Pete Moye’
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Have you ever experienced connectivity issues or waited too long to log on to TalonNet?
Cerritos College looks to fix problems and implement new features with the Spring 2012 release of TalonNet 2.8.
“The main idea was to improve the overall performance and reliability, and give it a professional feel,” Carl Bengston, Dean of the Library and Learning Resource Center, said.
The new version will no longer be hosted on campus or on the Cerritos network. Instead, the site will be managed by a third party, rSmart, which has better resources and a larger staff, according to Bengston.
“Our vendor claims that it can have (TalonNet) running at 98 to 99 percent without down time. They can do a better job,” Bengston said.
Administrators believe the server migration will improve TalonNet’s response time, save campus web traffic, fix connectivity issues and reduce the work load for campus staff without costing the school too much money.
“Most problems involve login issues but we had students losing connectivity while trying to take tests,” David Gunn, technician and user support for TalonNet, said. “It was at the fault of the server because the system can be slow sometimes. We hope the overall responsiveness will be improved with the new version.”
TalonNet 2.8 will include a new look and will incorporate Google Docs to allow faculty to host presentations. The new version will also have better security features and improved access for mobile devices.
“Students can log on with their iPhones, but TalonNet may not display properly,” Gunn said.
“The new version uses a better style sheet so the layout should be preserved and it will display better, but I wouldn’t recommend taking a test on it.”
Joel De Santiago, network technician major, said he uses TalonNet about three times a week and never encounters issues with the site, but believes it could be better.
“TalonNet can use an improved interface that looks cleaner and makes things easier to use,” he said.
“Whatever makes it easier for students and teachers should somewhat improve the learning environment,” he said. “It shows responsibility, and the (faculty’s) commitment to the students.”
