IACC Strategic Goals

Introduction: The Need for an Instructional Computing Plan

For many, teaching and learning process have entered an era in which information technology resources have become as essential as the desk, light, phone, pencil, and other resources that professionals take for granted in their working environment.  Technology will continue to provide us with even greater teaching, learning, and research opportunities than it has in the past.  Most, though not all, of our faculty and students now have access to information technology, much of the necessary support, much of the appropriate training, and intra and inter campus network  Further enhancements are still needed.  It is also recognized that core functions of teaching/learning must drive acquired and supported technology.  For this reason, it is important that the goals of this document be integrated in the overall teaching/learning goals of the campus.  It is the responsibility of the university to assure availability of necessary technological tools for students and faculty.

The  goals presented in this document are strategic and provide a recommendation for campus strategies, programs, and opportunities in areas which include:
1. Institutional Planning, Resources, and Support Services
2. Changing Faculty and Student Roles - and the Curriculum
3. Education, Technology, and the Social Elements of the campus community
4. Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
5. Campus mission related to Distributed Teaching/Learning

The goals are advisory to the IRMPPC members in their development of a current information Resources Management Strategic Plan, should be used by ITS in the formulation of their initiatives, and should be used by the colleges and academic departments as a guideline in the development of their information technology resources.  The IACC "Guidelines for Initiatives" document is recommended as a critical guide for  the implementation of the goals of the campus.

This document lists IACC recommended goals in the specific areas of access, integration, skills, simplicity, and process.  Because information technology is advancing at a rapid pace, this document must be considered a strategic goals document that will be somewhat out of date as soon as it is completed, thus necessitating continual revision.

Providing easy access to hardware and software for everyone in the campus community.
 

1.1

Communication ports all over campus. Access to computers should be available in laboratories and classrooms throughout the campus.  Ultimately every location on campus that any member of the university community finds to be a suitable place for pursuing the education enterprise should have suitable access to the information technology resources required. The access on campus should be at a level commensurate with cost, efficiency and learning expectancies.

1.2

Access from off-campus, anywhere, any time. Students, faculty, and staff should have ready access anywhere off-campus to any appropriate centrally accessible computers, software, or information that is available to them while they are on campus.  The university should strive to make its infrastructure compatible with the highest bandwidth generally available for remote connectivity.

1.3

Information technology classroom support. Classrooms should be equipped with the necessary resources that allow faculty or students to support teaching and learning activities (for example, World Wide Webaccess, distance/distributed teaching/learning, computer-assisted design techniques, or library searches).

1.4	University-provided computers and connectivity for faculty/staff. Faculty must be provided with information technology resources (such as computers, software, and connectivity) which are current and appropriate for present and future coursework.

1.5

Assured access to computers and connectivity for students. The university must put in place the necessary infrastructure to assure that all students have adequate access to information technology resources (such as computers, software, and connectivity).  Access on and off the Cal Poly campus should meet or exceed the state mandated requirements. The access should be at a level commensurate with cost, efficiency and learning expectancies related to information competency.

1.6	Current data presentation terminals on campus and throughout the community outside of Cal Poly. Administrative data and other accessible campus information should be available to appropriate individuals both on campus and throughout the community.

1.7	Reliable security. Access must be provided as described above in a way that will not compromise the privacy and proprietary nature of the data of other users.  Security measures should not become an undue burden to access.  Security applies to all other sections of this document.

Integrating information technology with the campus instructional environment.
 

2.1

Easy communication tools and file transfer for everyone on campus. The interconnected computing system should provide an easy-to-use interface for communication among individuals in the campus community and with others outside the campus.  This interface should provide transparent transmission and receiving of e-mail messages and other information, and should allow simple transfer of information from campus storage locations to the user's local storage location

2.2

Universal e-mail. All students should receive e-mail accounts upon admission, and all staff upon hiring.  Appropriate support should be provided for creation of e-mail aliases for class and employee rosters.  It is recommended that colleges, academic departments, and instructors should use e-mail rather than paper for memos, forms, and handouts whenever possible and appropriate.  The campus should make available an e-mail system which provides access to other standard e-mail systems, attachments provided by other e-mail systems, and access through standard browsers.

2.3

High-demand functionality throughout the system. The intraconnected and interconnected campus learning/teaching network and platforms should have both the access and processing capabilities that achieve adequate bandwidth and coverage of university facilities to allow:  (1) the delivery of real-time audio, video, color graphics and collaboration to appropriate facilities/locations, and (2) remote real-time processing by computer servers for intensive computational needs of software run on connected personal computers.

