Northern Arizona University
Report to the Provost’s Academic Computing Advisory Committee by the Strategic Planning Sub-Committee
27 April 2006
Summary
The PACAC Strategic Planning Sub-Committee met regularly throughout the 2005/2006 Academic Year to discuss and formulate a vision for academic computing that will support successful learning outcomes and provide context for future strategic planning initiatives at NAU.
While the Sub-Committee finds the state of academic computing generally healthy, there is some evidence to suggest that there are deficiencies within the University regarding classroom technologies, that student and faculty often lack awareness of technology-related services or how to request new services, and that basic technology skills among students and faculty are not addressed formally enough in faculty development or student IT literacy efforts. At the same time, the committee recognizes the need to continue supporting core infrastructure needs to assure the campus does not slide backwards from our current generally healthy positions. These issues, as well as the need for continuing vigilance in building and supporting sustainable and accessible enterprise level technologies, should represent the foci of NAU’s strategic planning efforts over the next few years. The Sub-Committee envisions a future that embraces these foci and extends beyond the remedial to a robust mix of technologies supporting the mobile learner.
Recommended Strategic Initiatives Rankings
The Sub-Committee recommends the following academic computing strategic initiatives in rank order:
FY2007
1. Technology enabled Classrooms
2. Finish the academic portion of the network upgrade wireless roll out
3. Standardize on a single student response system (“clickers”)
- Faculty computer refresh
5. Encourage wider adoption of PACAC IT Literacy Skills
- Improve support for academic services
- Academic Profile System
8. Increase information technology opportunities for faculty development
- Improve Lift Text roll out
FY2008
1. Deferred maintenance recovery
2. Distribution of Rich Media to enhance learning
3. Finish the network upgrade and wireless roll out
4. Enterprise-wide Virtual Learning Spaces
- Open source adoptions
- Shibboleth
7. Text messaging
- Flagstaff One Community wireless
These initiatives are described more fully in the Recommended Strategic Initiatives section of this document.
Goals that will prepare NAU to meet the current and future challenges in information technology.
1. Coordinate building capabilities and University technology services.
2. Promote sustainable and accessible
a) enterprise level technologies (i.e. the virtual infrastructure),
b) physical infrastructure (i.e. classrooms, informal learning spaces), and
c) statewide networks in support of distance learning.
3. Close the “digital divide” among students, focusing on the infusion and integration of technologies across the curriculum., as well as information technology literacy of the faculty.
Impediments to Achieving Goals for Academic Computing
The most common and recognizable problem NAU faces in advancing the goals for academic computing is the implementation, adoption, and support of existing technologies. These technologies are typically affordable and available to students, faculty and staff but have not become widely adopted or broadly implemented.
Strategic Planning Linkages
Three linkages are noted in initiatives proposed below to guide the Sub-Committee’s strategic planning efforts. First, the Sub-Committee reflected on guiding principles that should form an overall connective vision for academic computing strategic planning efforts. Second, the Sub-Committee revisited the seven goals within the Northern Arizona University Strategic 2005-2010. Finally, the Sub-Committee examined an advance copy of the Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006. A numeric listing is given here. These listings are cited for each proposed initiative listed in the Recommended Strategic Initiatives section of this document.
A Vision: Strategic Planning for Academic Computing
1. Academic computing technologies must encourage and support successful learning outcomes;
2. technologies must be universally accessible, scalable, secure and sustainable;
3. technologies must be well-supported by skilled and knowledgeable personnel;
4. technologies must be well-understood by students, faculty, and administrators;
5. technologies must encourage and support collaborative methods;
6. mobile learning technologies must be accessible from anywhere at all times.
Goals from the NAU Strategic Plan 2005-2010
- Provide Undergraduate Educational Excellence In A Residential Learning Community.
- Strengthen Graduate And Professional Education, Economic Development, And Research.
- Increase Enrollment and Retention.
- Provide Leadership in the Development, Use, and Assessment of Technologies in Administrative Systems and Educational Programs.
- Foster a Culture of Diversity, Community, and Citizenship.
- Become the Nation’s Leading University Serving Native Americans.
- Ensure Financial Stability and Growth.
Draft NAU IT Strategic Plan for 2006: Purpose, Goal and Strategic Directions
1. Use IT to enhance the learning and living experience of all Northern Arizona University students.
2. Integrate academic and administrative systems through the use of a technically sound and secure "middleware" environment.
