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Campus Projects

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Campus Projects

Exploratory & Pilot Projects

Campus Captioning Service

The UW-Madison Accessibility/Usability Committee and campus multimedia groups have identified the need for a campus captioning solution that will provide a means for capturing, obtaining transcripts, captioning and publishing classroom lectures, public speeches, video and audio resources over the web. Captions are text versions of the spoken word that allow the content of web audio and video to be accessible to those who do not have access to audio. Captioning is also helpful for other users, including people who may not be fluent in the language presented. The team has identified a captioning solution, Automatic Sync Technologies, that is able to create media that is compliant with our campus Web Accessibility Policy. They are currently beta testing the product and actively seeking resources to bring the service to campus. For more information, contact Alice Anderson of DoIT.

Restricted Data Discovery Project

The compliance requirement to notify users/the public when data breaches occur has increased the consequences of inappropriately disclosing restricted information. Finding and quantifying where restricted data is stored so that it can be adequately protected and removed is essential to risk reduction. The Office of Campus Information Security (OCIS) led a project to acquire software that automates the discovery of restricted or sensitive data, allowing users and IT administrators to take appropriate remediation actions. We selected and purchased the Identity Finder Enterprise product. OCIS is currently testing the product, developing best practices for use, and creating a support infrastructure for the campus. See the Restricted Data Discovery Project page for more information.

Log Event Management and Alerting

The Office of Campus Information Security is piloting a log event management and alerting system that will enhance our ability to centralize the collection and review of the millions of log events generated daily by various campus IT systems (e.g. web servers, firewalls, databases, applications, routers, desktops, etc.). One of the goals of the new system is to allow for the ease of reviewing logs for past events, as well as alerting system administrators to any current suspicious activity. The implementation of this system is consistent with a number of well known information protection frameworks (e.g., HIPAA, PCI,ISO, NIST, etc.). Initially, the focus will be on the support of IT systems handling "restricted data" (e.g., social security card numbers, credit card numbers, etc.), however options for future expansion will be considered. Contact Jeff Savoy for more information.

Message Relay System

The College of Engineering is developing an after-hours message relay system based on the open-source Asterisk PBX distribution software. Features include a “call once, message many” functionality where a call can leave a single message to be relayed to all members of a selected group. It also has the ability to send emails of the message both in native GSM and MP3 formats. The project is expected to be complete by Fall 2009. Contact Dr. David L. Nelson for more information.

Pre-posting Allocation Tool

The Division of Business Services is piloting a project, the Pre-posting Allocation Tool, to help reduce the administrative workload for units across UW-Madison by allowing customers of UW-Madison Materials Distribution Services (MDS) to edit (and split) their funding of MDS procurements before these transactions are posted to the Shared Financial System. The tool provides a significant opportunity to address concerns raised by one of the Administrative Process Redesign teams that analyzed the amount of time it takes to make a corrective non-salary cost transfer. Discussions between MDS and large departments at UW-Madison have already been initiated. The pilot is scheduled to begin in July 2009. If successful, this project could be expanded for use by other billing units on campus and possibly other large transaction processes. Contact Mike Matschull for more information.

WiscMail Web Client

The WiscMail Service Team is working to bring a new web mail application to campus in the Fall 2009 semester. The team tested two potential applications this spring and, based on student and staff evaluations, has picked Sun Convergence as the next web mail client. WiscMail will pilot a version of the new client with several campus groups in June and July. When the project moves into full production, customers will likely be able to "self" migrate to the client as they choose, however after a few months, all campus users will be transitioned to the new client.

My UW-Madison (Researcher View)

This project will identify and provide resources to support the needs of campus researchers through the My UW-Madison portal. This is a collaborative effort between the Graduate School, the General Library System and DoIT. Jan Cheetham of DoIT Academic Technology is leading the effort with guidance from a campus advisory group drawn from the research community. The team has identified five sets of resources that will be delivered in a pilot (tentatively scheduled for May 2009). The resources focus on grants information and grants administration services, personalized library resources, access to campus collaborators and experts, locating research facilities and tools and organizational tools for "my research projects." This framework will evolve over time as more resources are developed and implemented. Contact Jan Cheetham for more information.

