49
SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan For AY/FY 2011-2015 1
SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan
For
AY/FY 2011-2015
by:
James M. Dutcher - PMP, CISSP, SCP/Security+, CISASUNY Cobleskill - CIO
1
TABLE OF CONTENTSExecutive Summary/Overview.................................................................................................................3Scenario Narrative/Story - The SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan Realized.........................................6
The Student..........................................................................................................................................6The Instructor.......................................................................................................................................7The Administrator.................................................................................................................................8Corollary - A Vision of Students Today.................................................................................................8
Strategic Projects.....................................................................................................................................9Project List............................................................................................................................................9Implementation Timeline (2011-2015) & Annual Cost Projections.....................................................13
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................15References.............................................................................................................................................16APPENDIX A - Supporting Data and Information..................................................................................17Technology Trends................................................................................................................................17Appendix B - College Strategic Plan Priorities.......................................................................................30Appendix C - Middle States Standards..................................................................................................31Appendix D - Academic Strategic Plan Themes/Goals..........................................................................32Appendix E – Power of SUNY Goals/Objectives...................................................................................34
Goals..................................................................................................................................................34Report Card Objectives......................................................................................................................34
Appendix F – IT Strategic Plan Goal Alignment.....................................................................................35Cobleskill College Strategic Plan Priorities.........................................................................................35Power of SUNY Goals........................................................................................................................36Middlestates Standards......................................................................................................................36Academic Master Plan Goals (place-holder)......................................................................................37IT Strategic Plan Themes...................................................................................................................37
Appendix G – ITS Dept Re-Organization...............................................................................................38
2
Executive Summary/Overview
The SUNY Cobleskill Strategic Information Technology Plan offers a three-year view of the College’s technology goals and objectives, and frames the approach SUNY Cobleskill will use to implement current and emerging technologies to support the institutional mission, augment master plans from other divisions within the College and assure the continued delivery of a rigorous academic curriculum. Technology is a foundational component in the creation of effective learning, teaching and working environments that are so essential to the success of students, faculty, staff and administrators ... and, ultimately, the College. As SUNY Cobleskill adapts to the rapidly changing face of technology, it must also keep pace with the evolution of the 21st Century student. Studies reveal that current students work and learn much differently --particularly those who have matured along with the technology and have, thus, become accustomed to using it in a variety of ways in their daily lives--than students of just a generation ago. It is equally important that the College not only understand how today’s students process information, but it is critical that SUNY Cobleskill support faculty members in their efforts to meet students’ demand with new and innovative teaching methods. Additionally, College operations and administrative support functions must also be in lockstep with current technologies so those services that are provided outside of the classroom may also be delivered in the most efficient manner possible. The goals and objectives set forth in this Plan were generated by analyzing technology trends in the areas of infrastructure, collaborations and mobility. The College’s infrastructure must be optimized, functional and secure. Collaborations, both technical and physical, will allow the technologies to be in synch so that students, faculty and staff can work together. Mobility trends indicate the continued evolution of, and reliance on, hand-held and other mobile devices throughout our society. People are “on the go” more today than ever before. And they are less inclined to use traditional methods of acquiring, processing and exchanging information. These factors are already changing our technological landscape and will significantly influence technology decisions of the future. SUNY Cobleskill’s Strategic Information Technology Plan 2011-14 outlines EIGHT goals to be achieved over the next three years as follows:
Goal #1 - Enhance and update the College’s technological environment Goal #2 - Improve the College community’s technological literacy to support success in a
changing technologic culture Goal #3 - Manage and measure the College’s IT services using the latest best practices Goal #4 - Optimize access to services within a safe and secure environment that is
available anytime, anywhere Goal #5 - Support adaptive and flexible technological growth Goal #6 - Foster internal and external partnerships and collaborations Goal #7 - Maximize funding and revenue streams Goal #8 - Invest in people
Goal #1 - The primary goal is to enhance and continually upgrade SUNY Cobleskill’s technological environment so it may fully support all College functions and facilitate continued
3
growth. This includes the continued implementation of technology “refresh” programs for laboratories and (in person & online) classrooms, as well as the regular assessment and upgrading of data centers, networks, and access.
Goal #2 - Technological literacy helps promote critical thinking and academic success, and is vital to the development of effective teaching and learning environments. But technological literacy cannot begin and end in the classroom. The College pledges to foster the literacy training and programming necessary for students, faculty members and administrators to be successful in a fast-paced and changing technological culture that extends beyond the limits of SUNY Cobleskill.
Goal #3 - The IT staff will use the latest best practices, policies and procedures to manage and measure the College’s information technology services. By routinely assessing the current state of its technology platforms and systems, the College can build planning and updating schedules/procedures in order to realize this goal. A comprehensive list of IT standards and a detailed IT service catalog must be created. Vetting procedures will be established to determine and help review future baseline classroom technology standards.
