1. Strategic Higher Education Information Technology (IT)
Presented at the Summer Symposium 2013
Jerry DeSanto, Ed.D.
VP For Planning and CIO, University of Scranton
August 15, 2013

2. Context What role can IT play in helping address these pressures?
Colleges and Universities under tremendous pressure to:
Enhance Quality
Enhance Access
Reduce Costs
What role can IT play in helping address
these pressures?

3. IT Strategic Opportunities
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Cloud/Virtual Services
Big Data/ Business Intelligence
Business Process Improvement
Flipping the Classroom
Business Transformation
On-line Education and MOOCs

4. BYOD Personalization Mobile Requires Robust Network
Application Virtualization (licensing issues)
Support
Could help shift costs

5. Cloud/Virtual Services
Numerous possibilities
Data centers, storage, applications (SaaS), managed processes
Speed to implementation superior
Lower up front costs. Longer term cost savings are less likely. Potential staff savings.
Security issues still loom

6. Big Data/Business Intelligence
Institutions sitting on huge repositories of unleveraged data assets
What questions need to be answered
Data driven decision-making
Data as a competitive tool

7. Business Process Improvement (BPI)
Despite the wide-spread adoption of ERP systems many institutions still cling to inefficient processes
BPI could both save money and improve customer services
CRM systems (many cloud based) are being implemented at many institutions
This could represent IT’s greatest contribution

8. Flipping the Classroom
Moving to Student-Centered Learning
New Pedagogical Paradigm
Tech-Infused or Enhanced Learning
A move away from the traditional lecture

9. Business Transformation through
On-line Learning and MOOCs

10. MOOCs (Massive Open On-line Courses)
What?
Why?
Disruption?
Revolution or
Evolution?

11. History of Non-Traditional Education
Correspondence Courses s
TV Courses
Interactive Video Courses
Traditional On-Line Education s
MIT Open Courseware
Carnegie Mellon Open Learning
MOOCs s

12. MOOC Providers
Coursera
edX
Udacity
Udemy

14. How do MOOCs Happen?
Faculty Create/Author the Course and the Pedagogical Methods used
The Course is Engineered on an LMS Platform Hosted Somewhere on the Internet
Students Register and Engage
Content is Delivered on a Schedule with a Start Date
Short Taped Lectures, discussion groups, videos, readings, assessments

15. On-Line vs. MOOCs On-Line MOOCs Small Class Sizes
Instructor Engagement
Instructor/Peer Learning
Assessments Graded
Pay Tuition/Fees $$$
Credit/Credential Earned
High Completion Rate
Part of Accredited Offerings by Specific Institution
Enormous Class Sizes
Instructor(s) Monitoring (with help)
Collaborative Learning
Self/Peer Assessments dominate
No or Very Low Cost $$$
Credit/Credential—very few examples to date
Very Low Completion Rate (< 10%)
Generally not Part of Accredited Degree Program

16. MOOC Advantages Distributed Global Learning for the Masses
Access at No Cost
Casual Intellectual Enrichment
Faculty/Institution Prestige Factor— Enhancing Brand and Reach
Perhaps a stalking horse for some
Rich Data Mining

17. MOOC Challenges
Absent Viable Financial Model (who is going to pay for development and infrastructure?) Future Advertising Model?
Validity--Given the Low Completion Rates
Credentials, Credentials (which schools will recognize successful completion?) Students want credentials!!
Can the Credit(s) count toward traditional degree programs?
Accreditors?? How do we assess?

18. Convergence of On-Line Service Enablers
LMS Providers such as Blackboard,
Desire to Learn, Canvas, Moodle, etc.
On-Line Facilitators
such as Deltak, Bisk,
Pearson, etc.
Institutions’ On-Line Service Needs
MOOC Providers such as Coursera,Udacity, edX, etc.

19. On-Line Education is Destined to Grow
On-Line Education is Destined to Grow. Most Universities are Struggling with their Overall On-Line Strategy

20. What is Most Likely, is the Continued Evolution of a Hybrid/Blended Model of Education that Utilizes Combinations of Classroom, On-Line, and Experiential/Innovative Learning

21. MOOCs may play a role in this evolution, but are unlikely to permanently change educational paradigms. “One Spice on a Spice Rack..” Brian Voss, AGB

22. Institutions will come to decide how extensively they will embrace the Hybrid/Blended Model and MOOCs based on Mission, Size, Finances, Market Pressures, and Preferences

23. Questions:
How would you characterize your institution’s On-line/MOOC strategy?
Are you concerned that if your institution does not move quickly enough in this realm you will lose competitive positioning?
If you were responsible for crafting your institution’s On-line/MOOC strategy what would it be? Are you comfortable that it will align with your institution’s mission and identity?