ICTDO

Jimma University Information Communication Technology Development Director Office, When Jimma University started to integrate ICT in its system, it established the Computer Center to handle issues related to ICT. Ever since its establishment, the computer center has been working closely with different sections of the university to create awareness of ICT, to introduce new technologies into the university and most importantly to help students acquire basic computer skills which is required in the market. These services have been evolving with the growth of the university to incorporate additional tasks.

For a long time, the major task of the computer center had been creating a conducive environment for ICT related courses by providing computer Labs and relevant software and hardware support. However, in the recent years the involvement of computer center in course offerings is significantly reduced since most of the faculties have established their own computer laboratories. The other area which the computer center is involved in is providing short-term trainings to the university community. Cisco Networking Academy hosted by the university to provide Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) course is also temporarily under the supervision of the Computer Center.

Recently, the main focus of the computer center is shifted to the newly built campus-wide network of the university. From the conception to the implementation of the network infrastructure, the computer center has been enthusiastically participating in every activity. In fact, the network project was under the direct supervision of the computer center since the beginning. However, after the implementation, the relationship between the network services and the computer center has become vague.

Apart from these activities the computer center is highly involved in developing specifications for purchase orders of computers and accessories, troubleshooting and maintenance of equipments and purchase of software required for the academic and administrative tasks.

The strategic plan of the university states that the future academic and administrative tasks of the university highly depend on the effective utilization of ICT infrastructures and services. Management Information Systems (MIS) will be implemented to take the administration of the university to a higher level. The requirements of the academic wing are also expected to increase to integrate e-learning with the classical teaching-learning process in the near future.