The computing infrastructure at Brooklyn College is one of the most advanced in CUNY. These systems support applications in all disciplines and are used by students and faculty to access critical administrative data. Information Technology Services provides support to students, faculty and administration through the Help Desk and on site.
All students may use the college’s public access computer labs, extensive Web and distance learning systems, and network of BCLink digital information kiosks. Every registered student is provided with an advanced Microsoft Exchange e-mail account that may be accessed on or off campus via the Internet.
Brooklyn College maintains several large-scale public-access computing facilities, supplemented by departmental disciplines-specific labs and electronic classrooms. Overall, nearly 1,500 computers are available to students. Facilities include the ITS Public Computing Labs in the West End Building, the New Media Center and lower-level labs in the library, the 24/7 Morton and Angela Topfer Library Café in Whitehead Hall, and the Learning Center off the Boylan Hall lobby. The ITS Public Computing Labs, which are open seven days a week, have more than 250 PCs, Macs and Unix workstations; lounge areas; and food service. The library labs have more than 500 PCs and Macs; the Library Café has more than 100 PCs and Macs. All campus labs have shared network printing linked to free black-and-white printing quotas, high-speed Internet access, group4study rooms, express printing and helpful support staff.
The college supports various computing platforms, including Windows, Apple Mac and Linux/Unix systems. All of these are available at public-access facilities and are used in various instructional contexts. The college also maintains a sophisticated videoconferencing and multimedia facility that is used in many courses for distance learning and facilitates interaction with students from other CUNY colleges.
An extensive inventory of adaptive computer equipment enables students with disabilities to utilize the computer resources. These facilities and associated technical support are concentrated in the ITS Public Computing Labs, the library and the Mamie and Frank Goldstein Resource Center in the Center for Student Disability Services.
BC WebCentral Portal
Brooklyn College students may use the BC WebCentral portal to transact a wide range of academic business via the Web, including registering for courses, paying tuition, viewing their progress toward their degree, applying for scholarships, applying for graduate school, withdrawing from courses, applying for pass-fail, declaring their major, applying for absentee final exams, projecting their GPA based on current grades, signing up to receive grades via e-mail and much more. WebCentral users have access to WebMail, private calendars, to-do lists, Web favorites, news feeds and other useful tools. The portal provides information and services customized to each user. A single WebCentral sign-on allows users to access all authenticated services without having to re-enter his or her credentials.
BC CUNYfirst Student Information System
CUNYfirst is a CUNY-wide software system hosted by CUNY that allows students to transact a wide range of academic business, including browsing the course catalog, registering for courses, dropping courses, paying tuition and fees online, managing personal information, viewing grades and progress toward a degree, and viewing and printing unofficial transcripts.
Wireless Network Access
Wireless network access (Wi-Fi) is available throughout the campus, including all main buildings, as well as most outside gathering spaces. It can be accessed with appropriately configured laptops or PDAs by students with Brooklyn College e-mail accounts. Access requires an 802.11x-compliant secure client and a Brooklyn College e-mail address. Further information and setup instructions are available on the technology tab on the BC WebCentral portal.
Technology in the Classroom
Brooklyn College offers a number of technology-enhanced classrooms in every academic building. These rooms are generally equipped with networked computers, various touch screen controls, Document Imaging Cameras and various forms of media playback.
Blackboard
An online learning tool, Blackboard offers students 24/7 access to their classes. Professors can use Blackboard to house essential course materials, create classroom message boards, and launch a fully online or hybrid in-person/online classroom environment.
