Office of Information Technology

Strategic Plan FY2006-2011

Belief Statement

We define technology, in its broadest sense, as encompassing hardware, software, communications, processes, systems, and people.   We take the preceding list to subsume communications devices and systems, computers and computer systems, software, the systems needed to connect all such devices and the methods we use to employ all of our resources, capital, physical and human.

 As defined, we believe the University of Central Oklahoma should use technology to . . .

 . . . support the institutional mission.

 . . . facilitate inspirational and effective student-centered learning situations which maximize an individual's potential and enhance their personal quality of life.

 . . . reduce the barriers of entry to the university's learning environment by creating opportunities for narrowing preexisting cultural, social, intellectual, and economic gaps that may exist among disadvantaged groups.

 . . . create inclusive rather than exclusive options for learning.

 . . . enable efficient and appealing communication that provides access to current information supportive of learning, research, administrative productivity, and executive decisions.

 . . . increase community affiliation and society's connectedness by facilitating the social integration of all groups.

 . . . enhance the university's opportunities for recruiting students, business partners and donors.

 . . . be used as a retention tool for graduating students, for enhancing business relationships and expanding donor commitments.

 . . . act as the change facilitator for responding to market needs and client convenience.

 . . . neither dictate policy nor become the end solution.

 . . . provide systems that are as safe, secure, private, and easy-to-use, as possible.

Goals and Objectives Statement [Back to Top]

The Information Technology Task Force defined five goals on which to focus for the next three to five years.  The goals are designed primarily to enhance the learning environment, to provide productivity opportunities, and to ensure UCO continues to be competitive, through the use of appropriate  technology.

The life-cycle approach is used in planning for and accomplishing all goals and the related objectives.  This approach assumes the phases of investigation, design, implementation, and evaluation.  During the evaluation phases, projects, systems, and services are approved by the functional user area, which naturally leads into the investigation phases again - - thus a cycle.  The life-cycle approach ensures continuous quality improvement and encourages updated ideas and technologies.

Goals [Back to Top]

Goal 1: Enhance learning, teaching, research, and service activities through the use of academic and instructional technologies.

Goal 2: Increase access to information and services for students, faculty, staff, and community members.

Goal 3: Provide technology-enhanced services to support learning communities and cooperative partnerships that encourage communication and cultural interactions.

Goal 4: Use technology to support improved university processes for safety, and efficiencies.

Goal 5: Maintain and improve the efficient and effective technology system infrastructure and anticipate future needs and emerging technology to support university growth, vitality, and relevance.

Objectives [Back to Top]

•  Streaming audio and video
•  YouTube, Sandbox
•  Automated lecture capture, archiving, and providing lectures to students via technologies such as podcasting, VOD
•  Classroom identification and definition
•  On-line programming
•  Videoconferencing and web conferencing
•  Developing process and procedures

Objective 1j. Enhance active learning by providing student access to multimedia services and collaborative environments

Objective 1k. Provide appropriate level of training personnel and staff to support enhanced e-learning technology.

Objective 1l.  Establish guidelines for technologically enhanced learning spaces including but not limited to classroom design and usage

• Provide appropriate technology to support video services
•  Provide appropriate training to personnel and staff to support objective
•  Establish fee structure and determine level of services
•  Capture content in classroom and capture presentations
•  Ensure ADA compliance
•  Establish checkout program

Goal 3: Provide technology-enhanced services to support learning communities and cooperative partnerships that encourage communication and cultural interactions. [Back to Top]

Objective 3a.  Ensure all residence halls have equal access to technology services.

Objective 3b.  Establish a high-tech or virtual community that will enable public-private partnerships which will expand the role of the university beyond the traditional classroom.  The virtual community link, for example, may provide for receive sites both on and off our primary campus.  Opportunities for wireless communications options must be considered, as well.

Objective 3c.  Enhance the university experience by fostering various forms of electronic socialization through operation, maintenance, and training in various communication technologies.  Provide technology spaces which are comfortable and foster an interactive environment.

Objective 3d.  Employ technologies that will enhance information dissemination among students, faculty, and staff.  Various approaches to informing people of events, activities, changes in procedures, and so on, will reach a higher number of the intended audience.  Hopefully, appropriate use of technologies will become an impetus for improved communications.