Goal #4 - It is important for SUNY Cobleskill to provide optimized access to information technology services that is safe and secure, and available anytime, anywhere. Generally, a significant array of services and transactions can be accomplished online. These exchanges often involve privileged information such as personal identities, social security numbers, credit card or bank account information and other private data. It is imperative that transactions between students and the College be conducted in a secure online environment that is impervious to attack or compromise. The College will create data protection policies that assure safety, ensure business continuity and allow for efficient operations.
Goal #5 - Flexibility and adaptability are necessary to effectively unite the College’s academic and administrative technologies, and SUNY Cobleskill will develop plans that allow it to support flexible and adaptive future growth. Standards will be established for such items as desktop video infrastructure, implementation of multi-media learning and teaching, access to online support services, and development of open learning programs that create opportunities for collaboration. The College will also investigate those technologies that can be moved from location to location, are nimble enough to support evolving College operations and capable of streamlining current administrative functions.
Goal #6 - Internal and external collaborations remain at the core of every academic program and student service that SUNY Cobleskill provides. The ability to work in unison with many partners is central to the College’s role as a true catalyst for change and growth within the communities that it serves. SUNY Cobleskill will implement current technologies to establish and foster internal and external partnerships. And it will use emerging technologies to broaden new and existing relationships. It is critical that short- and long-term views of technology be reinforced to decision makers in all areas of the College, and to encourage committees, departments, units and divisions to solicit IT insight to capitalize on our collaborative skills.
4
Goal #7 - The number one issue facing colleges and universities in their quest to build and maintain a robust technological program, or even establish “leading” technological systems, is funding. Traditional funding streams are not as reliable as they once were, so it remains critical that SUNY Cobleskill continue to seek alternative sources of revenue. Grants, capital campaigns, donations, and other funding opportunities shall be investigated. Internal cost-saving efforts will be examined and implemented as necessary.
Goal #8 - And finally, SUNY Cobleskill’s investment in technology is tantamount to investing in people. The College will assure student, faculty and administrative success by providing the tools necessary to study, teach and work effectively. But, the College can further guarantee its ability to grow with technology by investing in training, cross training and education of its IT personnel. Highly trained technicians are the mechanics who keep the operations running smoothly and allow the College to establish productive technological environments, broaden our technical literacy, seamlessly implement best practices, deliver optimized and secure access to services, enjoy flexible and adaptive growth, build internal and external collaborations, and capitalize on new revenue streams.
5
Scenario Narrative/Story - The SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan RealizedThe following scenario illustrates the future condition of SUNY Cobleskill following the last year (academic year/fiscal year 2013-2014) of the IT Strategic Plan implementation. The scenario is from the perspective of the three primary College constituents: the student, the instructor, and the administrator and explains a “day-in-the-life” of each individual.
The Student
Traci is currently beginning the Fall semester in the senior class as a SUNY Cobleskill student in the Honors program at the College. She is dual-enrolled in the Ag/Bio-Tech and (new) Foreign Language programs. She is excited to start this Fall semester as she boards the airplane bound for Peru as part of a Global Studies experiential collaboration between the Ag/Bio-Tech and Liberal Arts divisions of the College, where the first eight weeks of the semester will be spent abroad assisting a small village, located about 20km from Machu Picchu, set up a self-sustaining solar powered water well pump for crop irrigation. She will also be assisting in the setup of a bio-mass methane gas electric power generator that will be used for the same (where the extra electrical power generated will be utilized for other village needs, such as LED street lamps and community center equipped with high-end computers, Internet, and a 100” LED TV in which the villagers will highly use during the upcoming World Cup Soccer tournament). Traci is anxious to try out her newly acquired Spanish linguistic skills (she took intro-Spanish courses as per her elective requirements where she spoke Spanish on-line with her instructor and friends via desktop video) and hopes to find time to tour the Machu Picchu ruins before the end of the eight weeks.
Traci started her SUNY Cobleskill career in high school. She was not a high honor roll student and in fact was barely a “C” average student through the 10th grade. With the partnership that her high-school set up with SUNY Cobleskill, she enrolled in the College-Prep/Placement program in the spring semester of her 11th grade year. She liked the fact that all College courses had course-shells where she opted to do most of the class work on-line.
While attending SUNY Cobleskill while still in high-school, Traci was very timid at first and relied heavily on the advice from her counselor/advisor. Traci appreciated all of the help from her counselor/advisor with whom she would text-message with quite often. She also took advantage of the high-school peer support group that the College setup within Facebook/Google+. All of her friends were already on Facebook/Google+ and most were also taking courses at the College already. These helped Traci do very well in her College Prep/Placement courses. Traci excelled in the high-school/College Prep/Placement program and after graduation, immediately enrolled full-time at the College being immediately accepted as dual-major in the Ag/Bio-Tech/Foreign Language programs.
