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Re-purposing a Student Tech Service Group?
discards writes "I help run a student group at a Canadian University. For almost 15 years we've provided students with services such as web space, email, wireless internet on campus, cvs/svn, database access, mailing lists, etc., all using Linux and FOSS. In recent years, however, we have faced becoming obsolete. The university now provides wireless access, people get their email from other places such as Google, which also provides free svn access, web space, and so forth. Since we have a large amount of decent, usable hardware, as well as space, funding and a very fast internet connection, we are looking to possibly reform instead of just withering away and dying. We would like to ask Slashdot for ideas as to what we could do; preferably something that cultivates student research or provides an otherwise useful service to students, though all ideas are welcome."
Sounds like all you have left then is to provide entertainment.
Modding Trolls +1 inciteful since 1999
Pirated music. :-)
You could provide hosting for recent graduates that want to make their own start-up. This seems to be one of the main expenses for such graduates besides costs of living.
At some point every person needs tech support. They don't know how to do something, their computer died, they lost data, are infected by a virus or some basic functionality has been lost.
Tech support would be number one on my list of helpful services.
The other thing that would be helpful is basic computer education. Yes, I know that most people in college already know how to work on the computers, however some, possibly older students, might be embarrassed to admit they don't know everything they feel that they should know. Confidential, one on one tutoring can eliminate the fear of admitting they aren't fully up to speed.
"Giving money and power to governments is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." - P.J. O'Rourke
Forget college students. Do something for inner-city youth. Gather old computer parts from your school or lbusiness, put them together, install linux and give them to schools with limited computing resources. Involve the students in this process as well. Teach them how to install linux. Then teach them how to administer their own system.
I think we could work out a very profitable deal on your part.
-----------------
Stephen Pilgrim
Assistant Manager
RIAA campus solution recruitment
Move toward becoming a help center, someplace for students to turn to for assistance.
Students need help in all areas from install software and setting up their machines for classes to virus removal and re-installation of their operating system.
Also, you could set up a paid tutorial service for applications used in some of the accounting (and other) courses.
There is a real need for something like this on all campuses and the University IT department just does not have the manpower to provide it.
Tom
Why not take on a bigger challenge, and focus on teaching? Run small mini-classes on various topics, teach programming at all kinds of different levels, how to solve engineering problems numerically, etc. Since it is an engineering/design school, you can provide some kind of (real-life or online) forum helping people use technology to solve problems. I suppose this will somewhat depend on how your college's schedule works, but you will find that students will make time for you if you're providing a useful service. You've got the hardware -- now you just need to find a niche to add the value.
--
Hey code monkey... learn electronics! Powerful microcontroller kits for the digital generation.
I have just joined a similar group, the Harvard Computing Society (http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/). We try to provide more up to date web services to student organizations. We provide web hosting for student groups that is capable of running all the latest web goodies like Drupal, Mediawiki, sql, and the like. We also maintain mailing lists for student organizations, and advocate for better tech practices at Harvard. There are also lots of other cool projects in the pipeline that may or may not go anywhere but are fun to work on: IPtv, content aggregation from student org websites, internet phone, and other off the wall ideas. I am still new to the organization, but everything seems to work very well.
Taking this successful example, I would suggest taking advantage of the fact that you can be less bureaucratic than the school's general IT staff to provide more modern web tools to student organizations.
How about offering a back-up service for students work? Sure, you currently offer services that could be used as such but your average student has no idea how to do it. Offer a nice simple web interface that allows them to upload files that they really wouldn't want to lose.
As other posters have pointed out, you could also move into entertainment services and help for recent graduates.
I wouldn't ditch things like the svn/cvs, webspace and database access though. My CS department used to run their own services and having them on campus was great since I could go ask our helpdesk people if something went wrong or I needed extra space etc.
Silly rabbit
Offer what Google doesn't; a protected data repository for the students IP. Make a local hosting source for all of the CS (and other) departments online projects, and educate them about why where you keep stuff on the 'net is as important as any other aspect. I know that all my g-mail is searchable, readable, and essentially the property of Google (if you can believe their TOS). Teach the students about Corporate and Private IP, how to protect it when it needs protecting, when and when not to hand over your rights...start discussions about why your data center is or is not needed.
The key is that your users need to have a motivation beyond saving money. If someone is with you to simply save money they will be easily lured away by a cheaper competitor. You need to get people involved because they are passionate about what you do.
