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Executive Summary
The incorporation of important areas of technology in the strategic plan established by the University of Hertfordshire for the 2015-2020 period is essential. The selected areas of technology include mobile technologies, cloud computing, and online discussion forums. Essentially, the IT objectives of the strategic plan focus on the aspects of education, research, people, business, international matters, sustainability, community, and partners. Notably, the integration of the mentioned technologies aligns with most of the objectives underlined in the institution’s business strategy. The risks associated with failing to adopt the identified technologies have a considerable negative influence on the success of the strategy compared to the threats associated with the embracement of the given expertise.
Introduction
Institutions of higher education, including colleges and universities, develop strategic plans to enhance the quality of learning experiences, thereby contributing to the improvement of the society’s human capital (Ward & Peppard 2016). Currently, technological advancements prompt the administration of higher learning institutions to regard them as key aspects of development. Thus, the institutions incorporate the advancements in their strategic plans. The University of Hertfordshire established strategic plan (2015-2020) that seeks to foster its development as the leading institution of higher learning from the international front. The agenda of the institution’s strategic plan emphasises the aspects of schooling, explorations, people, business, sustainability, community, and partners. For the realisation of the different objectives, the integration of key areas of technology that would be in line with the current developments in the sector is relevant. In this light, this paper describes and analyses three relevant areas of technology that can foster the realisation of the strategic plan established by the University of Hertfordshire. Further, the paper will assess the risks of adopting or not adopting the identified technologies.
Important Areas of Technology
The University of Hertfordshire can consider the incorporation of advancements such as mobile technologies, cloud computing, and online discussion forums to support its 2015-2020 strategic plan.
Mobile Technologies
Mobile technologies refer to advancements that incorporate devices that individuals can carry with them to undertake an extensive variety of tasks (Ting 2013). Fundamentally, devices, including cellular phones, laptops, PDAs, and vehicles constitute the common mobile technologies that facilitate the execution of tasks by the users. The cellular phone is one of the mobile technologies that have seen remarkable development over the past few years as depicted by the popularity of Smartphones (Pegrum, Oakley & Faulkner 2013).
Notably, the cellular phone has evolved from a device for making calls to an instant messaging system, a GPS direction-finding system, a web browser, and a video-gaming system besides many other applications. Mobile technologies apply transmission media such as radio wave, GPS, Bluetooth, microwave, and infrared (Cassidy 2016). In this regard, mobile technologies will be important when it comes to fostering effective learning experiences by streamlining communication among other benefits that facilitate the development of the University of Hertfordshire as a business-facing institution.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing entails the provision of computing services ranging from databases, servers, storage, analytics, and networking besides other facilities through the internet. Commonly referred to as “the cloud”, cloud-computing operates through a pay-as-you-go pricing system. The technology is useful in the contemporary business setting in an array of ways (Dinh et al. 2013). The cloud is instrumental in facilitating the development of apps and services that promote the efficiency of business processes. The system is also important for institutions such as colleges and universities since it improves the storage, back up, and recovery of crucial data. Other benefits such as providing platforms for hosting websites and blogs, streaming videos and audio materials, analysis of data, and delivery of services make the cloud a crucial area of technology (Ting 2013). In this respect, cloud computing is an important area of technology that requires integration to the University of Hertfordshire’s 2015-2020 strategic plan.
Online Discussion Boards/Conferences/Forums
Since effective student-to-student and student-to-instructor interactions play an integral part in fostering desirable learning experiences, the application of technologies such as online discussion boards is pertinent. The dialogic exchange that is enabled by the online discussion forum improves the process of sharing ideas concerning key issues (Kim 2013). In the school setting, online forums provide a platform for student engagement and learning. The flexible nature of the discussion overcomes the limitations of time and space in offering courses to students. As such, e-learning platforms such as discussion forums form an essential aspect of interactions within an organisation (Cummings & Worley 2014). Thus, analysing the selected areas of technologies regarding the objectives of the 2015-2020 strategic plan developed by the University of Hertfordshire is necessary.
