Selecting Technologies - Taking the Lead: Strategic Management for e-Learning

A Theme from Strategic Management for e-Learning

Periodically, chief executives are faced with making decisions about purchasing or upgrading ICT systems. These are often very high-cost items in terms of both capital and recurring costs. The technology itself can be very complex and challenging for a lay person to appreciate fully. On some occasions, chief executives may feel they are virtually ambushed by the proponents of such solutions, especially if few viable alternatives are presented for the preferred option and the issue is presented as ‘mission-critical.’

It is not realistic to expect the average chief executive to master the technical details of many of these solutions. However, they do need to have some way to assure themselves that they are reaching a decision on the basis of a reasonable understanding of the fit between the strategic needs of their institution and this particular ‘solution.’ Ideally, they should have a set of diagnostic questions that they can ask of each proposed solution. The following is a basic list:

Key Questions To Consider

Strategy Questions

• What is the problem that this technology will solve or help us with? What sort of priority is it?
• Do our teachers/students wish to teach/study in this way?
• How do we know students will achieve their learning outcomes?
• Will we suffer if we simply don’t adopt it?

Staff Development Questions

• What are the implications for staff workload? Can this be managed?
• Can our teachers use and manage this technology themselves or will they be dependent on support personnel?
• What are the implications for staff development?

Marketing Questions

• Will the technology open up new markets (geographic, demographic, subject) for us?
• How does this technology impact on the existing mix of technologies both for supporting and delivering teaching and for administrative/support systems?
• Does this technology offer the necessary range or quality of functionality and interoperability?
• What are collaborators and competitors using? Why would we want to use the same or a different system?

Finance Questions

• Is it a cost-effective solution in terms of capital and recurrent costs?
  • how do the anticipated costs compare with current technologies?
  • will it displace any current services and associated costs?
  • can we control and/or anticipate future costs?

Technology Questions

• Is it a robust technical solution?
  • is it emerging, ‘bleeding edge’, established or ‘twilight edge’?
  • what is the size of the user base?
  • can we access support both locally and remotely?
• Is this technology readily scalable?
• Can we support/maintain this technology ourselves or will we be dependent on an outside supplier?
• What infrastructure will be needed to support this system? Do we have it already? If not, what will it cost to develop?
• What level of disruption will this technology bring to our operations?
• How dependent will this technology make us on outside providers? To what risks are we exposed?
• Have we an exit strategy for this technology?

Intelectual property/privacy questions

• What implications does this technology have for intellectual property – both our use of others’ IP in the technology itself, and others’ use of our learning materials developed using this technology?
• Does this technology bring with it any implications for student/staff privacy?