Information
Technology Activity
Contact Information
Technology
Anytime Support Desk
Available 24 hours a day,
7 days a week
(310) 506-HELP (4357)
or (866) 767-8623
Technology and Learning
for Faculty
http://services.pepperdine.
edu/techlearn/
techlearn@pepperdine.edu
Office of the Vice
Provost and Chief
Information Officer
(310) 506-4501
Request IT Services
http://services.pepperdine.edu/
it/forms
and Status Report
September 2010
Announcements for Faculty and Staff Meetings
Pepperdine Rolls Out New Learning Management System.
In July, all Pepperdine faculty and staff learned of the decision to adopt Sakai
as the University's learning management system. As the fall term begins, all
faculty are encouraged to begin using Pepperdine's version of Sakai, named
"Courses." The University's contract with Blackboard will expire on
December 31, 2010 and will not be renewed. View the Courses
implementation page.
The Technology and Learning group has partnered with Seaver College
technology liaisons and graduate campus support staff to provide numerous
Courses workshop opportunities for faculty. Workshop topics include:
• Getting Started: A 90-minute Introduction to Courses
• A Closer Look at Courses: A Half-Day Workshop
• Migration: Moving Your Blackboard Material to Courses
Workshop registration is a required, because seating is limited. View the full
schedule of available workshops. The Technology and Learning group is also
happy to provide one-on-one consultation and support for faculty. Request
a consultation online or contact Hong.Kha@pepperdine.edu for more
information.
Find Additional Support for Courses Online. The Technology
and Learning website contains self-help documentation for faculty on
Courses. The documentation includes a getting started guide, migration
support for faculty who currently use Blackboard, and step-by-step
procedures for using popular Courses tools including the gradebook,
announcements, and assignments. Visit the Technology and Learning website
to access Courses self-help documentation.
1 Information Technology Activity and Status Report, September 2010
Administrative Support for Schools
New Faculty Orientation for Seaver College. Pepperdine IT staff members Gerard Flynn,
Jason Eggleston, and Matthew Bush oriented new Seaver College faculty to several critical IT services
and technologies. Attendees learned about technical resources available to support them in their
academic and administrative duties as well as whom to contact if they require technical support. For a
list of faculty-specific services and technologies visit the IT website.

iPad Research Study Begins at Pepperdine. Information Technology is conducting a study to

assess the effectiveness of the iPad as a learning tool for students. In May, four faculty members applied
and were selected to participate in the first phase of this three-part study. Throughout the summer, IT
staff worked with the faculty members to help choose iPad applications that could be used to support,
disseminate, or enhance their course content. In late August as classes began, students in two
undergraduate courses in Seaver College, one course in the Graziadio School of Business and
Management (GSBM), and one course in the School of Law were loaned iPads for the duration of the
fall term as part of the study. The study will conclude in December 2011. Read more about the study.

Drescher Campus Training Lab Virtualized. IT staff members Thomas Hoover, Erik Rush,
and Anthony Cortez are in the process of replacing all 23 computers in the Drescher Training Lab with
L300 NComputing virtual desktops. When the virtualization process is complete, three host computers
will support all 23 computers in the lab; therefore the virtualization reduces the computer replacement
expense by two-thirds and saves 89 percent in energy costs. This lab is used by faculty and students of
the Graduate School of Education and Psychology(GSEP), School of Public Policy, and GSBM.

Administrative Support for the University

IT Goes Greener with Telecom eStatements. Information Technology's Telecom Billing
department is implementing a new, secure website that will allow Pepperdine condominium owners and
residents to receive and view their telephone bills online. Individuals who choose to opt in for
eStatements will no longer receive a paper bill. Users will have two options to pay their telephone bills:
(a) print out the payment coupon and mail or deliver it with payment to the Cashier's Office; or (b) use
their personal bank’s online bill pay service to process the payment electronically. The new website will
streamline the monthly billing process, saving staff time and funds that would have been spent on paper
and postage. The site is expected to launch in early October 2010. For more information, please contact
the Telecom Billing department at (310) 506-6736 or telecombilling@pepperdine.edu.