Objective 3e.  Include messaging, campus events calendar, hologram, weather systems, cameras and webcams 

Objective 3f. Promote greater participation of the community in university special events through appropriate technologies.  Examples may include such applications as web-casting, expanded radio and television services, student internships, and other technologies which may be developed.

Goal 4: Use technology to support improved university processes for safety, and efficiencies. [Back to Top]

Objective 4a. Enhance security for end user authentication.

Objective 4b.  Implement campus card or similar system for physical access to buildings, classrooms and labs, and special facilities.

Objective 4c.    Use technology to improve academic processes.

Objective 4d.   Use technology to improve and/or automate administrative processes.  Implement workflow automation using technology.

Objective 4e.    Provide dashboard for targeted audiences.

Objective 4f. Establish process, policies and procedures to support distance (distributed) learning, to make learning more accessible.

Objective 4g.  Review technology processes and procedures for continuous quality improvement.  The following list, though not an exhaustive, includes areas in which the Office of Information Technology performs annual reviews.

•  Current processes for technology customer service
•  Service level agreements
•  Status reports
•  Priority settings
•  Standards
•  Security
•  Problem tracking
•  Inventories
•  Help desk

Objective 4h.    Use technology to enhance campus wide safety for student, faculty, staff, and visitors.   Design procedures and clearly communicate policies, procedures, and disciplinary measures.

Objective 4i.     Provide for video security services. Review best practices for surveillance and reporting.

Objective 4j.    Develop a process to create on-line forms, routed, and approved on line.

Objective 4k.   Assist the university in higher-level decision making through appropriate use of stored data and reporting.

Goal 5: Maintain and improve the efficient and effective technology system infrastructure and anticipate future needs and emerging technology to support university growth, vitality, and relevance. [Back to Top]

Information technology infrastructure is defined as the synergy of hardware, software, communications capability, personnel, policy, and procedures.  Continually improving infrastructure is essential to remaining competitive in today’s environment.  The established baseline serves as a foundation and hub upon which spokes may be added to meet the ever growing needs of a vibrant, relevant university.

Objective 5a. Develop economically attractive licenses and contracts for hardware and software which meet university standards.  Work with other entities (e.g. higher education institutions, state agencies, community partners) for cost savings and efficiencies.

Objective 5b.   Create effective solution for printing in student labs.

Objective 5c.   Develop network architecture to support all levels of security and to provide access to appropriate logical and physical resources. Update a networked campus-wide directory service which will be the foundation of the domain and electronic mail services.

Objective 5d.   Maintain, to the extent possible,  a safe, private,  secure, and accessible technology environment.

Objective 5e. Provide a robust network to support applications.

Objective 5f.  Implement digital archiving and retrieval system.

Objective 5g.  Maintain and continually evaluate standards for university technology infrastructure.

Objective 5h.    Identify staffing and equipment needs to implement each new system and /or service.

Objective 5i. Provide appropriate centrally managed support for the university applications and network. Support includes assistance via telephone, Internet, and other vide options, as well as face-to-face.  Centrally managed support allows for increased efficiency.

Objective 5j. Continually update and enhance data, voice, and video network to support applications to the desktop.   Provide for wireless communications within the network infrastructure. Examples include fax and video to the desktop.

Objective 5k.  Establish technology-related policies and procedures to support distance (distributed) learning and provide the appropriate technology infrastructure to support the distributed applications. Infrastructure includes but is not limited to distributed learning sites either on or off campus, which allow video conferencing, web-based exchange, and so on, to make learning more accessible.

Objective 5l.  Ensure integration with existing and planned technology infrastructure, to minimize due to lack of proper planning, unnecessary dollars in additional labor charges, inefficient use of human resources, and often the inability to perform one’s daily job functions.

Objective 5m.  Review and plan for appropriate use of convergent technologies.

Objective 5n.  Review and plan for communications satellite technology, including locations of physical resources (i.e., antenna farm, teleconferencing locations, etc.)

Objective 5o.  Develop and implement an infrastructure to support video services.

Objective 5p.  Research and recommend video conferencing infrastructure

 Objective 5q. Design and build a state-of-the-art data center for enhanced support of university business and cybersecurity.

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Page updated:  03 Apr 2007 07:18:10 AM -0500