Number 47 November 1, 2005	A publication of Project Eagle, St. Petersburg College

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This Month's Best Bets
	Free Information Sources	Student Support Services

Dealing with Disaster from a Distance:
Hurricane Katrina and Beyond

"The Internet was designed for disaster, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the global computer network largely performed as planned."
Andrea L. Foster and Jeffrey R. Young, "After Katrina...,"Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/9/05

Although Hurricane Katrina relief efforts at many levels were slow to start, in few places was response to the disaster faster than in the field of higher education, This issue offers a compilation of ways the Internet provided a venue for critical communication and almost immediate delivery of courses online for students whose campuses had been damaged or destroyed by Katrina and/or the later storm, Rita. Also included are advice and models for e-learning administrators in planning for disaster and recovery, as well as this month's Best Bets.

Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

"After Katrina, Colleges Turned to Internet Technology to Stay in Touch with the World." Article by Andrea L. Foster and Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/9/05, that surveys the Web-based sites created and maintained by storm-damaged institutions.
Educators Rally in Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Website maintained by eSchool News* that lists many online resources, including links to organizations offering free services to schools with displaced students.
Find Katrina Information. University Business's list of Websites that became central points of contact for college administrators, faculty, staff and students. Includes information clearinghouses, listservs, and other helpful links.
Free Online College Courses for Students Displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Website detailing the remarkably quick efforts by the Sloan Consortium and Southern Regional Education Board to offer free, eight-week, accelerated online courses through the efforts of many colleges nationwide. See also "UIS to Offer Courses for Displaced Students," an article by Daniel Pike at SJ-R.com, 9/5/05, about the one-man origin of what became the Sloan initiative. (Note: St. Petersburg College, source of BEEP, is a participating institution in this initiative.)
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Page with links to all Chronicle of Higher Education coverage of both Katrina and Rita, as well as to Hurricane Update announcements from affected schools and Hurrricane Discussion Forum.
"Katrina: A Defining Moment for Blogs." Article by Eric Hellweg, TechnologyReview.com, 9/8/05, on how blogs shaped media coverage of the hurricane and its aftermath.
Katrina Relief College Database. Online clearinghouse created by eLearners.com to connect hurricane-impacted students with institutions providing assistance at no cost.
"Net Classes Revive New Orleans College." Article by John Borland in CNetNews.com, 10/5/05, on classes at University of New Orleans that will resume, but in a mostly online format.
"Storm Briefs: News and Notes on How Academe Is Helping Gulf Coast Residents Recover." Article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, 9/16/05, on the University of California's deployment of an experimental communication system to the New Orleans area. UC converted RV's to mobile communication hubs that supported both cellphone and Internet service.
Temporary Higher Education Community for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Relief. Listserv hosted by the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) that contains offers by colleges and universities around the country for students to continue studies temporarily on their campuses. How this email community began literally overnight is the subject of "One More on Katrina...," an article by Terry Calhoun in CampusTechnology, 9/15/05.
"Universities Hit by Katrina Tap Technologies to Stay Afloat." Article by Dian Schaffhauser in CampusTechnology, 9/8/05, on methods like spontaneously-created Websites and blogs, used by students at Katrina-affected colleges and universities.

Disaster Recovery Plans and Planning

Contingency Planning and Business Recovery Model. Proposed model (2003) by the Virginia Community College System to protect resources and reduce downtime of critical processes,
Disaster Preparation and Response Plan. 36-page plan by Fort Lewis College (CO), revised 9/5/05, that covers the management of all aspects of institutional catastrophes.
Disaster Recovery Planning. Comprehensive Website maintained by EDUCAUSE, with links to its own documents, as well as those done by other academic institutions and organizations.
"For Campus IT: Early Lessons from Katrina." Article by Rich Seeley in Campus Technology, 9/8/05, on the implications of storms like Katrina for IT planners and disaster coordinators.
How Do You Prepare Your Community for Disaster? A Report of the Third Annual Disaster Preparedness Summit. Report by Alice W. Villadsen, 3/6/05, reviewing the accomplishments of the summit, which was sponsored by the Community College National Center for Community Engagement and the League for Innovation in the Community College.
Johns Hopkins Disaster Recovery Plan. Well organized plan that includes a variety of procedures and strategies for dealing with all aspects of disaster.
"Preparing for Computer Disasters." Article by Dan Carnevale in the Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/28/03, with the minimum steps needed to protect computer data after a disaster.
Step by Step Guide for Disaster Recovery Planning for Michigan State University Units. MSU's how-to guide for creating disaster recovery plans for university departments and others.
When Disaster Strikes. Article by John Burton in University Business, 9/05, reviewing the efforts of various colleges to implement plans for protecting their technology systems.

BEEP's Best Bets

Free Information Sources

"Google's Book Scanning Hits Snag." Associated Press article on Wired News, 8/12/05, about Google's decision to halt efforts to scan copyrighted books from several large universities. See also "Yahoo to Upstage Google's Library Plans" in eSchoolNews,* 10/4/05.
"New Search Engines Help Users Find Blogs." Article by Vauchini Vara, copied from The Wall Street Journal, 9/7/05, reporting on new blog-searching products like Technorati, Feedster, Bloglines, IceRocket and DayPop.
"Sun Sets Up Open-source Office." Article by Stephen Shankland on CNetNews.com, 8/18/05, discussing Sun Microsystems' launch of an office dedicated to open-source matters.

Student Support Services

"College Freshmen Making Friends Online." Article in eSchool News,* 9/14/05, about the use of Websites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com, by entering freshmen in order to connect with classmates even before beginning courses.
"ePortfolios: Hi-Octane Assessment." Article by Matt Villano in Campus Technology, 9/05, on the ways some schools use electronic portfolios for student, educator and lifelong assessment.
"Mentor Support for Future Doctors." Article by Alison Smith, BBC News, 9/7/05, on a United Kingdom effort called Bright Journals, an online resource that encourages medical school students to become mentors for peers with unskilled backgrounds.
"Miles Away, But As Close As a Keyboard." Article by Saritha Rai in the Deccan Herald (India), 9/22/05, about the outsourcing of online tutoring of American students to Indian mentors.
"New Options for Student Shoppers: E-Books." Article in Inside Higher Education News, 8/12/05, explaining a collaboration of eight colleges and MBS Textbook Exchange to provide e-versions of 30 textbooks at 33% below the normal price, accessible for the length of a course.
"Student Information Systems: Winning Loyalty Through Service." Article by John Savarese in Campus Technology, 9/05, with tips on how to create an online student-centered institution that builds institutional loyalty both before and after graduation.

*To access articles in eSchool News may require free online registration.

The contents of BEEP were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.