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What changes in the current computing environment will meet your needs?

Key responses to the survey:
Time, support & training
Better hardware / larger disk
More reliable network
Laptop
Portable instructor station
More ( specific ) software
Convert files to web/powerpoint

The following were the written comments to the survey:
"needs for hardware/software go beyond normal faculty. UM grant for some equipment, other needs not met in any way by UMSL"
"needs a stable computing environment. Network servers are messed up too often"
"access to instructional computing menu from my office, regular upgrades to software preferred on my desktop rather than networked software"
"needs a faster machine"
"need to learn more on using these machines"
"for research and service"
"portable instructor stations, laptops for use outside of the office, improved helpdesk services"
"support for AT classrooms + 107 CCB, support for help desk"
"laptop for home/classroom for seamless preparation of course materials"
"training and instructor stations in more classrooms are very much required"
"Easier development of web pages, personal hardware backup facilities"
"laptops required for teaching purposes, classrooms need more computers to hook up with, appropriate projectors are necessary to project PC output to a large screen. PCs kept in departments' can have appropriate software loaded on for each discipline"
"would like to install the spreadsheet (Lotus for mac) on my office machine instead of having to depend on Re network. More tutoring in getting instructional materials on-line via links to the departmental webpage."
"will like to upgrade my workstation"
"more classes using hardware that works"
"meets 80 % of my needs. Need more software & help"
"It is getting better now that a computer connected to Netscape and a printer is available for my use"
"changing my computer and acquire more training on using it"
"new coordinator for campus computing sensitive to a decentralized computing environment"
"need support staff who understand that different skill sets are prevalent among faculty which needs assistance in understanding the technical jargon & assistance from the staff" "need a better laptop & portable printer for my individual use"
"speed up on producing web pages, updating software - statistical & graphics on personal PCs'. Additional UNIX courses would be very useful for me"
"use of email listserv in my class was disastrous because of switch to jinx accounts which totally confused student users. Students could not be given a simple explanation on how to access emails because there were multiple routines depending on a number of variables"
"satisfactory for the moment"
"one of the printers in my department needs to be repaired because it breaks down often"
"need more access to help on www searches, need classroom technology station/each classroom to include computers (mac & dos), VCR & monitor, high density overhead projector, LED panel for protection."
"bring in one ATC rather than having to constantly move hardware,cables, etc, have a netware maintenance software, dedicated music ATC"
"better help in support units"
"Campus has lots of hardware but little in the areas of support & training. Stop buying machines and implement training & consulting functions. We also need to be able to schedule rooms for research & classes on a non regular basis"
"need better research lab computers. It would be helpful to have more advanced language courses such as C, C++, Visual Basic, AT Languages etc"
"Remote backup of program disks & files by computing center, software for accepting homework, grading tests & posting grades, support for class interaction on the web"
"meets needs except for MS word support, small problems still exist in dial up access"
"I would like to be more competent on the internet"
"better trained instructors for courses - more & better trained people at the help desk"
"needs to be upgraded, hardware - PC classrooms on south campus, policies - still need \"start up\" money & help "
" need a qualitative data analysis package, such as nudior or ethnagraph"
"better software support, adequately stuffed help desk"
"much greater reliability of LAN, instructor station, much larger hard disk, improved help desk"
"access to production of slides using Powerpoint, access to scanner"
"need a dedicated person for departments. The person should respond more quickly / efficiently to needs as they arrive"
"Software development support. I would also be willing to pay for the staff who could offer support in a timely fashion"
"would like to learn to use it, need time for development, access to laptops to take to the clinical site"
"we need to convince the director of the computer center and others that \"human support\" is important as software & hardware. We need to organize our computer staff better and perhaps spend more money on human assets. In our case, we need carefully supervised support for the statistical packages like SAS & SPSS. We need someone like Larry Pickett who know both statistics & computers spending full time in this area"
"need windows on Power PC ( and networking of PC side of the desktop Mac in my office), better Mac printing facilities"
"would like to put course materials on the Web site"
"more reliable computer in my office - it crashes, lock ups often. I also need easier access to printers"
