The first workshop http://www.ncl.ac.uk/digitalcampus/events/ was held yesterday with the intention of starting to develop a University wide IT strategy to support the vision of the University. I am pondering today on the success of the approach (using SWOT analysis) and on the variety of feedback I have received thus far:
- not strategic enough
- too strategic
- too many computer officers there which swayed the weight of the debate
- computer officers didnt have the chance to voice thier collective opinions
- it went on too long
This is the first time (that I know of) that University strategy building has been attempted from the “bottom up”, giving everyone a chance to contribute. The Digital Campus Steering Group are committed to listening to staff and students about what IT services the university should be providing and how we can do it in an efficient and effective manner. There are further challenges to consider such as the changing way we communicate, learn, teach and research and the strategy must be flexible and agile enough to constantly scan the horizon for new opportunities and be ahead of the game.
So how do we measure the success of the approach? Weaknesses, issues and problems are emerging some of which can be addressed now, so presumably there will be less of those as we move on. People were engaged and animated at the workshop, ticking the box that everyone can contribute. But how do people feel when they leave? That they made a difference? That they were listened to? they didnt get a chance to speak? Or worse case scenario…… that it was a waste of time and things are set in stone (absolutely not the case).
Comments please…..
Interesting that some users felt that the group was too ‘IT Staff heavy’. I believe that any IT staff present were trying to be as objective as possible so that the group could find its own way through the analysis.
It may be that these workshops will be attended predominantly by Computing Officers and disaffected users – as it is these two groups have the most to say about how they feel the University should run its IT. People who are reasonably content with a system rarely comment upon it or feel the need to contribute to its evolution.
It was interesting to note the amount of ‘Mac support’ input plus the comment about users not being allowed admin rights …
It may be that Digital Literacy should also include ‘How IT works within the University and Why it does what it does’ – if people understood why Admin Rights are not necessarily granted to all and sundry or why Macs don’t enjoy quite the same support as PCs then perhaps they’d be a little more flexible in their expectations.
IT may be relying too much “because we said so” parenting technique which is likely to engender feelings of revolt in some members of the University. A basic understanding of the constraints we have to work with may help drive IT forwards in the way it is treated by non-IT folk.
This is a point well said. This simple issue crops up a long amongst users in my department.
Slightly worried that some folks thought computing officers dominated the conversation. I hope it isn’t a common feeling.
No, it wasnt a common feeling. I was just trying to reflect the diverse feedback on the session,
Jane