Information Technology Services (ITS)
As technology plays an increasingly important role in college life, student access to educational information is expanding significantly. Information Technology (IT) has become an essential part of student life at Penn State and is being applied in ways that until recently were only imagined. Today, it's routine for University students to consult with their professors via e-mail, access remote databases from their residence hall rooms and use the web to obtain grades, course schedules, and career resources. Information Technology Services (ITS), provides a variety of centralized computing services at Penn State, which include, but are not limited to, the following:
Penn State Access Accounts have been made available to all University students, faculty, and staff. Access Account holders each receive a default allocation of 500MB - and can choose to add up to 10GB - of free Penn State Access Account Storage Space (PASS). In addition, users can take a short quiz to receive additional, Personal Web space.
· Every standard residence hall room has been equipped with at least one connection to the University's "Integrated Backbone Network," so students can plug into e-mail, library and research databases, and the World Wide Web.
· There are over 50 labs on campus that provide users with workstations and peripherals for Windows, Macintosh, and Unix platforms. The labs are equipped with printers and scanners, as well as more specialized hardware such as digital cameras and CD burners.
· Students can use their Access Accounts to browse Penn State's extensive electronic library catalogue, "The CAT," from the comfort of their own computer twenty-four hours a day.
· Students can acquire virus detection software through ITS, and report any concerns about electronic dangers to ITS Security Operations and Services (SOS).
·Students can learn how to protect their computers - and their identities - by visiting the Be Safe website at http://its.psu.edu/be-safe.
· Penn State's videoconferencing technology makes it possible for students at different campuses to take the same course simultaneously.
· Students can acquire a collection of free software for the Penn State community that enables access to electronic mail, the World Wide Web, and other Internet services at https://downloads.its.psu.edu.
· Penn State WebMail provides students, staff, and faculty with anytime, anywhere access to e-mail.
· Students have free, 24/7 access to hundreds of professional video tutorials on thousands of technology topics and are invited to seek the assistance of a student Tech Tutor when using technologies like Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Blogs at Penn State, ANGEL, and more for class assignments. Hands-on workshops and recorded sessions are also available at no cost to students. These and other technology learning opportunities can be found through http://its.psu.edu/training/.
·On-campus wireless service is available in most buildings on Penn State’s University Park and other campus locations (http://wireless.psu.edu/locations.html). To get connected, students will need a Penn State access account, a laptop with an 802.11 compatible wireless network card, and a one-time download and configuration of the Wireless 2.0 client (http://wireless.psu.edu/using.html). Student can power up their laptop and use the “PSU” wireless network for their tasks.