Compliance Status

Louisiana State University and A&M College is in compliance with this principle.

Narrative

Louisiana State University and A&M College (LSU) provides a technology-rich environment that is geared toward enhancing student learning and meeting the objectives of its various programs. Faculty, staff, and students have access to numerous training opportunities in order to best utilize the technology available to them.

Technology Enhancement of Student Learning

Recommendation VII of the faculty-driven Flagship Information Technology Strategy (FITS 2011) calls for the university to “provide robust and plentiful IT resources to enable faculty teaching and learning at LSU” [1]. In keeping with the FITS, the university enables teaching and learning through the provision of numerous IT resources. As a result of the comprehensive IT planning processes that started in 2005, a working IT Governance model has been put into place that, in part, works to meet the changing expectations and learning needs of our students as they relate to technology usage. Today’s faculty-led IT Governance structure consists of three Councils: Teaching and Learning, Infrastructure and Support, and Research Enablement. The councils work to provide direction to LSU Information Technology Services (ITS) in the deployment, enhancement, and maintenance of centrally provisioned IT services [2].

Learning Management System

In 2009, Moodle became the institution’s single learning management system (LMS), replacing Blackboard and the home-grown SemesterBook system, as a direct result of planning and governance efforts [3][4][5]. A committee composed of faculty and students and called the Moodle Development Advisory Committee (MDAC) responds to campus feedback and requests to continue development and enhancements of LSU’s Moodle environment.  MDAC is led by the chair of the Teaching and Learning Council. The Moodle LMS is therefore able to respond to changes in teaching/learning needs and expectations.  Moodle is also able to incorporate new technology, as is evident in the recent integration of Kaltura, a video streaming service, into the LSU Moodle instance [6].

During spring 2013, 74.8% of faculty were actively using Moodle for 75.1% of all undergraduate course sections. Over 96% of all undergraduates are using Moodle [7]. The utilization rates for both Blackboard and SemesterBook combined did not break 50%, denoting a significant increase in LMS usage.

Student Technology Fee

The Student Technology Fee Oversight Committee (STFOC) is a long standing arm of IT Governance, the majority of which is made up of students. Students remain actively engaged in the selection of the technologies they use. Through the STFOC, students are able to express their learning preferences through the inclusion and integration of technology into classrooms and beyond. The Student Technology Fee (STF) generates over $4M annually that is used to purchase classroom technologies chosen by the STFOC [8]. The university participates annually in ECAR’s National Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, and ITS uses the survey results to inform requests made through STFOC to ensure that student technology investments are being utilized and are working toward student success [9]. In addition to classroom technologies, STF projects include the provisioning of an Information Commons, Group Collaboration Spaces, and Presentation Practice Rooms housed in Middleton Library. The Information Commons includes a reference desk, two IT help desks, assistive technology, 86 Windows and Macintosh computers, and large-format printing [10]. The Group Collaborative Spaces consist of seven walk-up stations and eight reservable rooms, each with a single computer, a large plasma screen, seating for groups of four to eight people, and collaboration software. The collaboration software allows group members to connect to a session with their laptops via wireless, if they choose. Once connected, participants can be granted control of the central computer or share their screens with the group on the large screen.  The two Presentation Practice Rooms are configured much like multimedia classrooms, consisting of a lectern, computer, and very large plasma screen. Additionally, video cameras are installed so that students may record themselves delivering their presentations and review the performance at their leisure [11].

Through the STF, the university has 191 multimedia and computer classrooms covering 88% of the campus’s classrooms, as well as mobile multimedia units that may be checked out and used by faculty as needed.  Maintained by Information Technology Services (ITS), classroom technology in each multimedia classroom includes a podium, PC workstation, document camera, projector, and screen.  Faculty may utilize their own laptops, as opposed to the workstations, as desired [12]. Student response system (“clicker”) technology is also utilized in the classrooms. The university provides clicker receivers to faculty upon request, but some faculty provide their own. Students directly benefit from faculty utilization of these technologies to enhance their lectures. These technologies are also utilized for student presentations and collaborative work within the classroom [13]. Another example is Adobe Connect, which is currently being utilized to augment classroom experiences as well as to enable remote learning. Adobe Connect is Web conferencing software that allows students, faculty and staff to host meetings, teach classes, consult with remote colleagues, invite outside experts into the class, and provide online training for users anytime, anywhere [14].