Research Data Management Collaboration

A team of Library and DoIT Academic Technology staff, led by Mike Simpson of DoIT, interviewed a cross-section of campus this spring to identify the needs of campus researchers for data management services. The study uncovered the need for a collaborative team of research support units (Biotechnology Center, Computer Aided Engineering, Social Science Computing Cooperative, General Library System and DoIT). Their charge is to establish a "federated" storage and backup solution for research data, as well as expert consulting services for management and the curation of research data. A concrete proposal and technical plan should be developed by the end of 2008. For more information contact Mike Simpson.

Digital Arts & Humanities Initiative and Project Bamboo

Several efforts are underway that focus on technology support for scholarship in the arts, humanities and "interpretive" social sciences communities. Led by professor Jon McKenzie of English, a digital arts and humanities initiative began spring 2008 to advance the causes of digital inquiry, new media study, new media practice and digital literacy (with support by Graduate School IT, Learning Support Services, General Library System and DoIT Academic Technology staff). UW-Madison is also participating in the Mellon-funded international Project Bamboo with the goal of "How can we advance arts and humanities research through the development of shared technology services?" Lee Konrad (Libraries) and Jim Muehlenberg (DoIT) coordinate local Bamboo efforts.

Data Sanitization Project

Data Sanitization is a means for removing personal, identifiable (restricted data) from systems used for the development and testing of applications. Currently the Office of Campus Information Security is reviewing potential vendors for this solution. The product is expected to be chosen by the end of 2008 and implemented in spring 2009. See https://wiki.doit.wisc.edu/confluence/x/ioJ3 or contact Stefan Wahe for more information.

Simulations & Games in Higher Education

DoIT’s Academic Technology unit is in the final stage of a three year pilot to evaluate the impact of simulations and games on student learning through its Engage awards program. Since 2006, nearly two dozen faculty and instructors have received grants to create and test simulation and games prototypes for their course content. Three approaches for evaluating the impact of the projects on learning are: a) using a tracking mechanism to explore how novice and expert paths of problem-solving merge in the Cryogenics game, b) creating an experimental design to compare passive versus interactive learning in the Ice Cream game, and d) facilitating a focus group with students to gather input and feedback on the most effective game designs for practice and reinforcement in an online learning environment. Contact Lindsey Schmidt for more information or visit the Engage evaluation site.

Technology-Enhanced Learning Project

The UW–Madison Office of the Provost is offering up to $500,000 in project funding to schools and colleges improve teaching and learning (e.g., classroom learning modules, hybrid and technology-heavy courses, searchable databases). This three-year project, begun in 2007, seeks to seamlessly integrate technology into students’ educational experience and build faculty and instructor capacity. View a list of current projects. Read more.

WiscCal Scheduler

The WiscCal Service Team worked with the School of Nursing to pilot a new advisor scheduling feature that enables students to schedule time directly with their academic advisors during set timeframes that the advisors themselves established. Once the appointment is made, it appears in both people's calendars, though the advisor maintains ultimate control of the appointment. The application saves a great deal of time for any staff who take appointments by phone or via email. The pilot was expanded to all advisors in Spring 2009, and in Fall 2009, the scheduler functionality will be made available to all of campus. It will be useful for administrators who want to make their calendars available for limited blocks of time, to reserve resources (e.g., conference rooms, video equipment), and numerous other possibilities.

Digital Imaging

Activities are underway to roll out new digital imaging services to streamline admissions and registration, save paper and other natural resources, and better serve students. We have made great progress in recycling computer equipment, we are adopting virtual server environments at an unprecedented rate, and we are all very conscious of our resource consumption. We are also poised to implement improved email services, expanded wireless capabilities and better access to technology and support across campus. This fall, the IT community will initiate a more formal program in conjunction with “We Conserve” and our students to show that Wisconsin can lead the way in Green IT. More information will be published as it becomes available.