Information Technology and Graduate Student Services

Technology is increasingly an integral part of a student’s education. In addition, many student services and information are delivered via technology. To provide the KSU student with a quality education delivered most conveniently, technology is used as an essential part of instruction, for student access to educational materials, and for the delivery of student services.

A technology fee is collected each term to provide students with improved technological resources including: greatly enhanced on-campus and remote access to the internet; important software packages such as Microsoft Office delivered on-line; student training in use of computer technology; increased access on campus through extended laboratory hours; computer connections, and an electronics study room in the Library; upgrade of student laboratories and instruction in the use of advanced multimedia presentation technology in the Audio Visual Technology Services laboratory.

The Kennesaw State University Website exists to assist students with course registration and reviewing of grades. In addition, the KSU Website delivers quality content to the reader. Each year brings new technology, creative uses of technology on campus, and additional services to meet growing needs.

KSU generated e-mail accounts are the official means of communication with students. Instructions can be found at http://students.kennesaw.edu.

The Vice President for Operations and Chief Information Officer (CIO)/Chief Business Officer (CBO) provides leadership in the continuing advancement of information and instructional technology. This position oversees the operations of information technology which includes the Horace W. Sturgis Library; Information Technology Services; Enterprise Systems and Services; Online Development Group; Audio Visual Technology Services; Museums, Archives and Rare Books, and Enterprise Information Management.

Horace W. Sturgis Library 

Named for the university’s first president, Horace W. Sturgis Library supports and advances the teaching and learning of the greater KSU community. The library was constructed in 1981 and contains over 100,000 square feet of learning space.

Librarians are available to assist students with research via the walk-in Research Clinic, 24/7 chat services, and specialized one-on-one research consultations. Support is also available via text (770-983-6547) and telephone (770-423-6325). Graduate students may seek assistance from a graduate-level librarian who holds a Ph.D. Library Instruction classes are also provided for students and faculty.

KSU students and faculty have borrowing privileges not only from the Sturgis Library, but also from all of the member institutions of the University System of Georgia as well as the Atlanta Regional Consortium for Higher Education (ARCHE). Through the SuperSearch discovery tool, students can instantly access millions of resources, including books, ebooks, journals, databases, videos, and government documents. Mobile versions of the library catalog and databases are available. Interlibrary Loan services may be used for items not owned by one of the participating Georgia libraries.

The Sturgis Library hosts the DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. The Digital Commons is a permanent digital archive for KSU’s intellectual and creative out-put. With the increase of KSU’s graduate programs, the Library uses the system to self-publish dissertations and theses and make them available via the web.

The library’s Copyright Management Center is intended to assist Kennesaw faculty, staff, and students in working and complying with copyright issues, specifically in balancing the rights of copyright holders with the exercise of fair use for educational purposes.

During the fall and spring semesters, the Sturgis Library is open 97 hours each week, with extended hours during exams. Mac and PC computers are available in the Information Commons on the first floor of the library. Laptops may be checked out for use in the library.

Both individual and group study spaces are available. The OWLSpace, located on the ground floor of the library, is intended to be a “loud” space where students are free to collaborate and work on group projects. The OWLSpace also contains three presentation rooms, wireless service, and vending machines. The Graduate Library, located on the third floor, offers a quiet study area containing 144 new cubicles as well as 7 glassed-in study rooms for quiet group study, a room for graduate research assistance, and a room for making copies and viewing microfilm.

The library houses a Federal Government Documents Depository for the Sixth Congressional District. Sturgis Library also supports the Performing Arts Library (located in the Wilson Building), the Teacher Resource and Activity Center or TRAC (located in the Bagwell College of Education), and the Paulding Campus of the Georgia Highlands College Library.
For more information about the library, visit www.kennesaw.edu/library/.

Computing Services 

The goal of Information Technology Services (ITS) is to provide efficient, secure and user-friendly access to technology for all students, faculty and staff in conjunction with the tools necessary to carry out collaboration, research, scholarship, and innovation. ITS provides a foundational infrastructure of campus computing by installing and maintaining network connectivity, telecommunications, and campus computing hardware.

Students receive a KSU e-mail account, personal web space, web-based file storage, and are eligible to take online training in many commonly used software programs via a single-sign-on authentication – one login ID, and one password. ITS also provides face-to-face technology workshops and a student help desk, complete with walk-up services.

Within the ITS computer labs on the 4th floor of the Burruss Building, students have access to many standard office productivity programs plus academically-specific software, as well as color printing and copy services. Group labs are available for collaborative work, and trained lab assistants are on duty to answer any questions. Over 63 similar computer labs are scattered throughout the colleges, Library, and Student Center.

