In This Issue Current Issue Archives

August, 2007

The Edutech Report - August, 2007 - Full Issue PDF
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Do You Really Want to Buy That New System?
By Thomas Warger
There is no shortage of bad reasons to buy a new system. The lure of a newer technology is hard to resist. Sometimes the IT folks push for that reason. Other times it is one or more of the client offices. Often it is a new administrator with fresh enthusiasm and political capital to spend. Brand-name effect is another common driver for non-essential replacements. The main problem with these motivations is the temptation to think something new is bound to be better than the current system. Of course that proposition is generally true, but the devil is in the cost/benefit analysis.

Quotes of the Month
IT's role in accountability; IT collaboration

Newsbriefs
This Year’s EDUCAUSE Awards; Annual Copyright Licenses; New Tech Resource From The Chronicle

Church Architecture of the Russian Hinterland: A Case Study
By Thomas Warger
Here is a case study that probably echoes a local version on just about every campus. The details here have been changed to protect the identities of the guilty—the faculty individual and the home institution. Let’s call this one, “Church Architecture of the Russian Hinterland.”

Grooming Your Successor
By Thomas Warger
Here is a checklist for determining whether you are developing your successor for the CIO position. At most institutions, probably more often among smaller than larger ones, there is no effective process to prepare the next generation of top leadership in information technology for the home institution or for the profession in general.

The New Push For Data
By Thomas Warger
The recent initiative by the Annapolis Group of colleges to pioneer a web-based source of comparative information to counter the annual ratings feature of the US News and World Report suggests some interesting new frontiers of information and accountability for institutions of higher education.

Edutech Responds
ERP Project Woes; IM at the Reference Desk; Budgets for Testing; Tracking Help Desk Tickets