Administrative Procedures Manual

 

Scheduling procedure for use of the network

Connections within the NSHEC Network

The Steering Committee will establish a schedule for each semester/quarter to include courses to be offered, times to be reserved for faculty/student consultation, preplanned videoconferences/meetings, and other uses requested or sponsored by (1) the NSHEC Interactive Video Network member institutions and (2) other educational institutions or companies. Thus, the NSHEC Steering Committee (through the Institutional Coordinators Subcommittee) will negotiate in priority order for each semester/quarter a schedule to include:

A. NSHEC Interactive Video Network members':

• programs established
• credit courses established
• certificate/continuing education courses established
• time block(s) reserved for preplanned videoconferences and meetings and for faculty/student
• consultation

Note: Total enrollment for any class, including all originating and receiving site(s), will be determined by the originating institution.

B. Uses that are contracted by institutions that do not have a NSHEC Interactive Video Network classroom but are sponsored by one or more of the NSHEC Telecommunications Network members (a NSHEC Telecommunications Network Use Agreement must be completed prior to final scheduling on the network);

C. All other times available for approved uses.

To ensure that room scheduling conflicts do not arise, please:

1. Check the schedule via your institution's "read" copy of the scheduling software;

2. Be sure that one of the "SuperUsers" has received a completed request form by fax (see form attached) for any use of the room for off-network or non-network purposes. The "SuperUser" will try to fax return confirmation to you, but you are the one who must be certain that a contact has been made, call to confirm.

DePaul (above), Oakton (above), National-Louis (above), and the NSHEC Program Specialist are known as the "SuperUsers". "SuperUsers" can schedule the Network.

The courses/programs/time blocks determined by the Steering Committee for each semester/quarter will be programmed into the system at the beginning of each semester/quarter for all appropriate times.

All additional uses of the Network requested during the semester/quarter must be made by fax to one of the following (they are in order in which you should try to contact them):

• NSHEC Program Specialist, Gina Widholm (847/467-5445 or 847/467-6100 fax).
• Oakton, April Chermak (847/635-1453 or 847/635-1449 fax);
• DePaul, Lorne Henne (312/362-8431 or 362-8499 fax);
• National-Louis, Robin Woodsome (847/443-5522 ext. 2541)

Connections outside the NSHEC Network (Sprint Diamond Network)

NSHEC has leased a Sprint Diamond Network line to allow NSHEC Network members to connect with sites outside the NSHEC Network.

A. With non-NSHEC sites which are also on the Sprint Diamond Network

• Make arrangements with the non-NSHEC site
• Get the Sprint access phone number from the non-NSHEC site
• Call a NSHEC "Super User" to schedule your conference
• Prior to the conference, at the CODEC in the room a technician will have to change:

_ data rate from T1 to 1/4 T1 (or whatever the established channel usage will be)
_ the data mode from 64kbps to 56kbps channel mode

• Use the On-On section of the use rate chart (see separate document) to estimate costs (see below) (On-On means both parties are on the Diamond Network; On-Off means the NSHEC site is going to a site NOT on the Diamond Network).

B. With non-NSHEC sites which are not on the Sprint Diamond/VPN Network

• Do all of the above, but you may have to call Sprint for the access phone number and CODEC settings may be different as the Sprint Meeting Channel may need to be used.
• In this case, the On-Off part of the use rate chart applies (see below).

Charges for use of the Sprint Diamond Network

Although the basic lease cost of the Sprint Diamond Network connection is included in the monthly charge paid by each site, users of the Diamond Network must also pay use costs similar to long-distance charges based on the following variables:

• number of channels used;
• duration of the conference;
• time of day of the conference;
• geographical zone of the off-network site, and
• with the off-network site subscribes to the Sprint
• Diamond/VPN Network or not.

These user charges will be rebilled to you by the NSHEC Coordinator's office.

In addition, other consortia or off-network sites may charge additional fees for which the individual NSHEC institution initiating the off-network connection will be responsible.



Go back