Residential Life

The Department of Residential Life supports another 12 smart classrooms throughout the residential college communities.  The smart classroom technology standard equipment includes a podium, PC workstation, projector, SMART board, document camera, microphone, and surround sound.  Two media rooms are also located in the residence halls with projectors, surround sound, and PC / video / audio inputs [15].

Faculty Technology Center

A department within LSU Information Technology Services, the Faculty Technology Center (FTC) houses instructional technology specialists and provides direct assistance to faculty in order to promote student success through faculty’s integration of classroom technologies into the teaching and learning process. The FTC hosts Tech Talks to introduce faculty to technology for teaching and research use. Faculty are able to learn from one another through FTC sponsored events such as Coffee Talks, as well as at ITS-wide events such as TechPawLooza, an annual event open to all students, faculty, and staff that showcases the technology utilized across campus [16].

Visualization Services Center

LSU ITS also provides a Visualization Services Center that strives to enhance the level of knowledge, skills, and interest in visualization tools and techniques among LSU students and faculty. It provides students with the capability of looking at multidimensional datasets as a whole or in sections and the ability to analyze sections of data and present results with greater insight. The center hosts an instructional lab with high-end workstations and projection systems. It has high resolution tiled displays so that one can view large data windows all at once without having to scroll or subsection the data. A variety of classes are held each semester within this space.  The Visualization Services Center also supports student and faculty collaborative research projects that utilize LSU’s extensive high performance computing (HPC) resources [17]. LSU recently added Super Mike II, its newest supercomputer, with an additional two hundred teraflops of combined GPU and CPU processors [18].

Appropriate Technology for Meeting Learning Objectives

Through LSU ITS, the Moodle Development Advisory Committee and the Faculty Technology Center work to ensure that centrally provisioned technology use is linked to academic needs. Enhancements to Moodle and training sessions offered through the Faculty Technology Center are faculty driven and guided for this very reason [6] [16]. Additional resources are provided throughout the campus to assist students towards meeting program objectives.

Comprehensive Academic Tracking System

The Comprehensive Academic Tracking System (CATS) was designed to assist students in maintaining their progress toward graduation.  CATS warns students when they choose courses that do not work toward their degree. CATS may also be used by the university to track progress and ensure that needed courses are offered [20].

Computer Testing Center

The Computer Testing Center, with computers funded by the Student Technology Fee (STF), provides a convenient venue for computer-based testing. Professors enter their test information, and students take the exams during a scheduled period of time [21].

Communication Across the Curriculum

LSU’s Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) program is a university-wide program focused on enhancing the writing, speaking, visual, and technological communication skills of all LSU undergraduates.  Through communication-intensive activities within existing courses (200+ certified courses each semester), students learn discipline-specific content at a deeper level while also improving their information literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills, preparing them for today’s multimodal, globalized marketplace. Because technology is such a critical part of communication, CxC operates four innovative learning studios across campus where students learn to work with communication-rich technologies and are able to leverage these resources, creating and disseminating information for curricular and extracurricular projects. The four studios include three that are discipline specific: art and design, engineering, and music and dramatic arts. CxC students produce a variety of presentations and media as a result of their work, including a digital portfolio [19].

The CxC studios provide technologies specifically focused on enhancing communication of disciplinary knowledge and reflect unique tools not readily available to students anywhere else on campus.  In addition to housing these powerful resources, CxC staff and faculty provide students rhetorical coaching and technological mentoring to help advance students’ digital literacy – learning how to select the most appropriate technologies needed for their projects and how to use the technologies to effectively execute these projects.

The following provides a brief overview of the types of technologies available and of student activities that take place through the CxC studios across LSU’s campus.

