Technology Plan Objectives - Searight - Step 4

Technology Plan Objectives

STEP 4: 

1.         Recognize the related legislatures and regulations to support the needs from your

institution.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board developed a strategic plan that gives direction to Community Colleges (THECB, 2009).

Strategic Plan for Texas Public Community Colleges

This strategic plan has recommendations for community colleges and how they should enhance and utilize technology to enhance the community college mission.  As a community college, we have also developed local policies to help direct the college in how we utilize local tax dollars to enhance instructional and administrative technology (MCC, 2011).  McLennan Community College is also accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS, 2006) .  This organization also coordinated efforts to develop quality enhancement plans that may or may not include technology enhancements.  

2.         Develop the objectives for the school technology plan based on the needs from your

institution.

Goals:

McLennan Community College has an integrated state-of-the-art information technology environment to:

1.     Improve Student Learning with technology resources

Improve student learning through instructional technology.

2.     Improve institutional decision-making

Improve decision making by increasing access to valid and reliable institutional data.

3.     Improve Instructional and Administrative technology access

Improve access to software, hardware, and network resources.

4.     Improve technology customer support systems

Provide 24/7 technology support for the McLennan Community College user community. Develop online support and professional development resources for student, faculty, and staff.

Objectives:

A.    Provide faculty and staff with training, support and access to technology resources (including local computer technical support) to enhance teaching and learning activities and student support services. (1), (3)

B.    Provide secure, reliable, timely data in a format that can easily be accessed and analyzed by faculty, administrators, and staff. (2), (3), (4)

C.    Provide students with efficient and intuitive online support services. These services will be available to students 24/7 from anywhere. Emphasis will be placed on student self–service. (3), (4)

D.    Develop a stable, long-term plan and funding source to meet the ongoing need for renewing and upgrading technology resources in campus computer laboratories and for faculty, staff and administrative functions. (1), (2), (3), (4)

E.     Utilize technology to ensure that the campus is a safe and secure environment. (3)

F.     Facilitate communications with students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public. (3)

G.    Include campus technology needs as an integral part of the campus planning and budgeting process. (1), (2), (3), (4)

H.    Provide the network infrastructure to support and enhance instruction and the College’s administrative services. (1), (2), (3), (4)

I.       Maintain a vital Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) as defined in the College’s Shared Governance Structure. (1), (2), (3), (4)

J.      Monitor educational trends and related research, evaluate emerging hardware and software tools, continue to assess faculty needs, and track student technology trends. (1), (2), (3), (4)

K.    Develop a website that is functional, intuitive, and supportive to the college’s diverse student population and will assist students in becoming independent information seekers. (1), (2), (3), (4)

L.     Ensure faculty and staff have a means for requesting technology for instruction or administrative functions as a part of the annual development of the College’s requested and required technology budgets. (1), (2), (3), (4)

M.   Maintain data integrity and provide a reliable system for storing and retrieving institutional data. (1), (2), (3), (4)

Philosophy:

McLennan Community College benefits from an institutional culture that encourages and respects the opportunities and solutions available in technology and online instruction.

Core values:

·       Technology resources should be delivered to enhance and simplify instructional and administrative processes.

·       Students, faculty and staff should have access to the best and appropriate level of technology that’s available.

·       Technology serves a supporting role in facilitating the educational processes led by the instructional divisions.

·       There should be an appropriate and planned, cost effective acquisition and allocation of technology.

·       Resources that support the infrastructure, hardware, software and development of students, faculty, and staff in order to maximize the potential benefit of our technology resources.

·       Being a data driven institution will require that we continually develop leading edge technology solutions.

3.         Identify the objective for each area of Technology, Funding, and Management.  Provide

the needed elements for each objective to make sure that it’s measurable.

Technology:

A.    Provide faculty and staff with training, support and access to technology resources (including local computer technical support) to enhance teaching and learning activities and student support services. (1), (3)

B.    Provide secure, reliable, timely data in a format that can easily be accessed and

analyzed by faculty, administrators, and staff. (2), (3), (4)

C.    Provide students with efficient and intuitive online support services. These services will be available to students 24/7 from anywhere. Emphasis will be placed on student self–service. (3), (4)

D.    Develop a stable, long-term plan and funding source to meet the ongoing need for

renewing and upgrading technology resources in campus computer laboratories and for faculty, staff and administrative functions. (1), (2), (3), (4)

E.     Utilize technology to ensure that the campus is a safe and secure environment. (3)

F.     Facilitate communications with students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public. (3)

G.    Include campus technology needs as an integral part of the campus planning and

budgeting process. (1), (2), (3), (4)

H.    Provide the network infrastructure to support and enhance instruction and the

College’s administrative services. (1), (2), (3), (4)

I.       Maintain a vital Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) as defined in the College’s Shared Governance Structure. (1), (2), (3), (4)

J.      Monitor educational trends and related research, evaluate emerging hardware and software tools, continue to assess faculty needs, and track student technology trends. (1), (2), (3), (4)

K.    Develop a website that is functional, intuitive, and supportive to the college’s diverse student population and will assist students in becoming independent information seekers. (1), (2), (3), (4)

L.     Ensure faculty and staff have a means for requesting technology for instruction or administrative functions as a part of the annual development of the College’s requested and required technology budgets. (1), (2), (3), (4)

M.   Maintain data integrity and provide a reliable system for storing and retrieving institutional data. (1), (2), (3), (4)

Funding:

D.  Develop a stable, long-term plan and funding source to meet the ongoing need for renewing and upgrading technology resources in campus computer laboratories and for faculty, staff and administrative functions. (1), (2), (3), (4)

G.    Include campus technology needs as an integral part of the campus planning and budgeting process. (1), (2), (3), (4)

L.   Ensure faculty and staff have a means for requesting technology for instruction or administrative functions as a part of the annual development of the College’s requested and required technology budgets. (1), (2), (3), (4)

Management:

B.    Provide secure, reliable, timely data in a format that can easily be accessed and analyzed by faculty, administrators, and staff. (2), (3), (4)

D.    Facilitate communications with students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public. (3)

E.     Include campus technology needs as an integral part of the campus planning and

budgeting process. (1), (2), (3), (4)

N.    Maintain a vital Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) as defined in the College’s Shared Governance Structure. (1), (2), (3), (4)

O.    Ensure faculty and staff have a means for requesting technology for instruction or administrative functions as a part of the annual development of the College’s requested and required technology budgets. (1), (2), (3), (4)

P.     Maintain data integrity and provide a reliable system for storing and retrieving institutional data. (1), (2), (3), (4)

References:

MCC. (2011, February 21). Policies and procedures. Retrieved from

http://www.mclennan.edu/publications/policies/E-XXVI.pdf

SACS. (2006). Southern association of colleges and schools. Retrieved from

http://www.sacs.org/

THECB. (2009). Strategic plan for texas public community colleges 2009 - 2013. Retrieved from

http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/1581.PDF