Oncourse on right course

Users of Oncourse probably notice a difference in the speed the program is running this week. UITS recently completed a hardware upgrade for the program which will allow increased storage space for users along with increased computing speed. \nWhat a great way to use student fees. \nUITS reports that 74 percent of students have logged into Oncourse more than once this semester. More and more students and professors are utilizing Oncourse for academic work. This is an improvement that will greatly benefit the majority of students. As professors are more widely using the Oncourse platform for posting grades, syllabi and class notes, more students are also relying on the software to stay up-to-date in their classes which they can access nearly anywhere at almost anytime.\nThe hardware upgrade cost $200,000. Students now pay a technology fee of $200 each semester. It is encouraging that this year's 100 percent increase in technology fees is being utilized in an area where students can see tangible results. Students should certainly appreciate UITS' quick response in upgrading the hardware -- UITS noticed the slow-down during the third week of classes -- which is allowing students to continue to utilize Oncourse for this semester's classes with increased efficiency. \nThe additional storage space will accommodate increased usage and encourage professors and students to utilize the program as much as possible. Both students and teachers benefit from the platform which allows 24-hour access to class information. Oncourse's file manager also has an easy-to-use storage space similar to CFS, and the additional hardware will allow students to continue to store files without appreciable slow-downs in the program. \nWe hope the upgrade will encourage every professor to take advantage of the benefits of Oncourse. Many outdated programs, like Post'em, still exist and are used, and students would greatly benefit from the use of one platform for classes. With the exception of a one-hour daily maintenance period from 5-6 a.m., Oncourse allows unfettered access to class information, allowing students to be able to do classwork and check grades at their convenience. \nIU has consistently been ranked among Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine's most wired universities, including last year's seventh place ranking. University technology greatly contributes to the quality of life for IU students, and the upkeep and development of Oncourse is vital to academics.