6
As she finds her seat on the plane, she takes out her tablet device and smart phone and logs into her SUNY Cobleskill portal account on each. She checks her email first on her smart phone. She sees that she has several emails from her on-line instructors/classes welcoming her to the start of classes. Traci makes one last phone call, hangs up, then proceeds to her course shells and mobile apps on her tablet where she down-loads the course eBook and week 1 video tutorial then begins viewing the video while at the same time text-ing a response to a DQ (discussion question) in another class on her smart-phone. As the plane takes-off on the long flight, she knows that she can get much of her course work done for the first week of classes.
The InstructorStewart just ended his desktop video chat with his peer instructor Alita from Peru. Together they collaborated on the shared course shell (being hosted by SUNY Cobleskill) that will be used by both SUNY Cobleskill students and students from the National University of San Marcos (located in Lima, Peru). They also took the time to finalize the mobile apps and Facebook/Google+ channels that students will be using for the next eight weeks that will be used for posting multimedia journal entries and for support needs of the students. The Facebook/Google+ channels will also be profiled as a weekly column in the local newspaper (both printed and on-line) and will be one of the main features on the College website and portal along with highlights of the students’ multimedia journal entries.
Stewart uploaded weeks one through three course video lectures/tutorials and made tweaks to several audio files (cutting out long-pauses and various classroom laughter bursts), then posted links to multi-media files within the course shell. Alita referenced various YouTube Education Channel videos and miscellaneous web site links, posted the course the course syllabus and the MS Office365 collaboration team project document links, and activated the required on-line quizzes/tests that the students will be taking online as well.
While in his office, Stewart’s College phone rings. His tablet also “rings” with the same call. The caller-ID on both his office phone and tablet screen indicates a transfer call from the College Contact Center with Traci and her cell phone number indicated on the caller-ID. Stewart takes the call on his tablet (it was much more convenient to do so as he can start heading out to the Library and continue the call over the College-wide wireless network).
Stewart answers the call. The Contact Center informs him that Traci is holding. He thanks the Contact Center specialist and says “Hey Traci, glad that you taking one of my classes again”. Traci tells Stewart that she is excited about the class (and more so going to Peru) and wanted to be sure that her Banner status indicates that she is taking part in an exchange program. This is important to Traci as she plans on transferring to Cornell University (Ag-Tech Masters/Foreign Exchange program) after graduation from SUNY Cobleskill. The SUNY-wide auto matriculation agreement system makes transferring among SUNY schools easy, convenient, and automatic. However, Traci wanted to be sure so that she automatically qualifies for being in the international exchange program at Cornell University come this time next year.
7
Stewart tells Traci that she has nothing to worry about and will double-check anyway. After hanging up with Traci, Stewart then logs into self-service Banner. He confirms his class roster that also indicates that Traci has NOT been marked appropriately as participating in an international exchange program/class. Since he does not know the Registrar phone number directly, he call the College main toll-free number. The Contact Center specialist answers the line; “Hello Stewart, how may I help you?”. Stewart asks to be transferred to the Registrar office.
The Administrator
In the Registrar’s office, Marjorie’s tablet and smart phone both ring with caller-ID indicating a transfer call from the College Contact Center and with Stewart’s office phone number indicated. Marjorie taps her tablet screen to answer. Both agree to do a shared desktop session and the session is instantly initiated.
Stewart’s tablet/desktop is instantly shared with Marjorie. He proceeds to tell (and show) her that his student Traci has not been coded properly within the Banner system. Marjorie apologizes to Stewart for not properly coding the course correctly initially. She immediately fixes this and asks Stewart to refresh his session and check Traci’s status again. Stewart proceeds to do so and upon viewing his shared tablet/desktop, notices the correction has taken place. Stewart thanks Marjorie for fixing the issue so quickly. Marjorie in turn thanks Stewart as this will improve the accuracy of the College’s reporting data.
After hanging up with Stewart, Marjorie logs into the College portal and proceeds to the College’s online data/information reporting repository. She locates the SISR requirement (SUNY International Students Report) and selects it for refreshing. The report is re-ran and completes within three seconds. Upon completion the report is also automatically re-transmitted to SUNY Sys Admin in Albany. Cornell University is sent the latest SUNY Cobleskill automatic transfer/matriculation information. Finally, an email notification is also sent to Traci reminding her of her international student status update and auto-transfer/matriculation into Cornell University for next year’s Fall semester class.
