Place the information technology department within the context of your institution's strategic plan. Shifts in educational trends are initially recognized by administrators who work to stay competitive in the educational marketplace, especially where marketing is concerned. Preparing an IT department must be part of a whole plan for preparing your educational institution for shifts in technology. Placing IT department preparation in the context of university strategic planning will help guide budget decisions and will help sort genuine educational trends from short-lived fads.
Evaluate your IT department with a rubric that analyzes the department's current effectiveness relating to services like classroom design, production of instructional media, and video and Web conferencing. Before potential educational trends are addressed, the IT department should be evaluated for current best practices. Ensure that the information technology department has adequate budgetary allocations for updating, installing and maintaining equipment.
Address current immediate demands. With nearly one-third of college students in 2009 having taken at least one online course, college and university information technology departments should be able to support distance learning through online courses. This may involve integrating user-friendly intranet services, increasing internet speed, or even training faculty to effectively utilize technological resources. Additionally, ensure that your IT department is currently supporting wi-fi access campus-wide, and is effectively partnered with marketing and communications to create brand-reinforcing apps.
Look where government funding and research is focused for tips on where the integration of education and technology is heading. Educational initiatives utilizing technology indicate that current elementary and high school students will increasingly expect seamless integration of technology in educational opportunities. Further indicators, like an increasing number of green initiatives, suggest that "going digital" will be firmly entrenched as mainstream in educational environments.
Create an IT department that anticipates accurately and responds rapidly by founding budget and organizational decisions on continuing research and education. This may involve building flexibility into the organizational hierarchy, in order to allow for ongoing feedback and grassroots staff participation and ownership.