University Information Technology Services (UITS)
Annual Highlights Report: July 1, 2013 - June 30, 2014
http://uits.iu.edu
UITS continues advancing action items associated with the university’s strategic plan for information technology (IT), Empowering People, a multi-year plan for achieving greater efficiencies in IT resources, while providing for greater productivity in the university’s missions of education and research. This report reflects UITS’s contributions to both Empowering People and the IUPUI Strategic Plan.
The Success of our Students
IU launches initiative to help students graduate in four years
IU is intensifying efforts to improve students' four- and six-year graduation rates by developing new information technologies that support completion. The university will support and enhance system-wide software platforms that use alerts, degree mapping, and other features to provide students and advisors real-time feedback on students' academic performance and elements important to student success, such as class attendance and registering for the correct courses. http://go.iu.edu/d1R
UITS partnering with IUPUI on Business Intelligence Initiative
UITS is partnering with several offices at IUPUI on a multi-phase project to provide critical student information in a timely fashion to administrators, deans, directors, and analysts. Deliverables include self-service access to key decision making information through the IU enterprise Business Intelligence tools. Data will come from a variety of sources including several SIS (Student Information Service) modules, University Institution Research snapshots, and departmental survey applications. This enables a wide range of reporting and analytics functionality.
IU eText usage increases
The IU eTexts initiative begins fall 2014 with a noticeable increase in users – 586 classes of 229 courses (compared to 360 classes of 147 courses in fall 2013). IU eTexts added three new publishers for fall: HEC Montreal, Responsive Learning Technologies, LLC, and SimProfessionals. These new publishers provide online simulation games that have been used by the IU Bloomington Kelley School of Business’ MBA and MSIS (Master of Science in Information Systems) Core programs, and by a few other faculty.
Online course development
IU Online will accelerate the development and delivery of quality online courses and programs at IU's campuses statewide, address Indiana's economic and professional development needs, and extend the university's global reach. Learning Technologies has provided hands-on support for development of more than 50 IUPUI online academic courses, including 10 cross-campus collaborations. UITS is streamlining efforts within areas of online collaboration and learning, student support, faculty training, online course templates, accessibility, library access, and academics.
Active classroom transformation for Lecture Hall 104
Opening fall 2014, IUPUI Lecture Hall 104 will be transformed into a “Collaborative Learning Studio.” This newly designed innovative classroom space will leverage advanced technologies to support collaborative learning in large classes. Students will work in teams at technology-enhanced tables, and have their work displayed on a large video wall for sharing with the entire class. Each collaborative table will have a display to foster small group assignments and to connect student-owned mobile devices.
Canvas by Instructure chosen as successor to Oncourse
Indiana University has selected Canvas by Instructure as the successor to Oncourse. On April 1, Canvas accounts (canvas.iu.edu) became available for faculty and staff upon request. Fall 2014 courses are available in both Oncourse and Canvas (faculty can choose), with Oncourse remaining available through summer 2016. The platform will also be available for IU Online course development.
Review and selection of new ePortfolio application
In late 2012, a system-wide task force was charged with recommending prospective replacements for the open source portfolio environment in Oncourse. The task force developed and prioritized functional requirements for an RFI in summer 2013. After extensive review, discussion, and live demos, the task force ranked vendors and issued recommendations. IU issued a RFP for an enterprise ePortfolio system after Canvas was named Oncourse's successor, and a contract is expected in summer 2014.
Tablet paperless classroom pilot at IUPUI
In a partnership with UITS, Katie Stanton-Nichols, associate professor of adapted physical activity, and Roberta Lindsey, coordinator of Undergraduate Music Studies and clinical associate professor, each received a tablet for course instruction in fall 2013. In addition, students received iPads or Galaxy Note 8 tablets for their academic and personal use during the fall semester. http://go.iu.edu/d1S
IUPUI's Global Crossroads re-opens with latest technology
An October ceremony marked the re-opening of IUPUI's Global Crossroads Laboratory in the Education/Social Work building. Global Crossroads is a collaborative partnership funded by the IUPUI Office of International Affairs, UITS, and a $25,000 Learning Environment Grant from the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning. The facility contributed to IUPUI becoming a recognized leader in comprehensive campus internationalization. http://go.iu.edu/d1T
IU expands videoconferencing services
IU is partnering with Pexip Inc. to deliver expanded videoconferencing services to its eight campuses and 135,000 students, faculty and staff. The new service, Pexip Infinity, is a software platform that provides personal meeting rooms for users on video, voice, and mobile. IU and Pexip are creating the most scalable video infrastructure in higher education. http://go.iu.edu/d1U
IU joins Unizin, a new education technology services partnership
IU joined three other leading US research universities in forming the Unizin consortium to provide a suite of services for courses, online learning, and big data analytics. The goal is to significantly improve the way educational content is shared across institutions and ultimately delivered to students. Unizin will provide a common infrastructure for member universities to work locally and together to strengthen their missions of education and research using the most innovative digital technology available. http://go.iu.edu/d1V
Next.IU video management pilots
As part of the ongoing investigation into next-generation learning technologies at Indiana University (see next.iu.edu), UITS Learning Technologies is evaluating three video management systems: Ensemble Video, Kaltura MediaSpace, and the video capabilities built into Canvas, IU's new learning management system. http://go.iu.edu/d1W
Advances in Health and Life Sciences
Advanced Biomedical Information Technology Core aids medical, health, clinical researchers
- The mission of the Advanced Biomedical IT Core (ABITC), a unit of UITS Research Technologies, is to aid health, medical, clinical, and translational researchers throughout IU. ABITC operates the online presence of the Indiana CTSI (Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute: indianactsi.org) and collaborative tools accessed via its online portal. Services used by IU School of Medicine and Clinical Affairs researchers now hold over 800,000 records and documents.
