EDUCAUSE | High-Performance Computing and Documents Contributed by ECAR

Higher Education IT and Cyberinfrastructure: Integrating Technologies for Scholarship Roadmap

elilly — Fri, 30 May 2008 11:36:51 -0500

This ECAR roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2008 study, Higher Education IT and Cyberinfrastructure: Integrating Technologies for Scholarship , by Mark C. Sheehan. The ECAR research study explores higher education’s involvement in five areas of research-related information technologies: high-performance computing resources, cyberinfrastructure applications and tools, data storage and management resources, advanced network infrastructure resources, and resources for collaboration within virtual communities. The report, which is based on results of a quantitative survey of 369 U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities and consultation with cyberinfrastructure experts and 12 university executives and technical staff members, discusses who uses, who provides, and who funds cyberinfrastructure resources as well as how important each technology is and will be to research and teaching.

Citation for this work: Pirani, Judith A. and Mark C. Sheehan, “Higher Education IT and Cyberinfrastructure: Integrating Technologies for Scholarship Roadmap” (Roadmap). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2005, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar .

Recasting the Centralization-Decentralization Debate: Advancing the Innovation Support Cycle

gdobbin — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:33:06 -0500

This research bulletin explores the importance of focusing on innovation in decision-making about IT. Acknowledging the apparent dichotomy between the efficient use of resources in a centralized IT model and the effective application of IT resources toward innovative research and pedagogy, the bulletin presents a model for IT service delivery that can be used or adapted in colleges and universities.

Citation for this work: Frederick, Lawrence W. “Recasting the Centralization–Decentralization Debate: Advancing the Innovation Support Cycle” (Research Bulletin, Issue 10). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Advanced Networking Services: Current Issues in Higher Education

gdobbin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:40:56 -0500

This research bulletin explores the advanced networking issues and investments that colleges and universities that aspire to support their faculty and students in leading edge research and education activities must face in the near future. It is drawn from the work of the Advanced Networking Services Work Group at the University of California, which was charged with evaluating the current state of UC’s networking infrastructure, identifying best practices in global networking activities, and making recommendations to position UC for competitive advantage. The author served as chair of the Work Group.

Citation for this work: McCredie, Jack. “Advanced Network Services: Current Issues in Higher Education” (Research Bulletin, Issue 9). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Higher Education IT and Cyberinfrastructure: Integrating Technologies for Scholarship

elilly — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:24:44 -0500

This 2008 ECAR research study explores higher education’s involvement in five areas of research-related information technologies: high-performance computing resources, cyberinfrastructure applications and tools, data storage and management resources, advanced network infrastructure resources, and resources for collaboration within virtual communities. The report, which is based on results of a quantitative survey of 369 U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities and consultation with cyberinfrastructure experts and 12 university executives and technical staff members, discusses who uses, who provides, and who funds cyberinfrastructure resources as well as how important each technology is and will be to research and teaching.

Citation for this work: Sheehan, Mark C. Higher Education IT and Cyberinfrastructure: Integrating Technologies for Scholarship (Research Study, Volume 3). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Developing and Extending a Cyberinfrastructure Model

gdobbin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:34:45 -0600

This research bulletin explores how to develop, deploy, and extend cyberinfrastructure assets within higher education—both within and across institutions. As research becomes increasingly computational, data-intensive, and interdisciplinary, innovative approaches for functional cyberinfrastructure models become ever more important. This bulletin describes a model that was developed at one institution and then deployed across institutions, with the goal of addressing issues as diverse as the need for simulation systems rather than wet labs, insufficient computational research support to help an institution compete for top-notch faculty, and astronomical spikes in power and cooling demands.

Citation for this work: Alvarez, Rosio. “Developing and Extending a Cyberinfrastructure Model” (Research Bulletin, Issue 5). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

IT Governance: Solid Structures and Practical Politics

ckeller — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:31:10 -0600

Presentation at the Sixth Annual ECAR Symposium, December 5-7, 2007, in Boca Raton, Florida. Higher education IT organizations have become increasingly aware of the need for governance processes that sit above day-to-day management and address strategic alignment and the political realities of satisfying IT's many constituencies. But how should -and do- higher education institutions govern IT? This presentation uses the results of an ECAR study of IT governance to frame an interactive session on how to mix good structural governance practices with practical politics.