Corollary - A Vision of Students TodayThe following short video summarizes some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. The video was created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.
http :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = dGCJ 46 vyR 9 o
8
Strategic ProjectsProject identification and selection will be an important aspect of the SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan as the plan lists the projects to undertake in order to reach the stated goals and objectives. Where applicable, projects will be submitted via a SUNY Cobleskill ranking system as part of a department’s yearly planning and/or for approval of resources/funding to implement. It is understood that all of the projects listed within this document may not be approved/funded. It is also understood that other IT related projects may be added (approved/funded) over the years that this document spans. All projects will be reported on an at least twice annual basis to the College community.
To help prioritize projects listed within this document, the projects estimated costs (within +/- 10% and subject to change) and the IT Strategic Plan goals are listed in the following table.
Project List
Project Name – (description)
EstimatedInitial/AnnualCosts
Goals Addressed
*Banner Programmer Position – Banner administration; reporting; $50,000/$50,000 1,3,4,5,8
*Web/DB Expert Position– for both ITS and Marketing/Communications depts $50,000/$50,000 1,3,4,5,8
*Instructional Designer Position – Angle to Moodle Migration and future Multi-Media Design and Support Services (see below)
$40,000/$40,000 1,3,4,5,8
**Technical Support Position – 2nd Shift (PC/AV/Classroom) $38,000/$38,000 1,3,4,5,8
Sharepoint Upgrade – currently at (unsupported 2003); upgrade to 2010 $5,000/$500 2,4,5
Email Migration – to MS Live@edu $2,500/$0 2,4,5
SCOPE – SUNY Cobleskill Online Planning Environment – reporting module with templates to address Middlestates requirement and College year-to-year planning needs
$1000/$200 2,4,5
Policy/Procedure Website - $1000/$200 2,3,4,5
Athletics Website - TBD/TBD 2,4,5,6
DegreeWorks Implementation – for local gen. ed. requirements and SUNY-wide matriculation. $200,000 already paid to vendor
$0/$0 2,4,5,6
Nolij Expansion – to make more efficient administrative office work; prioritize and establish more electronic work flows
$35,000/$12,500 1,3,4,5,6,8
Helpdesk – Establish new helpdesk system. Includes inventory and project $9,000/$9,000 1,3,4,5,6,8
9
planning components. This will also help with ITS Dept management of student techs to support the College community; More efficient policies and procedures
College Website Committee – establish work group and coordinated, prioritized activities
$0/$0 3,5,6,8
Banner/SWAT Committee – establish work group and coordinated, prioritized activities
$0/$0 3,5,6,8
*Angel Migration – current product and support ends in 2014. Need to plan/address now for what will be replacing Angel; All course have a web presence with electronic syllabus, attendance, and grades. NOTE: Staying with Angel and Migrating to Blackboard would cost the College $20,000/year
$12,500/$12,500 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
*Banner Infrastructure – currently hosting onsite; need to update infrastructure and decide if this will on/off site (current remote services cost $89,000/year)
$125,000/$125,000 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Internet Upgrades – need a 2nd Internet demark (Hurricane Irene illustrated the College vulnerabilities here). ION has been identified as the ISP where a diverse-run 200MB/Month line can be established with SUNY Cobleskill serving a point of presence (PoP) on their network to service the geo-locale (and offset the monthly charges), meaning that ION would pay SUNY Cobleskill rent for using its facilities
$84,000/$84,000
*Datacenter Upgrades – upgrades to server and SANs environment as the current infrastructure is dated and/or out of warranty. It is recommended to lease the equipment here.
$42,000/$42,000 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Calendars – work with Marketing/Communications to establish working calendars (and College calendar administrators) for the proper day to day management of the College can be coordinated and communicated to College constituents
$0/$0 2,3,6
Central Scheduling/Room Reservation Upgrades TBD/TBD 2,3,6,7
Establish College Source System – for keeping accurate people records that can then be used/shared with all other College systems (Banner, AD, HR, Angel, other)
TBD/TBD 1,2,3,4,5,6
BI System – Business Intelligence – for decision making processes $70,000/$70,000 1,2,3,4,5,6
IT Governance Recommendations Implementation – Establish regular work group to address IT purchasing, IT policies/procedures, and assist in the planning/prioritization of IT projects,
$0/$0 3,5,6,8
Emergency Broadcast System – procured from the prior academic/fiscal year. Need to finalize and complete by Fall 2011 semester
$0/$0 1,4,5
Network Upgrade – physical plant; network equipment lease (wired and wireless) NOTE: upgrading equipment, UPS, and misc. cabling for ¼ campus per year over 5 years. This includes core equipment.
