Here is a newly posted video about the changes in technology that led me to write Teaching Naked: http://mcs.smu.edu/media/content/jos-bowen-universities-should-embrace-tech

It is the beginning of the year so lots of meetings, including meetings with my technology folks. Technology needs have exploded, but budgets have not. (Yes, really, we have to spend money to protect ourselves from cyber attacks from other countries trying to mine our course catalogue. Wow, I only wish the students were as interested…)

We are trying to rethink our technology budgets. Remember “replacement cycles?” Traditionally you have a budget for computers and another for servers and network and software. Add wifi, security, tech support and more wifi. We asked a different question: suppose we STARTED with the user experience. What do people need to get the work done?  We wanted to buy laptops for everyone, so we knew something would have to go. We got rid of computers in the classroom and of most of our computer labs and that saved enough money to put every faculty and soon every student on a laptop. Using the same computer for almost everyone (we made a few exceptions as needed) saved tons of money in support but limited choice, but moving to the best new models helped.  (We have just moved all faculty to new Mac laptops with a choice of two machines.)  We’ve also been able to put much better projectors in classrooms–since now the “refresh of a classroom” means only the projector and maybe a few buttons.

The new Macs have the amazing retinal display, but no DVD/CD player, so again we’ve had to push more support to helping faculty digitize materials.  (And secretly–ok maybe not so secretly– I hope this is an incentive to show fewer complete movies in class.  We can digitize a clip for you and put it in the cloud, but do you really need to show the entire movie in class?

The BIG issue though is how to think about the budget. Adding iPads adds cost and devices to support. We can’t scrimp on WiFi, but the number of devices continues to increase. I think Technology departments need a radically different budge model. What are the priorities? As software costs go up, students will need to purchase more software as part of courses, but we will need to be more careful about what students REALLY need–no more Adobe Creativee Suite for everyone.  And ultimately, we are getting close to a point where not everyone needs a phone (certainly not on your desk), iPad and a laptop. But device will it be? Probably different for different types of faculty.

What seems clear is that business as usual won’t do and we need to reinvent what campus technology means.

The WSJ ran a story about the trend to hire marketing departments in response to the new competition. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444233104577591171686709792.html Ok, sure, but don’t you need first to think about how your product might be different or special? At the moment, we are all pretty much offering the same 4-year 120 degrees with the same majors. What’s to market? “We’re the same, only better!?” This is an opportunity to start a new conversation about both value and distinctiveness. Maybe your dorms are better or your rock wall is higher, but our students learn job skills, or have a broader education, or maybe our programs are three years or five years, or more geared to our local population? The marketing teams will have a hard time until we start to think more carefully about our individual value.

I’m actually for marketing here. I think it is a chance to tell folks about what you do, but i think that generic branding is pointless. It will work for state U pride–“be true to your state.” And let’s be honest, most schools already have a marketing department–it is called an athletics program, and it works.

When you win, applications go up. (When Georgetown won the NCAA Basketball tournaments, it got a huge boost in applications, but so did George washington U and George Mason U. Think about it.

If we are really going to put new labels on our cans, we had better stop and think about what is IN the can. This can be a good thing. Let’s think about what we do that is distinctive, but let’s also make sure we DELIVER as promised. What’s in your can?

Welcome to Teaching Naked the website!!! Tomorrow I start a book tour that will take me coast to coast in the next 8 months. We start in Amarillo Texas, at West Texas A&M for a faculty development day.

I’ll be blogging here about higher education and there is plenty to talk about–we are in the news a lot and it is all about the value of what we do. At the moment, we are all pretty much offering the same 4-year 120 degrees with the same majors.  Remembefr when every school was about “excellence?!” “We’re the same, only better!?”

There is an opportunity to start a new conversation about both value and distinctiveness. Maybe your dorms are better or your rock wall is higher, but our future students want to know more about our individual value.