O'Donnell named to head ISC

Classical Studies Professor James O'Donnell has been officially named vice provost for Information Systems and Computing. O'Donnell, who served as interim vice provost for Information Systems and Computing before being appointed to the permanent position, said his job is to "keep track of things and make teamwork happen." Explaining that ISC is responsible for one-third of the money spent on computing on campus, O'Donnell added that ISC is in charge of the modem pools for PennNet dialup service -- which, depending on how many people are trying to access the modems, makes him either popular or unpopular. O'Donnell, the author of New Tools for Teaching -- which discusses education over the World Wide Web -- taught a seminar over the Internet in 1994. The course, which enrolled 10 University students, was audited by 500 students around the world. O'Donnell said the focus of ISC is "what we use [computers] for rather than how they work." Often using computers in his own research and teaching, his method of teaching utilizes the Internet and e-mail. Students receive course materials on the Internet and submit papers electronically. Because students submit their papers electronically, O'Donnell explained that he can use the papers for teaching. The papers are posted at Web sites and used in O'Donnell's subsequent courses, allowing students to "create actual product," he said. Technology has already revolutionized his teaching style, O'Donnell added. Now that he e-mails announcements to his students, he doesn't waste time in class dealing with business. Rather, he devotes class time to discussion and teaching. O'Donnell, whose Classical Studies specialization is the transition between the medieval and Roman cultures, said he has two goals for ISC. He hopes to "make the things we do work better, faster and cheaper." And he wants to "help the institution think about new ways to use technology to achieve our basic missions of research and teaching." O'Donnell predicts the changes in ISC will move quickly because "technology is constantly changing what we can do." He has "only just begun to think about how these things will change and the institutions will change." Provost Stanley Chodorow said in a statement that he is "delighted" O'Donnell has accepted the permanent position. "In the year that he served as interim vice provost, he has done a wonderful job," said Chodorow, who called O'Donnell knowledgeable and "well attuned to our academic programs and needs of the University."