Tech Guides :: Status of Student Computing
Status of Student Computing at Humboldt State University
It can be difficult for an organization to perform a self-assessment unless there is some outside agency that can provide guidance on the factors that should be considered. This section provides the answers to 35 questions students should ask about technology at any school they are considering attending. The questions were developed by EDUCAUSE with the cooperation of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). EDUCAUSE is "an international, nonprofit association whose mission is to help shape and enable transformational change in higher education through the introduction, use, and management of information resources and technologies in teaching, learning, scholarship, research, and institutional management." See http://www.educause.edu/consumerguide.
Academic Experience
- What percentage of campus courses use electronic information to enhance the course (for example, syllabi, reading lists, discussion groups, demonstrations)?
Humboldt State University prides itself on its use of information technology to enhance classroom learning. Almost all classrooms are connected to the campus backbone network and a number of classrooms have been equipped as “smart rooms” with a microcomputer, CD and DVD players, video player, television, and projector. Faculty can check out portable microcomputers and projectors for use in classrooms not permanently equipped with this equipment. In order to ensure there is valuable content to present in these classes, Humboldt’s Instructional Media Services helps faculty place course materials on the Web, CDs, and video tape. Hundreds of courses have a significant portion of their content converted to electronic form, and students can access this material from any of the campus microcomputer laboratories or by using their own microcomputers in the Residence Halls and from off campus.
A faculty member’s Web site for a class might consist of a text-based presentation of the syllabus, reading lists, and class notes, or it might include an online movie or 3D animation, all locally produced here at Humboldt. Some faculty include their tests on the Web sites with instantaneous grading and feedback.
Humboldt has made it easy for faculty and students to use technology in their coursework. For example, there is a program that creates an e-mail list server for the class that automatically subscribes the faculty member and all students registered for the class. That makes it simple to set up discussion groups.
Almost all faculty have attended some seminars on using technology in the classroom, so many of them are able to put syllabi, reading lists, class notes, and even advanced courseware onto their Web sites. For this reason, it is impossible to estimate what percentage of campus courses use electronic information to enhance the course.
- Are technology resources available, used effectively to enhance the learning experience, and designed to prepare graduates in their major for successful technology use in their careers?
Humboldt State University’s technology resources consist of central computing facilities that support electronic mail, Web services, and major applications packages for use by all students; microcomputer laboratories open to all students that support all the major Microsoft and Macintosh applications; and departmental microcomputer laboratories that host specialized software for students taking courses from that department. Examples of some of these specialized laboratories are the Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, the Spatial Analysis Laboratory, the Writing Center, and the Language Laboratory. As a member of the California State University system, Humboldt also has access to a number of “specialty centers” which provide specialized software, access to databases, and expert assistance in areas such as business, social sciences, and geography.
- What library resources are available online (catalog, databases, special collections)?
The Library has implemented the Endeavor Voyager library automation system which provides an online catalog. Access to the online catalogs of other California State University campuses, the University of California campuses, and other universities also is provided. More than 100 databases are available, including Encyclopedia Britannica, Chemical Abstracts, Medline, and Lexis/Nexis. The complete list can be viewed at:
http://library.humboldt.edu/infoservices/indexes/alphafast.html
The Library also has a large number of special collections, many of them available online. Links to these collections can be found at:
- What electronic reference materials are licensed and how accessible are they from outside the library (for example, in the residence halls or off-campus)?
In addition to databases and special collections, the Library provides electronic access to journals, magazines, newspapers, and other materials with full-text retrieval. Because the online interface to all Library systems is a Web page, all materials are accessible by students with microcomputers in the Residence Halls and from off-campus via Internet Service Providers. A good place to start a tour of the Library online is
- How does the campus help students develop computer skills?
All new students attend an orientation session where they are given an overview of the resources available, activate their e-mail and Web accounts, learn how to register for classes online, and are given a “survival course” in using the campus microcomputer laboratories. There are a number of for-credit courses for developing computer skills as well as non-credit courses on topics such as finding reference materials on the Internet.
- Does the campus allow students to receive credit for courses taken electronically from other sources?
Yes – but, like any other transfer credit, the credit must be awarded by a community college, college, or another university that has been accredited by one of the accrediting agencies, such as the Western Association of State Colleges, and the course must correspond with a Humboldt State University course.
- Does the campus have a specific computer/IT competency requirement for all undergraduates?
No, the campus does not have a “requirement” in the sense that there is some test that all students must pass in order to show competency – however, the campus has identified a core information competency level expected of students, defined as the ability to find, evaluate, use, communicate and appreciate information in all its various formats. Additionally, it has identified five basic competencies: microcomputer operating systems, library resources, word processing, telecommunications, and spreadsheets. Students can gain these competencies through course work. Additionally, the Information Competency Laboratory has been established in the Library specifically to assist students in gaining the necessary skills.
- Are course reserves and other materials available online/via the Web site?
A number of faculty make use of the Library’s electronic reserve system. Materials are input as either Adobe or html files and put behind a passworded file so as to observe copyright restrictions. The Courseware Development Center also scans documents and makes them available on the faculty member’s class Web site. Many faculty also do their own scanning, so a great deal of course material is available online and accessible by students in the Residence Halls and from off campus.
