E-Curriculum Guidelines

E-Curriculum / E-Curriculum Guidelines

E-Curriculum Program Guidelines

The New Jersey Dental School E-Curriculum is a unique program with three major components: access to cutting-edge technology; innovative use of this technology to enhance the educational process; and a network system and computer support services that permit the use of information technology in educational and patient care activities.

Students participating in the E-Curriculum Program are provided with a fully equipped laptop computer, peripherals, technical support and training in the use of notebook computers. NJDS has formed a partnership with IBM Corporation to provide the best laptop technology and support available for a program of this size and importance. It must be emphasized that the E-Curriculum Program is not just a computer purchase agreement. Rather, it is a comprehensive program designed to integrate information technology into all aspects of the curriculum. No prerequisite computer skills are required to participate; NJDS provides support and training for all incoming freshman students, whether they are beginning or advanced computer users.

IBM ThinkPad T-series Computer with a 4-year warranty, preloaded with the following software:

Windows XP
Microsoft Office 2000
Norton Antivirus
Adobe Acrobat Reader
QuickTime
Vital Viewer DVD Software

Laptop Bag
Portable surge protector

NJDS provides technical and user support for all participants in the E-Curriculum Program. Students requiring support should go to the Office of Technical Support - room B705E. The technical support staff can make repairs in house and has loaner laptops configured with all of the basic, preloaded software in the event that the student laptop needs to be retained for repair. Technical Support staff can be reached by telephone at 973-972-6009. Support staff personnel are on duty from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

All after hours and weekend support requests should be directed to the UMDNJ IS&T data center, which is located in the Medical Sciences Building, room A539. Support staff personnel are present 24 hours a day, seven days a weeks. The center also has loaner laptops configured with all of the basic, preloaded software in the event that the student laptop needs to be retained for repair.

Students requiring after-hours support will be directed to report to the UMDNJ Security Guard station on the B-Level of the Medical School (South Orange Ave. entrance). The guard needs to be asked to call the Data Center (x2-4551) to inform the support staff personnel of the situation. The student should then proceed to the A-Level using the elevators just beyond the Security Guard station. When you reach room A539, press the bell located next to the door, and a staff member will let you in and swap out the laptop. The next business day, NJDS support staff will retrieve the problem laptop from the A-level and address the problem.

Each student is provided with combo DVD/CD-RW drive to permit regular back-ups of documents, notes, etc. Students are encouraged to begin a regular routine of backing-up critical data in case the laptop requires repair, is lost or stolen. The school is not responsible for this data. Replacement and loaner laptops are configured with the basic hardware and software.

Students needing help with data back-up, should go to Computer Services (D750) for assistance.

The IBM ThinkPad laptop is configured with all of the hardware necessary and preloaded with all of the software required for the E-Curriculum Program. However, since the student owns the laptop, it is understood that the owner may elect to add hardware improvements or additional software, and download information/programs from the Internet. Students wishing to perform such upgrades/additions are asked to first contact the NJDS technical support staff for assistance in upgrading any hardware or installing new software onto the laptop computer.

NOTE: Students who perform hardware and/or software upgrades without first contacting the NJDS support staff and find themselves with hardware and/or software conflicts that require support staff assistance to correct will be provided this service for the first time free of charge. Subsequent technical assistance of this nature will be billed to the student’s account at a rate of $50.00/hour.

Virus protection software has been loaded and an automated schedule has been set-up to make sure the laptop is protected. Students who disable this schedule or fail to run the automatic update and virus scan on the computer and then obtain a virus will also be charged the hourly rate to repair the computer.

All students participating in the E-Curriculum Program may be asked to check-in their laptop. Since details regarding time and place for each check-in will be e-mailed directly to each student's UMDNJ e-mail account, it is essential that the student’s UMDNJ e-mail account is read on a regular basis. All check-in information will also be posted on the class E-Curriculum web page.

The purpose of check-in is to ensure that students still have possession of the laptop assigned to them and that the school’s records of serial numbers remain accurate. If the assigned laptop is in repair, the loaner laptop must be checked in.

Failure of a student to comply with this request will result in a hold on the registrar’s account. This means that the student will not be able to register for the following trimester.

The laptop computer is a required item for all students participating in the E-Curriculum Program. If the laptop is lost or stolen, the school will immediately replace the laptop with a new IBM ThinkPad computer, and the student’s account will be billed for the replacement laptop. Stolen laptops should be reported to the appropriate police (UMDNJ, home) and a police report obtained. Insurance coverage should be obtained from your homeowner's insurance policy.

Students must report all losses/thefts to the Office of Academic Affairs within 24 hours of the incident. A UMDNJ Incident Report will be completed at that time to document the loss/theft.

Please note that the UMDNJ Office of Financial Aid will only provide financial aid support for one laptop purchase during the undergraduate dental academic program. The student will pay for any replacement. It is up to the student to handle all coverage issues directly with the insurance company.

Students will be provided with a UMDNJ e-mail account during freshman orientation. All NJDS and UMDNJ electronic correspondence will be sent to this address. Students are expected to check this address regularly.

On campus, students may access their UMDNJ e-mail account, while in the NJDS building using the installed wireless network. This network is accessible on the B-level of the dental school. In addition, email can be accessed from computers located in the UMDNJ Academic Computing Center in the Medical Science Building. Computers located in the NJDS student lounge also have this software installed to allow for e-mail access within NJDS.

Off campus, students are encouraged to establish an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). UMDNJ has obtained special pricing with AT&T – information for this program is available at http://www.umdnj.edu/istweb/ice/intro.htm. Students may also use another ISP, such as AOL. However, be advised that AOL is proprietary and you may have difficulty downloading and opening email attachments.

Once an account is established, students must configure their e-mail program on their laptop to receive e-mail from their UMDNJ account. Configuration instructions can be obtained at http://www.umdnj.edu/istweb/getstart/index.htm. In addition, students can request assistance from the NJDS Computer Support Staff for configuration assistance. Setting up an appointment ahead of time is recommended.

All students participating in the E-Curriculum Program are require to complete the following registration forms during freshman orientation: