UBC's E strategies

UBC page.

Notes on readings

Assessment questions: presumably one of the tasks of this committe (or the committee that is formed because of this committee), will be to assess the state of IT on campus. I was most interested in the questions about faculty and students: I wonder how much interest there is among campus teachers in using technology effectively? I am always interested in student access issues: NDSU students cannot be easily grouped into a "tech savvy" category, and I worry about their access off campus.

The link I made in the previous note is relevant to promotion and tenure.

I wonder what we are going to align with? NDSU's five goals (are they still relevant... its about people, its about status...?), teaching / research / service goals? What are appropriate goals. The Cinncinati case said 1/4 of faculty were using BB: is that a good goal, or are they shooting for 1/2? Where are we, and what are we shooting for? How much can these issues be standardized?: academic freedom, priorities, pedagogy, etc. We are better off with 1/4 using effectively than 1/2 using poorly, aren't we?

IT is harder than you think. See also The Social Life of Information--I absolutely agree that IT is harder than you think. I liked the analogy: "math was harder than you remember." In my experience, moving too quickly continues to be a problem, growing a solution to problems seems more logical. PRS as model? Laptops? Wireless? What has worked well on campus? What hasn't? We need more communication with users: faculty and students.

Penrod: Match governance structure with decision making style of institution--this might be the problem! What is the decision making style? Take a proposal to somebody with money and hope for the best.

Align IT plan with institutional planning, link it to budget, implementationl process, and unit and individual performance. how was IT linked to the expansion of the university to 12,000 students? How has IT been linked to graduate education? Advertising campaign: any room to link to dept websites? Branding, unity of message.

Cincinnati model: those people know how to run meetings! Four goals: what would ours be? Connected students: back-up space, web space, portfolios, knowledge management skills.

Promotion and Tenure Guidelines

One of the issues raised in Tom Moberg's "Strategic Assessment" document is promotion and tenure: how does working with technology enhance or inhibit one's P&T case? The Conference on College Composition and Communication Executive Committee established a position statement for those of us working in the fields of rhetoric and composition; perhaps others will find this position statement relevant too.