Last week Brian Croxall from Clemson University wrote a post for ProfHacker about faculty needing to have control over their own computer resources. An excerpt:
Now I have nothing against IT Staff. In my interactions with them at the two schools where I’ve taught, they have been helpful and friendly. But relying on another person to adjust the tools that I need for my research is never efficient, and it suggests that researchers or teachers are not in a position to judge what is best for them. (I’ve been told, for instance, that I could not install specialized software we were using in class on a classroom’s podium computer because it would deviate from the standard software set.) If the computer is the equivalent of laboratory equipment–and for many in the humanities, it is the only “laboratory equipment” we have–then we should have control over its use.
Any thoughts? Is this an issue for you on our campus? Post to the comments.
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