$75,000/$75,000 1,4,5,6,7
Phone System Replacement – upgrade to a VoIP based system. NOTE: Total project estimated to be $470,000. It is recommended this be leased over 5 yrs; 50 truncs will be estimated/needed to replace actual phone lines that will cost about $22,000/year
$94,000/$94,000 1,4,5,6,7
10
ITS Dept. Re-Organization (see appendix for the new organization) $0/$0 3,4,5,6,8
DVI Implementation – Desktop video infrastructure implementation; For remote learning and collaborations; Dependent upon Internet and Network upgrade. NOTE: Cost estimate is based on the Elluminate product.
$11,000/$11,000 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
VDI Implementation – Virtual desktop infrastructure – can reduce the cost of setting up future computer labs by 60% or more (including annual utility/electricity costs). For example, a general computer lab of 21 new desktop computers would cost about $17k. If three new labs are needed per year, then the total replacement costs would about $51k. With a VDI in place, the cost of three labs would be about $30k. This is dependent upon Network and datacenter upgrades.
$30,000/$30,000 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Enrollment Management/Social Networking Integration – implement solution and services that help the College reach enrollment/retention targets as well as help enhance student quality of life and academic experience by integrating social/collaboration sites/services with College academic and administrative systems
TBD/TBD 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Multi-Media Design and Support Services – to help develop, maintain, and stream academic content and other related College content (marketing, event, sports, clubs, etc.)
$30,000/$10,000 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Remark Scantron Replacement – current system does not work with Banner 8. Need a more modern system that will work well with Banner and any future CMS/LMS
$5,000/$600 1,4,5
Print Metering – In 2010-2011 the College spent $35,000 on paper alone. This equates to roughly 5,250,000 sheets of 8.5”x11” pages. If printing a piece of paper costs (in toner and other misc. expenses) the College $0.03/page then approximately $157,000 was spent in 2010-2011 on printing. Cutting this expense in half will realize monies that can be used in other areas of the College and to perhaps projects listed within the IT Strategic Plan
$3,000/$3,000 3,4,5,7
Phone Answering Service/Automated Attendant – to augment switchboard and have after hour coverage
$20,500/$5,000 1,4,5,6,7
Campus Technology Equipment Assessment/Upgrade – need to inventory all classroom and office tech and create a turn-over/re-use plan so as to maintain academic integrity and excellence as well as aid in general employee productivity. It would be recommended that IT equipment be primarily leased. The first step is synchronizing the IT Inventory DB, with the Facilities’ RAM DB
$30,000/$30,000 1,4,5,6,7
TOTAL INITIAL/ANNUAL RECURRING COSTS: $895,000/$824,500
NOTE:*Row cells shaded green indicate a partnering/collaborations/sharing opportunity with SUNY Delhi. Positions’ costs indicated are the SUNY Cobleskill share of the salary AND benefits** Full time Cobleskill only position where the costs indicated are for both salary AND benefits
11
12
Implementation Timeline (2011-2015) & Annual Cost ProjectionsThe projects listed in the above/prior section(s) will need to be sequenced with resources (people, time, money) in order to implement. The timeline sequence and estimate of the resources are critical attributes required for effective College management decision making process for the undertaking of any of the project identified within this strategic plan.
The tables below proposes the implementation timelines for the projects listed from the above/prior section. A project’s implementation timeline will can either span a single year or multiple year and is indicated in green. Total annual costs are indicated and tallied accordingly.
Project Name
2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016
Banner Programmer $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
Web/DB Expert $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
Instructional Designer $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000 $40,000
Technical Support Position $38,000 $38,000 $38,000 $38,000 $38,000
Sharepoint Upgrade $5,000 $500 $500 $500 $500
Email Migration $2,500 $0 $0 $0 $0
SCOPE $1000 $200 $200 $200 $200
Policy/Procedure Website $1000 $200 $200 $200 $200
Athletics Website (TBD) $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
DegreeWorks Implementation $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Nolij Expansion $35,000 $12,500 $12,500 $12,500 $12,500
Helpdesk $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000 $9,000
College Website Committee $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Banner/SWAT Committee $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Angel Migration $12,500 $12,500 $12,500 $12,500 $12,500
Banner Infrastructure $0 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000 $125,000
Internet Upgrades $0 $84,000 $84,000 $84,000 $84,000
Datacenter Upgrades $0 $42,000 $42,000 $42,000 $42,000
Calendars $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
13
Central Scheduling/Room Reservation Upgrades
$0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Establish College Source System $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
BI System $0 $0 $70,000 $70,000 $70,000
IT Governance Recommendations Implementation
$0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Emergency Notification System $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Network Upgrade $0 $75,000 $75,000 $75,000 $75,000
Phone System Replacement $0 $94,000 $94,000 $94,000 $94,000
ITS Dept. Re-Organization $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
DVI Implementation $0 $11,000 $11,000 $11,000 $11,000
VDI Implementation $0 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000
Enrollment Management/Social Networking Integration
$0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Multi-Media Design and Support Services
$0 $30,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000
Remark Scantron Replacement $5,000 $600 $600 $600 $600
Print Metering $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
Phone Answering Service/Automated Attendant
$20,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $5,000
Campus Technology Equipment Assessment/Upgrade
$30,000 $30,000 $30,000 $30,000
TOTAL ANNUAL COSTS $272,000 $742,500 $792,500 $799,500 $792,500
14
ConclusionThe SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan will serve as the guiding document for all IT related work that SUNY Cobleskill will undertake during the 2011-2013 time frame. This document will be reviewed and updated at least annually so as to gauge the progress towards the obtainment of the goals and objectives contained herein. Status reports will also be provided periodically throughout the AY/FY that the SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan covers. The status reports will serve as the primary assessment tool for College management decision making processes in regards to the projects articulated within this document.
The SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan is correctly aligned with the vision, mission, and values of the College. The SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan is also correctly aligned with the College Strategic Plan, The Middle States Accreditation Standards, and (future) the Academic Strategic Plan. Finally, the SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan aligns with the Power of SUNY strategic planning efforts. Being aligned with all of these various plans and efforts will result in both the College’s technological advancement, and its overall future success.
15
References● College Strategic Plan (see appendix and College web site); ● Academic Strategic Plan (see appendix and College web site);● Middlestates Standards (see appendix and College web site);● The Power of SUNY - http :// www . suny . edu / powerofsuny / ● A Vision of Students Today - http :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = dGCJ 46 vyR 9 o ● National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) - http :// www . ed . gov / technology / netp -2010 ● Wulf, W. (1989, March). The national collaboratory. In Towards a national collaboratory.
Unpublished report of a National Science Foundation invitational workshop, Rockefeller University, New York.
● EDUCAUSE Review; “Top Ten IT Issues, 2010”; http :// net . educause . edu / ir / library / pdf / ERM 1032. pdf
● ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2010 - http :// net . educause . edu / ir / library / pdf / EKF / EKF 1006. pdf
● The Visible OPS Handbook - ISBN 0-9755686-1-2; by Kevin Behr, Gene Kim, and George Spafford
● Visible OPS Security - ISBN 097556862-0; by Gene Kim, Paul Love, and George Spafford● The One Page Project Manager for IT Projects - ISBN 978-0-470-27588-7; by Clark A. Campbell
16
APPENDIX A - Supporting Data and InformationIn order to determine the SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan and what the final IT future “destination” will be for the institution, it must first be determined what the current situation (i.e. what the starting point is). The current situation is comprised of past progress reports, the current AY/FY projects underway, technology trends/issues and technology based/related surveys.
Technology Trends
IT Strategic Plan Themes OutlineThere are multiple drivers and trends that need to be identified in order to create the SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan. The following outline is a summary of research that was compiled by the SUNY Cobleskill CIO that illustrates what the current major technology trends are. These major trends are taken into consideration for the creation of the SUNY Cobleskill IT Strategic Plan and the alignment with the goals and objectives contained therein.
17
1. Infrastructure (I) ● State of the art network(wired and wireless), data center, and very high speed Internet● RESULTS:
○ Quick implementation of applications and web-based services ○ Safe/Secure IT Environments; Efficient IT management of hardware and services○ Cost savings – HW/SW procurements, maintenance and utilities ○ Highly available data/info accessible data/info from anywhere anytime○ Increased management efficiencies and effectiveness ○ High visibility of all resources○ Optimal IT equipment Management
■ “The Internet is the operating system” which includes Web 2.0; SaaS (software as a service); Mash-ups; Examples: Facebook/Google+, MS Office365, Skype, and the possible/future integration thereof with CMS/LMS with multimedia (audio/video), and Simulated environments
○ Enabler of On-Line Collaborations
2. Collaborations (C) ● On-line collaborations
○ Front end – Students (customers) - Enhanced educational experience & participatory research
○ Back end – employees of the organization – teaching, planning, assessment and decision making (day-to-day operations)
● Eco-Systems○ New knowledge areas/academics with Collaboratories - as defined by William Wulf in
1989, is a “center without walls, in which the nation’s researchers can perform their research without regard to physical location, interacting with colleagues, accessing instrumentation, sharing data and computational resources, [and] accessing information in digital libraries” (Wulf, 1989).
● Identity Management - Move toward centralizing all identity management to streamline employee/student account life cycles and workflows. At SUNY Cobleskill, The Banner system will serve as the primary and single source system for person information to create user accounts for accessing all on-line IT services.
