iPad Requirement Among Tech Changes

From the installation of campus-wide Wi-Fi network services to the migration of the outdated webmail system, to the implementation of the iPad requirement, ITS (Information Technology Services) made sweeping changes this past year. The year began with the continuation of the Wi-Fi expansion from last year, which had been in the final of its three stages. The project, which included the implementation of wireless networks in dormitories, was completed before the anticipated December deadline.

Director of Information Technology Services Diane Fandrich said that ITS has received positive feedback. “I know [Director of Dining Services] Ward Ganger is very happy because the dining halls are busy all the time now that kids come to work there. So I think it went extremely well.”

Although the campus wide installation was an improvement that satisfied many members of the Academy community, some felt that there are still ways in which it could be improved. Upper Joshua Desmond expressed a desire for stronger and more stable connections. “The switch from Ethernet to Wi-Fi was actually kind of a down-side for me, because the connection is less reliable and there are definite stability issues with wireless internet compared to Ethernet,” he said.

After finishing the wireless expansion project, ITS’ next major project was an email migration. For many years, Exeter had been using a 2003 version of their Microsoft Exchange email system. The migration, which took place during the first half of spring term, transferred the school’s email client to Microsoft Outlook 365, a more recent email platform, that includes benefits such as 640 times more space to store emails for each user.

For many Exonians, such as academic scheduler Kenney Chan, the increased inbox storage has proved to be beneficial. “As the academic scheduler I get hundreds of emails a day, all which I am required to keep,” Chan said. 

“With the limited space of the old email system, that was very difficult, but the new Outlook it is virtually unlimited with 50 GB of storage. I love it because I have a reasonable amount of disc space so I can keep all the documents that I am required to keep such as dorm head stuff and advising stuff.”

Along with the two major projects of finishing the wireless expansion and migrating to a new email system, ITS also worked on multiple smaller tasks. The department finished their first mobile app in December, which provides alumni access to directory information of their classmates. ITS also reprogrammed all the phones on campus so that when 911 is dialed, the signal will be sent to the state emergency notification area instead of the Exeter Police Department, who are not fully equipped to handle some emergencies. Finally, ITS also had to make a lot of changes to the grade recording system in order for the prep pass/fail, which was implemented in the fall, to work correctly.

With all these tasks finished, ITS has begun planning how they will advance the technology on campus in the next three to five years. “We are doing some IT strategy work and some planning that will really get rolled out next year,” Fandrich said. “We will just be taking a look at the future of technology on campus for the next three to five years, we don’t really want to look at it too much further than that since technology changes so much.”

Fandrich said that ITS will be looking into wireless printing, which has been frequently requested by students. With the controversial faculty decision to require tablets for all students next year, IT will also be working on the mechanics behind iPads in classes by experimenting with Apple TVs so that teachers and students can project from tablets.

For future years, many students have mentioned they would like to see ITS investing more time into current technology, such as improving ExeterConnect. “Although the changes this year could count as ‘modernizations,’ modernization for the sake of modernization is a waste of money,” lower Weihang Fan said. “ITS should invest more time and money into making students’ lives better with technology, such as making ExeterConnect more functional.”