Department of Biology Computer Newsletter
Post the output files from the testing center by last four digits of student number.
With your grade rolls for spring, 1998, you should have found
a list of your students sorted by the last four digits of
their student number. But, the testing center still gives output
files by e-mail which list the entire student number and name.
You can block out the names and first digits of the number,
but you are left with a scrambled mess. And, if you try to use
the registrar's list, you will always find some students who are
not on that list.
There is now a solution. Tom Herbert has written a little shell script which runs under Unix. To use this, do the following: 1) Save the output which the registrar sends you in a file in your home director on fig. 2) Using pico or some other editor, make sure the header information is removed. Suppose the file was saved with the name "exam1" and you want the sorted list of four digit numbers and raw scores saved in a file "post1". 3) Then simply type "posting exam1 post1" and you will have the appropriate sorted list in the file "post1". 4) You can print this list out for posting, incorporate it an HTML or word processing document, etc., as you like. The output file is "tab-delimited". Columns are separated by tabs so that a spreadsheet will read these files properly.
The fig server has a listserver! The listserver makes it very easy to send e-mail to members of the Department of Biology. To send a copy of your e-mail to each of the biology faculty, address your e-mail to "biofac@fig.cox.miami.edu". To send to biology graduate students - "biograd@fig.cox.miami.edu", to biology staff - "biostaff@fig.cox.miami.edu", and to faculty, graduate students, and staff - "biology@fig.cox.miami.edu"
The Department of Biology has a chat server.
Join a group for your course or a general discussion group.
The address of this IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server is fig.cox.miami.edu.
Use any IRC client program to join us.
POP mail now works on fig. If you are a faculty member or graduate student with an account on fig, you can use Eudora or other POP-compatible programs to send and receive e-mail through fig using your desktop computer.
"Using SLIRP to connect to the Web from home."
SLIRP enables you to connect to the Web and other Internet resources from home. Faculty and graduate students who have accounts on "fig" can easily set up a Mac or PC to do this. (Steve Green)
"Interactive Practice Exams on the Web"
How instructors can set up exam files for our new Online Interactive Exam Center. It's easy and lots of fun! Exams can be converted to the required format in just minutes with a word processor! This article gives information on the TIE format, developed at the University of Connecticut. Exams written in this format can be used to automatically generate: 1) interactive practice exams on the Web, 2) sequentially numbered questions and answers for hard copy exams, and 3) answer keys for posting. (Thomas J. Herbert)
"What you always wanted to know about fig"
The Department of Biology now has a DEC AlphaServer running - "fig.cox.miami.edu" - which supports its Web and Chat server programs, and provides Unix shell accounts to faculty and graduate students in the Department of Biology. (Thomas J. Herbert)
"Internet Relay Chat (IRC) on VAX/VMS"
In order to facilitate course chat groups, an IRC client program has been made publicaly available on UMIAMI, the VAX/VMS system. Look here for information on how to access that program. (Thomas J. Herbert)
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