Technology
Technology Strategic Plan 2006-2009
Finalized August 1, 2006
This Simmons College Technology Strategic Plan builds on the success of three prior plans. Now that technology at Simmons has matured, the goals of this plan are intentionally high-level, strategic, and cross-reference one another.
The Technology Strategic Plan is a living, action-based document that will drive and coordinate strategic technology decisions at Simmons. The plan, which was developed by the Technology Governance Committee, has enjoyed significant input from the community. We are now developing an implementation plan to ensure progress and accountability.
Each strategic goal serves as a lens that focuses our attention at a particular angle of a topic, and aspires to a set of outcomes, the content of which may overlap with other goals. The Committee thought it important to keep the unique focus inherent in each goal; for example, although students are an essential part of developing a shared academic vision, and of enterprise services, their experiences at Simmons encompass more than learning and interacting with online systems. Indeed, students are such an essential part of Simmons, the Committee decided to have a separate goal so that student experience would be a consideration for all technology-related decisions. Technology Governance will coordinate the development and implementation of action steps for each goal, so that these interdependencies act to strengthen the overall plan.
Implicit in the Technology Strategic Plan is Simmons' financial security and readiness to make forward-looking, strategic, well-coordinated decisions about technology. Stewardship of technology requires making interdependencies explicit, including recognizing that internal and external funding while solid, are not limitless. The priorities set as a result of pursuing the Strategic Plan will be accomplished under the leadership of Technology in consultation with the President's Council and Technology Governance and its committees, and fully shared with the community at large. These priorities will be used to allocate funds and staff resources, and to make decisions about what external funding sources to pursue.
Vision
Technology at Simmons enriches learning, teaching, research, working and living within the Simmons community. By aligning with the College's mission and providing constant, vigilant and appropriate support, Simmons College seeks to be a leader in the creative and mindful use of technology.
Goals
1. Communication
Adopt communication strategies that involve the Simmons community in College technology initiatives, plans, policies and services.
Desired Outcomes
- Current faculty, staff and students understand College technology priorities, have numerous methods to provide feedback, and will feel connected to technology planning and decision making.
- Communication between and among Tech Gov and its subcommittees is dynamic, consistent and timely.
- The Deans' and President's Councils are effectively engaged in technology planning and decisions.
- The faculty is included in teaching and research technology planning and decision making via ATC, the Deans and direct contact.
- Administrators and staff understand college-wide technology plans, services and priorities.
- Students easily identify technology resources and services available to them.
Objectives
- Tech Gov, ATC and TSS members will develop and implement strategies to ensure that they routinely communicate with their constituents regarding technology initiatives, plans, priorities, and services, which will include gathering regular feedback.
- Tech Gov will formalize a dynamic communication process with the Deans' and President's Councils to facilitate testing assumptions, securing buy-in, and receiving feedback on technology plans, recommendations, and decision making.
- Students have opportunities to provide feedback and suggestions on ways to improve the Simmons technology environment through formal communication with Tech Gov and its subcommittees as well as through an informal electronic "suggestion box".
2. Shared Academic Vision
Develop a shared academic vision that drives the use of technologies to enhance and strengthen teaching, learning, research and scholarship.
Desired Outcomes
- Members of the Simmons community know the direction we are heading towards regarding the incorporation of technology in pursuit of academic excellence, and have a common language to describe our aspirations and accomplishments.
- Members of the Simmons community know and support our academic technology priorities.
- Resource allocation decisions are made to support the agreed upon priorities.
- There are clear and shared expectations for infrastructure (e.g. standard classroom equipment); faculty, staff and student competencies; accountability and rewards.
- Faculty will make informed decisions regarding when and how to apply technologies to the teaching process to enhance student performance and learning.
- Students achieve strong information technology fluency and discipline specific technology competencies that prepare them for their career or advanced studies.
- Access to the appropriate technologies and support strengthen faculty research and scholarship.