● RESULTS:○ Partnerships for success – in 3 dimensions (students, internal partnerships, external
partnerships)○ Enabler of Mobility:
18
3. Mobility (M) ● Pervasive/ubiquitous use of cell/smart phones, tablets, netbooks, and laptops● To Learn, to work, to serve where there are
○ Collaborations anytime/anywhere with true 24x7x360°(anytime , anywhere) teaching, support and service
○ Real time planning, assessment and decision support○ True mobile experience (using laptops, tablets, cell/smart phones, etc)○ Enhanced research – real-time data gathering/analysis for both academic & business
purposes● For students
○ Download educational/course snippets to learn on the go or refresh just before an exam○ Data collection/analysis for research and academic assignments○ Desktop Video for classroom participation from another school, location and even from
home○ Real time/ad-hoc experiential and simulations for academics○ More/enhanced student project collaborations○ More/enhanced experiential learning opportunities○ More learning in remote classroom and distance learning environments
● For employees○ Enhanced/improved communications○ College and project collaboration○ Document sharing○ Real-time/ad-hoc planning○ Real-time/ad-hoc support services○ On demand, day-to-day management & decision making○ More/enhanced teaching with student project collaborations○ More/enhanced experiential teaching opportunities○ More teaching in remote classroom and distance learning environments
● RESULTS: Collaborations anytime/anywhere with true 24 x 7 x 360°(anytime, anywhere) support and services for teaching, for learning, for working, for serving
19
Current Issues A critical aspect of strategic/Strategic Planning of information technology is an understanding of current issues and trends that may impact higher education and/or the College. The understanding of these issues and trends provides a base of knowledge to start from which more effective College management decision making would occur. The understanding of these issues and trends additionally provides a baseline from which technology implementations at SUNY Cobleskill would be measured from (i.e. assessment).
Listed below are the top ten technology issues from the EDUCAUSE 2010 Current Issues Survey (http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM1032.pdf):
1. Funding IT2. Administrative/ERP/Information Systems3. Security4. Teaching and Learning with Technology5. Identity/Access Management6. (tie). Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity6. (tie). Governance, Organization, and Leadership7. Agility, Adaptability, and Responsiveness8. Learning Management Systems9. Strategic Planning10. Infrastructure/Cyber-infrastructure
The issues listed above/prior can serve as responses to the following questions:1. Which of the IT-related issues listed above/prior, are most important for SUNY Cobleskill to
resolve and address for its overall strategic advancement and success?2. Which of the IT-related issues listed above/prior have the potential to become much more
significant to SUNY Cobleskill in the coming years that cover the time period (2011-2013) for this IT Strategic Plan?
3. Which of the IT-related issues listed above/prior are the constituents of SUNY Cobleskill, as an learner, educator, IT leader or administrator, spending more/most of your time addressing?
4. Of the IT-related issues listed above/prior, which is SUNY Cobleskill spending the least human and/or financial resources on, but should be spending more on?
5. Of the IT-related issues listed above/prior, which is SUNY Cobleskill spending the most human and/or financial resources on?
Responses to the above questions will be included in the College’s IT Strategic Plan as part of the goals and objectives detailed within this document. The responses to the above questions will also be included in the College’s IT Strategic Plan as part of the articulated projects to undertake in order to achieve the goals and objectives.
Access to the article from EDUCAUSE Review publication can be found on-line at:
20
http :// www . educause . edu / EDUCAUSE + Review / EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume 45/ TopTenITIssues 2010/205503
Student Related Surveys & ReferencesThe College will utilize existing surveys as reference as they pertain to IT and our student population that the College will serve.
2011 Quality of Student Life Survey - Coordinated by VP for Student Development and Collegiate Life
69. Campus e-mail is the official way the campus administration communicates to faculty, staff and students. How often do you use campus e-mail?
Answer Options Response Percent Response Count
Daily 53.3% 4992-3 times a week 22.2% 208Weekly 12.7% 119Rarely or never 11.8% 111
answered question 937skipped question 69
21
22
70. If you do not use campus e-mail, is it because it's not your preferred e-mail service?
Answer Options Response Percent Response Count
Yes 34.9% 252No 65.1% 470
answered question 722skipped question 284
23
24
71. Student SharePoint has been created as a communications tool to announce to students what is happening on campus (events, activities, social programming, special announcements, etc). How often do you read SharePoint
Answer Options Response Percent Response Count
Daily 26.5% 2472-3 times a week 18.4% 172weekly 12.9% 120less than weekly 17.0% 159rarely or never 25.2% 235
answered question 933skipped question 73
25
26
72. Do you feel the College's web based Student SharePoint is an effective way to communicate to students regarding the announcement fo campus events, activities and student social programming?
Answer Options Response Percent Response Count
Yes 71.6% 658No 28.4% 261
answered question 919skipped question 87
27
28
73. If the college offered text messaging announcements via student phones regarding campus events, activities and student programming, how would you like to receive them?
