The center assists faculty in the design and production of instructional materials, involving graphics, photography, and video, including the special needs of presentations, web pages, and multimedia. Videotapes may be produced in the S-VHS and VHS videocassette formats. These facilities enable faculty to experiment with new teaching strategies, distance education, and to participate with their classes in satellite-delivered conferences and seminars. The center acquires videotapes, videodiscs, and CD-ROMs and provides a website catalog of all holdings. It consults with faculty in locating relevant titles, and an extensive collection of catalogs is maintained, including information on documentaries, instructional series, television programs, features, and the short film.
Consultation is given for the technical specifications of media-related grant proposals.
To provide support and access to the resources of the Internet for all members of the campus community, Computing Services operates and maintains a SUN server cluster. An IBM mainframe houses student and business information systems that provide services like the touch-tone registration, grades, and financial aid information. Over 1,500 PCs and Macintoshes are available on campus for student use. Computing Services offers free short courses and workshops throughout the year to teach faculty, staff, and students how to use campus computing systems, utilities, and applications software. The SFSU Computing Services Security Guide covers policies, procedures, and proper uses of computing systems.