TECHNICIAN
wednesday september
2
2009
Raleigh, North Carolina
Student Government revamps Red Terror System will operate on more regular loop, should be more dependable Carter Finley Stadium
Annie Albright Trinity Rd
Witherspoon
Staff Writer
Talley Cates Ave.
Nowell Rd
Youth Center Rd.
Interstate 440
Interstate 40
Dan Allen Dr.
Acting Deputy Chief of Staff to the Student Body President, Tim Lipka, announced a new game day bus service in cooperation with Transportation and First Transit. Western Blvd. Western Blvd. Lipka said the service, a revamp of the Red Terror system, will run between campus and the stadium complex for both football and basketball seasons. Red Terror Bus Service “The game day bus service has been a student No Red Terror Bus Service Red Terror Bus Stop government program in the past where we have Interstate booked the bus services which run between Carter-Finley and campus,” Lipka said. “For our new approach we sat down with TransporFirst bus leaves Talley 3 hours before kickoff tation and worked with Campus Police and First Red Terror Stops: Transit, the company that owns and operates Talley Student Center the bus system.” Witherspoon Student Center Lipka said he met with Transportation last Youth Center Drive at Trinity Road (Pre‐Game) week to lay out a plan and later with Campus Trinity Road at Main Gate (Post‐Game) Police to work out traffic and secure bus priority. “Highway patrol assured us that our buses PHOTO COURTESY STUDENT GOVERNMENT will have first priority when they reach TrinStudent Government’s Red Terror bus system will operate on a more frequent schedule this year, ity,” Lipka said. “We have to stress patience. It shuttling fans to Carter-Finley Stadium and the RBC Center from campus on game days. is going to be rocky the first time but if you are has done in the past is that it will be on a set on a bus you will get there.” Student Government. Sophomore in civil engineering Rachel Patton “For this game there will be three buses, the schedule, which he predicts will be a create desaid the system definitely needed improvement. first bus leaving from Talley at 4 p.m. The bus pendable system. “I almost missed one of the biggest games of will stop at Witherspoon and then head to Cart“The buses will continue to loop and the last the year last year because of the bus system,” er-Finley. The drop center will be on Youth Cen- bus will arrive at the stadium on or about 7 p.m.,” Patton said. “I had a late class so I had to use ter Drive and Trinity Road,” Lipka said. “After Lipka said. “The buses will run at 15 to 20 minthe bus instead of going with friends and every the game the pick-up point will be on Trinity ute intervals so if students plan on collecting single one that went by was full and they were Road by the main entrance at the Murphy Center the bonus loyalty point by having their ticket not on schedule at all.” and there will be clear sandwich board signs.” scanned 45 minutes before kickoff they need to Lipka said the goal is to make the program a Lipka said that the main difference between plan accordingly.” more formal process between First Transit and the new program and what student government Student Senate increased the budget to $13,000
Crowds seek help in Maple labs Rush to complete assignments wears on students, instructors Correspondent
Jessica Neville Staff Writer
JEFFREY FOWLER/TECHNICIAN
In the Maple Help Lab on the ground floor of Harrleson Hall, James Rohal, a doctoral student in the mathematics, helps Michael Nichelson, a freshman in first year college, Matthew Nifong, a sophomore in civil engineering, and Ben Claybrook, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, complete their assignments on Tuesday. “Learning code on top of mathematics, it really compounds the punishment,” Nichelson said. According to Nicheslon, the lab gets very crowded Thursday, since most assignments are due Friday, so coming to the session earlier in the week means beating the rush..
and applied mathematics, works as a computer consultant and tutor in SAS three times a week, usually for a total of eleven hours. She is one of the students available to assist students with Maple and noted the increased crowds the previous week. Artis said everyone had a computer though this does not solve every problem. “All students aren’t going to get help simultaneously.” This logistical frustration has yet to derail students entirely. Often, students who are unable to get help from a graduate students are able to consult and collaborate with other waiting students, according to Artis and Rebecca Jayne, a graduate student in mathematics and teaching assistant
who works in SAS. Jayne had insight into last week’s crowding. “[The busyness] is more guided by schedule than space,” she said. Jayne said SAS is filled with students as tests approach, but for the week following, very few take the time to stop by. Artis also pointed to homework and tests as the determinate for student attendance. “Crowds f luctuate with assignments,” she said. Even after the addition of SAS’s Mathematics Multimedia Center, the ebb and f low of crowding “really hasn’t changed much,” Artis said.
insidetechnician viewpoint features classifieds sports Campus Farmers Market debuts See page 6.
