Overview

Each fiscal year there is the opportunity to purchase software from the Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (ASE) monies budgeted for lab and software. The amount of funds available changes from year to year, but TTS does it's best to keep some funds available for this purpose.

Requests for acquisition of software to be installed in the computer labs should be submitted by the department Chairperson. To make a request for software to be used in the Braker or Eaton Instructional labs, please fill out the Classroom/Computer Lab Setup & Software Request form. The request will be processed by TTS and will address the following as appropriate:

• Course Title
• Name of instructor(s)
• Approximate number of students using the software, including your class and any other classes who would potentially access it.
• Is this class a core requirement? ___yes ___no
• List the number of legal copies (standalone, site license) needed.
• Provide the name of the software application with vendor and pricing information (including upgrade info).
• Content suitability of a given package needs to be assessed by the faculty member, subject to the strengths of their pedagogical needs.
• For which computer lab is this software intended?
• How often will the software be used? (e.g., once a week for 20 person class for two semesters, or used by all freshmen once a week)
• Are there any special hardware, disk space or network requirements needed to support the software?
• Is the software available in other labs on campus?
• Is a student version of the software available?

Request Submissions

Please submit a request to it@tufts.edu and include the following information:

• Instructor name, email, and department
• Lab name
• Software being requested
• Class times, dates, and other information
• Any special needs

Deadline for Request

Fall Semester

Deadline of March 30th for requests is required (notification from A&S will be given by April 25th to inform faculty if the software will be purchased.)

Spring Semester

Deadline of November 30th for requests is required (notification from A&S will be given by December 20th to inform faculty if the software will be purchased.)

Review Process

• Faculty desiring upgrades of existing applications should submit an application via this application process. Applications utilized by students should be kept at the current version for compatibility with the operating system.
• Priority will be given to requests that benefit the greatest number of students in coursework and for which there do not exist good substitutes already on campus.
• If course is new or experimental, department may request partial support from software budget, and fund the additional cost through department funds.
• A subcommittee of the Faculty Computer Committee will review requests if the number of requests (meeting the above criteria) exceeds the funds available.

Documentation

• For software purchased with lab resources, one set of manuals will be purchased for each lab and made available in the appropriate lab. Additional copies of manuals must be supplied by the requesting department.
• Departments will be required to purchase manuals for any applications purchased with departmental funds.

Notification

• Departments will be notified via Email when the request is approved or denied.
• If a request is denied, a Department Chairperson may appeal to the Faculty Computer Committee for review.