• In CxC Studio 151, which primarily serves students in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, students have access to a state-of-the-art practice presentation room where they are able to focus on effectively conveying ideas through speech, body language, and/or visuals.  This room is outfitted with a large smart screen that enables students to present, review, and mark-up visuals (posters, presentation slides, charts/graphs, etc.).  The smart screen technology includes capture functions which allow the students to preserve the real-time feedback from peers, professors, and/or CxC Staff and take the annotations with them for reference, studying, and further reflection.  The room also includes advanced, easy-to-use video technologies that capture oral presentations, interpersonal interactions, interviews, etc., enabling the student, professor, or CxC staff to review and reflect on the presentation at a later time and place. This type of empowered learning and teaching is significant and highly successful, particularly in improving oral and visual communication skills.  The presentation practice technologies are heavily used by many LSU courses, as well as out-of-class activities such as student groups who are preparing for research conference presentations and community outreach presentations.  Students also have access to a professional sound booth where they do things such as transform their writing into audio podcasts and produce voiceovers for film or Web-based presentations. The sound booth is often use by students enrolled in classes that deploy innovative learning assignments, such as creating podcasts on new scientific discoveries, public service announcements on public health issues, and capturing oral narratives for historical preservation. 

For science students in particular, CxC Studio 151 is also home to a variety of unique software suites such as HyperChem for constructing molecular models, JMP to visually explore data patterns, and Poster Genius for designing scientific posters.  Within CxC Studio 151, students have free check-out access to an array of high-end and consumer grade AV products including video cameras, audio recorders, digital still cameras, and tripods, and in-studio access to audio/video editing workstations.  Today’s technology enables anyone to be a content creator, not simply a disseminator.  For this reason, students of all majors are able to use “artist” equipment to visually convey ideas and knowledge.  While these students may not need to be technical experts in video, audio, etc., providing access to these tools, support on selecting the appropriate tool, and coaching on the how to use these tools supports students’ development of critical thinking and communication skills – the two key elements to post-graduation success.

• In the CxC Engineering Studio, students have access to a 3-D scanner and printer that enables them to visualize drawings and models designed in the 2-D realm of a monitor through the use of 3-D imaging and rapid prototyping technologies.  For example, a biological engineering student group recently scanned an artificial kneecap so that they could design a tool for removing knee implants during surgical procedures.  The ability to scan a real prosthetic knee improved the precision of their design and saved them time that using CAD/CAM software to design a virtual kneecap would have cost.  STEM disciplines often present information through poster sessions.  Doing so requires students to distill complex data and think critically about conveying knowledge through text, visuals, and speech.  Through the CxC Engineering Studio, students have access to poster presentation coaching and large-format printing.

• In the CxC Music and Dramatic Arts Studio (CMDA), music education, history, and theory students have access to high-end software suites such as Finale and Sibelius – musical notation and composition software tools that support their amelioration as teachers and/or performers.  For musical composition and theatrical sound design, students visiting the CxC-CMDA Studio also actively use Pro Logic, a unique music/sound/foley editing and creation program.  In addition to software, CxC-CMDA Studio provides access to a few unique hardware pieces, including the 90-key, M-Audio music keyboard often used by performance, music, and sound design students to record podcast assignments of their work and compositions.  The studio also provides free check-out of 25-key MIDI Audio keyboards that enable smaller audio instruments to be plugged in via USB to laptops and transcoded to match a larger 88- or 90-key instruments.

• In the CxC College of Art + Design Studio, students have access to technologies that enable them to combine research and original concepts with sophisticated imagery to create and deliver compelling presentations of their designs, particularly for producing  dynamic presentation and portfolio materials.  This studio provides access to and aids students in using 3D modeling, scanning, and printing technologies; animation, infographics, and video technologies; and digital documentation technologies.  Most recently, CxC added an advanced 3D scanning and digital fabrication system that includes a mobile unit for interactive student fieldwork.