3. Maintain a robust, reliable, secure, and sustainable IT infrastructure.
4. In all administrative systems, seek solutions that use web-enabled, self-service, easily trainable applications.
5. Ensure IT funding and spending is tied to university strategic planning efforts.
6. Support a spirit of cooperation among all IT users and professionals across the university.
Recommended Strategic Initiatives
The following list represents strategic initiatives that the Sub-Committee discussed and recommends for further consideration. In keeping with strategic planning best practices, the recommended initiatives reference appropriate goals from the Northern Arizona University Strategic Plan 2005-2010 and the current Draft Information Technology Strategic Plan for 2006 as well as the Sub-Committee’s internally developed vision elements.
Classroom Technologies and Faculty Resources
Technology enabled classrooms (2007)
An alarming number of IT Fee proposals requested classroom upgrades. The proposals pointed to many departments handling large numbers of students which do not yet have digital projectors, computer podiums, and other resources necessary to retrofit aging classroom infrastructures. Students especially expect computer mediated lecture and learning environments and faculty are now more than willing and ready to meet these expectations except they don’t, in far too many cases, have the requisite teaching environments. Student representatives on the IT Fee Sub-Committee were sympathetic, but they could only address part of the problem with available IT Fee funds.
Communities impacted: Students, Faculty
Units impacted: College Chairs, Deans, Provost
Strategic Linkages: Vision: 1, 2, 4, 5; 5 Yr Goals: 1, 2; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1
Enterprise-wide Virtual Learning Spaces (2008)
A number of technologies are already in use to support virtual learning spaces. Elluminate allows synchronous collaborations, discussions, and meetings through computer mediated network connections. This single tool has potential beyond the classroom in the areas of social engagement, research, and faculty collaborations. Podcasting allows students to review lecture content. E-portfolios allow students to deposit significant work and reviewers to sample and review this work. Each technology is on the verge of becoming widely adopted. Once this occurs, demands will be placed on existing infrastructure, licensing budgets, support services that exceed current funding and resource allocations.
Students, faculty
Deans, Provost
Strategic Linkages: Vision 1, 2, 4, 5; 5 Yr Goals: 1, 2; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1
Faculty computer refresh (2007)
As Vista is widely adopted a problem has arisen for faculty in some areas because their computers are not up to date enough to use Vista effectively. A mechanism needs to be initiated to assure faculty have proper desktop resources or, perhaps better, a laptop computer and an operational budget to replace these computers on a regular four year cycle.
Communities impacted: Full-time faculty
Units impacted: E-Learning Center, Distance Learning, Provost
Strategic Linkages: Vision 1, 2, 4, 5; 5 Yr Goals: 4, 1, 2, 3; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1
Distribution of Rich Media to enhance learning (2008)
Rich multimedia content such as video, games, simulations, and interactive exercises must be distributed over networks to support mobile learning. Options for streaming or downloading content must be explored for the learner’s maximum benefit.
Communities impacted: Students, faculty
Units impacted: Library, E-Learning Center, Distance Learning, Provost, faculty
Strategic Linkages: Vision: 1, 2, 6; 5 Yr Goals: 1, 2, 3; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1
Standardize on a single student response system (“clickers”) (2007)
As clickers become more common, students are best served with one vendor so they don’t have to have multiple types of clickers to respond to in-class active learning activities.
Communities impacted: Students, faculty
Units impacted: College Deans, Chairs, Faculty
Strategic Linkages: Vision: 1, 5; 5 Yr Goal: 1; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1, 2, 6
Lack of Awareness and Support for Existing and Needed IT Services
Improve support for academic services (2007)
As the body of academic computing technologies in use at NAU increase in number and complexity, it becomes increasingly necessary to focus on coordinating, communicating, and supporting those services that rise to the enterprise level of adoption. This has been identified by the Sub-Committee as the single biggest impediment to moving forward in advancing goals set forth elsewhere in this document. As Vista, E-Reserves, rich media, wireless and other initiatives come online, attention must also be paid to providing the necessary support to insure they are successful.
Communities impacted: Faculty, students, staff
Units impacted: ITS, DSS, E-Learning Center, Cline Library
Strategic Linkages: Vision 3, 4, 5, 6; 5 Yr Goal: 1, 2, 3, 4; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1, 3, 6
Academic Profile System (2007)
There has been recent attention given to the need for a centralized professional and academic repository and retrieval system where faculty vitae, publications, and other information routinely requested and used by various administrators, grant writers, researchers, and collaborators can be stored. A recent meeting on this topic indicated wide acceptance of the need and a possibility that existing campus technologies can be leveraged to accommodate this need. At least one college has purchased their own solution, but they are willing to feed data to a central system if the interface is not too difficult to develop and maintain.
