Guide to computing resources
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

This guide for prospective students is based on a consumer guide published by EDUCAUSE. It is designed to help you compare UW-Madison’s technology resources for students, faculty and staff with those of other institutions.

UW-Madison is a longstanding member of EDUCAUSE, an international, nonprofit association promoting the introduction and use of information resources and technologies in higher education.

Our guide is divided into four sections:

Academic Experience
This section helps you understand how technology is generally used in classes at UW-Madison and the extent to which faculty use these technologies to interact with students.

Administrative Experience
This section presents an overview of the “business” of your college experience: registering for classes, dropping and adding courses, applying for and paying for student loans, purchasing books, etc.

Social Experience
Campus social and extracurricular activities are an important part of students’ educational experience. Learn how technology plays a role in creating and managing these social communities.

Requirements, Services and Costs
Learn about the relationship between the quality and extent of campus services and the costs associated with this infrastructure.

Academic Experience

• What percentage of campus courses use electronic information to enhance the course?

Forty-three percent (43%) of instructors use Learn@UW, a tool for creating and managing course web sites and developing online learning environments that fosters student interactions and collaboration. Sixty-eight percent (68%) use some sort of computer-based technology to keep students informed (e.g., email, My WebSpace).

• What percentage of faculty use e-mail regularly?

Campus computing surveys indicate that at least 95% of faculty and staff use email. On a typical day, campus mail servers process more than six million messages.

• Are technology resources used effectively to enhance the learning experience and to prepare graduates for technology use in their careers?

Yes, students have easy access to a rich variety of technology resources. One is the campus Web portal, My UW-Madison, which provides a secure online gateway to personalized campus services such as course information, instructional tools and library reserves.

Students also get a free Security Starter CD that provide anti-virus and remediation software, antispyware software, and other computer security resources such as how to patch an operating system.

Students can also use any of 13 general-access computer labs, dozens of computer kiosks, and the campus wireless network.

• How does the campus help students develop computer skills?

Individual departments provide instruction in the use of technology tools in their disciplines, and DoIT provides free training through the Software Training for Students program. Classes vary from basic desktop applications to advanced Web design. Students can also participate in DoIT’s Student Technical Training, which offers students intensive one- or two-week training technical and customer-service skills sessions, qualifying them for IT support jobs on campus.

In addition, UW-Madison libraries offer free drop-in workshops that cover library resources and services, bibliographic database management software, using the Internet and building Web pages .

• What library resources are available online (catalog, databases, special collections)?

UW-Madison has one of the 10 largest library systems in the United States, and its collections (more than six million volumes, four million microfilm items, and hundreds of thousands of government documents, maps, musical scores, and audiovisual and other materials) are distributed across more than 40 campus locations.

Students and faculty can search millions of library catalog records in MadCat, the online library catalog, to find a book or journal, learn where it is, and see if it is checked out. Users can also search 30 million citations in journal and information databases.

• What electronic reference materials are licensed and how accessible are they from outside the library (for example, in the residence halls or off-campus)?

UW-Madison Libraries owns more than 5,000 netLibrary eBooks, accessible through the MadCat online catalog, where they are cataloged and searchable with links directly to the e-book. In addition, licenses enable access to hundreds of bibliographical and full-text reference databases.

• Are course reserves and other materials available online/via the Web site?

All UW-Madison library reserve materials are available via the My UW-Madison Web portal. The portal is personalized for each user, and the library/reserve page for each course contains links to online reserve readings and links to information about any books on reserve for the course in a campus library.

• Does the campus allow students to receive credit for courses taken electronically from other sources?

In general, UW-Madison grants transfer credit for any course taken at a regionally accredited college or university if it applies to a student’s major and degree at UW-Madison. If the course is similar to a UW-Madison course, direct equivalent credit will be granted. If the course is not similar, elective credits in the relevant department will be granted.

• Does the campus have a specific computer/IT competency requirement for all undergraduates?

Although the University has no specific requirement for computer/IT competency for undergraduates, some departments and programs might. Students should become familiar with the specific requirements of the colleges and individual departments and programs.

• What percentage of faculty has a networked computer available to them?

A recent campus-wide computing survey indicates that 94% of faculty and staff own a desktop computer and 29% of them own a laptop computer.

Administrative Experience

• What information about admission and financial aid is available online, and can necessary forms be submitted electronically?

UW-Madison’s Office of Admissions and Office of Student Financial Services provide online extensive information on requirements and procedures for admission and opportunities for financial aid. Undergraduate admissions applications can only be submitted in paper form, however you can check the status of your application and award information on My UW-Madison using the Student Center tab.

• Is the college catalogue, including important campus policies, available on the Web?

Yes, you can find it in a number of place. The Undergraduate and Graduate catalogs are online. The Course Timetable on the Web provides course listings, times, locations and other information and is searchable by School/College or Department. Open seat information is refreshed every 15 minutes during registration periods. You can also find a full Timetable under the Academics tab of My UW-Madison.

• Can a student access her personal student information/data online?

Yes. The campus Web portal, My UW-Madison, provides secure, individualized access to personal student information such as grades, tuition account, financial aid, email and calendar. It also provides course information, instructional tools, library reserves, and other educational resources. The majority of student information is under the Student Center tab.

• Can a student find out his grades online or by phone at the end of a semester?

The Student Center tab on the campus Web portal, My UW-Madison, provides secure online access to grades for current and past semesters. Final grade reports are not available by phone and are no longer automatically mailed at the end of each term.

• Is registration, including dropping and adding courses, processed electronically?

Students register for classes using the campus Web portal, My UW-Madison. The online enrollment system is available 24 hours a day from Monday through Saturday and after 12:00 noon on Sundays. Students are assigned an Enrollment Appointment Time and may register then or later. Students may gain access to the enrollment system more than once to complete their registration.