Maybe start up a content production cooperative (movies, music, stories, ...) with a policy of releasing everything under a Free license? Your student group can provide all the production facilities and branch out into buying microphones, cameras and so on. Make it even more interesting by having an open "bazaar style" production process too, instead of just presenting finished projects.
Get a bunch of people together who are passionate about freedom for arts and technology. These people will stick with you for the long term.
There is plenty of infrastructure now for the Libre movement (svn servers, web, email providers, source forge...). Don't compete with that which is is well established. What is needed now is plenty of fantastic content under Free licenses, with which we can run the mafiaa out of town.
Sounds like you're a solution in need of a problem. Try asking the students what you can do for them. I'd probably start with the postgrads since they tend to actually need things, and know they need it.
I know at my uni people found it hassle when needing to crunch data - server slots were a scarce resource and there was a lot of people scheduling things so they could crunch on their workstation over the weekend (often dropping in to see if it got stuck).
I'll bet there's a large number of other groups crying out for decent hardware, space, funding and maybe even the fast internet connection. If your group's services are no longer required it's time to hand the resources over.
Everyone needs online backups, but most providers of these services charge money. Make it .Mac compatible, so it's easy for Mac users. It's a great service for backing up papers and other homework assignments. Who knows, you might actually be a life-saver if some Ph.D. student gets his laptop stolen and wouldn't otherwise have a backup of his dissertation.
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
Branch into offering telecom services such as LD, voicemail boxes, VoIP, etc... If you already have the hardware and internet connectivity, it's only a small step to branch into providing voice services. Canadian DIDs are cheap and with a couple of DIDs you can provide extension-based vm boxes. Outbound calls within Canada are cheap as well... Help people connect and keep in touch with their families and friends.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world > > Those who understand binary and those who don't
Reminds me of the scene in "Independence Day" when the President asks the alien what he wants humans to do. And the alien answers.... DIE !!! Time for you (metaphorically) to die.
"He took a duck in the face at 250 knots." -- William Gibson, Pattern Recognition
Start your own dating service for the students.
Sounds a little bland, of course, but since you have the hardware, bandwidth, and funding, you can spice it up a little: Either find some type of FOSS social MMO, or start your own.
Ask yourself this; What does every college student that hardly ever leaves his dorm need? Another way to procrastinate online!
Maybe change the focus to having your students do a little more research on what students and faculty are actually doing. As an example have the students look at various websites posted by students and faculty and see what can be changed to make the site more interactive or figure out where a database could be used to help gather and sort data. Students could also look around campus at the various publications and forms and change them into online forms or databases. And as always good fall backs are cleaning & restoring computers and performing upgrades. Hope it helps. Good luck.
Roskilde University in Denmark could maybe be an inspiration for you in that respect:
From their site:
QUOTE:
Welcome to the Science Shop
Roskilde University wants to bridge the gap between enterprises, NGOs, public institutions (externals) and students. By participating in the Science Shop students and enterprises/NGOs/public institutions contribute to the sharing of knowledge and know-how between universities and the world outside. And the university becomes better at targeting our programmes towards the labour market and at preparing students for the transition from studies to working life.
The Science Shop constitutes the framework for project cooperation between students and enterprises/NGOs/public institutions. Students work with the practical aspects of the theories they have studied and gain relevant experience from the cooperating partner in the world outside the university. Enterprises, NGOs and public institutions can have somebody from the outside take a fresh perspective on them. In addition they will be able to see what it is like to work with academics, while at the same time obtaining focus on problems they may have or having shelved projects dusted off and re-examined. The main benefit for enterprises/NGOs/public institutions is that the students have up-to-date academic knowledge and may adopt unconventional approaches, which enable them to suggest new solutions to optimise everyday routines. Because of such cooperation, both enterprises/NGOs/public institutions and students will be better prepared for the future.
A project is an examination of a subject or a problem. It is based on specific research questions which students seek to answer and which serve as a connecting thread in the project. The research questions will generally require that students incorporate knowledge, theories and experience from a wide range of areas to find relevant answers, applying various methodologies and using different theories. The scope and extent of the project depend on the requirements formulated for the degree programme in question and on the number of students in the project group.
It is still not possible to view the database of the current project proposals. Therefore please contact us, if you need more information or want to know about the current project proposals. We still do not receive many project proposals in english, but are working on establishing cooperations including our englishspeaking gueststudents and international NGOs and enterprises.
QUOTE ENDS:
You can find information here: http://www.ruc.dk/vb_en/
I am planning to see if we can use them ourselves with respect to our own software project.