Center for Academic Success

A unit within the Division of Student Life and Enrollment Services, the Center for Academic Success (CAS), offers a Supplemental Instruction (SI) Computer Lab, where a series of peer-led weekly study sessions is offered for students enrolled in historically difficult courses. The SI Lab is open to all students who want to improve their understanding of course material and improve their grades. Each session is guided by an SI leader who has previously taken the course and is prepared to share what he or she has learned about how to study. The leader attends the class and works in close association with the instructor so that sessions are relevant to the material covered. This is an opportunity for students to meet other people in their classes. Students who attend SI sessions regularly earn on average a 0.5 better grade than students who do not attend.  The lab contains 16 student computers [22].

The Center for Academic Success (CAS) additionally provides SMARTHINKING Online Tutoring, 900 minutes of free online tutoring.  Students connect via the Internet with qualified trained e-structors.  The areas of tutoring include writing; math: basic math through calculus II; business: statistics, finance, economics, and accounting; science: general biology, anatomy and physiology, genetics, physics, and chemistry; and foreign language: Spanish [23].

The Center for Academic Success (CAS) also offers Learning Strategies Online.  Students can take learning-style self-tests and online workshops for test preparation, time management, note taking, comprehension, and overcoming anxiety.   The site has over 18,000 students visit annually [24].

Specialized Programmatic Needs

In addition to the core services provided by the institution, specialized programmatic needs are determined and met at the college or departmental level. For example, the College of Art and Design, College of Engineering, Manship School of Mass Communication, and the School of Veterinary Medicine provide technological services beyond what is centrally provided in order to meet the more specialized programmatic expectations of their disciplines.

College of Art and Design

Within the College of Art and Design, students are required to have a personal computer upon entering second-year studio courses within the college. The college provides a list of minimum technical specifications students require for their time within the program [25]. All studios are equipped with power and Ethernet access for student use. There are three labs with 24+ seat PC and Mac high-end computer labs for advanced digital design software (animation, 3-D modeling, graphic design, video editing, etc.). A laptop lab is also available with connections for power and Ethernet for 24 students. These labs are scheduled for coursework throughout the day and open for student use when classes are not in progress. The College of Art and Design has a large media checkout program through the Art and Design CxC Studio providing digital cameras, HD camcorders, microphones, etc., to students throughout the college. The College of Art and Design currently has 12 classrooms with ceiling-mounted digital projection systems, instructor workstations or workstation connectivity, and 8-10 mobile carts with 50+ flat screens for in-studio presentations and critiques. The college is host to a digital documentation studio where students have the ability to use photographic lighting equipment for shooting architectural models, artwork, etc. This resource is incredibly valuable for students to produce a professional portfolio of their work. The college currently has five touch-capable mobile carts with 50" flat screens and PC workstations with a suite of design-based software resources. Digital fabrication equipment is vital for professional design programs (Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design). The College of Art and Design gives students the ability to access fabrication equipment and design with advancing technology in mind. Access to laser cutters, a 3-D printer, a 3-D scanner, and a CNC mill give students the ability to create dynamic models and establish a wide range of construction techniques [12] [19] [26].

College of Engineering

LSU’s College of Engineering houses two large teaching labs with 48 and 56 stations. These are used to teach classes across all disciplines as necessary [12]. The college has the Engineering Communications Studio (ECS), which has 15 PCs and specialized hardware, including a plotter, 3-D printer, 3-D scanner, presentation room with electronic whiteboard display and specialized software [19]. The college also has the Chevron Reservoir Characterization Laboratory (CRCL), which has a high resolution video wall, electronic whiteboard, and HD projector [27].

There are a few other engineering college-maintained classrooms that have video projectors. The larger college-level computing lab has dual HD projectors as well as dual HD LED displays to increase viewing ease. All college-level computing labs/classrooms have document cameras.  The college is trying to upgrade most of its classroom and lab screens to electric wide format screens [12].

Departments within engineering generally have their own computer labs.  For instance, the Department of Petroleum Engineering’s lab with 21 desktop workstations was updated summer 2012. These computers have an extensive set of software packages specific to their program, most of which are in-kind donations from companies. A second computer laboratory at the Keller Classroom is designed for well-control simulation. The Keller Classroom also has advanced multimedia, HD projectors, and cameras [27].

