Finding Access to the Internet on a Low Budget Copyright 1994 CAUSE. From _CAUSE/EFFECT_ Volume 17, Number 4, Winter 1994. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, the CAUSE copyright and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of CAUSE, the association for managing and using information resources in higher education. To disseminate otherwise, or to republish, requires written permission. For further information, contact Julia Rudy at CAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301 USA; 303-939-0308; e-mail: jrudy@CAUSE.colorado.edu GOOD IDEAS FINDING ACCESS TO THE INTERNET ON A LOW BUDGET by James S. Russell ABSTRACT: What are the alternatives for a college without a campuswide network and with budget constraints that preclude an Internet connection through a regional provider? Mt. Hood Community College found a way to provide Internet access on a shoestring to selected faculty. This article describes the process that the Business and Computer Technology (BCT) division of Mt. Hood Community College went through to provide Internet access to selected faculty, while linking up with others in the College to generate interest in campuswide access. The BCT process was successful, because we have just installed a server for the Internet (although it is still in the developmental stage). A summary of our strategy and the lessons we learned follows a brief background on the College and the existing resources. Mt. Hood is located in Gresham, Oregon, seventeen miles east of downtown Portland, Oregon, with an FTE of 6,000 students and a headcount of 29,000. We have a fairly typical information systems configuration for a community college, with an administrative computer mainframe that was installed fifteen years ago and a Novell LAN with four file servers and 250 workstations. Currently the 250 systems are primarily located in classrooms, and until recently, we had four workstations in an office set aside for our division faculty. Technology policy is established by a campuswide committee, the Instructional Technology Executive Committee (ITEC). It consists of administrators from academic and administrative areas. Input on academic computing is provided by the Council on Instructional Computing (CIC), which consists primarily of faculty, with several administrators. ITEC's investigation in 1993 about access to the Internet concluded that the cost would be $5,000 to hook up to the Internet and then $5,000 per year for the service by linking through NorthWestNet, a regional provider. The costs would vary depending on the speed of the line we would select. We did not have that kind of money in our budget last year and it was not forecast for this year. Yet we knew we had to connect to the Internet because instructors were beginning to feel limited by the lack of access, particularly in the Business and Computer Technology division. We needed Internet access so we could teach about technology more effectively. INTERNET CONNECTION OPTIONS As part of an overall plan to upgrade the technology in the division, we discovered options to connect to the Internet that were considerably less expensive than originally estimated. As usual, the source for those ideas came from staff within the College. The options and the connections already established are listed below. * Courtesy Accounts. One of our computer science instructors was offered linkage to the Internet as a courtesy account through the computer science department at Portland State University. We found that other community colleges also had instructors linked to nearby universities through courtesy accounts. The University did not charge for the service. * Commercial Providers. The science department had purchased a Compuserve account for their faculty. Compuserve is only one of a number of dial-up services that provide limited access for Internet e-mail. A number of other services such as America Online, Applelink, Delphi, AT&T Mail, MCI Mail, and SprintMail also provide access.[1] * Local Internet Providers. Another staff member in our special services area was linked through a local bulletin board service for full access. One of our division instructors was also linked through a private bulletin board service that he paid for personally. There are several local companies that specialize in providing Internet service. They can be found in the yellow pages, and through computer software stores and computer clubs. * State Distance Education Networks. An attractive rate of $35 was available through the Oregon Distance Education Corporation, called Ed-Net, in a service called Compass. State school networks have also been formed for a cooperative effort to gain access to the Internet. At the time we were exploring our options, our state consortium did not exist. In addition to the one being formed in Oregon, other such state networks currently exist in California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas/Missouri, Michigan, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia.[2] * Establishing a Division Host System. A consultant proposed that we lease a line to a computer in our division and set up a system to be a host. We would have to staff the system, but if we limited its use, we could dedicate a smaller PC to handle the traffic. BCT STRATEGY It was apparent that economical alternatives existed for our division. The problem was choosing the right option. We found there were a number of variables to consider. Most of the options were too expensive, except for the courtesy account at Portland State, but we could not in good conscience ask for such accounts for all division staff. Both the Oregon College Education Access Network and the option of becoming our own host were too expensive. Other services, such as the message-only system of COMPASS, were too limiting. The most attractive option was the use of commercial Internet providers offering full Internet services with attractive educational discounts. With the information that a number of people had access and that it was relatively inexpensive to get dial-up capabilities, we began a process of generating usage that would eventually support the full cost of the Internet. Our network instructor began reviewing local Internet providers through the yellow pages and local contacts. We eventually settled on a local commercial company that provided full Internet access, local service and support, with 120 hours per month access per person. For the computer science staff, the courtesy account at the University worked well for one instructor and the other lived across the state line and had his own service as part of his consulting practice. This left one person to add. The price per person was $125 for one year, slightly over $10 per month . That easily fit into our budget for a few people who had to have active access, but we were still left with the problem of how to provide service to everyone. Most faculty expressed interest in access, but that would have cost $1,680 for fourteen instructors. Instead we opened an account in the name of the division, gave everyone the password, and briefly showed them how to access it over their fax/modem. We used the "Terminal Program" in Windows, because it is both easy to set up and easy to use. We told everyone that as they showed interest in the Internet and used it, we would provide them with their own account as we had for computer science instructors. The disadvantage was that anyone who logged on could have access to anyone's messages, so we emphasized that people would have to trust each other. The cost for set-up and monthly fee was