Regards
Einar Petersen - http://globability.org
Keep offering email services. GMail is not an acceptable alternative in many situations. In the Canadian University where I'm a faculty member some groups refuse to send mail to gmail addresses because Google scans all mail (this violates privacy contracts on some research material). This will affect final year undergrads and grad students mostly and already occurs. In addition things like the US "patriot" act mean that provincial privacy laws in many cases make Universities very uneasy to send any private information to gmail addresses due to the server location in the US - our University has not yet refused gmail addresses but they are working up to some sort of policy which will probably do so.
How about actually HELPING students & instructors (+, even possibly network techs/engineers/admins also), on the topic of security itself, ala this guide's points:
HOW TO SECURE Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 & even VISTA, + make it "fun-to-do", via CIS Tool Guidance (& beyond):
http://ask.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=970939&cid=25092677
Offering a "learn to secure your own PC" type service, in addition to possibly also offering a "virus/spyware/trojan/rootkit/malware removal service" to students, instructors, & staff etc. et al, is an extension of the initial idea I offered... save them time, money, & also your jobs too (as well as educating others in the process!)...
APK
P.S.=> The CIS Tool itself, as well as points I added that "layer ontop of/go beyond its advisements", is NOT restricted to Windows NT-based OS' either (e.g.-> 2000/XP/Server 2003/VISTA), it also extends to *NIX variants as well (since it is a MULTIPLATFORM benchmark of security based on 'industry best practices' for the OS platform being tested, & automates this testing + even makes it sort of 'fun' too (like running a PC Performance Benchmark, albeit, this is geared to PC &/or Server based security, instead)... apk
This is a Canadian college, so it's the CRIA that they have to deal with... though it's not like there's much different between them.
I have an idea for a great project that the article submitter could do, it would be great at any college. Most especially any college in the US. In fact I would like to thank the RIAA for essentially proposing the idea, and in fact having it passed into law here in the US.
H.R. 4137: College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008, signed into law on Aug 14 2008, and mentioned here on Slashdot a few days earlier, contains the following requirement:
(29) The institution certifies that the institution--
(A) has developed plans to effectively combat the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material, including through the use of a variety of technology-based deterrents; and
(B) will, to the extent practicable, offer alternatives to illegal downloading or peer-to-peer distribution of intellectual property, as determined by the institution in consultation with the chief technology officer or other designated officer of the institution.
I think it is in fact a FANTASTIC idea for colleges to "offer alternatives to illegal downloading or peer-to-peer distribution of intellectual property". There are a multitude of sources across the internet for Creative Commons or other 100% legal music. I think you (and any other college) should set up a hosting site on your internal network. A huge easy repository of hundreds of gigs of 100% legal 100% non-RIAA 100% non-CRIA music. They want colleges to offer an alternative to the illegal downloading of their music? I say we damn well give them exactly what they want. The most effective way for a college to deter illegal downloads is to drown students in an overwhelming more-than-you-can-eat supply of legal downloads. Trying to block students from illegal downloads is a largely hopeless task because students are going to find ways to circumvent those blocks to get what they want. But if you get students hooked on more-than-you-can-eat legal music downloads, that is the most effective way to reduce or eliminate the desire for RIAA-music downloads. For any college in the US, I suggest this is the best and most effective way to comply with the law. If you are in Canada or anywhere else, I still say it's a great way to get a jump on things before the RIAA-CRIA-or-other-clone comes knocking. You can tell them that you already have an official school policy and program in place to minimize the downloading - illegal or otherwise - of their music.
The simplest system is just to have a basic server on the campus network hosting all of these files, but there are endless ways you can expand and improve upon that service and build a powerful community interest in it. You could have some sort of streaming service. You could have individual student accounts with some mechanism of tracking individual "collections" of the songs they like and playlists and maybe personal ratings of songs. You can have some simple way for students to recommend and "share" these songs with each other. You could set up some sort of streaming "radio channels", and maybe even a way for students to run "radio channels". You could use the data on student music collections or song rankings to to do intelligent recommendations of other songs they may like.
You can do something as simple as a minimalistic webserver just hosting the files, or you can build it as big and as advanced as you like. By having this on the campus internal network you cut down on external ISP bandwidth needs.
Oh, and the best part? Getting to bask in the delicious irony of giving the RIAA&friends exactly what they asked for with a big fat FUCK-YOU-UP-THE-ASS-SIDEWAYS-WITH-A-PING-PONG-PADDLE.
-
- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
I'm currently a student (after being an admin for 10 years) working on a history degree. The one thing every class wants is lively out of class discussion but you never get it with the "blackboard" clones. Make available a PHPBB workalike to instructors with easy to remember URLs (eg, HIS3660.youdomain.com).
