Together we will build a simple methodology that can be used to engage in successful project management regardless of your institution’s size or capacity. We will discuss what defines a project or portfolio and dive in to how to frame governance and improve visibility with stakeholders. We will facilitate an active discussion on why it’s vital to build relationships via campus stakeholder engagement. You will leave this session with a recipe that includes the basic ingredients needed to engage in building successful project and portfolio management.OUTCOMES: Discover why stakeholder engagement is crucial to a successful technology project * Learn how to establish a Portfolio and Project Management Office (PPMO) * Come away with an example Maturity Model for measuring PPMO maturity
[Read More]

This session will discuss efforts across three institutions of higher education to increase awareness and use of Open Textbooks and Open Educational Resources (OER). By specifically highlighting case examples from Oregon, Michigan, and California, the session will outline how colleges can leverage freely available, peer-reviewed content to increase student success and completion, reduce costs for students, and allow for inter- and intra-institutional collaboration.OUTCOMES: Identify concrete ways institutions can leverage OER to support enhanced teaching and learning * Discover how textbook affordability issues can impede student success * Collaborate to create successful textbook affordability programs
[Read More]

This session will examine crowdsourcing as a critical tool for all CIOs transitioning to a new role. We will explore how crowdsourcing can use the campus community to prioritize high-impact projects; reject low-priority projects; rapidly implement quick wins; and communicate effectively with the community. Instead of the technology department being viewed as the department that says no, IT becomes the facilitator of business value through cost efficiency, process innovation, and agile delivery of services. This creates an opportunity for the new CIO to reset expectations and the role of the CIO and deliver both structural and symbolic wins immediately.OUTCOMES: Learn how IT can facilitate technology decisions * Understand how the Design Thinking methodology can be used to drive creative problem solving * Gain an understanding of the value the process can have on organizational development
[Read More]

Like many higher education IT organizations, demands for services across institutions continue to increase while budgets are systematically reduced. To continue supporting our institutions, we need to do more with less. This requires a creative solution beyond typical budget cutting. In this presentation, you will learn how to change your culture by using innovative programs that motivate employees and create an engaging environment. Core themes of the efforts center around Daniel Pink’s book (Drive) and the Gallup Q12 employee engagement survey.OUTCOMES: Understand engagement surveys and their evaluation * Gain access to new team-building activities * Build relationships with peers who share similar interests and work situations and are passionate about employee motivation
[Read More]

One of the hottest topics in business today is culture. Unifying and developing individuals is the core of employee engagement. Over the past three years, significant culture changes have taken place within the IT division of UMMC, including stronger teams, the development of critical relationships, increased levels of staff engagement, and greater confidence across the organization. These benefits were accompanied by reduced silos and higher morale. Learn more about the strategies that fostered this success, many of which can be developed with little or no budget. OUTCOMES: Understand the relationship between organizational success and employee engagement * Identify target areas to initialize actions * Take away successful strategies to positively affect employee engagement
[Read More]

Today’s leaders have access to large amounts of data from internal and external sources, but data is of little use without the proper context. Collaboration is required to turn data into information that is useful to leaders. This session will introduce technology leaders to new data sources and help them develop skills to leverage these sources into planning initiatives. Leaders need data-driven decision making, which won’t happen without collaboration. Technology leaders will learn how to build partnerships with other data professionals and maximize use of tools, including the EDUCAUSE Benchmarking Service. OUTCOMES: Discuss new data sources relevant to leveraging technology for planning * Initiate an action plan to collaborate with a colleague related to a specific initiative * Synthesize benchmarking analysis reports with peer data to improve decision making
[Read More]

The primary purpose of exams is to assess student learning, but it can be argued that too much emphasis is placed on exams by both students and instructors. Also, students often prepare for exams by “cramming” at the last minute or by rote practice of course content. Neither approach leads to long-lasting learning. This session will describe student electronic reports (e-reports), an alternative to traditional exams. E-reports are completely student generated and multimedia in nature. Students summarize and condense the most critical content from course units into 20- to 30-minute stand-alone multimedia presentations/video files, demonstrating student comprehension of the course material. OUTCOMES: Understand what an e-report is * Assign an e-report to a class with clear directions and expectations * Become comfortable assessing and grading e-reports to see how e-reports impact student learning outcomes
[Read More]

Portland State University has created the Accessibility by Design initiative, which focuses on faculty support to develop campus-wide awareness, resources, and education about digital accessibility. Accessibility is the practice of removing environmental barriers to learners. This requires meaningful reflections on all possible learner populations and the design of curriculum to meet all learner populations. We will discuss best practices, content creation, and the retrofitting of already-offered content. We will share some tips and tricks for authoring content in a new way and addressing in-class accessibility barriers. Flexibility and care will be required. OUTCOMES: Discuss access barriers, disability practices, and universal design for learning * Demonstrate accessibility best practices around content creation * Conduct faculty outreach and become ambassadors of accessibility at your organization
[Read More]

Administrative offices are seeking to take advantage of new systems and cloud services every day, frequently unaware of the burden this places on central IT organizations. How should IT coordinate the adoption of new enterprise technologies within the bounds of their own resources, security concerns, and other constraints?
[Read More]

Some schools have embraced a Cloud First strategy, shifting enterprise applications and infrastructure to the cloud. Some are still getting their bearings in the cloud world. If your institution is not all in with the cloud, what do the next few years look like? How do you position policy, security, legal, procurement, governance, and technology staff to make the best use of this new technical “cloudscape”? This session will use the ECAR Cloud’s Preparing the IT Organization for the Cloud series as a roadmap to plot your cloud course regardless of your starting point or ultimate destination.OUTCOMES: Explain the stages of cloud adoption strategy * Identify important operational steps, strategic trade-offs, and key players involved in a cloud transition * Describe the roles and responsibilities of a cloud-ready organization
[Read More]