Understanding How to Improve IT Fluency in an Engineering Technology Department Alan Proffitt, PhD, PE The University of Memphis

IT Fluency in ET2 Agenda Introduction Available IT Services Purpose Customer Market Segments Method Findings Results Solutions Further Issues Further Work Conclusion

IT Fluency in ET3 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 ET4 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 ET5 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 ET6 Customer Market Segments Students and the curriculum The department as a team working together Individual faculty Processes extending outside the department boundary were excluded for this study

IT Fluency in ET7 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 ET8 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 ET9 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 ET10 Solution (1/3) The fundamental solution is to utilize a standard strategic planning process to establish goals and action plans.

IT Fluency in ET11 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 ET12 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 ET13 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 ET14 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 ET15 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

Questions?