"visit schedule by computer personnel to our location for hands on help, visit of computer offices/personnel to offer their suggestion & responses, visit dept meeting yearly, need periodic consultation on WP for Windows, Eudora, Web search engine, projection, web page making, printers"
"would like to see each classroom have access to portable instructors stations, would allow for more instructing graphics as well as dialing"
"need new machine & a more reliable network"
"need an expert available on short notice to help me deal with glitches. Presently the finder on my 7.5 Mac Operating system keeps giving me error messages and crashes my Mac. I need someone to help me fix that problem immediately and effectively"
"Make it easy to put access to manuscripts, etc., onto personal web pages. Improve web pages & links"
"would like to learn to use the scanner"
"server goes down frequently"
"Laptops would help for work during travel, need good dial-up access from home"
"computing staff is not attuned to the needs of non-sophisticated faculty (or even sophisticated ). Courses are designed too much from scratch - most of us do not want to become computer consultants"
"we have created our own computing environment through external grants + dept. funds. We rely on the university for network support (e.g repair) assistant with operating system upgrades and e-mail problems"
"more reliable UMSL server, well trained high-quality personnel"
"more help with programming"
"need time & support to develop responsible ways to integrate more technological resources into my curriculum. Classrooms here are antiquated & unpredictable"
"support Word Perfect & Systat for Mac"
"would prefer a laptop to a desktop. Have monitor & keyboard at office. Then laptop could be used in classroom & off campus presentations"
"classes for social scientists likely to use same type of Internet searches etc., providing department relevant courses"
"Reliability, need a portable PC w/projection & effective classroom printers"
"My biggest problem is not knowing what questions to ask"
"easy connection to network in any classroom at any time would be helpful"
"Upgraded on new computer"
"Training on use of SPSS for PC. Applications & databases, more access with Web pages"
"network software is slow in coming (updating) or not that originally learned. It is not 100% reliable in terms of access"
"Its only because I buy thing myself from grants and thus it meet my needs"
"Most of my computing needs are met by obtaining funding to purchase own hardware /software and train myself to do the systems administrations. The huge bureaucracy of the current computing center is not very useful because I am not sure whom should be approached for what problem. There has been some improvement in last 2-3 months. Departmental liaison was an excellent idea. Help desk is being helpful"
"Incompatibility of email for shipping word processed documents remains a major problem, both in terms of service needs (i.e., to UM - Columbia) and research ( my co-author is in Fairfax, VA), Building and maintaining class web page is another problem"
"maintenance at times ( for printers, etc., ), not able to successfully utilize list server in my inter 1997 classes, despite many frustrating efforts to do so"
"I buy some software I want rather than relying on network"
"I have gone to great lengths to isolate myself in my office from the campus network - primarily because of reliability problems. My classes are often hampered because of problems in the classrooms which have in turn had impacts in my course evaluations"
"OCS needs more staff experts in individual software packages (including programming ability) - particularly data bases and spreadsheets - to assist faculty in realizing the utility of computer programs for their research and to program such projects. The same goes for authoring programs for teaching purposes. Lacking funds for such support, OCS should work to entice such knowledgeable faculty to offer demos of programs, packages rewarding them with stipends or reduced teaching loads"
"I need SPSS specifically & need reliable periodic access to a Mac lab for my classes. If I cannot rely on the access or it is not Mac it is useless to me"
"I have very good hardware on my pentium PC. Unfortunately it does not work as well as the 286 which I had purchased with my grant monies some 12 years ago. On my 286 running Dos 3.1, I could solve my own problems. On my pentium running Windows NT, I cannot because it does not work. I need better & more individualized support"
"need more reliable competent, prompt help & more personnel for support"
"I would be receiving a computer this summer"
"Prompt access to help desk staff. They not only don't answer the phone any more, but they can't handle their messages. Typically, I hear from them ~72 hours after I leave a help desk message. I need to know now, not in 3 days ! Since my office machine PC( Optiflex GM +575) has been unable to print on the department printer since January, I have had to go to the students lab to print courses, assignment, syllabi etc. That's ridiculous. I now do all my work at home, & pay to have students stuff printed at Kinko's. Without a functioning help desk, the University investment in upgrading my computer is useless"
"more & better trained staff, access to better & more accessible teaching classrooms, access to better network disk space & programs, better support for the mainframe, improve staffing - have staff on call 24 hrs ! "