Canon Copiers to be Replaced in Coming Years. Over the next several years, Information
Technology will replace many of the 90 networked Canon copiers on campus. Although many of the
copiers are in good working condition, they are nearing the end of their lifespan and will need to be
replaced in the near future. IT staff members Jerry Hoover, director of Anytime Support, and Jonathan
See, deputy CIO, began conversations with Canon earlier this summer and are analyzing repair records,
usage volumes, locations, and features of each copier to prioritize the replacement order.

2 Information Technology Activity and Status Report, September 2010

Infrastructure, Systems, and Networking Updates
Rockwell Towers Residence Hall Wireless Access to Improve. Information Technology
staff members are currently finalizing a plan to implement a major wireless upgrade in the Rockwell
Towers. Led by project manager Dave Holden, the upgrade will provide additional access points to
significantly expand the coverage area and increase performance of the existing network. Expected
completion of these improvements is slated for mid-October.

Encino Campus Renovation. Since April 2010, Information Technology has been working closely
with University partners to renovate the Encino graduate campus. The following areas of the campus
received significant technical upgrades from Information Technology:

• Infrastructure and Networking: New network cabling was installed in select areas of the building
as part of the renovation project. In addition, Information Technology staff replaced the existing
network cabling in all other areas so that the entire campus can benefit from the same enhanced
performance and reliability.

• Telephone System: Information Technology funded a complete telephone system replacement for
this campus. The Cisco telephone and conference call system provides the foundation needed to
use new communications tools in the future.

• Wireless Network Access: Information Technology upgraded the wireless network at the Encino
Campus with the very latest wireless technology (11n) in order to provide Pepperdine
community members with fast and reliable Internet access at any time.

• Classroom Technology: Each Encino classroom received a new projector, new speakers, a DVD/
VCR combo unit, and a new projector screen. In addition, the library was equipped with six new
Mac computers and ten new Windows computers. These updates will not only standardize the
technology, but more importantly, they will provide students with the opportunity to learn in an
environment equipped to access and use various educational and multimedia resources.

IT Negotiates Decrease in Cable TV Contract Changes. Information Technology staff

member Dave Holden recently assisted the University in contract negotiations with Charter
Communications, the University's cable television provider. The new contract provides a significant cost-
per-outlet reduction from previous years. In the coming months, IT will work closely with the University,
University departments, and Charter Communications to streamline billing processes and to ensure that
University departments are receiving cable TV services are properly billed.

Westlake Village Campus Technology Upgraded. Over the past year, Pepperdine IT's
Systems and Networking teams have been working to upgrade the network infrastructure at the
Westlake Village campus. One of the many milestones in the upgrade was to increase the Internet
bandwidth to support the needs of smart classrooms. Faculty, staff, and students can now host improved
and more reliable online classroom sessions and video conferences. In addition, the increased bandwidth
provides greater access to online materials and resources.

3 Information Technology Activity and Status Report, September 2010

Other improvements include converting the Westlake campus to the new Cisco Unified Telephone
system. When complete, this system will enable the faculty and staff at Westlake Village to use four-digit
dialing to other Pepperdine campuses and a unified voicemail system. The planned migration date is set
for end of October 2010.

West Los Angeles Cisco Unified Telephony Implementation Complete. In August

2010, Systems and Networking teams migrated over 425 telephones on the West Los Angeles campus
to a new platform from Cisco that merges voice, video, and web conferencing. During the transition,
Systems and Networking staff facilitated group training sessions for both GSBM and GSEP users to
demonstrate the phone’s features and answer any questions or concerns about the changes to the
telephone system. The new system will streamline communication by giving callers one number to dial
and redirecting incoming calls to multiple phones. The West Los Angeles and Malibu emergency campus
telephone operator stations and the Malibu main campus operator stations were also converted to the
new system.

Administrative Support - Software Tools

Rollout Planned For WaveNet Travel and Expense Module. A new PeopleSoft module
for travel and expense reporting is expected to be rolled out to Seaver College faculty and staff within
the next month with a University-wide rollout planned for later this fall. The module will support all
University departments in reconciling travel and expense charges. Expense receipts still need to be sent
to the Finance Department for supporting documentation.

