Documents Contributed by ECAR and Consortia

This November 2006 survey is for higher education institutions that indicated in an ECAR screening survey of September 2006 that they are involved in one or more significant multi-institutional collaborations. The survey will inform research that seeks to more deeply understand what drives institutions to collaborate as well as the extent of the collaborative activity.

This November 2006 survey is for higher education institutions that indicated in an ECAR screening survey of September 2006 that they have not engaged in a major IT collaboration within the past 24 months. The survey will inform research that seeks to understand the reasons institutions have not engaged in IT collaborations and their plans for future collaborations.

This September 2006 screening survey seeks to understand how higher education institutions collaborate to develop and deliver essential technology services. Before tackling a topic this broad, ECAR must better understand the landscape for collaboration. This survey assesses whether institutions are involved in a collaboration or agreement to purchase services from (or sell them to) other institutions today.

This bulletin examines selected findings from a national study of virtual college and university (VCU) consortia published by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) and the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) in August 2003. The study involved a literature review and data analysis of a survey of VCU organizations conducted between October 2002 and January 2003 as well as interviews with chief executives from VCUs.

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.