Trends in Computing for Higher Education
(1993 - 1998)
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Prepared by the Information Services Committee
- Nancy Belodoff (Graduate & Continuing Education)
- Kari Blinn (Registrar),
- Douglas Brown (Distributed Computing)
- Bruce Buchanan (Central Computing)
- Mark Coleman, chair (English)
- Keith Compeau (Library)
- Kenneth Coskran (Chemistry)
- Janet Dudley-Eshbach (Dean, Liberal Studies)
- Bob Jewett (Distributed Computing)
- Steven Minsker (Computer/Information Sciences)
- William Morris (Alumni Relations)
- Joy Hughes, Associate Vice President for Information Services
Potsdam College of SUNY
May 6, 1993
A. Network communications will increase significantly in speed and become so ubiquitous that the transfer of useful/large volumes of information (sound
and video) will be possible, and practical, for all campus users.
B. There will be an enormous range of education and life-long learning applications available electronically, such as on-line job training programs,
electronic libraries, virtual laboratories and field trips, and collaborative
learning. (5)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- Potsdam College, despite its geographic distance from large metropolitan areas which support valuable educational resources (libraries), will have access to "...the combined resources of the nation's libraries, archives, and research centers." (1) We will have the capability of providing the same level of access to these resources as the most prestigious institutions do.
- It will be possible for faculty, staff and students to collaborate more easily amongst themselves or with off-campus colleagues on instructional assignments, research, reports, and other projects which rely upon information sharing; faculty and students will not be academically isolated from their colleagues and peers.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- The demand for this level of service will put additional financial pressure on the campus to pay for the necessary computing resources to make these resources accessible to a broader part of the College.
C. High-speed communications (e.g., FDDI, Fast Ethernet, ATM, Frame Relay,
etc.) should become standardized by 1996 due to federal legislation last year
which created the National Research and Education Network (NREN); there will be
even more federal support for this development under the new administration.
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
Standardization should make it possible for Potsdam College to use the existing fiber optic backbone to provide the infrastructure for high-speed
communications.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
May need to replace some or all hub and closet components, and cabling
in order to take advantage of high-speed communications and gateways to the
Internet in order to provide it to a broad base of campus users.
D. Wireless technology will eliminate the need to install cabling in many locations not currently served by our campus network; it will be easier to
configure and administer wireless networks than current networks.
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- Significant time and cost savings; wireless networks will require much less labor to install than current networks (no cabling); our residence halls will become part of the campus information web and enhance the value of electronically based information.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- May need to replace some closet and hub components, and cabling in order to
take advantage of this form of communications.
The predominant format for interacting with the significant computing
systems over the next five years will be via a graphical user interface (GUI)
(2)
Increased intelligence will be built into the interface, reducing complexity as
perceived by the user, even while delivering increasingly sophisticated
information systems. (2)
"Advances in interface technology may well be a better investment than
increased training." (2)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- This technology should lead to more effective use of campus computing resources and increased productivity. Potsdam College is well-prepared for this trend since nearly 80% of our faculty and nearly every student have access to and use Macintosh computers (the current leader user interface technology) As a result, our campus is well-prepared in terms of experience and skills to take advantage of advanced user interfaces, regardless of the computer platform, as they become important to the campus. We will also be able to effectively utilize a significant amount of our current Macintosh technology (Mac II, 030-series, or better) through 1998 in order to provide important advances in user interface technology to our campus users.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- Most of our current DOS technology (Intel 286, 808x and compatibles) will not be able to support the current advances in Intel-based user interface technology (viz., Windows 3.1). Most of our DOS users have no experience or skills with current and emerging developments in user interface technology and will require more training and lead time before they are able to improve their productivity.
A. "...computers have been getting smaller, faster, and cheaper for
decades and show every sign of continuing to do so." (1)
B. There will be many types of specialized computers in many different form factors (e.g., built-in, "pads", tablets, desktop), so that "...we won't even be aware we are using one" (1)
There will be "...a focus on ubiquitous accessibility--anyplace/anytime computing"(2)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- The campus would be able to tailor resources to the task, reducing costs and
applying technology more appropriately.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- In addition to training for users, the campus computing support staff
will need to acquire new skills and develop new support services to ensure that
this new technology is used effectively.
C. "In a few years you will be able to talk to your computer, and it will talk back." (1)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- This technology should lead to more effective use of campus computing resources and increased productivity, especially for those who have a disability with eye-hand coordination.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- The campus will need to purchase the resources necessary to utilize this type of technology.