Direct Lending Initiative Update. As a participant in the Direct Loan program, Pepperdine has
provided students with a more simplified and secure process for receiving loans during the fall term.
Over $16 million in student loans have been disbursed thus far through the Direct Loan program.
Financial aid administrators and students are pleased with the transition, citing increased ease of
processing and faster disbursement of funds.

Presentations
Pepperdine IT Shares Career Ladder Methodology with University of British
Columbia, Vancouver. JoAnn McNayr, team leader in IT administration, was invited to the
University of British Columbia in early August to share her experience with integrating Information
Technology's career ladders and job families into the University's human resources process.

IT Staff Present at Distance Teaching and Learning Conference. Thomas Hoover and
Gerard Flynn, directors of Instructional Technology and Technology and Learning, respectively, presented
the results of desktop virtualization initiatives at Pepperdine University at the 26th Annual Conference
on Distance Teaching and Learning in Madison, Wisconsin on August 6, 2010.

Dr. Chester Publishes Article About TechQual+. Dr. Timothy Chester, vice provost and
chief information officer, recently published an article in the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research
bulletin. The article explained the TechQual+ approach to assessing faculty, student, and staff satisfaction
with and expectations of higher education Information Technology departments. The article explains the
theory behind the TechQual+ approach, the generation of data indicators through the TechQual+
survey, and the plans for refining the TechQual+ survey instrument in the future. Click here for more
information or to log into EDUCAUSE to read the article.

4 Information Technology Activity and Status Report, September 2010

Benchmarks and Accountability
Anytime Support Help Desk Statistics for August. During August 2010, there were 1863
requests for support managed through the Anytime Support Desk. Of these requests, 67 percent were
resolved within two days and 96 percent were resolved in fewer than five days. The average wait time
for individuals calling the Anytime Support Help Desk was 80 seconds. Seventy-nine percent of the
requests were resolved on the first call.

Online Requests. In August 2010, there were 286 additional requests for support managed through
online web request forms. The top two types of online requests were for departmental phone services
(105) and requests for access to network resources (39).

Anytime Support Desk User Survey Results for August. Through an automated
feedback process, all Anytime Support Desk callers have the opportunity to complete a web-based
satisfaction survey. In August 2010, 280 (18.1%) of 1547 survey requests sent to customers were
submitted. The four-question survey uses a “1 to 5” scale with “4.00-5.00” equal to excellent.

Response Overall Customer Resolution

Month Competency
Rate Satisfaction Service Timeliness
June 13.2% 4.65 4.7 4.53 4.72
July 16.8% 4.55 4.59 4.47 4.6
August 18.1% 4.49 4.59 4.30 4.58

Staff Support by Major Area. All Pepperdine IT staff allocate their day-to-day efforts using
client, project, and task codes; using this data, total division-wide staff effort for August 2010 was
distributed as follows:

University Administration Support 1,612 hours 10.59% $75,369.97

Colleges, Academic Affairs 3,340 hours 21.94% $90,996.03

University-Wide, Common Services 5,036 hours 33.00% $212,638.70

IT Administration and Management 2,686 hours 17.64% $103,279.17

General Overhead (Leave, Holiday) 2,549 hours 16.74% $94,791.22

Total: 15,223 hours 100% $577,075.09

Support for Schools. Pepperdine IT staff effort provided to Pepperdine schools is as follows:

Month Seaver GSBM GSEP SOL SPP

June 47.99% 27.17% 21.91% 0.92% 2.01%

July 48.28% 25.94% 19.29% 0.57% 5.92%
August 58.06% 20.46% 15.33% 2.86% 3.47%

How to Subscribe to this Report. If you would like to be added to the distribution list for this
report, please contact Dana Hoover, communications manager, at extension x4948. The Monthly IT
Status Report archive is available online at services.pepperdine.edu/it/about/status-reports.htm.

5 Information Technology Activity and Status Report, September 2010