M. Jessica Contrera | Feb. 16, 2012
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| Photo by Nick Demille |
| Journalism systems administrator Dave Ernst said the school is implementing ways to cut down on printing. Paper Cut software helps track usage. |
The plan is part of a campus-wide initiative led by the IU Office of Sustainability, which has encouraged being more sustainable in technology use since its inception in 2007. It recently created a working group to focus exclusively on the subject.
The group has identified printing as a main trouble area. Each year, nearly 15 percent of the paper used in Student Technology Center printers ends up left behind as unwanted pages, and some of the recycling boxes in the journalism school show a similar pattern of unwanted pages.
Print reduction is a key financial and environmental concern, said David Ernst, journalism senior systems administrator.
“When students print in the school of journalism, it doesn’t detract from their university quota, so they’re not always careful about what they print,” Ernst said.
Last summer, Ernst and other administrators decided it was time for the school to cut back on printing. They implemented a software system called PaperCut, which tracks printing in the entire school.
““We’re trying to find out who is printing, what are they printing, and why are they printing,” Ernst said. “And we are really trying to cut all of those down.”
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| Screenshot by Jessica Contrera |
| PaperCut software shows usage patterns and tracks numbers of pages printed. The school is hoping to reduce printing throughout the school. |
And soon, both graduate and undergraduate students will have quotas for printing in the School of Journalism – no more unlimited printing.
“We want students to be able to print enough to get their class work done, but we don’t want the printing system to be taken advantage of,” Ernst said.
He estimated the quota will allow undergraduate students to print around 500 pages per semester. Those pages will continue to be added to the university's per student printing quota of 650 pages per semester.
Ernst hopes the limit will encourage students to be more aware of how they use resources like paper, ink and energy, which all have environmental impacts.
But the Ernst and team have some tools for helping students break the printing habit. The technology staff is working on software that enables students to tap into their notes and learning aids without clicking on the print button.
Quick Tips to Avoid Printing:
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“It’s sort of like a cloud, if you want to use the buzzword for it,” Ernst said.
The app is planned to be accessible sometime this spring and fully implemented in the fall.
“It will allow you to basically have hard copies from the server in your hand,” said Web programmer Andy Koop. “ It’s green, it’s accessible, and it’s secure because it’s on the journalism server.”
For example, students working on a video assignment could refer to camera operating directions from their phones rather than printing and bringing along paper directions, which are easy to lose or damage.
Koop and multimedia lab director Allen Major are creating a more sustainable teaching tool, screen casts, which will allow professors to give instructions to students using video instead of through lengthy tutorial printouts.
“Students all learn at a different pace,” Major said. “With a screen cast, you can pause, rewind and move forward when you’re ready.”
Screen casts have recently been implemented into J210, Visual Communication to teach students how to use new software. Students may watch them as often as they want.
“I was able to learn Final Cut Pro by actually seeing how the program works,” sophomore Claire Aronson said. “It was much easier than reading from a packet and then trying to find where to go on the screen.”
More:
- See tips on reducing printing at the Office of Sustainability's website.
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