ERIC Number: EJ873996
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1552-3233
EISSN: N/A
Cost-Saving Collaboration: Purchasing and Deploying a Statewide Learning Management System
Klonoski, Ed
Innovate: Journal of Online Education, v1 n4 Apr-May 2005
Higher education is working to integrate next-generation education technology into its learning activities and is struggling to find cost-effective approaches. The learning management systems (LMSs) that evolved to provide support for distance education efforts have been adopted for use by the larger learning community, but the expense of operating 7 x 24 x 365 enterprise-level technology is daunting for many institutions. Given the financial pressures under which higher education currently struggles, improving the technical landscape for the learning enterprise will require that institutions do more, do it better, and do it for less. Sharing costs, services, and technology--collaboration--is emerging as a key means of achieving these ends. Citing a recent EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research report on information technology funding in higher education, Hawkins observes that "nearly two-thirds of all campuses are facing budget cuts of some form or another.... For cost-reduction strategies, the survey respondents listed joining consortia and making shared purchases as the number-one method being considered" (2005, paragraphs 1, 3). This article offers the rationale behind such collaborative efforts and describes the process that led to Connecticut's statewide license for WebCT Vista, breaking the process down into its strategic elements: timing, drivers, audience, convener, and return on investment (ROI). These elements are critical to the success of any collaborative activity and cover the politics (timing and drivers), the money (return on investment), and the agent (convener) involved. Similar multi-institution collaborations are under way across the nation, and they represent a promising solution to the cost and complexity questions associated with LMS technology.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Management Systems, Distance Education, Outcomes of Education, Cooperation, Information Technology, Educational Technology, Learning Activities, Campuses, Elementary Secondary Education
Fischler School of Education and Human Services. Nova Southeastern University, 1750 NE 167th Street, North Miami Beach, FL 33162. Tel: 800-986-3223; e-mail: innovate@nova.edu; Web site: http://innovateonline.info
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Connecticut
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A