Re-purposing a Student Tech Service Group? 185
discards writes "I help run a student group at a Canadian University. For almost 15 years we've provided students with services such as web space, email, wireless internet on campus, cvs/svn, database access, mailing lists, etc., all using Linux and FOSS. In recent years, however, we have faced becoming obsolete. The university now provides wireless access, people get their email from other places such as Google, which also provides free svn access, web space, and so forth. Since we have a large amount of decent, usable hardware, as well as space, funding and a very fast internet connection, we are looking to possibly reform instead of just withering away and dying. We would like to ask Slashdot for ideas as to what we could do; preferably something that cultivates student research or provides an otherwise useful service to students, though all ideas are welcome."
A few basic needs. (Score:5, Insightful)
Tech support would be number one on my list of helpful services.
The other thing that would be helpful is basic computer education. Yes, I know that most people in college already know how to work on the computers, however some, possibly older students, might be embarrassed to admit they don't know everything they feel that they should know. Confidential, one on one tutoring can eliminate the fear of admitting they aren't fully up to speed.
Do something for inner-city youth (Score:5, Insightful)
Forget college students. Do something for inner-city youth. Gather old computer parts from your school or lbusiness, put them together, install linux and give them to schools with limited computing resources. Involve the students in this process as well. Teach them how to install linux. Then teach them how to administer their own system.
A help center (Score:2, Insightful)
Move toward becoming a help center, someplace for students to turn to for assistance.
Students need help in all areas from install software and setting up their machines for classes to virus removal and re-installation of their operating system.
Also, you could set up a paid tutorial service for applications used in some of the accounting (and other) courses.
There is a real need for something like this on all campuses and the University IT department just does not have the manpower to provide it.
Tom
How about... back to Education? (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not take on a bigger challenge, and focus on teaching? Run small mini-classes on various topics, teach programming at all kinds of different levels, how to solve engineering problems numerically, etc. Since it is an engineering/design school, you can provide some kind of (real-life or online) forum helping people use technology to solve problems. I suppose this will somewhat depend on how your college's schedule works, but you will find that students will make time for you if you're providing a useful service. You've got the hardware -- now you just need to find a niche to add the value.
--
Hey code monkey... learn electronics! Powerful microcontroller kits for the digital generation. [nerdkits.com]
What Doesn't Google Offer? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:A few basic needs. (Score:5, Insightful)
Even advanced computer education would be useful. I'm a PhD computer science student, so I see the holes in undergraduates' knowledge of computer technologies, i.e. things that they're simply expected to know for a class and never taught. I also see how frustrating they find it to try to fill these holes in with self-study while maintaining a full course load.
Big examples that spring to mind include things like basic Linux commands, LaTeX, Maple, MATLAB, etc. Offer workshops for students where you teach them how to at least get started with these technologies and I'm sure that you'll have some interest.
Re:Student start-up hosting (Score:5, Insightful)
I can't believe that students wouldn't rather have hosting locally rather then in some place in the USA.
Make it cheap, make it usable, make it useful.
Run tech courses, educating students about different technology.
Run LAN parties.
Do things that require face to face communication, and that people can't get some other place.
Do tech support and trouble shooting for people's websites (which they won't get else where).
Try and integrate into different departments, especially science related ones, and host data, run resource intensive programs etc.
Expand your eligibility criteria, open it up to arts students.
Also check out other student groups around the world, for example: http://www.tucs.org.au/ [tucs.org.au]
Most of all, enjoy.
Re:A few basic needs. (Score:5, Insightful)
Computer hygiene, that's what I would call it. There needs to be a massive educational campaign performed across the United States. This needs to be approached like a major Public Health issue.
It's good that we have good systems administrators, but that basic knowledge is too centralized. In this new networked world, everybody needs to know how to maintain and clean their computers, just like everybody needs to know how to go the bathroom and properly wash their hands.