- What percentage of faculty has a networked computer available to them?
Essentially all faculty have a microcomputer with network access.
- What percentage of faculty use e-mail regularly?
All faculty are given an e-mail account on the University’s e-mail server. Over 90% have activated their campus e-mail accounts and about 80% are active, regular users. A number of faculty do not use their on-campus account but use accounts through Internet Service Providers. The University does not track this usage, so it has no way of estimating what the total usage is but expects total usage to be close to 100%.
Administrative Experience
- What information about admission and financial aid is available online, and can necessary forms be submitted electronically?
Extensive admission and financial aid information is available online. The necessary forms can be submitted electronically or students can request online that paper copies of the forms to be mailed to them. The portal for getting started at Humboldt State University can be found at
http://www.humboldt.edu/~records/index.shtml
The status of a student’s financial aid request and disbursements also is available via touch-tone telephone.
- Is the college catalogue, including important campus policies, available on the Web?
The catalogue, schedule of classes, academic policies applying to students, and much more information is available on the Web. The best starting location for exploring this information is at
- Can a student access his or her personal student information/data online?
Students can access their student records online, including viewing and printing their class schedules and unofficial transcripts (official transcripts can be requested online), grades, and fee account balances/statements. Students can even update some of this information, such as their address information and what e-mail account they would like to use, online.
- Can a student find out his or her grades online or by phone at the end of a semester?
Grades are posted immediately at the end of each semester and are available both on the Web and via touch-tone telephone.
- Is registration, including dropping and adding courses, processed electronically (either online or via phone)?
All registration, including dropping and adding courses, is done online and processed electronically at Humboldt State University. During orientation, all new students learn to use a simple Web interface to do registration.
- Can students pay bills, receive loans, make campus bookstore purchases using online procedures?
Students will be able to pay any fee (instructional fee, Housing & Dining fees) online using a credit card. At the completion of online registration, the system will ask if the student wishes to pay fees immediately or have an invoice e-mailed to him or her. Financial aid is applied automatically against outstanding fees. Financial aid in excess of the fee amount is disbursed by check.
Online Book Store purchasing is not supported at this time. However, there are a number of specific items that can be purchased online, such as microcomputers which can be ordered from the Book Store through California State University system contracts.
- What campus and community services are covered by “smart cards” or “debit cards”?
The HSU Card allows students to make purchases on campus against the card’s balance. The HSU Card can be used for purchases in the Book Store, at food service outlets, for Health Center services, in campus copy machines, and for other services. Students can even use it to pay for a hair cut. More information on the HSU Card program is available at
http://www.humboldt.org/bookstore/geninfo/hsucard.html
Another card, the ParkCard debit card, also is available for use at metered parking spaces on campus.
- What student information does the campus provide routinely to parents?
Humboldt does not provide student information to parents. All information is provided directly to the student.
Social Experience
- What percentage of students on this campus have full-time use of personal computers?
Over 80% of students have assured themselves of 24 hours/day, 7 days/week access to a personal computer and the network. Most have done so by purchasing their own microcomputers, but some have done so by alternate means such as rooming with another student who owns a microcomputer.
Humboldt State University was a pilot site for the California State University system’s “Assured Student Access to Computing and the Network Initiative.” The pilot project report can be found at
- What is the ratio of public access computers to undergraduate enrollment?
There are about 1,100 microcomputers available to students on campus. With about 7,500 total students on campus (6,650 undergraduates, 850 graduate students), this is better than 1:7 ratio for all students. About 700 of these microcomputers are new enough that they can run the latest versions of all standard software. These microcomputers reside in open student laboratories (microcomputer laboratories that are never scheduled for any purpose except walk-in access by students), interdisciplinary computing laboratories (laboratories that are used for teaching classes but which are open to students when class is not in session), departmental laboratories (usually available only to students taking a class from the department), various learning skills labs (e.g., the Information Competency Laboratory, the Disabled Student Access Laboratory, the Multi-cultural Center Laboratory), and Residence Hall Laboratories (open only to students living in the Residence Halls). At a minimum, about 100 microcomputers are available for walk-in use by any student during peak class times (Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.), and more than 300 are available for walk-in use outside of these peak times, including weekends. Laboratory information is available at
- What percentage of students use e-mail and other applications on a regular basis?
Every student is issued an e-mail account. Every student activates his or her account because it is used for online registration and other administrative functions. About 70% are active, regular users of their University-provided account. A number of students do not use their on-campus account but use accounts through Internet Service Providers. The University does not track this usage, so it has no way of certifying what the total regular usage is, but total usage is without doubt 100%. Many classes require the use of e-mail for distribution and collection of homework, and often the homework itself must be in a digital form (e.g., a word processor file, a spreadsheet). Also, a number of faculty conduct their tests online and the campus uses online surveys to gather student input.
- Does the campus allow personal student Web pages?
Every student is issued a courtesy home page on the campus Web server. When the student activates his or her Web account, a basic page is generated which the student then can modify.
