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Debra Scott Julian Young FRIT 8132 Technology Plan Evaluation Part 2 Introduction: In March 2009, the college

e began implementing a strategic planning project for information technology. The Chief Information Officer began an internal environmental assessment through the use of presidential open forums, personal interviews, and input from an Information Technology Advisory Council (ITAC) to gather information from various stakeholders (i.e. students, faculty, staff, and community). An ongoing planning process to execute specific strategic tactics based on a quarterly review process was to be implemented. In March 2010, five information technology open forum sessions were held to inform the college community of recommendations and actions resulting from the data collected. The open forum process has continued annually and is evidence of the colleges commitment to shared governance. Though the initial plan clearly recognized the need for continuous development and revision of the strategic plan, it appears that the actual document has not been officially updated from the original 2009 version. Goals and Strategies: The IT plan has six broad strategic areas that cover twenty-eight specific objectives. This section is well organized and moderately detailed. All of the goals and objectives are clearly related to learner outcomes and are specifically linked to the colleges strategic plan. Many of the objectives not only relate to the colleges strategic plan, but they also link to other IT goals within the plan itself. This section lacks detailed information that answers the questions of who, how, or when. A general timeframe of 1-2 years or 3-5 years is given for the completion of the goals with no specifics of how they are to be accomplished or the methods that will be used. Many of the objectives have vague descriptions that make it difficult to understand what the objectives are actually addressing. The goals and strategies section of the technology plan receives an assessment score of two due to the fact that the plan does an excellent job of relating its technology goals with that of the colleges strategic plans, but lacks specifics about who, when, and how. Professional Development Strategy: The professional development strategy focused primarily on a commitment to continuous staff development and training for the IT staff with the ultimate goal of providing outstanding support for the faculty, students, and staff. The overall objectives included enhancing and simplifying the learning environment, enhancing teaching excellence, and assisting in facilitating

collaboration within the college as well as with local, state, national and global communities. The strategic plan targeted several areas for improving faculty support: provide more brown bag luncheons to encourage faculty to share instructional strategies using innovative technologies; clearly define a faculty support portfolio; implement a regular communication plan for collaboration between IT and faculty; define an advisory process for proposing software acquisition; establish a periodic review process for academic support services; and define categories of support designed to streamline faculty productivity. The strategic goals were clearly identified with a timeframe of 3-5 years but the specific tactics identifying who will do what, when, and how was not specified therefore the professional development strategy section receives an assessment score of 2, indicating proficient performance. Assessment of Technology: The tech plan gives very little information about the assessment of technology. Computers, laptops, networking, and video conferencing are mentioned, but with no detail concerning quantity, age, type, or any other specifics. No technology inventory is included in the plan. There is no information about the learning environment. No mention of technology in the classroom, computer labs, or any other areas on campus are given. This section receives an assessment score of 1 due to the lack of information and no technology inventory. Budget Resources: The strategic plan clearly indicates a commitment to the preparation of a long-range college information technology financial plan including operating, capital and development budgets, and incorporating long-term information technology needs. An annual operational plan would be cooperatively developed to identify the tactics that would be most effective in assisting the college in accomplishing its overall strategic directions, given the current budgetary restrictions. The overall goals included matching available resources with services, ensuring that costs are effectively managed, ensuring that resource alternatives are thoroughly explored, ensuring that resources are shared and used to their maximum potential. Though the overall strategic plan references an annual operational plan, it is not integral to the document therefore the budget resources section receives a score of 1 because the budgetary component is not sufficiently comprehensive. Evaluation Process: The strategic plan clearly indicates a commitment to the implementation of an ongoing information technology planning process to cultivate ideas, formalize the ideas into proposals, and ultimately gain commitments and deliverables. The goals include: better defining a philosophy for the adoption

of new technologies, defining a support model for early adopters of new technologies, defining a process for collaboration between faculty, vendors, and other institutions to generate ideas, and developing an ongoing evaluation process to critically evaluate the ideas as they relate to the colleges core values. The strategic goals were clearly identified with a timeframe of 3-5 years but the specific tactics identifying who will do what, when, and how was not specified therefore the evaluation process section receives an assessment score of 2, indicating proficient performance. Summary: Overall the greatest strength of the strategic plan is its commitment to the alignment of the IT goals with the colleges overall goals and objectives. The level of details provided offered a firm foundation for continuous revision and development. The plan recognized the need for a continuous development process but the lack of revision indicates that it has not been given sufficient priority. One of the greatest weaknesses of the plan is the organization of ideas within the document. Determining an assessment in any given area required associating details located in various sections of the document, which would eventually allow a comprehensive view of the criteria, but did not readily provide a snapshot view of the area. The information technology strategic planning core team seemed to be representative of numerous and diverse entities within the college. The overall document addresses the needs of each of the entities but lacks detailed action plans and timelines required to facilitate its implementation. This technology plan is a good starting point for future revisions. However, its lack of detail makes the plan feel rushed and incomplete.

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