Answer Options Response Percent Response Count
I’d like to receive all announcements as they occur so I can be aware of what is happening on campus and then I can decide to attend activities that interest me.
23.7% 221
I’d like to receive announcements that only pertain to certain areas of interest (i.e. athletics, specific club events, so forth) and I would sign up for only those types of communications.
34.9% 326
I do not want to receive these types of text messages on my phone because of potential cost.
10.8% 101
I do not want to receive these types of text messages on my phone period.
30.6% 286
answered question 934skipped question 72
29
The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2010● The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2010 survey
key findings reveal themes about undergraduate students’ IT experience include student technology ownership, use of and skill with IT, experience with IT in courses, and perceptions on how IT contributes to their academic experience. Access to the ECAR report publication can be found on-line at: http :// net . educause . edu / ir / library / pdf / EKF / EKF 1006. pdf
● Below are the summary of the key findings as per figures and tables from the document:
30
31
32
33
Appendix B - College Strategic Plan Priorities
1. Student Success
2. Community Partnerships
3. Cultural Competence
4. Effective Scholarship
5. Economic and Environmental Sustainability
6. Managed Enrollment
7. National Recognition
8. Solid & Diversified Financial Base
34
Appendix C - Middle States Standards● Standard 1: Mission and Goals ● Standard 2: Planning, Resource Allocation, and Institutional Renewal ● Standard 3: Institutional Resources ● Standard 4: Leadership and Governance ● Standard 5: Administration ● Standard 6: Integrity ● Standard 7: Institutional Assessment ● Standard 8: Student Admissions and Retention ● Standard 9: Student Support Services ● Standard 10: Faculty ● Standard 11: Educational Offerings ● Standard 12: General Education ● Standard 13: Related Educational Activities● Standard 14: Assessment of Student Learning
35
Appendix D - Academic Strategic Plan Themes/Goals(Place holder information on what MAY be contained in the College’s Academic Master Plan)
● A.CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT○ Maintaining currency○ Responding to industry standards○ Establishing a baseline of sustainability offerings○ Identifying and prioritizing sustainability initiatives○ Fostering an atmosphere of adaptation and openness to change ○ Identifying new and emerging career and transfer opportunities and develop, where
practical, corresponding curricula○ Using the campus as a laboratory
● B.STUDENTS○ Advising○ Extracurricular activities○ Learning Assistance initiatives○ Library support○ Retentions initiatives
● C. UNDER-PREPARED STUDENTS○ Dealing with increasing numbers while maintaining standards○ Fostering proven initiatives (Block schedules, Learning Communities, etc.)○ Clear communication between disciplines re: expectations and abilities of students○ Expanding support for under-represented and at risk students
● D. TECHNOLOGY○ Develop regular replacement plans○ Ensure instruction meets industry standards○ Provide CMS/LMS Shells for course utilization
● E. FACILITIES○ Equipment (establish a baseline and a regular replacement plan)○ Furniture/furnishing (establish a baseline and a regular replacement plan)○ Space limitations -
■ instructional space■ storage space■ office space■ recognition that new buildings on campus will have major impact on programs
● F. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT○ Academic technology training
36
○ Using Center for Teaching and Learning to address needs identified in the Academic Master Plan
○ Fostering an atmosphere of collaboration (e.g. Interdisciplinary endeavors)○ Adjunct and new faculty mentoring and support
● G. ACCESSIBILITY OF OFFERINGS○ Web-enhancement and hybrid opportunities○ Non-traditional offerings (e.g. block schedules, accelerated courses, late start, etc.)○ Information literacy infused throughout academic experiences (also writing and critical
thinking skills)
● H. COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIPS○ Interdisciplinary collaborations○ Strengthen and augment internship opportunities and service learning opportunities○ SUNY transferability○ Articulation agreements○ K-16 initiatives, including College in the High School○ Academic Affairs and Student Services working together on initiatives○ Enhance connections and bridges between Academic Affairs and CASE○ Enhance connections with local/regional/state/national industries
● 1 - Sustainability Goals Met
37
Appendix E – Power of SUNY Goals/Objectives
Goals1. SUNY and the Entrepreneurial Century2. SUNY and the Seamless Education Pipeline3. SUNY and a Healthier NY4. SUNY and an Energy Smart NY5. SUNY and the Vibrant Community6. SUNY and the World
Report Card Objectives
38
Appendix F – IT Strategic Plan Goal Alignment
Cobleskill College Strategic Plan Priorities
39
Power of SUNY Goals
Middlestates Standards
40
Academic Master Plan Goals (place-holder)
IT Strategic Plan Themes
41
42
Appendix G – ITS Dept Re-Organization
43