only $50 total for the first term. In the beginning, only two members signed up full-time, and the remainder used the shared access. The total access cost to link to the Internet for our division faculty and staff was $290! We did not have any long distance charges, which would have added to the cost. GETTING APPROVAL We made the proposal to The Council on Instructional Computing and the Instructional Technology Executive Committee as part of a proposal to provide the latest technology for the BCT division, with the clear understanding that we were developing support in our traditional budgets for service on the Internet, as well as providing electronic technology to the division responsible for teaching it. CIC supported us with the funds for three computers. ITEC's main reservation was that the individual instructor fax/modem usage would jam the phone system. They approved the proposal with the proviso that if phone service deteriorated, we would have to limit access. LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE We finished the installation of the computers seven months ago. The load from our division on the phone system was not dramatic, in part because we found we could also use the Internet from our computers at home. For a number of reasons, only three of the fourteen instructors in the rest of the division used the general Internet account in the first three months. One reason was that we also installed WPOffice for interoffice use during the same term and people were learning to use that system. Another was that the arcane language of the UNIX-based systems on the Internet is not easy to use, suggesting that thorough training time is essential. Commercial packages that make it easier will be very attractive. The openness of the communication also may have contributed to lack of use. One instructor did get interested, and after working with it, decided to open her own account. The strategy of making the Internet available for everyone to use for minimal cost and then monitoring use turned out to be a wise one. Other lessons that we have learned to date: * Hours of Usage. Firms offered limits on hours with a per charge rate for time after a monthly limit was reached. We went with a service that offered 120 hours per month per person, but we are not currently using nearly that much load. Thirty hours per month would have been sufficient. * Limitations. The Internet has three major services: message switching, remote logon, and file transfer. Many of the services limited what was available. The most common service offered was Internet e-mail, but our staff also wanted to join discussion groups and newsgroups, have remote logon via Telnet, and do file exchanges to download information. They have used Telnet and file transfer, so that decision was a good one. * Access. Some of the services had attractive rates, but access was difficult during certain hours. The service we joined has crowded conditions in the evenings because users log onto the system between the hours of 4 p.m. to midnight. In the early morning hours and during the day it is easier to get access. The number of lines available and their usage is important. * Modem speeds. A number of modem speeds are offered. The service we use has a large number of 2400 baud lines, and several 14.4K baud lines, but the high-speed lines are often busy. The 14.4K baud rate is not necessary for regular message use, but makes a significant difference for file transfers. * Ease of Use. The system we joined offered a practical system for logon. Users signing on for the first time dialed the phone, typed the word "new," and were led through the procedures to log on as a permanent account. For our division, we established a familiar name and a familiar password. A new DOS graphical user interface and a Windows program make access to the Internet more user friendly. * Uptime. Time is needed for systems maintenance, which will deny user access at times. The amount of time needed to maintain and service the system is important to know ahead of time, we now realize. This information can be provided by the service or through the users. Our account frequently apologizes for being down. It has not been a problem yet, but as usage increases it may become one. * Line usage. A study by our phone technician of a random survey of a number of lines indicated that fax/modem lines have an average time per call that is five times the average of other lines. However, no differentiation was made as to whether the time was due to fax usage or Internet usage. The College is experiencing some busy time, and will probably upgrade our phone system this year, but little of that is due to our Internet usage. * Phones. Phone lines in faculty offices accommodated the fax/modem systems installed in the computers, but phones with multiple lines require a separate line to accommodate the computer. * Training. Training is crucial to inspire interest and usage. Recently, a large percentage of faculty turned out for a presentation on the Internet by one of the instructors. The spirit of innovation for the first users creates interest, but easy-to-use guidance is essential. We have already offered a weekend Internet class that filled up immediately, and we have added two others that are filling rapidly. The Internet will become an integral part of instruction and administration at MHCC. Because we cannot currently afford a full-time person to support the Internet, we are using consulting services to assist in implementing the Internet server and user interfaces for the initial set of Internet users on campus. A users group has formed to provide support for current and new users, whether they are using it at the College or at home. The Council on Instructional Computing is promoting the use of the Internet. A help desk is scheduled for implementation in the winter term that will include referrals on the Internet. And, finally, the Board of Trustees recently approved financing that includes networking the campus and providing 300-400 workstations for access to networked services, including the Internet. ============================================================= Footnotes: 1 An organization called InterNIC Information Services, General Atomics, PO Box #85608, San Diego, CA 92186-9784 can provide a list of service providers to the Internet. A call to 619-455-4600 reaches a recording that says InterNIC is sponsored by the National Science Foundation as a service to promote the Internet for research and teaching. They will respond to faxes at 619-455-4640, or to e-mail sent to refdesk@is.internic.net 2 More information about state network projects is available from the Consortium for School Networking, P.O. Box 65193, Washington, D.C. 20035-5193. *********************************************************** James S. Russell has been the Associate Dean of the Business and Computer Technology Division at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Oregon, since 1991. He is an active member of the Information Technology Executive Committee and the Council of Instructional Computing and in that capacity has been involved in restructuring the academic and administrative computer systems of the College. He holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a PhD in business from Michigan State University. His e-mail address is russellj@mhcc.cc.or.us *********************************************************** Finding Access to the Internet on a Low Budget 2N^ _PONNVBnN^ _PONNVH8Word Work File D 3470TEXTMSTEXTMSWD(BN "^/,// N>O ` ,gSg`(/,// N@O `/,// NO `><` H@HSkr njЀ0;N  Jeff Hansen2d2STR L