understanding how to improve it fluency in an engineering technology department alan proffitt, phd,...
TRANSCRIPT
Understanding How to ImproveIT Fluency in an Engineering Technology Department
Alan Proffitt, PhD, PEThe University of Memphis
IT Fluency in ET 2
Agenda
Introduction Available IT Services Purpose Customer Market Segments Method Findings Results Solutions Further Issues Further Work Conclusion
IT Fluency in ET 3
Introduction
Plenty of IT services are available at the university We (department of ET) should be at leading edge on
the use of IT, or at least be masters of current technology
The opposite situation exists Compared to a corporation, one could see a total lack
of standardization We could see that if we used the technology, we could
gain some efficiency We decided to stay within the department boundary
IT Fluency in ET 4
Available IT Services
Mail, LDAP, directory, groups Calendaring Shared drives Student Information System (SIS) Websites everywhere Collaboration tools WebCT Data Warehouse And much, much more
IT Fluency in ET 5
Purpose
The goal of the project was to understand the gap between “ideal” usage of IT versus the current usage, and then -
Develop strategic plan, paradigm shift or change in procedures as needed so that -
Solutions can be developed and implemented which result in –
Student achievement of IT skill “outcomes”
IT Fluency in ET 6
Customer Market Segments
Students and the curriculum The department as a team working
togetherIndividual facultyProcesses extending outside the
department boundary were excluded for this study
IT Fluency in ET 7
Method
We considered what our students needed to know upon graduation, as well as the curricular “supply chain”
We considered what departmental procedures could be developed
We then determined the skill set needed by faculty in support of the department and the curriculum
IT Fluency in ET 8
Findings
Students have a great variety in IT skill levels – don’t rely on expectations
Curriculum did not systematically address the full range of IT skills
Department did not a systematic approach to leverage IT capabilities
Faculty have a great variety in IT skill levels and many do not have the full range of skills needed
IT Fluency in ET 9
Results
The primary cause for the gap was found to be the lack of defined strategic goals to achieve IT fluency.
As a result, there were no action plans, deployments, or training being done to support the activities of the department.
Individual faculty, staff, and students were left to their own initiative to find and use available IT technologies.
IT Fluency in ET 10
Solution (1/3)
The fundamental solution is to utilize a standard strategic planning process to establish goals and action plans.
IT Fluency in ET 11
Solution (2/3)
The faculty, with advice from students, partners, and stakeholders, must decide which specific IT skills are needed by the students, and then integrate the achievement of these skills throughout the curriculum.
IT Fluency in ET 12
Solution (3/3)
The department must decide as a whole, which technologies they will use in departmental business, then train and deploy to get full implementation.
IT Fluency in ET 13
Further Issues
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Active Directory Content Management Systems Online degree programs Portal Web conferencing E-reporting SIP phones Convergence
IT Fluency in ET 14
Further Work
Find an element of the administration to be responsible for development and growth of business processes affecting the faculty.
Partner with that element to develop a prototype department and college level set of business processes
Pilot study, then deploy them across the university
IT Fluency in ET 15
Conclusion
This approach can be followed by any department
It takes a lot of work – we are in the beginning stages
The department should only have to work on the curriculum, the university needs to work on the department processes and faculty skill sets
