Grounded!

It feels great to get my feet back on the ground in EET.  Last week I was starting to feel grounded again, especially with the work we were focused on to get applications for funding for various initiatives submitted.    It was a great experience to view the world from the Dean’s role as I learned a lot about how and why things work at a different level, and hopefully in the future this will enable us to keep EET relevant within an ever changing environment.  Anyway, it feels like I’m back and ready to focus again.
 
You will find a variety of information items in the following blog postings for you to know and think about.   And if you have questions about any of them, please stop by.

Budget

I’d encourage all of you to pay attention to the provincial budget discussions in the news over the next few weeks.   Typically post-secondary institutions receive a 2% increase in funding from the gov’t each year; however, we anticipate we’ll be fortunate to get a 0% increase for 13-14.  This means that decisions will be very focused on doing what’s most important.   Things, such as the price of a barrel of oil, are significantly impacting the current economy in Alberta and consequently will impact the budget that will be announced on March 7. 

 When you have a few minutes, it's worth listening to the following two short newscasts on this impact:

• The impact that the price for a barrel of oil is having on the Alberta economy, and in our context, more specifically on funding for post secondary institutions.   To learn more about this, listen to these news reports (sent by Peter L.):

 

• Doug Horner and Ken Hughes on Alberta oil revenue and provincial debt

• U of A Economist Richard Dixon on the valuing protocol of Alberta Oil

And then pay attention to the budget announcements on March 7 as decisions made at this level will certainly impact our budget here at the college.

Horizon Report 2013

I’d strongly encourage all of you to read the newest edition of the Horizon Report that was released this month.   This is a “decade-long research project designed to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry in higher education. Six emerging technologies are identified across three adoption horizons over the next one to five years . . . giving campus leaders and practitioners a valuable guide for strategic technology planning.”

• Time-to-Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less
• Massively Open Online Courses
• Tablet Computing
• Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years
• Big Data and Learning Analytics
• Game-Based Learning
• Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years
• 3D Printing
• Wearable Technology

Very interesting read:  http://www.nmc.org/publications/2013-horizon-report-higher-ed

Requests for Funding (12-13 and 13-14)

Last week we submitted eight requests for funding for a variety of initiatives.   Some funding became available for capital expenditures and for the Innovation Fund that has to be spent prior to June 30, 2013.   We also submitted RFD’s for next year July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014).     All aspects will be very competitive.

• Innovation Fund ($250,000 available):  Tablet Project.   The intent of this project is to increase capacity related to mobile learning, more specifically shift our focus towards tablet integration in the classroom with a strong emphasis on professional development and a broadened focus to include instructors, staff, and students.   This project will also directly inform the College’s mobile learning/BYOD strategy.  Request was for just under $50,000.  (Approved on February 26)

• Capital ($340,000 available):
• Furniture for the Active Learning Lab in AN2739
  (Approved on February 26)
• Frames for posters for classrooms (room layouts, emergency procedures, contact info, etc.) - submitted on behalf of Learning Spaces Team and Facilities
  (Approved on February 26)
• Replacement Scantron machine - for instructors to mark exams

• RFD’s for next year (13-14) - will be discussed at College Leadership Team in March

• Continued funding for EET positions that were funded through DL Strategy allocated funding.
• Funding to cover overlap as we transition to a new LMS to replace Angel (May June 2014)
• 10 extra laptops for the library for student sign-out.   We anticipate that as the transition to BYOD gains momentum, more instructors will “require” their students to have a device with them in the classroom.

• IB Theatre Technology Upgrades