End Note

University Business - June 2012