D. The distinction between telephony, computing and visual media (TV,
film) will blur significantly by 1998. "Computers will become all-purpose
communication devices which will replace the office phone." (3)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- This technology should lead to more effective use of the new campus telephone system will is scheduled to be installed in August, 1993. It should also make it possible to fully integrate the voice-mail features of the new system with other computer-based communication services (e.g., email, conferencing)
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- The campus will have a new telephone system in place within the next year which includes new desktop phone sets. There may be considerable resistance to incorporating telephony with desktop computing given the investment in training and resources to the new telephone system.
A. Mainframe computing is no longer an efficient or cost-effective means of providing database access. The traditional large computers are under pressure from smaller, more flexible desktop computers and software (6), but the transition from one to the other is hindered by the lack of integration and
management tools in the industry (7).
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- Client/server strategies should make it possible for Potsdam College to take
advan- tage of lower-cost, "right-sized" solutions to new or re-engineered
applications.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- Until tools are available it will be difficult for Information Service Groups to adopt client/server technology to produce a seamless connection between host systems and desktop processing technology.
B. Structured Query Language (SQL) is "the lingua franca of relational
databases." (8)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- Oracle, the software engine on which BANNER is built, is written using SQL.
Potsdam College, by adopting BANNER and commiting to ORACLE as its database
standard, has positioned itself to take advantage of current developments in
networking, client/server computing, and distributed database architecture for
the 90's.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- Additional resources may be needed for staff training to accomplish the
migration to ORACLE7 and BANNER 2. Overhead costs to provide easy, transparent
access to new resources may increase.
A. More intelligence will be built into system software and applications making them more responsive to the user, offering advice and making corrections as instructed. (1)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- Should enhance users' productivity, improve accuracy and reliability of
information.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- The campus will need to purchase the necessary resources to utilize this type of software
B. There will be increased interoperability of applications among computer platforms (Macintosh, UNIX, Windows). Files created on one platform will be able to transferred to another platform with no intervening steps other than to load the files into an application.
Applications, rather than file-translation, may become the lingua franca for
exchanging information between different platforms (requiring us to standardize
on applications)
"As more cross-platform applications become available, the platforms users have
on their desktops will become less of an issue." (4)
- Potential benefits for Potsdam College:
- Should encourage more information sharing/exchange on campus since this will
reduce problems in the exchange of information between different offices and
users who are using different computer platforms
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- Users would have to use standard applications only in order to take advantage of this development.
C. No single operating system will dominate over the next five years. The major operating systems by 1998 will be Windows NT, Taligent's PowerOpen and the Mac OS.
A. There is an growing amount of obsolete equipment which has no
functional value for the College. By 1998, there will be a significant amount
of equipment which will not be useful, nor will be of use outside the College.
Some of the equipment may, in fact, be unsafe to use (radiation levels) or
impractical (hardware which cannot be repaired or replaced). Very little of
this equipment is recyclable, and much of it will actually be considered
hazardous waste material.
Computer hardware manufacturers are producing more of their equipment which is
recyclable.
- Potential concerns for Potsdam College:
- The campus may be faced with a significant cost to dispose of this equipment
due to environmental concerns and landfill restrictions. Future hardware
purchase decisions should consider the eventual problem of
surplusing/disposal.
1. "Advanced Technologies Lead the Way to the Future of Educational Computing", Syllabus, November/December 1992, Number 25.
2. "1992 PC Scenario", Strategic Analysis Report, August 24, 1992, Gartner Group RAS Services.
3. Heichler, E., "IBM's 'office vision': PCs push phones off the desk", InfoWorld, February 22, 1993, Volume 15, No. 8, pg. 1.
4. Oski, J., "Cross-platform support: Plan early, plan often", MacWEEK, February 8, 1993, Volume 7, No. 6, pgs. 43-46.
5. Computer Systems Policy Project, "Perspectives on the National Information Infrastructure: CSPP's Vision and Recommendations for Action", January 12, 1993, pg. 11.
6. Cassell, J. and Schulte, R., "The Changing Paradigm for Large Systems," Briefing Agenda--Gartner Group.
7. Skrinde, R. A., "Cooperative-Server: An Enterprise Solution," Datamation, February 15, 1993.
8. "Client/Server: An Overview," QUERY--Higher Education, Winter 1993, No. 6, p. 2.
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This document prepared by Robert Jewett. Email: (jewettrj@potsdam.edu).