Agenda

Schedule

Although the course is self paced, we recommend learners plan on 3–5 hours to complete each competency and have an engaged and successful learning experience. There will be one optional synchronous Q&A live session with the faculty.

  • Wednesday, November 29th, 3:00–3:30pm ET.

Competencies

These competencies contain the following components:

  • Introduction: Overview, learning objectives, and activity checklist
  • Learning Materials: Readings, videos, and websites that contain the key content and information you will need to progress through the competency
  • Recommended Resources: Readings, videos, and websites that provide additional information relevant to your professional development
  • Assignments: Practical application of competency concepts
  • Reflections: Summary and highlights of each competency and your actionable goals

Competency 1: Higher Education Organizational Structures

As a new vendor or consultant, you will need to know the unique structures of various higher education institutions, their governance structures, and how this will influence and shape your work with them. This competency will help you understand

  • How universities and colleges are structured and governed;
  • The diversity of governance models based on institutional type;
  • How leadership reporting structures affect the way technology investments are made;
  • How institutional priorities impact technology investment decision-making; and
  • The challenges and opportunities for technology organizations to influence technology investments when IT is decentralized.

Competency 2: Stakeholders and Influencers of Technology Decisions

Once you understand the type of institution with which you’re working, you’ll need to understand how it works. No two institutions are exactly the same, even if they share many characteristics. To develop a successful relationship, you’ll need to understand the overall framework of roles and responsibilities as well as stakeholders and influencers. This competency will help you understand:

  • The various roles and hierarchies in higher education institutions;
  • The informal and formal institutional authority structures and matrices of decision-making;
  • The differences between a higher education technology organization and corporate or other types of organizations;
  • How nontechnical leaders across campus influence technology investment decisions; and
  • The opportunities and challenges technical leaders face in managing relationships across campus.

Competency 3: Technology Planning and Funding

Funding resources are often based on an institution’s strategic plan. A strategic plan will often provide a broad base of understanding by communicating the technology department’s mission, vision, and goals, as well as identifying specific initiatives and directions needed to meet success measures. As technology plays a more strategic role throughout the campus, the technology strategic plan also is more closely aligned with and tied to institutional planning. This competency will help you understand

  • Higher education technology strategic plans and how they’re situated and developed in the organization;
  • The various types of strategic planning efforts used across an institution and how they impact technology investments;
  • How strategic planning models influence technology funding, purchasing, and decision-making; and
  • The technology leader’s role in cultivating and managing relationships with nontechnical and distributed technology leaders across the institution.

Competency 4: The Procurement Process

Unlike the direct point-of-sale experience, higher education departments receive funding at different stages. Understanding the higher education sourcing, purchasing, and ongoing supplier management process of information technology goods and services in various categories (software, SaaS, cloud computing, hardware, services, etc.) is critical to successful engagement. This competency will help you understand

  • Procurement processes, including RFPs, being a trusted partner, and navigating the buyer’s journey;
  • The higher education sales cycle and how technology is procured and funded;
  • Higher education funding models and their impact on and interaction with
    • Budgeting processes;
    • Technology investment decisions;
    • Institutional, organizational, and departmental priorities; and
    • Centralized, decentralized, outsourced technology models; and
  • How governance plays a role in procurement funding.