The use of technology is an integral part of the educational process at the University of St. Francis . St. Francis has been a leader in educational technology and continues to offer our students more technology services every year. In order to maintain the present services and provide funds that will enable the university to keep pace with the rapid changes in technology innovation, a technology fee is necessary. The Academic Computing Fee (ACF) does not cover the cost of all technology services provided. The fees collected will cover less than half of what it costs to deliver the present technology to the campus.

What does the Academic Computing Fee pay for?

There are general student computer labs across the campus that are maintained with current computers that are funded through the ACF fee. In addition to the general-purpose labs, there are discipline specific labs for Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Education, Visual Graphics and Mass Communication students. Overall, the University has over 300 computer systems for academic pursuits for our students.

Students are issued a University email account and a network I.D. that provides access to the campus network for data storage and access to the Internet. Non-credit training is available to students throughout the semester for application software, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Students may also connect to the University network from the residence hall rooms in Marian Hall, Tower Hall and the Motherhouse. The student must their own computer system for connection in the residence halls.

USF students have access to the University Library, which provides an array of computer based research databases and tools for scholarly pursuits. For more details on services available, please refer to the Library Services website at http://www.stfrancis.edu/lib

The University's focus on the integration of technology and student learning is evident within our 26 multimedia classrooms for instruction and presentation by both faculty and students. The multimedia classrooms have Internet access, video projection systems, computerized teacher stations, DVD and VCRs and stereo sound equipment for presentations.

Another example of the integration of technology and learning at USF is the Collaborative Learning Classroom (CLC). This classroom is specially designed for use with groups and team learning situations. The room has five group pods with laptop computers, Internet connectivity, an interactive computer whiteboard and other equipment to facilitate the collaborative learning environment.