Around Cornell's electronic world in 50 minutes By Beth Goelzer Lyons   Now in its fifth year, Travelers of the Electronic Highway (TEH) continues to orient new students to Cornell's computing services. Yet in those five years, Internet usage has soared, and computers have become as much a part of life as the telephone for many new students. Is TEH still beneficial for these students? Absolutely, said Drew Philip '99, Technology Training Services (TTS) student supervisor. "TEH covers Cornell-specific services, like Just the Facts or Library Services, that you wouldn't automatically know existed. To survive here, students have to use computers. We orient them to what Cornell offers and also tell them what things they shouldn't be doing." In just 50 minutes, students learn about Bear Access and Cornell's computing environment, choose and change their password, make sure their e-mail account is working and use the Electronic Directory and the web. Most important, they learn what is legally and culturally expected of them as a computer user. Armed with these skills, they are ready to join the university's electronic community.

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"Because we expect today's students to arrive with some computing experience, we don't address basic skills in TEH. Our intent is to provide a broad overview of Cornell's computing environment," explained Judy Hyman, coordinator of the TEH program. "Specifically, we focus on topics that support the core goals outlined by FABIT [Faculty Advisory Board on Information Technology] and that help reduce the consulting load on the HelpDesk and labs. We also make sure students know how to use their account and understand the rights and responsibilities associated with it. That's a lot to cover in 50 minutes, so we give each student a bag of documentation that can take them to the next step." TEH is presented to the entire entering freshman class, as well as most of the new graduate students-some 4,200 people-in a mere 7 days before the fall semester begins. Another set of classes is held for new students admitted in January. "When TEH started in 1994, we used to offer classes from Orientation Week through October," said Dane Hassani, former student supervisor. "Now, students are prepared to use our network by the first day of class, which means professors can expect students to use e-mail, databases, the web, all of it, right away. There's no catch-up time." The payoff is a more powerful academic experience. The TEH instructors are fellow students doubly gifted as teachers and technophiles. After 4 days of intensive training, they run TEH classes for 7 days straight, alternating as instructors and teaching assistants. CIT employees provide behind-the-scenes support. "New students relate better to instructors who are also students. There's an instant personal connection. And the instructors know firsthand what it's like to use computers here and how important it is," said Philip. "In fact, many instructors find themselves fielding computer questions weeks later from people who took their TEH classes. They're seen as a good resource." Technology Training Services continues to support students throughout the fall semester, offering student-only classes, online tutorials and an e-mail list. More information about these options is on the Training for Students web site. Students who subscribe to the e-mail list <Student-Comp-Train-L@cornell.edu> receive announcements about classes, as well as tips and hints. "TTS has a dual mission of providing a high-quality, hands-on computing orientation at the very beginning of a student's life at Cornell, and then following up with a broad offering of continuing training," said Hyman. "In this ever-changing environment, we're committed to offering a range of training resources that suit students' differing learning styles and schedules." This article also appeared in the 29 October 1998 Cornell Chronicle.

Last modified: May 24, 2007
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