Analysis of the Selected Areas of Technology
The areas of technology, namely, mobile technologies, cloud computing, and online discussion forums pose a considerable impact on the IT provisions established at the University of Hertfordshire’s business strategy. In this case, the benefits and opportunities offered by the mentioned technologies add up to the success of the strategy established by the learning institution within the provided timeframe.
Mobile Technologies
The portable aspect of mobile technologies offers the user with an opportunity to use them in different areas and time, thereby offering numerous benefits. Notably, mobile technologies influence the creation of a mobile student body within an institution of higher learning. Statistical findings reveal that at least 88% of students in higher learning institutions use messaging systems on their mobile devices during class (Ting 2013). As such, the advancements offer real-time information that matters to the users. Therefore, mobile technologies will improve the internal and external communication and interaction among stakeholders, including students, the administration, and partners.
Further, mobile technologies contribute to the enhancement of the security within a particular campus. In most universities within the UK, students make emergency calls to the hotlines provided for prompt intervention (Ting 2013). Amid the insecurities associated with using mobile devices such as hacking, the technologies also play an integral role in fostering the tightness of security in higher learning institutions (Pegrum, Oakley & Faulkner 2013). As such, the attribute secures the objective of promoting positive social, cultural, and economic impact.
Moreover, mobile technologies empower an organisation’s mobile commerce (Pegrum, Oakley & Faulkner 2013). The mobile technologies play a considerable part in securing the University of Hertfordshire’s aim of making it a business-facing institution globally. The move would be integral in establishing the university as the international students’ institution of choice, thus improving its brand reputation. Therefore, such technologies will boost the attainment of the university’s education and business objectives.
Cloud Computing
The area of cloud computing technology is cost-effective since an organisation needs not to acquire computer software and hardware (Dinh et al. 2013). Therefore, the technology adds up to the business and research objectives of the University of Hertfordshire. As such, the advancement will minimise the institution’s capital expense, thus consolidating its financial sustainability as one of its key objectives.
Additionally, the cloud bolsters speedy processes, thereby improving the organisation’s flexibility besides widening its global scale (Rittinghouse & Ransome 2016). The accessibility of key information in seconds will promote effective research, educational, business, and international partnerships as underpinned in the 2015-2020 strategic plan by the University of Hertfordshire.
The effectiveness of the cloud promotes productivity within an organisation (Rittinghouse & Ransome 2016). The nature of the technology will be integral in promoting the realisation of the university’s objective of inculcating knowledge, skills, and attributes that trigger its success and development. Consequently, the productivity will foster the reliability and performance of the institution, owing to the security and cost-effectiveness of the data centres used.
Online Discussion Forums
The interaction influenced by e-learning platforms would be effective in facilitating the attainment of the university’s facilitation of workplace engagement and education opportunities for international students (Kim 2013). Importantly, the area of technology will considerably enrich business and industry relationships. Online discussion forums create an e-learning environment that warrants the realisation of innovation concerning ideas, processes, products, and services (Romero et al. 2013). Thus, the enhancement of the diversity of the University of Hertfordshire community through online forums will also denote an alignment of the adopted IT systems with the 2015-2020 strategic plan.
Risk Assessment
The identified areas of technology pose considerable risks to the success of the strategic plan. In this regard, engaging in a general assessment of the risks involved in the adoption, as well as the failure to adopt the technologies, is crucial for the university’s execution of the strategic plan. A comprehension of the associated risks is important for streamlining the persuasion of the set objectives within the specified timeframe.