Manship School of Mass Communication

The Manship School of Mass Communication relies heavily on digital technology in order to meet its program goals. Everything students learn and create has the end goal of communicating to a mass audience through technology. Mass communication students create multiplatform (TV, radio, online, social media, mobile media, print) content that cannot be executed without access to the right equipment and software. From the very beginning of the program, students are exposed to computers and the necessary software to be successful in this industry. As of the beginning of the fall semester of 2013, The Manship School of Mass Communication has a laptop requirement for all incoming students [28].

The Manship School currently has five computer labs that are used for teaching. Three of these are located in the Journalism building where they teach advertising, public relations, and journalism writing courses. Each of these has 20 seats. Two labs, one with 20 seats and the other with 13, and five video editing bays are located in Hodges Hall, where they primarily teach video editing/broadcast production courses. In addition, there is one open lab in the Journalism building.  Edius video editing software is on all computers in the video editing lab and five edit bay computers. Additionally, the edit bay computers also have Adobe Audition audio editing software.  The Manship’s Media Effects Lab (MEL) has 16 Mac workstations for conducting experiments with access to Perception Analyzer, BioPac Physiological measuring software and Tobii Eyetracking and MediaLab response measuring software. They also have a living room environment to measure physiological responses and record participants on a split screen while playing video games or watching TV [29].

The Holliday Forum is located at the entrance to the Journalism building. The Manship School and the Reilly Center regularly hosts guest speakers, panels, and symposia. The facility has a podium with a computer, document camera, and projector. In addition, they have the ability to record all events with three robotic cameras [29].

The Manship School provides seven Sony NX30 video cameras to students in non-broadcast classes to be used in integrating video into all aspects of learning and presentation and 18 Sony NX 5 Video Cameras that the broadcast students use for production. Tiger TV has 11 Sony NX 5 cameras specifically reserved for their use. Tiger TV also has a TVU live remote pack that allows for free-standing live television reporting from anywhere there is a cell phone signal. Both broadcast and Tiger TV students have access to an assortment of lights and microphones. KLSU has numerous field audio recorders. Student Media has five Nikon D300s and three Nikon D3x still cameras with an assortment of 18 interchangeable lenses ranging from 17 to 400 mm and two Sony NX30 video cameras for recording interviews for Web [29].

School of Veterinary Medicine

The School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) provides specialized medical and imaging technology to support its teaching efforts, as well as surgical and anesthesia facilities in teaching labs. SVM maintains eight of its own multimedia classrooms, eight small group teaching rooms with smartboards, and three computer labs [30].

Others

A variety of other discipline-specific technologies are available through the departments to enhance the learning experience of their students. Discipline-specific computer labs house appropriate software for their areas of study.  As examples, Medialab, a behavioral research software, is used in the Marketing Department, Visual Retailing in Human Ecology, Studio One in Music, and ChemDraw in Chemistry to name a few.

Student, Faculty, and Staff Access to Technology

Information Technology Services (ITS) maintains considerable resources to ensure student access to technology.  ITS provides each member of the LSU community with PAWS credentials, enabling them to securely sign on to myLSU, a portal environment that provides secure access to Moodle, LSU-provisioned e-mail, online student services (like registration, course offerings, fee bills), IT training resources, and TigerWare, LSU’s software distribution system [31].

