The University Office of Information Technology
Introduction
In this paper I report on the history, mission, organization, finances, evaluation strategies, and current issues of a university’s office of information technology. I will use the term “office of information technology” throughout the paper. This term needs to be defined here because it is very general and each university seems to have a unique definition for it. Within this paper, office of information technology will refer to those areas of the university whose primary mission is to serve the information technology needs of the institution.
Information technology needs include “that collection of technologies that enables data and knowledge to be stored and exchanged, assessed, displayed and communicated, and in some cases, synthesized and created.” (Iowa State University, 2000, p. 2). In other words, the computer hardware and software, communications hardware (phone and network) and software, media-related instructional technologies, and the organization needed to support this information technology infrastructure. These services touch the entire university and all its faculty, staff, and students.
As with any administrative unit on campus, the organization of that unit will depend on the context in which it is set. Another term that I will use loosely in regard to the office of information technology is the university. While all institutions of higher education rely on information technology as a basic service to provide products to their clientele, I will try to keep my discussion and analysis confined to the concept of Kerr’s “multiversity”, or research university satisfying multiple goals. This is not to diminish the role of the office of information technology at smaller universities and colleges but only to focus this discussion.
One area within a university that is often lumped into the “information” infrastructure is the library. While my definition does not include the library within the office of information technology, the technology used for many of its services is included.
Lastly, I would like to preface the ideas presented within this paper through the perspective of Weick’s (1976) theory of loosely coupled systems. As discussed throughout, the office of information technology is a unit on campus that is intertwined with all other areas in some manner. Thus it must go beyond the “niche” perspective of individual units and departments and engage itself directly in the politics of the university as a loosely coupled system. As the reader will see, this has affected the history, mission, and organization of the office of information technology and is embedded in many of its
Hoehl, James J. (1998,Winter). Archives of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Sexual Dysfunction and the Elderly. (vol.2,no.1)[Online.]
University of Idaho. (2014). Information Technology Services: Appendix 1: ITS Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Retrieved from http://www.uidaho.edu/its/strategic-plan/appendix-i.
Technology enables students and teachers to have a fast and easy way to acquire unlimited access to tons of information. With all of the useful technologies, the curriculum is bound to change in endless ways, creating more opportunity for learning.
While alleged sex addictions have existed for many years, they have only recently been accepted as valid excuses for sexual deviancy. Attitudes toward sex addiction in the past offer a stark contrast to how it is viewed today, as the constantly medicalizing society insists on putting everything under the technical microscope. Sex addiction is commonly associated with a person’s inability to control his sexual behavior, implying an abnormally high sex drive and obsession with sex which have negative effects on his personal life (MedicineNet 2007, 1). Rather than breaking down the science behind the disorder, a customary practice in today’s medicalized society, older attitudes towards sex addiction placed it under the same light as alcoholism, where a lack of control and unwillin...
Thompson, Anthony P. "Extramarital sex: A review of the research literature." Journal of Sex Research 19.1 (1983): 1-22. PsycINFO. EBSCO. Web. 24 July 2011
The field of information systems has grown and become more promising than in previous years. This increase demands highly skilled professionals to keep up with the quickly changing world of IS. Looking for a job in the Information Systems field opens the door for many disciplines, each with its significance in the business world. Most businesses need information systems skills to accomplish their goals. There is a wide selection of career options in the field of information systems. There are the technical positions, such as dealing with information management and hardware and software management, and the people-oriented technology positions, such as dealing with the design and operation of Internet applications (“Why Major,” n.d.).
...s." Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 39.4 (2007): 216-25. ProQuest. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Posner (2004, p. 36) discusses the importance of understanding the situational factors that lead to the development of a particular curriculum. This curriculum has been created as a response to the problem of technology skills and resources being typically isolated as a separate curriculum, rather than being integrated into the broader curricular areas. This leads to curricula that are often devoid of 21st century skills needed by students to ensure future success (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2004). The goal of the curriculum, therefore, is to focus on specific technology skills that can be readily integrated into other curricular areas without sacrificing critical objectives within those curricula and, in fact, enhancing the relevance and levels of engagement in those areas.
The concept of Student Information Management System (SIMS) is one that continues to elicit mixed reactions. Its application appears limited by a number of factors. Whitley, Gal, and Kjaergaard (2014) connotes that SIMS faces challenges in acceptability due to the kind of information being stored, personal identification information being stored in the system and the identity of people accessing this information. Ngoma (2009) explores the level of success student information system, a subset of SIMS. Findings from Ngoma’s expedition indicate that many institutions tend to have a negative attitude towards implementation of such projects. Their evaluation mechanism on application of this technology is tied to the level of improvement of the institution especially student performance (Sun & Benton 2008; Chong 2014).
Turban, E. (2009) Information technology for management : transforming organizations in the digital economy. 7th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
My interest in Information Systems Management was drawn when I was working on my final year project at Maharashtra Institute of Technology under the able guidance of the head of the Computer Engineering department. Professor R. K. Bedi’s support provided a much needed boost to my confidence in my programming skills. This new found confidence, in conjunction with the organization management skills I had acquired through active participation in extracurricular activities like “Tesla”, in inter college programming fest, made me realize I wanted to pursue a program that had comprised a blend of both the computer science and management disciplines.
The University of California Davis, in Davis, CA, has a businesslike appearance to its website. Their main objective is to get across the importance of academics. On a secondary page I found a link to Information and Educational Technology. On this page the user will find information on computer rooms, computing accounts, security, technical support and training.
The Impact of Information Technology on Individuals, Society and Organizations Information systems and information technology are important in supporting, maintaining and enriching many aspects of livings. They bring benefits to lives of individuals, operations of business and the functioning of society but there are also drawbacks associated with technology and information system. Both good and bad impacts of information system and technology to individuals, organisations and the society will be discussed in detail in the following paragraphs.
Sex has been a taboo subject for many generations in nearly every culture present in the world. Many seem to rely on the traditional idea that one should abstain from sex until marriage, while others evolved and began to exercise the idea of sexual freedom and are not held down by any certain beliefs or traditions. Leslie Bell takes an in-depth look into this complex situation by taking into account various psychoanalytical theories and first-hand experiences in order to make sense of this complicated subject. One can argue that sex becomes a much more complicated rather than a pleasurable experience for women due to the confusing standards that society has put in place, their upbringing from childhood to adulthood, and their overwhelming desire