So what I'm suggesting, since you already have the infrastructure and the manpower is that you start an outreach program. Get them young, preferably before they start posting stuff on myspace. And target all the adults that are computer phobic, basically survey people in the corporate/working world, and target all the ones that check on their survey that they're "not good with computers".
Now, I'm not saying this is going to be easy, and I'm not saying that this is even glamorous work, but this needs to be done. An outreach program, a PR campaign, a manifesto, a think tank, etc. Start these efforts locally, and as you slowly gain success -- expand them outwards.
What every college needs. (Score:2, Insightful)
Start your own dating service for the students.
Sounds a little bland, of course, but since you have the hardware, bandwidth, and funding, you can spice it up a little: Either find some type of FOSS social MMO, or start your own.
Ask yourself this; What does every college student that hardly ever leaves his dorm need? Another way to procrastinate online!
Knowledge botique (Score:2, Insightful)
Roskilde University in Denmark could maybe be an inspiration for you in that respect:
From their site:
QUOTE:
Welcome to the Science Shop
Roskilde University wants to bridge the gap between enterprises, NGOs, public institutions (externals) and students. By participating in the Science Shop students and enterprises/NGOs/public institutions contribute to the sharing of knowledge and know-how between universities and the world outside. And the university becomes better at targeting our programmes towards the labour market and at preparing students for the transition from studies to working life.
The Science Shop constitutes the framework for project cooperation between students and enterprises/NGOs/public institutions. Students work with the practical aspects of the theories they have studied and gain relevant experience from the cooperating partner in the world outside the university. Enterprises, NGOs and public institutions can have somebody from the outside take a fresh perspective on them. In addition they will be able to see what it is like to work with academics, while at the same time obtaining focus on problems they may have or having shelved projects dusted off and re-examined. The main benefit for enterprises/NGOs/public institutions is that the students have up-to-date academic knowledge and may adopt unconventional approaches, which enable them to suggest new solutions to optimise everyday routines. Because of such cooperation, both enterprises/NGOs/public institutions and students will be better prepared for the future.
A project is an examination of a subject or a problem. It is based on specific research questions which students seek to answer and which serve as a connecting thread in the project. The research questions will generally require that students incorporate knowledge, theories and experience from a wide range of areas to find relevant answers, applying various methodologies and using different theories. The scope and extent of the project depend on the requirements formulated for the degree programme in question and on the number of students in the project group.
It is still not possible to view the database of the current project proposals. Therefore please contact us, if you need more information or want to know about the current project proposals. We still do not receive many project proposals in english, but are working on establishing cooperations including our englishspeaking gueststudents and international NGOs and enterprises.
QUOTE ENDS:
You can find information here: http://www.ruc.dk/vb_en/
I am planning to see if we can use them ourselves with respect to our own software project.
Regards
Einar Petersen - http://globability.org
Re:What Doesn't Google Offer? (Score:3, Insightful)
Off topic, but when did everyone on Slashdot start saying 'IP' when they meant 'data'? It seems to only be about a month ago. Weird.
Back on topic, offering truly private storage in a computer society network is tricky. The people with root will be other students, who aren't paid. If you start claiming really private (rather than 'we don't think you're interesting enough to bother spying on your mail') storage then you open yourself up to all sorts of liability issues.
We noticed over the past few years that the number of students who actually enjoy hacking, rather than just expecting everything to work, is dropping. Maybe that's local, I don't know, but it's hard to sell web space with the ability to run your own code when Google offer Blogger. The local computer society even uses Facebook now to advertise its events, which seems a long way away from the ideals it once stood for.
Re:Security Education (Score:2, Insightful)
How about actually HELPING students & instructors (+, even possibly network techs/engineers/admins also), on the topic of security itself, ala this guide's points:
HOW TO SECURE Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 & even VISTA, + make it "fun-to-do", via CIS Tool Guidance (& beyond):
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=970939&cid=25092677 [slashdot.org]
Offering a "learn to secure your own PC" type service, in addition to possibly also offering a "virus/spyware/trojan/rootkit/malware removal service" to students, instructors, & staff etc. et al, is an extension of the initial idea I offered... save them time, money, & also your jobs too (as well as educating others in the process!)...
