Universities and social networking: making sense out of
nonsense David I Harrison
Eduserv Foundation Symposium 8th May 2008
Making sense … ?
• Cardiff’s Modern IT Working Environment (MWE) in partnership with IBM
• Modelling the MWE and what this means for the delivery of Information Services in a Social Computing (and Web 2.0) world
• Closing thoughts – enablement, partnership, cultural change and governance
Some Background to the MWE …
• The vision – “all about people” (but initially it’s been about technology: organisation-centric, BPM, SOA and … building collaboration toolset).
• The journey – exposed to IBM’s use of social networking in the enterprise; challenged to consider “disruptive technology” as part of the service delivery mix.
• The realisation – user-centric, cultural change, governance and … EA.
The MWE approach to Enterprise Integration Secure Interaction Layer
(Portal, Desktop, Mobile device)
MWE Business Process Management
• BPM tools give real-time visibility and control to the business
MWE Collaboration Tools
• The MWE Collaboration tools include E-mail, Calendar, Contacts, Instant Message, Video, Collaborative Workspace and Social Computing
• The MWE Integration Layer (Data and Systems) provides tools which transform activities and data into reusable, loosely-coupled services
MWE Integration Layer
• Search and Content Stores give tools for storage and retrieval of information (ie Enterprise Content Management, Records Management, Web Content Management and Enterprise Search)
MWE Search and Content Stores
MWE Enabling Infrastructure
• The MWE Enabling Infrastructure provides a resilient, eco-friendly, secure infrastructure to support the services offered by the MWE.
Core Operational
Systems
Core Infrastructure
• The core operational systems include Student Records, HR, Finance, VLE, Library systems, etc
• The Core Operational Systems are run on a resilient, eco-friendly, secure infrastructure (networks, firewalls, servers, etc).
But that’s just the start … now to“make sense out of nonsense”!
• A philosophical rationale for Information Services moving forward– Raises questions about the main thrust of activities– Poses new questions that are difficult to answer
• A model to help understanding and communication of the bigger picture and the place of emergent technologies within the enterprise
• Credit: Dr Joe Nicholls, Principal Consultant in the Futures GroupThanks: Paul Hobson & Stephen Griffiths
The Modern Working Environment
The Modern Working EnvironmentCore
Universityprocesses
Core Universityprocesses
Automatedsignatories
Identifyingtraining needs
Total projected activity (TPA)construction & core
post approval
Electronic year planner& targeted internal marketing
Interdepartmentaltransfer note (TRF) and
other internal finance tasks
Procurement
HR relatedprocesses
Staff inductionFinance Email
service
University services:• Content (data/information)• Tools & Resources • Online services• People
University services:• Content (data/information)• Tools & Resources • Online services• People
CoreUniversityprocesses
The Modern Working Environment
MRE MLE
CORE
Timetabling
Enquirer-to-studentprocess
Online studentapplication
process
Placementapplication
process
New courseprocess
Improving communicationwith students
Improving the student’sDay 1 experience
Supporting studentson placements
Research grantApplications process
Researchproject
Managing post-graduateresearchers
E-Printsrepository
ResearcherProfiles
Commercial &Spinout
Ethicalapproval
Resourcemanagement
Stockcontrol
CoreUniversityprocesses
The Modern Working Environment
VREMRE MLE VLE
CoreUniversityprocesses
Discussionlists
Question& Test
Contentrepositories
Learningobjects
Wiki’s
blogs
Bookmarking
Collaborativespaces
Collaborativeworkspaces
Electronicjournals
Blogs
Wikis
IRCSametime
Desktopvideoconferencing
Bookmarking
Contentrepositories
Discussionlists
CoreUniversityprocesses
Everything else!
The Modern Working Environment Opportunity Capability
Emerging technology enabling access to:
↑ vast volumes of content (data/information) ↑ an order of magnitude more tools & resources ↑ multitude of online services ↑ worldwide communities of people
Emerging technology enabling access to:
↑ vast volumes of content (data/information) ↑ an order of magnitude more tools & resources ↑ multitude of online services ↑ worldwide communities of people
IndividualOrganisation
The Modern Working Environment
Everything else!
PersonalResearch
Environment
The Modern Working Environment
Everything else!
PersonalLearning
Environment
The Modern Working Environment
Everything else!
PersonalTeaching
Environment
chore
core
The Modern Working Environment
Everything else!
PersonalResearch
Environment
The Modern Working Environment
Everything else!
PrincipleInvestigator
ResearchFellow
PhDStudent
Roombooking
Staffrecruitment
Procurement
Financemanagement
Payroll
Policies &Procedures
Staffdevelopment
Staff sickness& absence
Changes toPersonaldetails
TRF
Annual leavemanagement
Electronicsignatures
SSO &Shibboleth
Workflowmanagement
BOreports
Grantapplications
Publishinge-Prints
ResearchAssessment
Exercise
Directory ofExpertise
InformationAbout PhDstudents
ProjectManagement
Research skillsresources
InternalPeer review
Librarycatalogue
e-journals
Grant proposalarchive
Fixed-termrenewal
Photolibrary
Roombooking
ContactsDirectory
UniversityBoard messages
Search
Collaborativeauthoring
Research datamanagement
Socialnetworking
Collaborativeworkspace
SharedBookmarks
CreateRSS feeds
Access toIP restrictedresources
ARCCA
Alerts
News &Events
Cardiff Mail(email &
calendaring
Presence Awareness& Instant Messaging
Discussionlist
My Files
ReceiveRSS feeds
PersonalResearch
Environment
Bibliographymanagement
SocialEmail
SocialCalendar
Officeapplications
PersonalBookmarks
ReceiveRSS feeds
Socialnetworking
Blog
CreateRSS feeds
Del.icio.us
Development
Education and Training
• No development• No control• No awareness• Benefits realisation?
Closing thoughts - enablement
• The central IT service needs to focus totally upon business requirements
• Focus shifts to the Front Office (and away from Technology and the Back Office)
• The Service Desk becomes a focal point for service delivery, and a major corporate system
• Requirements gathering and recording becomes very important
• Solutions generation through innovation – enablement not development
Closing thoughts - partnership
• Consultancy form of working with Schools and Divisions – away from the central service catalogue
• Partnership ethos - producing solutions together
• Emphasis on education rather than simply training, with the context being important
• Embedding new ways of working through Information Literacy++
Closing thoughts – cultural change
• Raise awareness of cultural barriers and resistance to technological changes amongst organisational leaders
• Foster attitudes and adopt practices that enable good ideas to progress from inception to implementation
• Encourage “can do” and “yes” ways of thinking• Encourage social networks and personal profiles from
Day One to create new communities of knowledge and understanding – especially within the organisation
• Remove barriers to uptake of new tools, but provide clear guidance on what is appropriate use
• Consider the impact upon work-life balance policies
Closing thoughts - governance• How much control is actually necessary?• Do you produce policies … or guidelines?• Take care with the publishing of personal/team views. Encourage
multiple blogging domains, with personal ones being off-site.• What is the “value” of the “unofficial” or “black economy” of
information, networking and communication? How should the institution respond? Should it shape, direct or control the new pathways to produce what it might consider … “results”?
• The innovatory organisation will make a deliberate decision NOT to control, and should seriously consider nurturing such activity … but finally
• One calculation of efficiency probably demands that an organization fights to maintain the “official channels”; but is that really efficient when one is dealing with innovation and education in the crowd of academia on a global level?