Signifying A Lot: What’s Really Happening with IT in Higher Education?

1. Signifying A Lot: What’s Really Happening with IT in Higher Education? CAUBO Annual Conference Saskatoon, Saskatchewan June 14, 2004 Richard N. Katz Vice President EDUCAUSE

2. Tales from ECAR Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

3. IT Outsourcing Wireless ERP E Learning Support Faculty Use of Course Management Systems The Condition of the IT Community and Its Leadership IT Security Student Uses of IT Aligning IT with Institutional Priorities and Resources IT Funding (Q4 2004) Networking and Integrated Communications Services (Q1 2005) ECAR Research – since 2002

4. E Learning - Barbarians at the Gate • First efforts at e-learning innovation were “thwarted”, but faculty and students are now using learning technologies • The revolution (so far) is about convenience and not about learning • Hybrid courses are in use at 40% of surveyed institutions and the number of offerings is growing by more than 10% per year, usually much more • We are not keeping pace with support needs • 2-yr institutions are early adopters, while BAs sector in the U.S. goes slow

5. Faculty Use of CMS Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

6. Faculty Uses of IT – Importance of Features Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

7. Features, Learning, and Class Management – The Student View Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

8. Student IT Preferences Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

9. Student IT Preferences, by Discipline Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

10. Student Experience with CMS Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

11. Wireless – The Mobility Revolution • Rapid and enthusiastic “uptake” in higher education • Enormous popularity with students • A real [and needed] win for campus IT • Wireless security is an issue • Planned evolution to 802.11(g) standards is underway • Supplement to wired networks (for the present)

12. Wireless Communications – The Affordable Transformation Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

13. ERP – We Came, We Saw, We Conquered! Or Did We? • A contemporary application environment was delivered • Most Projects Completed on Time and on Budget • ERP software improved and we discovered that vanilla was our favorite flavor • Many of us neglected the business intelligence function • Code customization is the critical variable • IT support costs rise following implementation • Real transformation still awaits and depends on integrating applications, middleware, and infrastructure

14. ERP Customization • Customization is the most influential variable • HRIS is the least customized application • Research-intensive institutions customize more often • SIS is the most customized application Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

15. ERP Support Costs Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

16. ERP – So What’s Next? Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

17. IT Outsourcing, Slow and Steady May Win the Race • Slow rates of adoption in 2001 • Distrust of the generation 1 market providers • Experimentation and selective outsourcing in U.S. and Canadian research universities • Fear and loathing in the U.S. liberal arts sector • The emergence of “borrowing” as an application development and maintenance model among a select few (Sakai, OSPI, etc)

18. IT Security – Unaware and Unprepared • Most Do Not have Comprehensive Plans in Place • Many Hard and Soft Measures are in Use • IT Security Measures in HE are Improving • Security Strategies Vary by Institution • Strong “Soft” Measures Yield Hard Results • Leadership Involvement in Security Policy Development is Low • Recent experiences are promoting change

19. IT Security – Unaware and Unprepared Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

20. IT Security – Unaware and Unprepared Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

21. IT Funding: Maintaining, but … • During the recent economic downturn, technology has held its share of the institutional budget. • However, most IT budgets are committed largely to maintaining existing technologies. • There is an increasing risk that IT organizations will not be able to adequately fund technology renewal and replacement. • Most IT organizations are not sufficiently funded to innovate, experiment and respond to new user needs.

22. IT Funding – Little Flexibility Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

23. IT Funding – Effective Practices

24. IT Funding – Effective Practices • Institutions that are most successful in their use of technology engage in the following IT funding practices: • Place senior IT leader on institution budget committee • Provide sufficient funding levels and flexibility for their IT organizations to experiment and innovate • Have an IT funding process that is transparent, flexible and able to align IT priorities with institutional priorities • Have an IT advisory committee that helps to set priorities • A large IT budget alone is not a predictor of success. Flexibility to invest in innovation as well as the core is the critical distinction.

25. CIOs and CFOs • Both feel that information technology generates value for their institutions. • Both are generally satisfied with how IT investment decisions are made. • CFOs and CIOs diverge on the following: • CFO’s feel that IT is adequately funded to maintain existing technologies – CIOs do not. • CFOs feel the institution successfully manages its total technology expenditures (from all budgets), CIOs do not.

26. The Condition of the IT Community: Aging and Wise • High Level of Commitment to Higher Education • Highly Educated, but Aging Workforce • Effective Leadership Styles • Problematic Environment for Innovation • Differing Perspectives by Role • Have Earned a Seat at the Cabinet, but For How Long? • Potential Leadership Succession Problem

27. Condition of the IT Community Aging Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

28. Condition of the IT Community Wise Source: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research

29. Conclusions “Technology will cut its own channels … leading to institutions that differ from those of today…” • Martin Trow, UC Berkeley

30. Conclusions “Events” are increasingly volatile, e.g. the rate of change is increasing. Increasing volatility increases the pressure on everyone to become more adaptable. Colleges and universities are historically adaptable organizations. This is not easy.

31. Conclusions • Volatility demands adaptability • Increases in connectivity beget interactions • Disruptive technologies yield intended and unintended consequences • Technology is the motive force; culture and history are the brakes • Dominant design alters competition • Our user communities may be outstripping our capacity for support • We may be doing better at holding on to our past than preparing for our future • Today’s higher education leadership is up to the task

32. Of Canada and the U.S. • Where IT is concerned, we are more alike than not • Canadian respondents have invested more in the IT security operational and policy areas than their U.S. counterparts • The IT-enabled “learning revolution” appears to be permeating Canadian H.E. faster than in the U.S. • More Canadian participants in ECAR research are needed

33. Q & Q U E S T I O N S A N S W E R S A