My role in mobile initiatives for campus
My 3 Main Areas of Focus:
- Technology Services – Research into mobile platforms
- Steering Group – Cross-campus collaborations
- Informal campus community – Starting a conversation with all of campus
Prezi – brief overview of my role
Tech Services Research
Working with Office of the CIO (Randy Cetin) on Technology Services specific mobile initiatives and strategies. The goal is for Technology Services to find optimal solutions for services that students, faculty and staff need for mobile that we can provide at scale.
Connecting Campus Resources
I am working to help try to connect appropriate resources across campus. I am hoping to bridge units all across campus to help provide students (and faculty and staff) a better mobile experience here at the University. This includes partnering with AITS on a mobile app to help Technology Services Networking gain valuable network diagnostics, a possible API data warehouse to store all the useful data and webservices across campus, as well as other potential Technology Services mobile projects.
Possible Vendor Solutions
In addition to campus resources, I help research possible vendor solutions. Such work includes: possible development platforms, location-based wayfinding solutions, api creation, services to port websites into mobile apps, etc… I am trying to help determine if 3rd-party vendors can provide value to Technology Services and the rest of campus.
Communication
Steering Group
This group grew organically from various interested parties gathering across campus. It is a growing group of people who meet regularly to discuss and work together towards improving the campus mobile experience.
Key Points:
- Improve communication with campus
- what apps, services and resources exist? share that info
- Connecting resources
- putting the pieces together – get the right people together to discuss projects that can be done collaboratively
- Engage students
- find out what students *actually* want or need on their mobile devices, let them play an active role in making that happen
Getting Student Input:
Surveyed students to get their direct input – started with focus groups, developed IRB approved online survey
Gathering results – working on ways to meet student needs
Getting more input – Keep working with students
Just getting started!
We can’t wait to keep engaging students, collaborating and moving the campus forward.
Informal Community
Creating a community of individuals all across campus who want to discuss mobile. Coordinate semi-regular meetings where folks can gather and talk to each other, and includes a guest speaker or two to discuss specific topics of interest. Trying to create a community of people to help connect resources that currently exist and learn about exciting projects or ideas for projects all around campus.