2.4	Transparent integration of all campus academic information technology resources.

2.5	On-line campus, community, and individual calendars.

2.6

Availability of all appropriate off-campus information technology resources.  The campus information technology resources access to off-campus appropriate IT resources and services to support professional development and curricular requirements of students, faculty and staff (for example World Wide Web, electronic databases, and news).

2.7

Relevant administrative data for faculty. The faculty should have easy access to a transparent interactive integrated database that gives needed control for course management.  This should include enrollment data, prerequisite checking, textbook/software ordering, assigning of grades and whatever other tasks bear on course management.

2.8

Professional application software. The campus information technology resources should provide a uniform and transparent system for providing access by all members of the campus community to software applications that are: (1) deemed important to the educational mission of the university and (2) beyond the normal range of software that individuals would be expected to own as personal copies.

Providing paths for learning information skills and for moving curricula into the new media
 

3.1	Computer education and support for all students. The campus will continue to provide education in the use of information technology-based academic tools for all students, both within and beyond General Education requirements.

3.2

Information technology education for faculty and staff. The campus should promote training for all interested faculty members to further their knowledge of information technology.  This training should be provided for people at all levels of development at times which are convenient for the faculty or staff member.  This training may come in the form of peers, campus professionals, seminars by campus professionals, or training programs presented by off-campus professionals.

3.3

RPT Recognition for upgraded skills. Faculty who develop their own information technology skills, train other faculty members in the use of information technology, or develop instructional tools which incorporate information technology must receive professional development recognition in the RPT process.  In some cases, this will mean modifying department retention and promotion criteria to recognize the new media.

3.4	Easy access to training tools, such as tutorials on computers. Where available, all campus information technology resources should have an on-line tutorial, in plain language, or help menu to assist the user with problems which are encountered.

3.5	Institutional support for learning studies and for projects which revise existing curricula to use new technology productively.   An integrated source of support for approved initiatives should exist on the campus.

3.6

Expert person-to-person help in plain language from an integrated source for supported information technology resources. The campus should provide central assistance for problems which arise from a single point of contact on the campus.  Users should be able to communicate with an integrated and campus-wide help desk function when they encounter problems.

Making use of campus technology as simple as possible
 

4.1	User-friendliness a primary concern in all decision making about any part of the information technology resources of the campus

4.2	Easy-to-use tools for creating instructional modules.

4.3	Simple tools for accessing information technology resources.

4.4	Complete transparency/interoperability across platforms.

4.5	Consistent interfaces across platforms and in all locations.

4.6	Written documentation in plain language, printed and on-line.

4.7	Appropriate support should be provided for resources available.

Creating an ongoing process for continuity of operations and evolutionary change
 

5.1

Necessity of a process. A process is necessary to insure that review of progress toward the strategic goals occurs.  An annual review of both the goals and status of programs and projects related to achieving them should be conducted and published by the Information Resources Management Policy and Planning Committee (IRMPPC).

5.2

Publicly available strategic plan. The IRMPPC should maintain and make accessible to all members of the campus community a current information Resources Management strategic plan that contains all of the relevant information for organizations and individuals so they will be able to plan and complete initiatives that are consistent with it, and must include a clear definition of financial responsibilities for the university, colleges, departments, and students  (i.e. who decides and who pays for each piece of the system?)..

5.3	Revising the information technology strategic plan. A clearly described process for revising the information technology strategic plan should be devised and published by IRMPPC.

5.4	Implementation plan. The implementation of the strategic plan should be based on initiatives.  All initiatives should consider the issues raised in the guidelines of the IACC document,  "Guidelines for Initiatives."

5.5	Commitment to openness across platforms and vendors to allow for future growth and change.

5.6	Definition of financial responsibility. The IRMPPC must develop a clear definition of financial responsibilities for the university, colleges, departments, and students (i.e. who decides and who pays for each piece of the system?).

5.7	It is recommended that the deans and department chairs facilitate, encourage and support the strategic plan and that the priorities be evaluated seriously as part of the annual budget preparation process for each academic planning horizon.

5.8

Definition of the relationship between users and the implementers. The IRMPPC must develop a clearly described process for optimizing coordination among campus groups and implementers of the strategic plan. The process must fully support the other goals of this document and provide a consultative process between the users and the implementers of the outcomes of the goals of this document.

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