Notably, the adoption of mobile technologies poses a security threat to the users. Thus, it is a risky affair. The users of mobile devices may be victims of cyber security issues, thereby undermining their safety and privacy (Cummings & Worley 2014). In this regard, amid its influence in combating insecurity within the university environment, mobile technologies also pose a security threat. Additionally, mobile technologies undermine the interest of students in learning, thereby posing a threat to the education and research objectives underlined in the university’s strategic plan (Pegrum, Oakley & Faulkner 2013). The devices promote laziness among students, a situation that influences poor studying habits. Besides, the integration of the technologies may pose instructional challenges since tutors require training to effectively apply the technologies. Moreover, mobile technologies undermine the value of in-person education (Ting 2013).
Conversely, failing to integrate mobile technologies also poses an array of risks to the strategic plan established by the University of Hertfordshire. Particularly, the lack of mobile technology integration will curb independent learning besides undermining communication with key partners (Ting 2013). Further, the absence of the advancements will contribute to the poor future preparation of students by inhibiting their engagement in extensive research, a key aspect of the strategy’s objectives. The lack of innovativeness, for instance, establishing new approaches to issues, will also pose a hurdle on the institution’s positive impact on social, economic, and cultural elements.
The adoption of cloud computing also poses an array of risks to the institution. The issue of downtime may undermine the reliability of the cloud once users have overwhelmed it (Dinh et al. 2013). Further, adoption of the cloud computing is likely to expose the stakeholders in the institution to security risks since it is managed by a third party. Moreover, integrating cloud computing will undermine the business-facing goals of the strategic plan due to control limits imposed by the cloud provider (Rittinghouse & Ransome 2016).
On the other hand, failure to incorporate cloud computing will jeopardise the university’s realisation of its envisioned objectives. The institution will be on the verge of failing to attain its financial sustainability objective due to the capital costs associated with the acquisition of computing software and hardware (Dinh et al. 2013). The absence of the cloud prompts an organisation to invest time in procurement, thus weakening its competitive edge.
Similarly, the failure to engage the stakeholders through online discussion platforms would be detrimental to the organisation by failing to foster diversity (Romero et al. 2013). Additionally, the institution will streamline relationships poorly and/or offer opportunities for the development of ideas among other benefits brought about by the mentioned area of technology (Cummings & Worley 2014). Moreover, the absence of an online learning community will affect negatively the business-facing approach to the 2015-2020 strategic plan by the University of Hertfordshire.
Conclusion
The integration of important areas of technology, including mobile technologies, cloud computing, and online discussion forums is crucial for the success of the 2015-2020 strategic plan developed by the University of Hertfordshire. The IT systems align with the institution’s strategic objectives amid the risks involved. Notably, the risks for not integrating the advancements outweigh the threats associated with the adoption of the technologies. Thus, the implementation of the selected areas of technology will be fundamental in fostering the emergence of the university as the top business-facing institution of higher learning around the globe.
Reference List
Cassidy, A 2016, A practical guide to information systems strategic planning, CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Cummings, T & Worley, C 2014, Organisation development and change, Cengage Learning, Boston.
Dinh, H, Lee, C, Niyato, D & Wang, P 2013, ‘A survey of mobile cloud computing: architecture, applications, and approaches’, Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, vol. 13, no. 18, pp. 1587-1611.
Kim, J 2013, ‘Influence of group size on students’ participation in online discussion forums’, Computers & Education, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 123-129.
Pegrum, M, Oakley, G & Faulkner, R 2013, ‘Schools going mobile: A study of the adoption of mobile handheld technologies in Western Australian independent schools’, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 66-81.
Rittinghouse, J & Ransome, J 2016, Cloud computing: implementation, management, and security, CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Romero, C, López, M, Luna, J & Ventura, S 2013, ‘Predicting students’ final performance from participation in on-line discussion forums’, Computers & Education, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 458-472.
Ting, Y 2013, ‘Using mobile technologies to create interwoven learning interactions: An intuitive design and its evaluation’, Computers & Education, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 1-13.
Ward, J & Peppard, J 2016, The strategic management of information systems: Building a digital strategy, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken.
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