EDUCAUSE | Support Services and Documents Contributed by ECAR

ITIL Service Management Practices: Third Time’s the Charm

ckeller — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:00:16 -0500

Since its inception, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) has remained the most widely recognized and adopted framework for IT service management. The many benefits of ITIL have become widely known and continue to grow as the community of practice matures. Most institutions using ITIL started with version 2 and are in the midst of their adoption process. Version 3 represents a significant change in the architecture of ITIL. ITIL version 3 aligns service management with evolving business environments, rapidly advancing technology, compliance requirements, and governance models, and it shifts ITIL from a process focus to a lifecycle focus. This research from the Burton Group discusses the notable shift in terms of how IT is viewed in the overall context of the institution.

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Burton Group (www.burtongroup.com) provides technically in-depth research and advisory services for colleges and universities, government agencies, and commercial enterprises. Burton Group's practical and unbiased research and advice helps technologists make smart IT infrastructure decisions in increasingly complex environments. Burton Group covers directories, identity management, application platforms, architecture, and network and telecom infrastructure topics. Like ECAR, Burton Group is an unbiased advocate for the user and more than 80% of Burton Group's clients are user organizations rather than suppliers. EDUCAUSE member institutions can become users of Burton Group research services through EDUCAUSE pricing. Burton Group is an ECAR partner and can be contacted by email at slesueur@burtongroup.com or by telephone (801-373-5767).

ITIL at New York University: A Framework for Excellence

elilly — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:20:54 -0500

This ECAR case study complements the 2007 ECAR study by Mark C. Sheehan, Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education, which examines the state of higher education help desk organizations, services, tools, resources, and management practices and how these and assorted other measures are related to desirable help desk outcomes. ECAR undertook this case study of New York University to demonstrate how the framework of IT service management practices and functions known as the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) can strengthen service management practices in a complex higher education institution.

Citation for this work: Pirani, Judith A., Mark C. Sheehan, and Bob Albrecht. “ITIL at New York University: A Framework for Excellence” (Case Study 1). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Learners 2.0? IT and 21st-Century Learners in Higher Education

gdobbin — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:03:01 -0500

This research bulletin examines what the literature refers to as “new learners” or “critically engaged learners.” It explores the responsibilities our institutions have to create opportunities for these learners to actively engage in creative discovery, problem definition, and appropriate use of information technologies. It is based on a literature review and accompanying conceptualizations that begin to answer important questions about institutional development for a technologically sophisticated age.

Citation for this work : Moore, Anne H., Shelli B. Fowler, Brent K. Jesiek, John F. Moore, and C. Edward Watson. “Learners 2.0? IT and 21st-Century Learners in Higher Education” (Research Bulletin, Issue 7). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Integrating IT Support Institution-Wide

ckeller — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:22:52 -0600

This case study complements the 2007 ECAR study by Mark C. Sheehan, Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education, which examines the state of higher education help desk organizations, services, tools, resources, and management practices and how these and assorted other measures are related to desirable help desk outcomes. ECAR undertook this case study of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to demonstrate how the central IT help desk can become an integrating support organization in the context of a large, decentralized university.

Citation for this work: Spicer, Donald Z., and Judith A. Pirani. "University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Integrating IT Support Institution-Wide" (Case Study 9). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

The Upward Trail: Success Factors in Help Desk Management

ckeller — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:46:07 -0600

Presentation at the Sixth Annual ECAR Symposium, December 5-7, 2007, in Boca Raton, Florida. The 2007 ECAR help desk study, Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education, identified a number of practices as being associated with help desk success, viewed in terms of overall service quality, positive impacts on various service areas, and reliable meeting of help desk goals. This presentation explores those associations in search of landmarks the help desk can use in navigating toward excellence.

How to Cite This Work: Sheehan, Mark C. "The Upward Trail: Success Factors in Help Desk Management." 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.

University of Alberta: Using Online Help Desk Tools to Enhance Client Service and Department Operations

ckeller — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:16:04 -0600

This case study complements the 2007 ECAR study by Mark C. Sheehan, Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education, which examines the state of higher education help desk organizations, services, tools, resources, and management practices and how these and assorted other measures are related to desirable help desk outcomes. ECAR undertook this case study of the University of Alberta to examine how its IT help desk uses online tools, and how the use of those tools impact the overall IT organization operations.

Citation for this work: Pirani, Judith A., and Donald Z. Spicer. "University of Alberta: Using Online Help Desk Tools to Enhance Client Service and Department Operations" (Case Study 8). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Help Desk Sourcing Options: One University’s Solution

ckeller — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:25:27 -0600

This research bulletin discusses the factors that drove Roosevelt University's decision to "co-source" the information technology (IT) help desk, the unique challenges raised by the use of contracted services as part of a technical support solution, and how this solution fits within the context of outsourcing in higher education. It includes a description of how the service addresses the needs of the three principal constituencies -- users, agents, and technicians -- as well as an overview of the accommodations that institutions might need to make in order to develop this type of support solution.

Bowdoin College and Colgate University: Using the Help Desk Strategically to Revitalize an IT Organization

ckeller — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:54:36 -0600

This case study complements the 2007 ECAR study by Mark C. Sheehan, Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education, which examines the state of higher education help desk organizations, services, tools, resources, and management practices and how these and assorted other measures are related to desirable help desk outcomes. ECAR undertook this case study of Bowdoin College and Colgate University to demonstrate how the help desk can be used strategically as a revitalization tool and to assess its subsequent impact upon the IT organization and the institution at large.