Objectives
- Reach consensus among the Academic Technology Committee (ATC), the Deans, and faculty regarding the degree to which each element of the shared academic vision for technology should be adopted as a standard; including:
- learning management system (WebCT/Vista)
- online learning and distance education
- student technology fluency
- faculty technology fluency (including roles and rewards)
- support for innovation
- discipline specific technologies
- learning environments (in and out of the classroom)
- Formally assess technology use within courses and curricula and report the findings to each Dean on a regular predetermined schedule; so that we can build upon strengths and/or address identified weaknesses.
3. Student Experience
Identify, evaluate, and adopt technologies that enrich the student experience at Simmons.
Desired Outcomes
- Student learning is enriched by a technology environment that facilitates student access to information, research and independent study, and mastery of course and program content.
- Simmons graduates possess the information technology fluency to support life long learning and career development.
- Exposure to, and mastery of, discipline-specific technologies strengthens students' competitiveness for internships, graduate school, and placement in fields of their choice.
- Students enjoy a modern, efficient, technologically enabled services environment which will enhance their student life and student service experience.
Objectives
- Work with the ATC and the Deans to ensure that information fluency requirements are present within the curricula at all undergraduate and graduate levels.
- Achieve Department buy-in for the integration of discipline specific technology within individual courses and programs of study as appropriate.
- Expand web enabled access to appropriate technologies for students which enhance their communication, productivity, recreation, and life style while at Simmons.
4. Enterprise Services
Develop a vision and plan for an enterprise (institution-wide) information services environment.
Desired Outcomes
- Faculty, staff and students experience an accessible, comprehensive, online administrative/student life/academic services environment.
- Online access to the College is improved for prospective students, alumni, parents and friends.
- Institutional processes align to provide seamless, non-duplicated, and accurate entry, storage, and movement of data and information throughout College systems.
- Simmons will maintain a viable, stable, robust technology infrastructure.
Objectives
- Establish the Technology Systems and Services committee.
- Establish policies for ensuring that new services will integrate effectively and securely with existing services.
- Establish a system for prioritizing the investigation and implementation of new services.
- Initiate a college-wide assessment to determine online services requirements, existing system(s) capabilities and limitations, and available technology alternatives for expanding online services.
- Develop and implement a multi-year plan for migration to an online services environment consistent with the needs of the institution.
- Provide students with efficient, comprehensive, accessible, one-stop student services and self-service options.
- Complete comprehensive plans which address technology infrastructure stability, redundancy, record retention, data and information backup, security, disaster recovery and archiving.
5. Specialized Needs
Identify, prioritize, coordinate and respond to the specialized technology needs of academic and administrative departments and individual users.
Desired Outcomes
- Technology anticipates and delivers multi-tiered user support services for students, faculty, administration and staff.
- All departments understand the rationale underlying technology service priorities and the central or local method by which their specialized needs can be met.
- Students, faculty and staff with learning or physical challenges have the technical resources necessary to excel at their teaching, learning and daily work and activities.
Objectives
- TSS committee and Technology will establish a model for support of specialized applications at both the central and local levels.
- Technology, and the TSS and ATC Committees will identify, prioritize, and develop a plan to address departmental systems requirements and support.
- Technology will work with the Coordinator for Disability Services to ensure ADA compliance and to anticipate and prepare for the emerging needs of new students and employees.
- Partner with the Deans to determine the degree to which distance learning should become a focus for course and program delivery.
6. New/Creative Technologies
Continually investigate and creatively use technologies in ways that support the College's Strategic Plan and confirm the College's competitiveness.
Desired Outcomes
- Simmons's environment fosters and rewards creative and innovative use of technology.
- Simmons is nimble in its ability to react to, evaluate, and where appropriate, implement new technologies.
Objectives
- Implement a "technology briefing program" for the President's and Deans' Councils to assist College executives in keeping abreast of technology innovations that may have future value for the institution.
- Develop and implement a program to provide College departments with information on workplace technology innovations.
- Work with the ATC to recommend a mechanism such as the PTRC Grants program that allows for faculty to be exposed to, and have the opportunity to work with, emerging technologies.
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