LSU Network

LSU’s network is a redundant quad core structure with 10 Gpbs connectivity that includes wired and secure wireless coverage throughout the campus. With projects like Network 2010 and Network 2015, ITS ensures that the university maintains a robust and modern networking infrastructure so that students, faculty, and staff alike have ready access to the Internet and networked resources. The recently completed Network 2010 project involved re-engineering the LSU campus network to meet the emerging needs of the campus community, increasing network speeds to 10 Gbps at the core network and to research buildings with high bandwidth demands, deploying an additional thousand wireless access points, and replacing aging network equipment.  ITS was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Academic Research Initiative (ARI) program to upgrade all of its network connections to research buildings and complete the Network 2010 project. Network 2015 follows on the success of Network 2010. Currently underway, Network 2015 is a five-year project to continue the progress made toward upgrading the entire LSU network. In addition, ITS has been at the forefront of IPv6 deployment and was an early adopter of eduroam, which enables LSU students and faculty to access other university networks while traveling or studying abroad. Housed at LSU, The Louisiana Optical Network Initiative (LONI) is a state of the art, fiber optics network that connects Louisiana research institutions and provides commodity Internet as well as National Lambda Rail and Internet2 connections. LSU ITS worked with LONI to triple the university’s available bandwidth in 2012 [32].

The network is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the Network Operations Center (NOC).  Additionally, students may report outages or issues that arise in utilizing their technology through the ITS Help Desk.  The Help Desk is the primary customer interface for information, access, and assistance related to the services provided by ITS and includes remote online access during business hours.  After-hours support is provided by the NOC [33].

Gear-to-Geaux Program

Students have ready access to technology through the Gear to Geaux program.  There are 70 laptops available for student check out and use through Middleton Library and 65 Internet/email kiosks [34]. Over 400 computers with high-end software are available in three public access labs located conveniently across campus, and an additional 643 computers are available in specialty labs and computer classrooms.

TigerWare Software

Faculty determine the software available in the multimedia classrooms and on public access lab computers [12] [35]. Faculty, staff, and students also have ready access to the software they need to succeed.  TigerWare, LSU’s online software distribution system, enables the download and installation of licensed and open source software. Via TigerWare,  students have free access to the latest Microsoft Office Suite, Symantec Antivirus Protection, and Windows 8 [36]. The Virtual Lab enables students remote, anytime access to most of the specialized software found in the public access labs [37].

LSU Libraries

ITS partners with the LSU Libraries to house a number of its resources for student convenience. These resources include the aforementioned Information Commons, Group Collaborative Spaces, Presentation Practice Rooms, multimedia classrooms, computing labs, and the Gear to Geaux program. The Library also houses the Faculty Technology Center and an ITS Training Room. The Library itself manages 36 computers for student use [10] [11] [12] [16] [34] [35].

LOUIS, a state consortium for automated library resources and databases, is also housed within LSU ITS but contracts directly with the LSU Libraries. Through LOUIS, students have access to thousands of electronic learning resources, journal articles, and e-training resources [38].

Center for Academic Success

The Center for Academic Success (CAS) offers a Tutorial Center Computer Lab that provides students free assistance with homework, test preparation, and study strategies in biology, chemistry, math, physics, statics, select foreign languages, and other select courses.  The lab contains 19 student computers [39].

Residential Life

Residential Life offers 14 computer labs (110 PCs and Macs) and 40 email workstations within its residence halls.  Residential students can print in our computer labs free of charge; however, students must supply their own printing paper.  All smart classrooms, computer labs, and email workstations are provided with available software licensed to the university, and any additional software is purchased by the Department of Residential Life upon request from faculty, staff, or students.  Residential Life also supplies and purchases clicker technology to faculty upon request in the smart classrooms [13]. All residence halls and apartments are equipped with digital signage displays (25) for campus events, announcements, and emergency notifications [15].

All residence halls and student apartments have 100 percent wireless coverage throughout the buildings, including student rooms and common areas.  Students also have access to hard-wired connections in their rooms for a faster connection speed (RESNET).  All residence halls’ exterior and some interior doors are secured with online Blackboard security locks (225 doors) that are accessible with the LSU student ID.  In addition, offline Persona locks are installed on student bedroom doors and various interior doors (1200+ doors) in seven residence halls.  Each of these offline locks is accessible with the LSU student ID and a personal student pin number to allow access to each student’s room [15].

In the Information Technology Residential College, an additional layer of academic support focused on the theme of technology is provided by “Information Technology Assistants,” undergraduate students who live in the residence hall and have “graduated” from ITRC in their first year of living on campus.  The three ITAs provide floor hours each week for troubleshooting technology problems for both students and faculty associated with ITRC [40].