- Advanced Biomedical IT Core (ABITC) online services are accessed by 9,000 unique users. ABITC services used by health, medical, and clinical researchers include: REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture), Alfresco Share, data repositories for NIH grants to IU School of Medicine researchers, the Indiana CTSI Remedy Informatics Registry system, the Comprehensive Bone Marrow Transplant registry, the Indiana CTSI OnCore Clinical Trials Management System, the Indiana Biobank system, and management of a mirror copy of Indiana Network for Patient Care database.
- All UITS Research Technologies (RT) servers and storage systems are aligned with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), so that any IU School of Medicine or Clinical Affairs researcher can store and analyze Protected Health Information on any RT-supported service. IU was the one of the first institutions in the US to operate supercomputers aligned with HIPAA.
IU visualization experts help doctors diagnose fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
IU received a $125,000 grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health for ongoing research into detecting fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, a leading but preventable cause of birth defects. IU has been engaged in the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders for more than a decade. IU’s Advanced Visualization Lab has worked with Professor Tatiana Foroud from the beginning, helping her obtain and operate the technology she needs. http://go.iu.edu/d1X
IU center partners on $4M grant to advance cancer research
The National Center for Genome Analysis Support received a joint five-year, $4 million resource improvement grant from the National Cancer Institute. The grant is a partnership with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the lead institution, and the Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing at Technische University in Dresden. The partnership's goal is to advance cancer research. http://go.iu.edu/d1Y
Big Red II matters to IUPUI
There are now more than 113 disciplines and sub-disciplines of scholarly, artistic, and research endeavors represented among users of IU’s 1 PetaFLOPS Supercomputer Big Red II (BRII). Many of the researchers using Big Red II are located in the medical school at IUPUI. Several training programs offered in Indianapolis during the past year have made it easier to learn about and make use of BRII. As just one example, BRII is doing the majority of the computing and data analysis for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, a project aimed at finding the genetic origins of Alzheimer’s Disease.
IU's Kuali Coeus system ensures protections for human research subjects
IU has implemented the Kuali Coeus Institutional Review Board (KC IRB), a comprehensive online system for the submission, review, and approval of human subjects research. With seven Institutional Review Boards and more than 4,800 approved active research studies, IU is the largest university to implement this community-developed open source software. Researchers now use KC IRB to submit all review items including renewals, amendments, non-key personnel updates, and FYIs. New forms within KC IRB significantly streamline the continuing review process for greater efficiency.