- Is contact information for students, faculty, and staff readily accessible electronically?
Directory information is generated automatically when a student activates his or her e-mail and Web accounts. To see the directory, go to
- Is there a campus code of behavior for use of computing resources?
Yes – to see a copy of the appropriate use policy, Web policy, and conditions of use for the central computing resources, go to
- What social activities and services are available over the Web?
A wealth of information is available online for students and other members of the campus community. For example, information about many campus activities, including athletic events, performances, and the campus calendar, can be found at
Humboldt also uses its technology infrastructure as a means of outreach. For example, streaming audio is used to broadcast the campus radio station across the network. Commencement and other important campus activities are broadcast worldwide over the Web in real time using streaming video. Students and former students need only turn on their microcomputers to be an active member of the Humboldt community.
- Are there Web sites for student organizations and clubs, and are these linked to the campus home page?
Clubs and other student organizations are given Web sites, but they currently are not linked to the campus home page. However, they are searchable. See
Requirements, Services & Costs
- What, if any, technology fee is charged by the campus and what does it cover?
The campus does not collect a technology fee, but the students still receive the benefits of one. The student body approved a technology fee of $36/semester in 1995. Rather than collecting the fee, the state has funded Humboldt State University for an equivalent amount over and above its base operating allocation of funds. This money is used to help maintain and operate those computing laboratories that are open to all students, pay student wages in the Student Help Desk centers, and pay student wages in the Courseware Development Center.
- Are students required to purchase their own computers?
No, students are not required to purchase their own computers, but they are strongly encouraged to do so because full-time access to a computer and the network is critical to the learning process.
- How does the campus make computing and network access financially available to all students?
Loans are available through the Financial Aid Office to purchase microcomputers. These loans are supplemental to, and do not reduce, the student’s overall financial aid eligibility. The Book Store offers the best pricing on Macintosh microcomputers available anywhere. Windows-based microcomputers also can be purchased through the Book Store as well as online from several other sources that offer students discounted prices that use the full leveraging power of the California State University system (over 400,000 students and 40,000 faculty and staff).
Microsoft major desk-top software applications are available to students at special pricing. See http://www.humboldt.org/bookstore/cmptrs/cmptrs.html.
- Does the campus assess extra fees for network connections in the residence halls or for off-campus access?
Students living in the Residence Halls receive a direct Ethernet connection to the campus backbone network at no extra charge. The campus does not provide dial-in Web-based access from off-campus, only SSH service. At least a dozen national and local Internet Services Providers offer ISP services in the Humboldt area.. The local cable television company offers cable modem service, and there are at least two provides of DSL service. See http://www.humboldt.edu/~help/connection/connection.shtml
- If a student brings his or her own computer equipment to school, what kind of support can he or she expect from the campus?
The campus provides consultative services for students who own their own microcomputers, including advice on configuring communications cards for dial service, but does not provide repair service. Staff in the Residence Halls will assist student residents in connecting their personal machines to the network. Student clubs and other student and staff volunteers sponsor “bring in” days when students can bring their machines to a campus location for hands-on a ssistance – for example, “Linux days” when student can bring in their machines and have the linux operating system and StarOffice software loaded for free. More information on the Microsoft License Agreement can be found at
- What hardware and software standards, if any, does the campus require, recommend, and/or support?
The campus does not establish campus-wide standards for hardware and software. However, because Microsoft’s desktop software already is licensed for use by all students, Microsoft is the recommended software for both Macintosh and Windows platforms. Note that StarOffice, which runs under the linux operating system, is compatible with Microsoft Office. Also, the campus defines "recommended" hardware configurations. See
http://www.humboldt.edu/~its/services/hardware/standards.html
- What kinds of services (help desk, instructions, troubleshooting) are provided by the campus, and during what hours of operation?
All new students receive an orientation on using Humboldt’s technology resources when they first arrive. The campus operates two Student Help Desks that provide email (help@humboldt.edu), telephone (707.826.HELP [4357]), and walk-in consultation services. Their hours of operation are
8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday
8:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Friday
Noon - 4:00 p.m. Saturday, SundayThe Student Help Desk in the Library includes multi-media workstations, digital scanners, and a digital camera for student use. Staff at the Help Desk provides expert assistance to students who wish to use this equipment to produce professional-looking homework and project reports.
The complete list of technology services can be found at
- Does the campus have a plan for keeping the hardware current, and if so, what is the replacement cycle?
The campus information technology plan can be found at
http://www.humboldt.edu/~its/planning/techplan/techplan.shtml
It calls for a three- to four-year replacement cycle for microcomputers in the open student access and interdisciplinary computing laboratories. This is a little misleading in that the microcomputers in a laboratory often are upgraded one or two t imes (processor, memory, disk, monitor) between the time they are purchased and when they are completely replaced three or four years later.
- How does the campus support printing for students, and is there a charge for this?
All open access and interdisciplinary computing laboratories and many departmental computing laboratories have black and white laser printers for which all paper is provided. All students pay a $5/semester printing fee to help defray the costs of providing this service.