Students can add, drop, swap or edit courses using the Student Center tab on My UW-Madison. Some permissions may be required in advance of course adds/drops using the portal.

• Can students pay bills, receive loans, make campus bookstore purchases using online procedures?

Students can pay tuition and fees in a variety of ways: in person, by mail or online (from their checking account) using the Student Center tab of the My UW-Madison Web portal. Most types of financial aid, scholarships and loans are received electronically and applied directly to a student’s account to pay tuition and fee costs. Campus bookstore purchases are not available online.

• What campus and community services are covered by “smart cards” or debit cards?

UW-Madison’s Wiscard program uses the UW photo ID as a debit card for purchasing food, school supplies, textbooks, and much more at more than 45 campus locations. Parents can use an online system to deposit funds in their son or daughter’s Wiscard account.

• What student information does the campus provide routinely to parents?

UW-Madison complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, which prohibits disclosure of student records information to a third party without written consent from the student. Parents are included in the FERPA definition of a third party. Therefore, UW-Madison cannot release to parents such information as grades and transcript copies without student consent.

Parents may obtain a copy of their son or daughter’s academic transcript by obtaining the son or daughter’s authorizing signature on a Transcript Request form.

Social Experience

• What percentage of students on this campus has full-time use of personal computers?

According to a recent campus-wide computing survey, 92% of students reported owning a computer, with 18% owning both a laptop and a desktop machine.

• What is the ratio of public access computers to undergraduate enrollment?

The availability of computers in general-access and departmental labs may seem low on a per-capita basis (one public-access computer for about every 40 students). But ownership of computers by UW-Madison students is almost universal. Students use widely available lab computers and kiosks when they are away from their desktop or laptop computer. UW-Madison’s campus network (including widespread wireless accessibility) provides high-speed connectivity from residence halls, classroom buildings and offices.

• What percentage of students uses e-mail and other software applications on a regular basis?

According to a recent campus-wide computing survey, 66% of students use WiscMail, the campus email service, as their primary account. Fifty-three percent (53%) own an MP3 player; 14% own a personal digital assistant; 79% own a cell phone; and the mean hours of active Internet use reported by students was 19 hours per week.

• Does the campus allow personal Web pages?

Yes. UW-Madison offers My WebSpace, a Web hosting and file storage service available at no cost to UW-Madison students and registered student organizations. My WebSpace provides 200 megabytes of free storage for students to store and access their files. Students can use this space to publish a personal home page and to store important files, such as homework, notes, papers, theses, dissertations and graphics.

• Is contact information for students, faculty, and staff readily accessible electronically?

Yes. The main campus Web site at www.wisc.edu provides a directory search.

• Is there a campus code of behavior for use of computing and information resources?

UW-Madison’s Guidelines for Appropriate Use state that use of information technology must be consistent with the University’s mission and with its role as a public agency. The Guidelines and other information about appropriate use are available online at www.doit.wisc.edu/policies.

• What social activities and services are available over the Web?

The campus Web portal, My UW-Madison, includes Campus News and Campus Event tabs providing information on campus news, events, and other opportunities. Students and registered student organizations can build Web pages with My WebSpace, a Web hosting and file storage service available at no cost. Students can also reserve the use of Wisconsin Union facilities for meetings and other events via email.

• Are there Web sites for student organizations and clubs, and are these linked to the campus home page?

Yes. The UW-Madison site at www.wisc.edu includes a link under Student Services to the Student Organization Office, which lists all registered student organizations. Registered student organizations can also build and host a site at no cost on My Web Space, a Web hosting and file storage service.

Requirements, Services and Costs

• What, if any, technology fee is charged by the campus and what does it cover?

The University of Wisconsin-Madison charges a fee equal to 1.5% of tuition. This fee covers technology-related services available to students including 15 general-access computer labs, over 50 communication kiosks located around campus, software training, Internet connections, a 24-hour Help Desk and more.

• Are students required to purchase their own computer?

No, students are not required to own a computer; however, student survey findings show that approximately 92% of students do. UW-Madison offers over 1000 computers for student use in general-access computer labs located across campus. In addition, kiosks around campus provide students with quick access to the Web.

• How does the campus make computing and network access financially available to all students?

Use of the computers in the general-access labs and the kiosks is free to all registered UW-Madison students.

• Does the campus assess extra fees for network connections in the dorms or for off-campus access?

No, the student technology fee covers network access both on campus and off. Access for students in University Housing is covered by Housing fees.

• If I bring my own computer equipment to school, what kind of support can I expect from the campus?

The DoIT Help Desk provides near-round the clock tech support on issues such as email, My UW-Madison, viruses and much more. There is also free software training available to students. Computer repair and software installation are offered on an hourly fee basis.

• What hardware and software standards, if any, does the campus require, recommend, and/or support?

UW-Madison does not require specific hardware and software, however, the DoIT offers basic, standard and optimum recommendations on both Macintosh and Windows computers to students, faculty and staff on its Web site. In general, software support is offered for current software versions and one previous version.

• What kinds of services (help desk, training, troubleshooting) are provided by the campus, and during what hours of operation?

The DoIT Help Desk is available for walk-ins from 7:45 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., M-F. Support is also available via the Web, email and phone support, nearly 24 x 7. 

• Does the campus have a plan for keeping the hardware current, and, if so, what is the replacement cycle?

The general-access computer labs are currently on a three-year cycle for computer hardware exclusive of monitors, which are replaced about every five years.  Scanners and printers are replaced as needed.

• How does the campus support printing for the students, and is there a charge for this?

Black and white laser printing is available in the general-access computer labs for $0.07 per page, and is partially subsidized by the student technology fee.  Color laser printing is available for $0.35 - $0.50 per page, depending on quality.