http://go.iu.edu/7Yn
IU to lead $5 million science gateway project
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $5 million, five-year collaborative grant to IU, the San Diego Supercomputer Center, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to develop the Science Gateway Platform (SciGaP), which will provide researchers with a variety of hosted services that support science gateways and further scientific discovery. http://go.iu.edu/d1Z
Contributions to the Well-Being of the Citizens of Indianapolis, the State of Indiana, and Beyond
Public broadcasters to benefit from new I-Light connection
Indiana's eight public television stations will connect to the I-Light network, allowing them to share more programs faster and at less cost. Viewers will benefit from a larger selection of shows produced in Indiana. The IBJ reports that the state’s nine public radio stations will also connect. I-Light, Indiana's high-speed fiber optic network, is a collaboration among Indiana colleges and universities, state government, and private sector broadband providers. http://go.iu.edu/8Cf
Statewide IT conference features former US Rep. Hamilton, first US Chief Technology Officer Chopra
Leading minds in technology, cybersecurity, and foreign policy spoke during IU's 2013 Statewide IT Conference, October 29 and 30. IU’s annual gathering of IT professionals attracts attendees from all over the state to learn about new technologies and initiatives and plan for the future. http://go.iu.edu/d20
Twenty year agreement secures I-Light future
The I-Light network — Indiana's high speed fiber optic network for research and education (R&E) — has entered into a long-term agreement with the Zayo Group, a global provider of fiber-based bandwidth infrastructure, to provide fiber for the I-Light network backbone. I-Light connects to the nation's most advanced R&E networks. http://go.iu.edu/d21
Pervasive Technologies Institute aids MEAP and other educational programs in Indianapolis
The IU Pervasive Technologies Institute (PTI) operates outreach and education programs that reach over 20,000 people a year – ranging from kindergarteners learning about computing to community members learning about the economic value of advanced technology. In particular, PTI makes computing and networking contributions to the IUPUI Society of Black Engineers Minority Education Achievement Program (MEAP) summer workshop for children grades 6 through 12. MEAP helps students interested in math and science explore educational and career paths for engineering and technology fields. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLIlTCXAOVM
Collaboration and Best Practices
McRobbie announces IU Media Preservation and Digitization Initiative, calls for master plan
In his October 1 State of the University address, IU President Michael McRobbie laid out plans to digitize all of IU's "time-based media objects" on all campuses in time for IU's bicentenary in 2019. The IU Media Preservation and Digitization Initiative (MPDI) will receive funding of $15 million over the next five years. http://go.iu.edu/d22
Intelligent Infrastructure upgrade boosts speeds without raising costs
IU departments no longer need to maintain their own servers, storage, or backups. IU Intelligent Infrastructure (II) can do that, while departmental staff retains full control of operating systems, applications, and data. II offers access to the same high-performance and high-availability hardware and security used for critical university applications and services.
http://go.iu.edu/d23
CAS at IU extended to accept two-factor authentication and other improvements
IU has partnered with Unicon, Inc. – a leading IT consulting, services, and support provider specializing in open source for the education technology market – to extend the Central Authentication Service (CAS). Extensions, driven by IU identity and access management needs, address requirements such as two-factor authentication, password policy management, and federated identity. http://go.iu.edu/d24
IU clocks-in with Kuali Human Resources Time and Attendance
IU has gone live with the Kuali Human Resources (KHR) Time system, marking the first large-scale implementation. The new system provides improved application performance and service levels, as well as a more intuitive user interface with more accurate recording of time worked. http://go.iu.edu/cWR
Ivy Tech renews IU Support Center contract for two years
In October 2012, IU's award-winning client services and support division started providing 24/7 IT help desk and support services via telephone and email for faculty, staff, and students on all Ivy Tech campuses. IU and Ivy Tech recently renewed this contract for two years, having eliminated duplication of systems, space, staff and management between the two institutions to make more effective use of tuition and state resources. http://go.iu.edu/d2c
IU Support Center wins Call Center Excellence Award
The UITS Support Center earned runner-up honors in the Best in Class (under 200 staff) category of the 2014 Call Center Week Excellence Awards, bestowed during the 15th annual Call Center Award Week. IU was the only higher education finalist among 33 contenders in 13 categories. Competitors included CareerBuilder and wellness company GuideWell Connect. http://go.iu.edu/d2b
IU CIO Brad Wheeler earns EDUCAUSE Leadership Award
EDUCAUSE has granted its highest honor -- the Leadership Award for individual achievement -- to Brad Wheeler, IU vice president for information technology and CIO and Kelley School of Business professor. Wheeler has directed the $3,000 award to the IU Scholarship Fund. http://go.iu.edu/d25
One.IU earns national praise for app store experience, wins Indiana’s TechPoint Mira Award
One.IU, IU’s new app store for its online services, was a finalist in IDG’s Consumerization of IT in the Enterprise (CITE) awards program. IU was the only university named a CITE finalist. The development team for One.IU received the Tech Services Award at the 15th annual TechPoint Mira Awards in the "IT to Support the Business" category for its streamlined access to key resources, such as grades, bursar bills, and financial systems. http://go.iu.edu/d26 and http://go.iu.edu/d27
IT Communications team receives awards
The IU IT Communications Office, which operates under the leadership of the IU Office of the Vice President for Information Technology and CIO, received several awards. Their Next.IU site earned a Gold Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The Society for Technical Communication (STC) also honored the IT Communications team with several regional awards, and three projects received Awards of Merit in the 2014 STC International Summit Awards. http://go.iu.edu/d28 and http://go.iu.edu/d29