Documents Contributed by ECAR, Collaboration, Partnerships, and Research Bulletins

 This ECAR research bulletin introduces the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation research on successful collaborative practices in the context of higher education. It details 20 collaborative success factors and maps them to relevant examples gleaned from research on IT collaboration conducted by ECAR.

Citation for this work: Pirani, Judith A., and Toby D. Sitko. “Happy Families, Good Fences, and Winning IT Collaborations” (Research Bulletin, Issue 15). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

This ECAR research bulletin describes the results of recent organizational changes and work at Colorado College that are aimed at improving collaboration between IT, institutional research, and other campus offices with the goal of enhancing the data, information, and insights that influence policy and planning activities in general and the upcoming reaccreditation visit.

Open source software and the community source movement are raising questions for administrators about whether and when to adopt or devote resources to software development projects, provoking questions of sustainability, future directions, and total cost of ownership. This research bulletin frames the issues an institution should consider with respect to adding community source products to the portfolio of software, infrastructure, and services that constitute the IT environment.

In tough economic times, intelligent leveraging of information technology investments through partnerships and collaborations is especially critical. Such collaborations may distinguish institutions that continue to advance their technology edge from those that fall behind. This research bulletin describes the technologies that support effective collaborations and partnerships and focuses on opportunities and risks that face higher education institutions today.