Navigating the InnerLoop takes practice, but is well worth the trip

Whoever coined the term “InnerLoop” for CCBC’s new intranet system was pretty insightful. The term obviously makes reference to how CCBC campuses and extensions centers are situated around Interstate 695, the Baltimore Beltway.

But look a little further, and the parallels between the CCBC InnerLoop and the Beltway go much deeper: They both took a long time to construct; it’s a little daunting the first time you get on them; the journey is a lot easier if you have someone show you what exit will get you where you want to go; and once you get used to them, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.

Launched at the beginning of the Fall 2003 semester, the InnerLoop is a Web-based intranet platform for CCBC faculty and staff communication. Unlike the Internet, an intranet is not available to the general public and can only be accessed via a password-based account. Everyone who has a college e-mail account automatically has an InnerLoop account, utilizing the same user names and passwords as Outlook.

“A few years ago we started investigating document management systems for the college,” said Ron Heacock, vice chancellor for Technology and Planning. “But we were looking for something that would also serve an intranet function – allowing conversations as well as sharing documents. “We wanted it to be a ‘virtual CCBC’ and do all the things that you would expect a traditional community to do,” Heacock continued. “Users can not only share documents and calendars, but can also express opinions, ask questions, start discussions and find information.”

The product IT was searching for had to communicate not only with the Internet and Novell, but had to be secure against hackers and protected from viruses, said Janet Gerth, programmer/analyst in Information Technology Services and leader of the InnerLoop project. “We had to be sure that it would perform the tasks we already had, as well as those we envisioned for the future,” she said. “What we selected is a rather complex piece of software. It’s spread across three servers that share the work and communicate together.”

From a user’s perspective, however, it’s not that complicated. Most employees’ first encounter with the InnerLoop is the screen that pops up when a CCBC computer is turned on. Logging in takes an employee to a home page or “portal,” which can be customized in color scheme and layout, equipped with the user’s choice of “gadgets,” or tools. Gadgets range from general (like local weather or college-wide announcements) to specific (like project and task lists), and may be selected and edited to meet the user’s individual – and changing – needs.

The InnerLoop affords employees the opportunity to share information and documents by way of “communities.” A community can be quite broad, including all members of the CCBC college community, for example. Or it can be very focused, comprised of members of a department or work group. Community pages display gadgets selected and customized by the community owner, so that each user in the community sees the same information.

Initially, the plan was to have a number of communities set up before the fall semester began, according to Margaret Gilbert, senior director of instructional technology. “We were slowed a bit by the division and departmental reorganizations throughout the college,” Gilbert said, “ but we’re now in the process of establishing contact with deans and division managers to show them how valuable a communication tool the InnerLoop can be for them.”

In recent months CCBC’s Technology Training Institute (TTI) has offered a number of general InnerLoop user training sessions for employees college-wide, and will soon begin offering workshops on specific topics such as starting a project or sharing documents.

Sharing and remote access to documents is one of the most exciting features of the InnerLoop, said Gilbert. For example, an instructor teaching classes on two different campuses can create a project containing documents – like syllabi, exams or reference materials – that pertain to a particular course or topic. “These documents can be accessed from any campus, on any computer with Internet access,” said Gilbert. “You could even be at a conference across the country and still be able to view, edit and send your documents. All you need is a connection and your user name and password.”

This feature will also be of value to faculty and staff within CCBC’s newly-established “schools” as employees on different campuses collaborate on projects, coordinate meetings and share information. “I can see a tremendous advantage for adjunct faculty to have access to materials and ideas from instructors throughout the college,” added Gerth.

But it’s not “all work and no play” on the InnerLoop. Communities like “Classified Ads” offer a venue for employees to share questions, news and information on topics as varied as real estate, pets, child care and real estate. “We want people to start using the ‘fun’ features of the InnerLoop too,” said Heacock. “Sharing information and initiating discussion groups – both personal and professional – are what will make this virtual community really work.”

As wonderful as the InnerLoop may be, however, Heacock and his IT staff are well aware that it will take a little getting used to. “Acceptance will come with education and use,” said Chris O’Kane, senior director for Banner Applications and Database Management. “It’s a great college resource, and I think it can be as useful as e-mail, perhaps more so. We accept that it will take some time for everyone to learn and be comfortable with it.”

Key motivators to more widespread use, said O’Kane, are employees’ general aversion to cluttered e-mail accounts and the increased ability to access personal and shared documents. “College-wide e-mails will become a thing of the past,” O’Kane said. “The beauty of the InnerLoop is that you can opt into communities that appeal to you, and opt out of those which don’t meet your interests or needs.”

Learning support specialists on each campus are conducting ongoing training sessions to help boost employees’ InnerLoop comfort and proficiency levels, and are also available by phone or e-mail for individual questions. For information about technology resources as well as a schedule of classes held on all three CCBC campuses, log on to the InnerLoop at http://pt.ccbcmd.edu/ccbcportal, click on the Communities tab, then Technology Resource; go to Community Links in the upper left corner and click on CCBC Technology Training.