Digital Excellence Commitment (DExC) Program FAQs

There are a variety of labs on campus, all referred to in different ways. Definitions for each space, along with examples, have been drafted for reference.

Yes. Information Technology will continue to support both the Windows operating system and Windows-based software for learning and teaching. While students are provided Apple laptops that run macOS, IT has created a Windows virtual computer environment accessible by students, faculty, and staff, from both on- and off-campus.

No. Existing Windows computers used in research and in teaching will remain in place.

Based on feedback from faculty and students, as well as analytical data from Microsoft Azure, the virtual environment Bowdoin uses, there have been a number of improvements.

• We have increased the number of virtual machines that are available. There were a small number of times where students were unable to connect to a virtual machine because none were available. We've increased the base starting number and will be leveraging new technology that will bring additional virtual computers online as they're used.
• The virtual environment is a shared environment, which means that more than one person can connect to the same computer at a time. We've put new limits and controls in place to keep the number of students connected to a virtual computer lower, freeing up resources. This is especially helpful with applications such as ArcGIS and NVivo.
• We've increased the performance of the virtual machines by providing more processor power to each machine.

Software that had been installed in Windows for student use in the past will be available in the virtual computer lab. This includes applications such as ArcGIS. A knowledge base article has been created with a complete list of the software installed in the virtual environment for reference. 

As part of the DExC program, the availability of some, more widely used, software titles has been expanded.

MATLAB has been licensed for all student, faculty, and staff use for teaching, learning, and research. Access to MATLAB Online and all 90+ toolboxes provided by Mathworks is also provided. 

Adobe Creative Cloud, including nearly all Adobe products, is available for students and faculty to install on their Bowdoin-issued laptops. The suite includes PhotoShop, inDesign, Premier, and others.

Mathematica is available for installation on all student and faculty laptops to install on their Bowdoin-issues laptops.

We know it can be tempting to call/email/message the same person who helped you with an issue in the past. We love that you might be comfortable and confident in that person. However, we recommend that you don't do this but instead, enter your request or alert us of the problem online or by phone.

Why would you do this? If you call the Service Desk or submit your request, your issue will be routed to the right person or team, in a reasonable amount of time, and be worked on in the order that it is received. More eyes get placed on the issue and could be answered or routed to the appropriate team quickly. However, by contacting someone directly, there is a risk that the request gets lost and won't receive the attention it deserves, especially if that person is out of the office. It is also possible that they are not the person to best answer the current situation and so the request won't get to the right person/team as quickly as it would if you had contact the Service Desk

Technology purchases generally fall within the same fiscal cycle as the college. If a faculty member or lab instructor is hoping to obtain a new piece of technology, would like different technology for their teaching, or are responsible for a teaching or research lab and would like to request updated computers, a request is made via the department's technology budget process in late fall - early winter. In addition, a request can be made through IT's CAP process, that happens during the same time of year. The request does not need to be made through both processes. The requests are reviewed by people from Academic Affairs and Information Technology. If approved, the purchase would be made at the start of the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1.

Requests received after the budget submissions have been made might still be honored but would be weighed against any contingency funding and other requests that may have been made after the deadline.

Technology that is going to be used for research only may be purchased "out of cycle" if research or departmental funds are to be used. All technology must be purchased through Information Technology, regardless of timing or funding sources. IT staff have various vendors and suppliers they can work with to ensure the best purchase price.

Software purchases generally fall within the same fiscal cycle as the college. If a faculty member is thinking about using a new piece of software for teaching, learning, and/or research, a request is made via the department's technology budget process in late fall - early winter. The request is reviewed by people from Academic Affairs. If approved, the purchase would be made at the start of the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1.

Requests received after the budget submissions have been made might still be honored but would be weighed against any contingency funding and other requests that may have been made after the deadline.

Software that is going to be used for research only can be purchased "out of cycle" if research or departmental funds are to be used. All software must be purchased through Information Technology, regardless of timing or funding sources. IT staff have various vendors and suppliers they can work with to ensure the best purchase price. They can also help to determine the right license type is purchased or clarify license needs.