Communities impacted: Faculty, Deans, Chairs, Researchers, student researchers, PAIR
Units Impacted: PAIR, Deans council, PeopleSoft team, Portal team
Strategic Linkages: Vision: 2, 4, 5, 6, 5 Yr Goal: 2,4; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 2, 4
Flagstaff One Community wireless (2008)
As a community outreach initiative, a “Flagstaff One Community” wireless project would provide exciting infrastructure and service to the greater Flagstaff community by becoming a key partner in efforts to provide community wireless services to where it makes the most sense in downtown Flagstaff.
Communities impacted: Students, Faculty, Staff, Flagstaff citizens
Units impacted: ITS, President, DLS
Strategic Linkages: Vision 1, 2, 6; 5 Yr Goal: 5; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 2, 4
Improve Lift Text roll out (2007)
Lift Text is a successful web page translator that the IT Fee helped fund this past year. The service translates legacy web pages at NAU so they are ADA compliant. Often this means removing graphics and using stored “hints” to make the pages easier to interpret using auditory instead of visual output devices. This same translation is a mechanism that some schools are using to let everyone access existing web pages with handheld devices like cell phones, PDAs, Blackberries, etc.
Communities impacted: Students, Faculty, Staff
Units impacted: DSS, Marketing, ITS, Library
Strategic Linkages: Vision 1, 2, 6; 5 Yr Goals: 1, 5; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1
Text messaging (2008)
A number of companies provide services allowing students the option of receiving text messages generated by the University. Such messages may be a notice of a hold, a notice that books are ready at the bookstore, a request from a faculty or advisor member for a form, or notification of an important university event. Such a central service would require adopting a standard so this communication channel works across the campus community
Communities impacted: Students, faculty, staff
Units impacted: ITS, DSS, Enrollment Management, other administrative areas
Strategic Linkages: Vision 5; 5 Yr Goal: 1, 4, 5; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1, 2
Open source adoptions (2008)
Increasingly, “open community” software development efforts, often funded by large higher education foundations, are underway to meet academic computing needs. Many, like Linux, uPortal, or portions of our campus e-mail system, are already in place and serving the campus well. Commercial solutions often lack in meeting academic needs and increasingly seem to hold the university hostage to vendors who, frankly, are not stable and are subject to mergers, economic downturns, and unresponsive or uneven performance across product lifetimes. A strategic recognition of the viability of these options is necessary to counter the more common request for proposal purchasing mechanism now used as the primary mechanism for acquiring software solutions. In other words, all academic computing acquisitions in the future should, as a matter of course, investigate open source alternatives as part of the evaluation process.
Communities Impacted: Students, faculty, staff
Units Impacted: ITS, E-Learning Center, Distance Learning, Disability Support Services, Library
Strategic Linkages: Vision 2; 5 Yr Goal: 4, 7; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1, 3, 6
Basic Faculty and Student Technology Skills
Increase information technology opportunities for faculty development (2007)
All faculty need the opportunity to master technologies that improve student engagement. Although the primary focus of faculty development is not on technology skills and knowledge, it should remain sensitive to the need many faculty have for technology assistance as they deal with today’s “digital natives.”
Community impacted: Faculty
Units impacted: Faculty Development Office, E-Learning Center, ITS, Library
Strategic Linkages: Vision: 1, 3, 4; 5 Yr Goal: 1, 2, 3, 4; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1, 6
Encourage wider adoption of PACAC IT Literacy Skills (2007)
In the face of the digital divide, especially given NAU’s role in serving non-traditional and rural populations, all students need equal opportunity to master basic technology literacy skills.
Communities impacted: Students, faculty
Units impacted: College Deans, Chairs, program review committees, faculty
Strategic Linkages: Vision 1, 4, 5; 5 Yr Goal: 1, 3; Draft IT Strategic Plan: 1, 6
Core Infrastructure
Shibboleth (2008)
The ancient Hebrew password, shibboleth, has been appropriated as the name for a higher education initiated federated identity management system. Supercomputer researchers use this system to identify themselves in order to gain access to computers at another institution. The system is designed so the local username and password generates a certificate that is recognized and accepted at the other site. More recently the federal government has adopted this system as the standard they will use to accepted grant applications or to accept FERPA or HIPPA compliance reports. ABOR has approved a tri-University Shibboleth exploratory project with the goal of creating federated login capabilities at some future time between the three Arizona universities.