Residential Life also has a fully staffed Technology Help Desk of 21 undergraduate student workers, each of whom works up to 20 hours per week.  These students are technically trained by full-time technology professional staff in the areas of technology software and hardware repair/troubleshooting/replacement/maintenance, special projects, and both in-person and telephone support.  These students also maintain the Residential Life private technical documentation wiki.  These students have the potential to advance to a lead position at the Help Desk by mastering and excelling in their technical job duties and customer support. The Help Desk supports all Residential Life smart classrooms, media rooms, computer labs, email workstations, digital signage, card access security, 5600+ on-campus residents (technical support and services include troubleshooting students’ personal computers, both desktops and laptops, and printers), 150 Residential Life administrative staff and residential college faculty computers and 109 Student Life and Enrollment area computers and peripherals in these units: Freshman Year Experience, Orientation, Center for Academic Success, and Career Services. 

Disability Services

Disability Services, in collaboration with other university departments, is committed to providing appropriate auxiliary aids and services for students with disabilities in an effort to ensure their full participation in all activities, programs, and services at the university. Disability Services is dedicated to promoting the self-advocacy of students with disabilities and is committed to working with the LSU administration on the development and revisions of policies and procedures relevant to students with disabilities [41].

Disability Services enables the use of assistive technology for course-related services.  In-class captionists transcribe lectures in real-time using the C-PRINT software and wireless network technology. Other assistive technology is provided as needed in order to make all course-related services accessible [41].

Disability Services provides students with disabilities accommodative testing and class assignments and uses the latest assistive technology tools, including CCTVs, 15 permanent computers in an expandable configuration, and the latest versions of a variety of assistive technology software. Examples of the software are:

• JAWS and Window-Eyes are screen reader software provided for students with visual impairments and learning disabilities
• MAGIC and ZoomText are screen magnification software used for individuals with visual impairments
• TEXTHELP’s Read and Write is a word processor designed to stimulate motivation, promote learning, and achieve results for students with disabilities [41].

Disability Services also provide a number of services for students’ classroom, homework, and testing assignments, including:

• Duxbury Braille Translator converts and translates text into Braille
• Braille conversion and support for both text and images
• ABBYY FineReader is OCR software for document conversion, used to convert bound publications into digital media for screen readers or Braille.

Disability Services collaborates with Information Technology Services (ITS) to integrate adaptive technology into the ITS Public Access Labs, including JAWS and MAGIC installations on all computers in ITS-supported labs and classrooms [41].

Student Training in Technology

GROK

Faculty, staff, and students have numerous opportunities to realize new applications of technology and learn how to use them. GROK is an online knowledgebase which provides step-by-step instruction of the basic set-up and use of technologies available on campus. GROK may be accessed online at http://grok.lsu.edu [42].

ITS Training Sessions

Numerous training sessions are available through ITS. ITS offers one-on-one tutorial and traditional training sessions for students, faculty, and staff  [43]. Online instructional videos are freely accessible through Lynda Campus for real-time use. Lynda Campus has over 1,600 video-based online courses for software, design, and business skills training. Software titles include Adobe Creative Suite, Connect, Flash, InDesign, Microsoft Office, Windows, and Exchange, and numerous Apple software titles. Courses are routinely offered in AutoCAD, Autodesk, and Google products (Docs, Gmail, Analytics, Sketchup), and other new courses are offered regularly [44]. The Microsoft IT Academy Program is free and available to LSU students, faculty, staff, and retirees. This world-class, on-line training resource includes over 300 e-learning courses, many of which will lead toward information technology industry certifications [45]. In addition, online training resources are available from Mathematica, Apple Online, and Moodle.

Discipline-specific Training

Additional training opportunities are made available through the various colleges and departments to ensure the proper use of specialized technologies by students.

Related Principles

In addition to the technology that enhances student learning and enriches the resources for students, faculty and staff, more information related to the use of technology at LSU as it relates to academic support and assessment of student learning is found in Comprehensive Standards 3.4.9 and 3.3.1.3.