The rules for use of all campus technology and telecommunications equipment, including telephones, computers and fax equipment, are found on the KSU web site at http://policy.kennesaw.edu/views/it-data-security. Use of any of these facilities or services implies an understanding of and compliance with these policies.

Online Development Group

The KSU Online Development Group supports online learning and content management systems for Kennesaw State University, including web-based course support, video servers, and systems for providing live and recorded classes over the Internet. Our mission also includes the investigation and development of new technologies for online and classroom use.

ODG supports the GeorgiaView Vista system as the primary learning management system for campus. GeorgiaView Vista is a system that can be used, at the option of the faculty, in any course at KSU. It is accessed over the Internet from on- or off-campus and provides a variety of instructional tools for use by faculty and students.

ODG also supports the Drupal content management system for campus. Drupal is used for both academic and administrative web sites, and allows creation and update of web content using only a web browser.

Additional information about resources for online learning and the services provided by ODG can be found at the web site: http://online.kennesaw.edu/  

Audio/Visual Technology Services (AVTS)

The Audio/Visual Technology Services (AVTS) offers a wide range of multimedia services and training for faculty, staff, and students. Located on the fourth floor of the library, AVTS supports audio/visual and presentation equipment on campus. In addition to maintaining KSU’s multimedia presentation classrooms, AVTS specializes in multimedia training and production assistance; graphics creation, multimedia file conversion, audio/video tape duplication, video editing/compression, desktop publishing, and CD-ROM recording. AVTS supports some of the most cutting edge multimedia hardware and software available.

Instructional Equipment

AVTS supports a wide range of equipment for classroom use. Through designated building coordinators, AVTS maintains a distributed set of equipment for faculty to request. Each building coordinator has his/her own system for reserving equipment. See the departmental secretary to obtain building coordinator’s contact name and number. Equipment available for pickup includes: data projection systems, video playback combo, VHS camcorders, audio cassette player/recorders, audio CD players, public address systems, slide projectors, and microphones. For special equipment needs, consult AVTS to discuss options.

Department of Archives, Rare Books, and Records Management

The mission of the Archives, Rare Books and Records Management division is to provide value-added services to the University and broader community by developing, safeguarding, and providing access to the collections entrusted to its care. The Records Management division oversees records management vendors and assists and provides training for faculty and staff on managing paper and electronic records according to the Board of Regents Records Retention Guidelines. The Archives division preserves the historical memory of Kennesaw State University and serves the research interests of KSU students, faculty, staff and the public. Holdings include university records, oral histories, images and audiovisual recordings, publications and digital collections. Recent acquisitions in northwest Georgia history include the records of the Marietta Housing Authority, Marietta Theatre on the Square, the Georgia Marble Company, and the Cobb County Medical Society. The mission of the Bentley Rare Book Gallery is to preserve and develop collections of rare, unique, and historic books and manuscripts in order to engage and educate the University and community in the history of the book. One of three museum-grade rare book libraries in Georgia, the Bentley Gallery hosts researchers and offers tours, classes and seminars for the KSU community and the general public. The rare book collection is particularly strong in 19th century British and American first editions including the works of Twain, Dickens, Kipling, Hemingway and Tennyson, among others. Other areas of note are the collections of early American newspapers, fore-edge paintings, incunabula (works printed before 1501), and specialty bindings.

The KSU Archives, the Bentley Rare Book Gallery and Records Management are part of the Department of Museums, Archives & Rare Books (MARB), which also oversees the Museum of History and Holocaust Education (MHHE) and the Zuckerman Museum of Art.

Enterprise Information Management (EIM)

Enterprise Information Management (EIM) facilitates the continuous improvement of KSU’s enterprise-wide data management, data quality, and data warehousing efforts as well as meets institutional research, analytics, and information reporting needs for decision-making support, strategic planning, and organizational effectiveness at the institutional and unit levels. In additional, EIM produces the KSU Fact Book annually and is responsible for federal IPEDS data submissions. The scope of EIM’s reporting includes student, faculty, and financial datasets. The website address for Enterprise Information Management is https://vic.kennesaw.edu.

The KSU Educational Technology Center (ETC) is proud to be the largest of the technology centers located throughout the state. The KSU ETC is located in the Bagwell College of Education on the second floor of Kennesaw Hall. The ETC provides comprehensive instructional, administrative, and technical training for Georgia educators in a short course or seminar format. In addition, the ETC provides consulting and advising services, helping school systems to select, implement, and support classroom technology that provides the greatest benefit to students and teachers. The ETC seeks to disseminate information about educational technology through participation in state and national conferences, by producing blogs, podcasts, and web-based materials and by participating in classes offered as part of pre-service degree programs at KSU. Visit the website at http://edtech.kennesaw.edu for more information on available resources and services.