Citation for this work: Albrecht, Bob, and Judith A. Pirani. "Bowdoin College and Colgate University: Using the Help Desk Strategically to Revitalize an IT Organization" (Case Study 7). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education - Corporate Edition

ckeller — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:28:16 -0600

This 2007 ECAR research study explores the information technology (IT) help desk as a complex enterprise operating within a dynamic environment that includes the goals and culture of the central IT organization, the resources and services of the help desk, service level agreements between help desks and their clients, practices for evaluating and improving help desk services, and the perceived success of the help desk organization. Findings are related to the principles and practices of IT service management literature. This study is based on a literature review to identify issues and establish the research questions, consultation with selected higher education chief information officers, a quantitative survey of IT administrators at 454 colleges and universities in the EDUCAUSE database, qualitative interviews with 36 executives at 24 institutions, and four case studies about help desk and service management practices at a total of five higher education institutions. A non-profit edition is available here.

Citation for this work: Sheehan, Mark C. Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education (Research Study, Volume 8). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education

ckeller — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:04:29 -0600

Citation for this work: Sheehan, Mark C. Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education (Research Study, Volume 8). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Service on the Front Line: The IT Helpdesk in Higher Education Roadmap

ckeller — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:00:52 -0600

This ECAR roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the 2007 study, Service on the Front Line: The IT Helpdesk in Higher Education. The study explores the information technology (IT) help desk as a complex enterprise operating within a dynamic environment that includes the goals and culture of the central IT organization, the resources and services of the help desk, service level agreements between help desks and their clients, practices for evaluating and improving help desk services, and the perceived success of the help desk organization. Findings are related to the principles and practices of IT service management literature, and they are based on a literature review to identify issues and establish the research questions, consultation with selected higher education chief information officers, a quantitative survey of IT administrators at 454 colleges and universities in the EDUCAUSE database, qualitative interviews with 36 executives at 24 institutions, and four case studies about help desk and service management practices at a total of five higher education institutions.

Citation for this work: Pirani, Judith A., and Mark C. Sheehan. "Service on the Front Line: The IT Help Desk in Higher Education" (Roadmap). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2007, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Preliminary Findings: ECAR Help Desk Study, 2007

ckeller — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:28:36 -0500

Presentation at the Sixth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, June 11-13, 2007, Boulder, Colorado. This session presents preliminary findings from the ECAR survey on prevailing IT help desk practices in the U.S. and Canada. Using standard assessments of help desk practice from the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and others, principal investigator Mark Sheehan is developing a robust view of the state of the practice of service delivery, service support, and other IT help desk and IT practices.

IT Help Desk Management

drupal — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:31:43 -0600

This January 2007 survey informs research about the support services that higher education institutions provide to users of information technology resources. Help desks—sometimes called call centers or service desks, among other names—typically provide a first line of assistance to users of IT systems. Help desks vary widely in scope and effect. Part of the purpose of this survey is to assess that range of variation. The survey focuses on IT help desk services provided to the institution either directly through a central IT organization or through an outsourcing agreement.

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

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.

Vision, Data, and Analysis: An Administrative Structure for Decision Making

drupal — Mon, 24 Apr 2006 11:22:44 -0500

When Indiana University prioritized support to match the demands posed by an expanding environment of pervasive computing, it put its decision-making strategies to the test. This research bulletin discusses the decision-making process that enabled the IT organization to recognize the need for a new support system, determine the structure of that system, find the capital to create it, and bring it from concept to production in less than two years. These principles, and the thinking behind them, have relevance to other colleges and universities.

Supporting Specialized Academic Software: Is it Possible?

drupal — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 09:07:56 -0600

The use and support of specialized academic software applications can be challenging in higher education. This research bulletin explores several models of advanced application support, including dedicated centers, shared staff resources, consortia, and collaborative arrangements.

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

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.

An Architecture for Evolving IT Customer Service

drupal — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 09:31:15 -0500

As a sequel to the ECAR research bulletin "Customer-Centered IT Support: Foundations, Principles, and Systems" by the same authors, this bulletin describes the philosophy behind Indiana University's integrated support strategy, which is based on the principle of using technology to serve the customer and the information technology business. The bulletin details how University Information Technology Services combined existing support resources with new ones to arrive at an exponentially larger and better system that serves not only the customer but also the IT organization. Underlying all is the critical role of data in helping the organization effect a positive evolution in IT support.

Customer-Centered IT Support: Foundations, Principles, and Systems

drupal — Tue, 09 Nov 2004 09:15:00 -0600

To meet the IT support demands of more than 98,000 students and 15,000 faculty and staff across eight campuses, Indiana University developed a fully integrated Online Support Environment (OSE) that handles an average 2.5 million IT support contacts each year, or the equivalent of one every 12 seconds. For users, it looks like a vast array of IT services and a searchable database of IT questions and answers. For the IT organization, it supplies a dynamic picture of the questions users ask and the topics they research, as well as usage and satisfaction data. This bulletin discusses how IT met the challenge to provide pervasive, around-the-clock support and outlines the considerations that informed the design of the resulting OSE.

eArmyU: Early Lessons from a Grand Experiment in Online Learning

drupal — Tue, 15 Oct 2002 09:05:26 -0500

eArmyU, which has brought over 30,000 students online in 20 months, provides a unique opportunity for insight into e-learning. eArmyU provides participating soldier-students with anytime, anywhere access and a support structure designed to enhance student success. This Research Bulletin describes the history of eArmyU and provides highlights of the current program and its key outcomes. It also explores the lessons eArmyU can provide higher education about online learning, online learners, and large-scale partnerships.