How to Cite This Work: Yanosky, Ronald, and John W. McCredie. "IT Governance: Solid Structures and Practical Politics." Presentation at the ECAR Symposium, Boca Raton, FL, December 5-7, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice - Corporate Edition

ckeller — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:55:01 -0600

This ECAR research study was designed in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges to analyze the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise in medical schools and colleges. As the potential of biotechnology, proteomics, informatics, computational genomics, and other IT-intensive disciplines continue to offer breakthroughs in medicine, research in these fields requires greater and higher-level technology resources for infrastructure as well as IT support and services. The study is based on the results of a web-based survey sent to 125 medical schools and colleges in the United States, as well as qualitative interviews with leaders at 10 institutions. Respondents to the survey were predominantly chief information officers or other top administrators from 50 medical institutions, yielding a response rate of 39.7 percent. The findings contained in this report echo the results of the ECAR 2006 study, IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study, illustrating that the role and importance of IT in research is growing, while funding and budget decisions remain difficult. A non-profit edition is available here.

Citation for this work: Nelson, Mark R. IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice (Research Study, Vol. 1). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice Roadmap

ckeller — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:27:19 -0600

This ECAR roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2008 study, IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice, by Mark R. Nelson. This ECAR research study was designed in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges to analyze the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise in medical schools and colleges. As the potential of biotechnology, proteomics, informatics, computational genomics, and other IT-intensive disciplines continue to offer breakthroughs in medicine, research in these fields requires greater and higher-level technology resources for infrastructure as well as IT support and services. The study is based on the results of a January 2007 web-based survey sent to 125 medical schools and colleges in the United States, as well as qualitative interviews with leaders at 10 institutions.

Citation for this work: Albrecht, Bob, and Judith A. Pirani. "IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice Roadmap" (Roadmap). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2005, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice

ckeller — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:11:35 -0600

Citation for this work: Nelson, Mark R. IT Engagement in Research: A View of Medical School Practice (Research Study, Vol. 1). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Cyberinfrastructure Resources and Practices: Survey Questionnaire

ckeller — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 10:37:25 -0600

This November 2007 survey is a critical component of the EDUCAUSE Center on Applied Research (ECAR) study of cyberinfrastructure in higher education. It seeks to understand the perspectives of information technology leaders and others currently working in universities and colleges. This study updates and expands our communities' understanding of how leading-edge information technology resources for research, scholarship, creative activity, and teaching and learning are utilized, provided, supported, and funded. This study is being conducted through the collaboration of many parties including the Council of Australian University Directors of Information Technology (CAUDIT), the European University Information Systems organization (EUNIS), the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR), and the EDUCAUSE Net@EDU Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CCI) working group.

Citation for this work: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research. "Cyberinfrastructure Resources and Practices: Survey Questionnaire" (Survey Instrument). Boulder, CO: ECAR, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

The University in a Networked Economy and Society

ckeller — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:14:50 -0500

Presentation at the Sixth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, June 11-13, 2007, Boulder, Colorado. When Yochai Benkler's book, The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, came out, Stanford Law Professor Larry Lessig said, "This is -- by far -- the most important and powerful book written in the fields that matter most to me in the last ten years. If there is one book you read this year, it should be this." This work examines the ways in which information technology permits extensive forms of collaboration that may have transformative consequences for economy and society. Benkler's presentation outlines the characteristics of the networked information economy and the roles of collaboration and commons-based production of information, knowledge, and culture, and it suggests avenues to apply these broad trends to education and education-related policy.

Teaching Digital Responsibility

drupal — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:48:13 -0500

This research bulletin provides an overview of the rationale for the Computing Skills Workshop program at Carnegie Mellon University, which has been in place as a required program for all students since 1985. It explores how the program is structured, how it has evolved over time, and the methodology behind preparing students to be successful teachers in a peer-to-peer format. It is intended to assist higher education executives plan and execute a similar program by identifying key issues and providing resources.

IT Engagement in Research at Medical Schools and Colleges

drupal — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 13:51:01 -0600

This January 2007 survey informs research into the role of information technology in research at colleges and universities. As part of a large study, this survey is conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research (ECAR). It seeks to understand the roles of information technology in research at medical schools and colleges.

Improving IT Governance in Higher Education

drupal — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 09:23:30 -0500

This research bulletin examines the ways many research universities govern their IT activities, explores some inherent problems in these processes, identifies several good practices, and suggests changes that may improve the current state of the art. It draws on research conducted by MIT and ECAR on IT alignment and governance; information submitted to the EDUCAUSE Core Data Service survey; the results of an extensive review of IT governance at the University of California, Berkeley; a one-day governance workshop hosted by the Common Solutions Group; the work of a project team participating in the IT Leaders Project; and the observations and results of several external review committees on which the author has served.

IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study - Key Findings

drupal — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 09:50:47 -0500

This ECAR Key Findings explores the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise. To collect, analyze, and distribute information across an expanding range academic disciplines and geographic locations, research efforts rely heavily on IT infrastructure, people, and a broad range of IT services. Ever-larger data sets are being collected and shared, simulations and visualization are becoming routine tools, and the co-evolution of science and computing increasingly requires scientists to have solid grounding in information management.

IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study Roadmap

drupal — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 09:42:15 -0500

This ECAR Roadmap explores the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise. To collect, analyze, and distribute information across an expanding range academic disciplines and geographic locations, research efforts rely heavily on IT infrastructure, people, and a broad range of IT services. Ever-larger data sets are being collected and shared, simulations and visualization are becoming routine tools, and the co-evolution of science and computing increasingly requires scientists to have solid grounding in information management.

IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study

drupal — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:58:17 -0500

This ECAR study explores the practices and perspectives of IT organizations that support the academic research enterprise. To collect, analyze, and distribute information across an expanding range academic disciplines and geographic locations, research efforts rely heavily on IT infrastructure, people, and a broad range of IT services. Ever-larger data sets are being collected and shared, simulations and visualization are becoming routine tools, and the co-evolution of science and computing increasingly requires scientists to have solid grounding in information management. This study reports the results of a variety of research initiatives: a literature review, quantitative and qualitative data from 328 higher education institutions (315 U.S. and 13 Canadian institutions), and five in-depth cases studies. In addition, ECAR published What Do Researchers Need? Higher Education IT from the Researcher's Perspective, to supplement this study.

What Do Researchers Need? Higher Education IT from the Researcher’s Perspective

drupal — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 09:28:53 -0500

Research methods, research subjects, the composition of research teams, and collaborative practices have all been affected in ways that are important to those who manage research and information technology (IT) on campuses. The boundaries of any single institution's research computing infrastructure have expanded to include regional, national, and international as well as campus-specific resources. Researchers continue to need speed, flexibility, and affordability when it comes to networking, and IT is still learning how to most effectively support the work of collaborations undertaken at a distance. This occasional paper focuses on the national research agenda, research trends, and IT from the researcher's perspective.

IT Collaboration

drupal — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:52:01 -0500

Presentation at the Fifth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, June 28-30, 2006, Coronado, California. This presentation describes the study objectives, scope, focus, and analytical framework for ECAR's forthcoming study of IT collaboration.

A Collaborative IT Support Model for Research at Georgetown University

drupal — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 11:09:28 -0500

This case study depicts the formation, characteristics, and organizational success factors of Georgetown University's Advanced Research Computing (ARC) division. In collaboration with university researchers, ARC provides a range of services from computational support to multi-layered, multi-institutional support for research. A companion to ECAR's 2006 research study, IT Engagement in Research: A Baseline Study, this case study describes how Georgetown created a unique, collaborative, shared-cost IT division specifically for university researchers that now provides a secure environment for computational equipment and increases Georgetown's grant and fundraising competitiveness.

Supporting Research Computing Through Collaboration at Princeton University

drupal — Tue, 23 May 2006 13:44:16 -0500

As a complement to ECAR's core study about IT Engagement in Research, this case study examines Princeton University's institutional research computational facility, which is developed and funded collaborative by its Office of Information Technology, university organizations, and individual faculty members. It explores the critical elements involved in creating a collaborative environment for research computation as well as the organizational structures that foster synergy between computational research and information technology infrastructure.

Calit2: A Case Study in a Next-Generation Research Environment

drupal — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:55:08 -0600

In higher education, team-based, collaborative research activities, call for new modalities and methods of investigation. Calit2 is responding to this challenge by creating a next-generation research environment that includes a range of technical and nontechnical systems to foster large-scale, multidisciplinary collaborations in innovative ways. This case study explores the breadth and depth of this extensive initiative, including how Calit2 is experimenting with multiple technological methodologies to support locally based, distributed, and virtual research collaborations.

IT and the Changing Face of Research in Higher Education

drupal — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:35:41 -0600

This research bulletin provides policymakers with an introduction to the evolving national cyberinfrastructure, discusses the role that new networking and enabling technologies play in integrating institutional research capabilities, and describes the impact these technologies may have on today's higher education research and on campus IT planning.

New Partnerships: Engaging Undergraduates in Research through Technology

drupal — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 10:15:37 -0600

This bulletin discusses how technology can serve as a catalyst for integrating faculty research into the undergraduate learning environment. It describes The Ohio State University's highly successful Research on Research: Student-Faculty ePartnerships program and includes recommendations for replicating the program on other campuses. The findings in this bulletin are based on project participants' postevaluation survey responses and testimonials collected over a two-year period.