With that simple tool an instructor can post videos, syllabus, and class material that can be seen from any browser.
You could probably even offer this to student groups including the, gasp, non-school sponsored ones that don't get resources (like the history club I'm in).
Hire me...
Then my fortunes changed when I had the chance to buy a used Altos 8086 computer running Microsoft's version of AT&T Version 7 Unix called "Xenix" ( )
What was great about it, is that it had a program called "learn" ( ) which was a tutorial that taught both Unix and C.
It's a shame that "learn" is not included in modern Unix and Linux distros. That would be a valuable resource for students that would otherwise only be exposed to an OS (which will remain nameless here) that was designed for computer illiterates.
This is your chance to make sure the next generation can at least perceive the elegance and thought that went into making an OS and programming language that was designed by and for programmers, instead of by and for businessmen.
http://ipv6experiment.com/
From their site:
Perhaps they could use some bandwidth or admin help. From their mailing lists, I've gathered it's a pretty small group who may welcome such a large amount of help.
How about using it to teach students about virtuali[s|z]ation? That seems to be a growing trend among businesses and could certainly prove to be useful, as well as giving them experience with a range of virtualisation offerings.
It would also (at least on certain virtual server products) allow them to work with a variety of different operating systems, without risking messing up critical servers, and possibly learning about snapshot and roll-back options using virtual servers.
In addition, they could learn how to secure different operating systems, and be shown an example of how a server might be hacked, and what to do to lock out the attacker, perform forensics, and repair the damage done (admittedly reputation is harder to repair than an OS/app), and when it's best to wipe everything and start again (or roll-back to a known good server image).
On a completely different track, you could try to start up a University-wide social networking site, and allow the Alumni to join it too. Use it for sharing events, knowledge, ideas, fun, jokes, etc, maybe even have an API so students can extend it like with Facebook.
Obviously this would require some management to ensure that students don't use it to break University rules, intimidate other students, allow copying of others coursework, sharing of copyright materials, etc, but it some of this could be delegated to responsible students, and give them experience and hopefully make them feel valued.
I'm currently the president of the Computer Science Club at another Canadian university. We, too, have a variety of machine architectures, and provide web/email accounts to students. We've stopped seeing as many signups for the web hosting and email side of things, and we've shifted our focus recently to a number of other things. For example, we're starting to run tutorials to introduce first year students to both the University's undergraduate computing environment as well as our own, and advertising some of our more powerful machines as a method for students who want to run processor/memory-intensive experiments to do so cheaply. One other thing we did was to make a deal with the web-design club at our school so that they now host all club sites which they design on our servers, since we have the ability to set up subdomains under our university's domain on their behalf. Lastly, one other thing which we're working on improving is setting up a proper library with copies of the various textbooks needed by students, as well as various other recommended reference books.
Crushing dreams at the speed of sarcasm
If on the other hand you are religiously against using/teaching licensed software, why not take control over some orphaned but useful open source project. Or start your own. Make sure it is an interesting software so you can get fellow students enthusiastic about it. To stay in the Matlab field: you could work on numpy, perl::pdl, or add modules to gnu-octave. If that's too boring, why not make your own 3D animations, or programmable interactive robots, as a teaching project for students. Depends a bit on the background and interests of the people in your group at the moment.
Another idea: start an online platform for freelance projects for students. Try to get local companies involved. Students can get their first work experience, you get a lot of organizational and communication skills. As a student group you are probably not allowed to have the group make a profit from using campus facilities, so if you will calculate a provision you have to make sure you invest it in students parties :)
molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
UGCS (http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu) has the same problem. The main draw of UGCS is the fact that accounts are permanent instead of only lasting until graduation, and that it permits many things that the campus IT department doesn't allow (e.g. CGI, colocation, substantially larger quotas, etc.) You might want to ask the other student clusters listed at http://www.student-computing.org/
Start a business incubator. Help tech students learn the basics of accounting, business law, incorporation, etc. and hopefully have some good ideas come to fruition. Provide hosting and support for student businesses. Provide CRM instances for students to track their contacts.
They will pay it back big time if they make it big.
Cool! Amazing Toys.
While a clever way to comply with the law, this is wishful thinking. Most students will avoid the service because it doesn't have $RIAARTIST1 or $RIAAARTIST2.
To give some perspective: my college has a well-publicized campus radio station, but only a small percentage of students listen to it over ClearChannel stations.