APK
P.S.=> The CIS Tool itself, as well as points I added that "layer ontop of/go beyond its advisements", is NOT restricted to Windows NT-based OS' either (e.g.-> 2000/XP/Server 2003/VISTA), it also extends to *NIX variants as well (since it is a MULTIPLATFORM benchmark of security based on 'industry best practices' for the OS platform being tested, & automates this testing + even makes it sort of 'fun' too (like running a PC Performance Benchmark, albeit, this is geared to PC &/or Server based security, instead)... apk
Re:Student start-up hosting (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What Doesn't Google Offer? (Score:3, Insightful)
Interesting. On your off topic point, I can't speak for everyone here, but when I say IP I mean patentable or copyrightable material, both of which are a subset of "data".
On your other point about private storage, well, that's exactly the discussion that needs to take place, IMO. You're very correct that it's a thorny issue in which all of the "trust" issues come into play. Perfect discussion for a University! And a great purpose for a becoming-obsolete-data-center-at-a-Uni to put itself to.
Useful website resources for teachers. (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm currently a student (after being an admin for 10 years) working on a history degree. The one thing every class wants is lively out of class discussion but you never get it with the "blackboard" clones. Make available a PHPBB workalike to instructors with easy to remember URLs (eg, HIS3660.youdomain.com).
With that simple tool an instructor can post videos, syllabus, and class material that can be seen from any browser.
You could probably even offer this to student groups including the, gasp, non-school sponsored ones that don't get resources (like the history club I'm in).
Re:A few basic needs. (Score:5, Insightful)
.
If MATLAB is what is being used on campus then MATLAB is what you teach.
Pr0n? No, really. (Score:2, Insightful)
http://ipv6experiment.com/ [ipv6experiment.com]
From their site:
Perhaps they could use some bandwidth or admin help. From their mailing lists, I've gathered it's a pretty small group who may welcome such a large amount of help.
Re:A few basic needs. (Score:4, Insightful)
Because MATLAB is still the best tool around in its field, by far.
Not that that stops the religious idiots.
Re:Student start-up hosting (Score:3, Insightful)
i think you're probably right, but maybe there's something along those lines that would be acceptable for academic networks/donated hardware.
this might not appeal to most students, but perhaps they could help members develop/host/manage free web services & applications. instead of just offering a straight-forward web hosting service where students can only upload static files, you could form an organization geared towards developing free online services for the campus community. members can then learn how to build & manage complex web applications while providing new useful online resources to the general school population.
for instance, you could build a site where students can find or create study groups for the classes they are taking and also schedule meeting times and share notes, etc. or create a site for students to sell/trade used books. these type of services would be very useful on a college campus but might not be within the purview of the university itself.
the student group can even ask for suggestions for new services/applications from the student body. this would encourage the development of useful and innovative web applications by providing a place for developers, designers, system administrators, etc. to get together and collaborate on projects to serve the campus community.
Re:Useful website resources for teachers. (Score:3, Insightful)
If Moodle or another Course Management System isn't fostering debate, that's not the fault of the software... they provide exactly the same functionality as PHPBB, and then some.
If you're lacking out of class internet debate, it's because the class didn't buy into the concept. (This happened in a class I took several years ago where we tried to use a PHPBB board, and it flopped.) I think the problem is that bulletin boards are not particularly conducive to collaborative learning.
Re:Call me! OK! Ring ring, Hello? Hi! BEND OVER! (Score:4, Insightful)
While a clever way to comply with the law, this is wishful thinking. Most students will avoid the service because it doesn't have $RIAARTIST1 or $RIAAARTIST2.
To give some perspective: my college has a well-publicized campus radio station, but only a small percentage of students listen to it over ClearChannel stations.