What Do (Research) Faculty Want (from IT)?

drupal — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:35:35 -0600

Presentation at the December 2005 ECAR Symposium in Carefree, Arizona. Preliminary findings from the ECAR study of information technology engagement in higher education research, scheduled for publication in 2006.

The Engagement of Information Technology and Research

drupal — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:08:15 -0600

Infrastructure and Practices to Facilitate Research Collaboration

drupal — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 12:49:36 -0500

Presentation at the Fourth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, July 13-15, 2005, New Castle Island, New Hampshire. The potential for IT to take research to new levels depends on our ability to acquire, manipulate, store, render, visualize, archive, and transport unimaginable amounts of data. Realizing this potential also depends on human factors, especially the capacity of researchers from different disciplines to assemble virtually and face-to-face to interpret findings from a variety of perspectives. Ferri manages the new Synthesis Center at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and shares insights about how environments there are being organized to foster dialogue across disciplines.

IT Engagement in Research

drupal — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 14:12:02 -0500

This is the July 2005 ECAR survey instrument used for ECAR Research Study concerning IT Engagement in Research.

A New Model for Supporting Research at Purdue University

drupal — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:12:19 -0500

This case study investigates the genesis, nature, and outcomes of Purdue University's notable transformation in how research activities interact with institutional information technology. Of particular interest is how the relationship between research and IT is reflected in organization, infrastructure, and services.

Digital Humanities at the Crossroads: The University of Virginia

drupal — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:07:16 -0500

This case study explores how the University of Virginia has managed to integrate the expertise of scholars, librarians, and technologists to achieve leadership in the digital humanities. It highlights qualities not usually associated with academic historians and linguists: entrepreneurship, risk, collaboration, and organizational agility.

Next Generation Collaboration

drupal — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 10:34:09 -0500

Presentation at the Fourth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, July 13-15, 2005, New Castle Island, New Hampshire. This talk focuses on the future role of higher education research in narrowing the innovation gap. Examples and demonstrations of innovations under development through public and private collaborations are presented.

Managing Virtual Research Collaboration Effectively

drupal — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 10:22:10 -0500

Presentation at the Fourth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, July 13-15, 2005, New Castle Island, New Hampshire. Scientific and engineering research increasingly involves collaboration across multiple organizations. Technological advances have made such cross-boundary projects possible, yet they can carry high coordination costs. This talk discusses coordination mechanisms that can bring researchers together (physically and virtually) to reduce the potentially negative impact of collaborations involving multiple universities.

Pivot Points: Setting the Scenario for the IT Future

drupal — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 10:12:46 -0500

Presentation at the Fourth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, July 13-15, 2005, New Castle Island, New Hampshire. This presentation and discussion explore the pivot points around which transition in the roles of, and opportunities for, IT in colleges and universities are taking place. It addresses such questions as: How are changes in the national research agenda affecting IT? How do innovations in research methods interact with those in IT? Can (or should) IT units keep a distance from interdisciplinary tensions and collaborations within their institutions? And how can faculty research needs be tapped?

Information Technology and Creative Practices: Computing, Communications, and the Arts

drupal — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:44:45 -0500

Presentation at the Fourth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, July 13-15, 2005, New Castle Island, New Hampshire. At the intersection of computing and the arts (or what can be called IT and creative practice) lie challenges of interdisciplinarity and prospects for both new kinds of research and new kinds of artifacts. This talk surveys the opportunities and the issues in a dynamic and often surprising arena.

The Technical and Societal Implications of Networking: A Personal Perspective

drupal — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 09:35:28 -0500

Presentation at the Fourth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, July 13-15, 2005, New Castle Island, New Hampshire. As early as 1996, Farber advised us about the internationalization of networks, saying that "photons have neither morals nor visas." In this talk, Farber shares his thoughts on the state of networking and on complex social issues such as convergence and internationalization and the trade-offs between safety and liberty in the network context.

Bioinformatics: New Technology Models for Research, Education, and Service

drupal — Tue, 13 Apr 2004 09:25:27 -0500

Bioinformatics applies principles of information sciences and technologies to complex life sciences data. Life sciences research and education are increasingly dependent on bioinformatics and advanced information technologies in order to support their experimental approaches. This research bulletin provides an overview of the opportunities, challenges, and strategies for information technology organizations to optimally facilitate bioinformatics research and broader life sciences development efforts in higher education.