Learning technologies differ by class, professor preference University uses multiple Learning Management Systems, but some professors use none
Heidi Klumpe Crowding has already become an issue during the first full week of classes as students struggle to find assistance in Maple help labs. Calculus students, particularly those in MA 241, found tutoring sessions crowded as they sought help with their first programming assignment in Maple, which, for 241, was due last Friday. Maple is a programming language new to most first-year students, and those in classes that require it often find it difficult. Ben Gibson, a freshman in civil engineering, said he has not used Maple but has heard it can be tedious. “My first Maple assignment isn’t due until next week,” Gibson said. “But I’ve heard it’s hard and takes a long time to get right.” The University seeks to assist these struggling students, primarily at the Mathematics Multimedia Center in SAS 2105, where graduate students are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, students can attend bi-weekly help sessions in Harrelson G108, where at least one student is available to answer questions. However, the sheer number of students attending these meetings often makes it difficult to find help. “[The Maple expert] is constantly being asked for help, so it’s kind of like, ‘pick a number,’” Blake Hovis, a graduate student in teaching and mathematics, said, though he said there are times the tutor is not busy at all. Courtney Artis, a senior in physics
last April, an increase from previous years according to Senate President Kelli Rogers said. “The program is incredibly expensive for Student Government to continue running and it is important that we continue to look at creative ways of getting funding because it is crucial for getting students to games,” Rogers said. The key to the success of the program is cooperation between stake-holders, Rogers said. “We hope for and need more support from Transportation and Athletics to continue funding the program,” Rogers said. “We constantly need to be in communication with Highway Patrol and Transportation to insure that the buses get priority when getting to games.” Chairman of the Athletics Commission Jeffery Johnson said he is excited about such a great opportunity for students. “I am definitely excited about the new Red Terror,” Johnson said. “It is a great way for students to be able to travel to the game and interact with other students. It is a different way for them to really get pumped up for the game. It also helps them save gas money and reduces traffic.” Students who plan to tailgate should not use the Red Terror service Lipka said. “We have let highway patrol know that the buses will not arrive until after the three hour mark,” Lipka said. “They will not get there any time before 4 p.m. on Thursday, so students will not have enough time to tailgate.” Lipka said the system should run smoothly for both delivery and pick-up because they have talked to all the stake-holders ahead of time and have everything lined up so that on game day there won’t be any surprises.
Fans will be seeing white See page 8.
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The Distance Education and Learning Technology Applications Advisory Committee and the Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable decided this summer to transition from Vista to the Moodle Learning Management System. The decision was made after the University experienced severe performance problems with Vista in 2008 after three years of using the software. Tom Miller, vice provost for DELTA, said NCSU and other UNC System schools began looking for open-source Learning Management Systems in 2007. LMS software is not under licensing constrictions and can be controlled more easily by the University’s technological staff. “The flip side is that open-source software requires a higher degree of programming and technical support,” said Miller. Moodle was created in Australia and is used worldwide. The University joined a pilot project through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2008 to try it out, and the software has received satisfactory reviews from faculty and staff. Barbara Kirby, CALS professor, said Moodle seems more “userfriendly” than Vista. “I like the chat, forums, groups, and ability to upload resources, visuals and other materials, “Kirby said. “However, it can be challenging to learn the features of multiple systems, especially because technology changes so rapidly.” Miller said support for Vista will end in June of 2011, and teachers are being encouraged to switch to Moodle between now and then. In the meantime, many students have different classes on both systems, and also have to keep up with Web
Assign, MyPack Portal, course and professor Web pages, and specialized programs like Maple for calculus. Timothy Watkins, a freshman in animal science, said the University has too much diversity in its technology. “It’s annoying to have to check up on five different Web sites for my classes,” said Timothy. “It’s easy to miss assignments just because you forget to check one of them.” Lauren Briggs , a sophomore in biology, said she feels the Internet systems could use some centralization, although she doesn’t write off technology altogether. “It would be a lot easier if everything for my classes was on one Web site,” said Lauren. “Some of the Web sites can also be difficult to use.” While many teachers use the Internet and e-mail as their main point of communication between students, some still prefer to operate the “oldfashioned” way. Reza Ghiladi, a chemistry professor, does not use any Internet software program but instead assigns his students problems out of the textbook and communicates information in class. “I tried WebAssign one time and it was a nightmare,” Ghiladi said. “Technology is useful in many situations but sometimes you have to revert back to pen and paper. Especially in chemistry, it is important that students understand concepts and learn to work problems completely on their own.” A recent study by the SRI International for the Department of Education examined the benefits of online versus classroom instruction from 1996 to 2008. Although most evidence was not conclusive, the report found that “on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.” Miller said technology amplifies both good and bad teaching. “I believe that when used well, platforms for online teaching are tremendous assets that can positively impact student learning with instant access to materials and instant feedback on homework and quizzes, “ Miller said.