ETEC 522 – Sept. 2011

Educase: 2011 Top 10 IT issues: Potential for predictions and trends/considerations for learning technologies

Summary

The report Educase 2011 Top 10 IT issues is a report on a survey conducted to identify the  Top-Ten IT Issues critical for strategic success within educational institutions, 2011, and discusses each issue from the position of IT administrators and IT considerations. However, the information is presented in easy to understand terms for all groups including educators, learning technology specialists and venturers.

The report also gives a comparison of changing issues and rankings between current (2011) trends and past (2010). One such point of interest is that the top-four issues remain the same as in last year’s survey, with a slightly different ranking and that whereas ‘context was the word used to describe the results of the 2010 survey, the word perspective better characterizes the 2011 survey’

The top ten Issues identified for 2011 are:

1.   Funding IT
2.   Administrative/ERP/Information Systems
3.   Teaching and Learning with Technology
4.   Security
5.   Mobile Technologies
6.   Agility/Adaptability/Responsiveness
7.   Governance, Portfolio/Project Management
8.   Infrastructure/Cyberinfrastructure
9.   Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity
10.  Strategic Planning

Attributes for Educators, Learning technologists and Venturers

Although teaching with learning technologies is a separate category all other categories affect it and provides rich comprehensive information on interrelated components and considerations..

The report identifies specific broad level considerations. The focus on perspective in the 2011 survey enables considerations from multiple perspective of customers or buyers (essential elements identified in the “Cube” , the analytical framework for understanding learning technology ventures presented in the ETEC 522 course (see ‘What is a Venture?’ in  Preparation, section 2.4, https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec522sept11/section2/m3-cube-introductions/)

The report also makes predictions for technologies that will become top IT issues in the future. One example cited is mobile technologies. Such predictions also offer insight into potential areas in which learning technology ventures can blossom as well as associated issues that should be considered that can aid in the design, delivery, presentation, identification of and delivery of appropriate marketing strategies to customers. For example, many of us polled that LMS would decrease as a potential venture whereas mobile technologies are on the increase and these changes are reflected in the list components from 2010 to 2011: ‘… two topics from the 2010 list of top-ten issues critical for strategic success dropped off this year’s list: Identity/Access Management and Learning Management Systems. Though both continue to be topics of significance in the profession (coming in at #11 and #12, respectively), they were edged out this year by the meteoric rise of interest in Mobile Technologies’.

Future Study/Access

I would indeed keep abreast of future reports and surveys as timely issues presented suggest changing market trends, needs and focus that will inform my decisions to create, support and/or research ventures as well as innovate. Also, such reports will aid my ability to provide critical, timely analysis and strategic planning/preparations at a multi-layered level.

I would highly recommend this report on all levels and personnel: IT administrators and personnel, educators, learning technology specialists and ventureres.

Reference

Eudcase: 2011 Top 10 IT issues, http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume46/TopTenITIssues2011/228654