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College of Engineering & Computing

Engineering Information Center
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ACADEMIC COMPUTER LABS – GENERAL USAGE POLICY

The Engineering Information Center (EIC) at Florida International University maintains computer labs for students enrolled in classes at the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC). Students taking CEC courses may use their MyFIU credentials to utilize and access the lab. EIC establishes these policies to provide a secure, consistent, and effective learning environment while ensuring that CEC resources are used appropriately. This policy document applies only to the labs maintained by the EIC and all users of said facilities. Please note that this document is subject to change and will be reviewed and updated occasionally. Failure to abide by these policies may result in the loss of computing privileges or possible disciplinary action. The Engineering Information Center staffed and managed the EIC academic computer labs directly. The college hires Technical Support Staff to assist students in the labs with account and system issues. Staff can be found in EC2805 from 8 AM to 6 PM. Lab users can obtain technical support or pose a general question by submitting a ticket to the EIC help desk. Steven Luis (Steven.Luis@fiu.edu) and Alberto Oria (Alberto.Oria@fiu.edu) oversee all operations of the EIC academic computer labs and are responsible for the staffing and maintenance of the labs.

ACCESS

The EIC academic computer labs are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. They are closed for national holidays and other important FIU dates (such as winter and summer breaks) and may be closed for special maintenance or cleaning. However, EIC offers two labs that are accessible 24/7, including holidays – EC-3278 and EC-2710* (when no class is in session) .

ACCOUNT SHARING

THE SHARING OF MYFIU ACCOUNTS IS PROHIBITED. Further, you are responsible for not sharing your account or password with any other student. The lab reserves the right to revoke account access if account use is not consistent with the guidelines stated in this document.

LOGGING OFF 

All computer lab users must log off after completing their computer sessions. This is to protect your account and our system from mischievous users. Workstations that run Windows are configured to log out users automatically after they are idle for 15 minutes. Any unsaved work or work that is saved locally WILL BE LOST AND CAN NOT BE RECOVERED. Individual users are responsible for keeping their data secure by locking or logging out of lab workstations and saving their data to the network drives (H drive). Users unaware of proper logoff procedures should contact a Lab Assistant for help.

CONDUCT AND HARASSMENT 

Users engaging in improper or disruptive behavior, including yelling, swearing, and using inappropriate language, will be asked to leave the labs. Additionally, displaying offensive material on websites or computer wallpaper is prohibited. Students and lab staff are equally responsible for refraining from offensive conduct and reporting it when encountered.

If you have a specific problem that you feel is not being resolved, please contact the EIC management (noted above). All rules and guidelines listed in the Florida International University student and University employee handbooks regarding improper conduct or harassment will be followed.

ENVIRONMENT

  1. Dress: Users are expected to dress appropriately, as this is a public environment. Users dressed improperly will not be admitted to the labs.
  2. Food: No food or drink is allowed in the computer labs. Water bottles with sports lids are the only exception. Please use the trash receptacles outside of the lab to discard your unwanted food items to prevent order in the lab.
  3. Music: All users must wear headphones when listening to music. The volume of the listening device must be kept low enough as not to distract other lab users.
  4. Cell Phones and Pagers: To maintain a comfortable environment for all users, cell phones and pagers brought into the Labs should be set to “silent” mode. Additionally, cell phone calls should be kept short and quiet. If conversations are lengthy or become loud or disruptive, they should be taken outside of the Labs.
  5. Children and Babies: It is not permissible to bring children or babies to the EIC Computer Labs.

USE OF RESOURCES

    1. HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
      Lab equipment is to be used for academic purposes only. Users are only permitted to use the computer systems in the EIC labs as they are configured and maintained. Additional equipment may not be added to any computer system except for for headphones and portable media (CD, DVD, and USB “keys”). The installation, removal, or addition of any other hardware item is prohibited. If a computer peripheral or component malfunctions, please contact technical support by submitting a ticket to the EIC help desk. Swapping components or peripherals, including cables, is not permitted. All software available on each computer has been tested and licensed for use in the labs. Restrictions are imposed which prohibit the installation of software. If your coursework or research requires a piece of hardware or an application that is not available, you should consult with your instructor. Your instructor can help you assess whether there is an available alternative, and they can work with staff to assess whether and how to meet your hardware or application needs.
    2. PRINTING
      Printer services are provided in the EIC computer labs in support of academic research or coursework. Each EIC account gives you access to our printing system to print in B&W or color. At the beginning of each semester, EIC will deposit $10 worth of printing credits into your account free of charge. These printing credits may be used to print in computer labs. If the material you are printing is not academically related, you are asked to refrain from printing. If you need to send large print jobs,, please consult the technical staff,; they can help you print the job efficiently. You are urged to be conservative, print only what you need, and not abandon your print jobs.

      Some materials are not permitted to be printed:
      • Material that contains adult content
      • Copyrighted material
      • Material for business-related purposes or financial gain
      • Excessive amounts of flyers or handouts
      • Manuals, guides, or books

      Users are not permitted to interfere with the operation of any lab printer, including loading paper, repairing jams, or changing toner. If a printer needs servicing, please contact a technical staff or submit a ticket to the EIC help desk. Please consult the printing services page for costs and how to add funds to your account.

    3. SERVER AND WORKSTATION CONNECTIONS & STORAGE
      Upon login, all MyFIU accounts are connected to an H:\ drive. This is the network “home” directory and is the only location for storing work from CEC lab accounts. Each student has a 4GB quota on the server. If you exceed your quota, additional storage may be granted upon request; please contact the EIC help desk to request more. Please work to keep a “clean house” and delete unneeded documents or files. Please use your H:\ drive, as the primary storage is backed up daily and preserved for three years. Anything saved on the computers will be deleted when you are logged out of the computer. You are urged to keep backups of your work.
  1. HOMEWORK
    Technical Staff are not permitted to help students with homework assignments. Students must direct all homework questions to their professor.