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ITS Strategic Plan

Vision, Mission & Goals

In 2008, the following information technology vision and mission statements were developed and were recently validated as part of the effort to revise this plan and remain appropriate. Each year this plan will be reviewed and evaluated based on what has been completed, changes in the evolution of technology, and what resources might be available in the future. Due to the dynamic nature of planning, each year the vision and mission statement will be reassessed.

Vision

The San Mateo County Community District is committed to the effective and responsible use of information technology resources to:

  • Enhance and support the teaching and learning environment
  • Provide easy access to learning resources and support services
  • Facilitate communication throughout the District
  • Improve institutional effectiveness by maximizing resources, improving services, and supporting technologically enhanced learning activities
  • Improve operational effectiveness and efficiency
  • Serve our diverse teaching and learning communities

Mission

Mission Statement:

To provide a responsive and supportive information technology environment that is consistent with the mission of the Colleges and the District Office. Information Technology Services (ITS) provides all services and support focused on customer service and satisfaction.

Based on a set of planning assumptions, goals can be developed to meet SMCCCD's current and future technology needs. Goals are strategic-level objectives intended to achieve the technology vision, support the technology mission, and ensure alignment with ACCJC Standard III. The goals are numbered for reference purposes only and are used when aligning projects to meet one or more of them. They are all of equal importance and intended to be viewed equally.

As part of its mission and to ensure achieving its goals, the District actively provides key areas of support and engagement for the planning and support of all District and college business units. These key areas of support and engagement are outlined in the ITS Organization section.

The practical work of turning the District’s vision, values, and priorities into practice begins with each of the College’s integrated plans. Integrated plans are aligned with the District strategic plan, CSM Education Master Plan, Vision, Mission, Values, and Leadership Commitments. Each integrated plan lays out a brief history and includes an external scan, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, current and future goals, and a description of how its work aligns with the College’s six institutional priorities. Work plans are written for areas where further detail is needed. The program review and resource request processes further align integrated planning with the continuous improvement cycle.

Goals

  • Continue to enhance and improve the capabilities and functionality of the administrative information systems environment by increasing student personalization and communication and expanding analytics to serve faculty, staff, and students better.
  • Enhance the capabilities and support for the use of instructional technology for teaching and learning.
  • Continue to improve the information technology infrastructure to provide reliable and high-performance access to the network and online services.
  • Maintain an effective and responsive organizational structure to support administrative information systems and instructional technology.
  • Provide technology leadership for the many college construction projects currently in progress or planned for the future.
  • Research and present to the District new technologies that have the potential to improve teaching and learning or enhance administrative functions
  • Increase utilization and understanding of multi-modal technologies
  • Equity considerations in software requests
  • Active management (accuracy, relevance, and gaps) of technology inventories and technology debt
  • Implement solutions adaptive and flexible to the District’s internal and external trends

Project Management

While the District does not have a formal Project Management Office (PMO), it does incorporate and utilize many of the philosophies and tools typically found within a PMO. Based on collaborative planning and prioritization, the District relies on the use of a shared Project Log that includes prioritization and review on a defined cadence. Additionally, the District and Colleges rely on the use of numerous committees and advisory boards (representing all constituencies - academics, technology, students, faculty, staff, etc.) to plan, align, and prioritize technology requests/projects. The District and each College define 3-5 year technology plans to not only address the core advisory tasks but also actively engage in initiatives that enhance the college's technological landscape, foster equity, and contribute to a technologically advanced and inclusive learning environment. Additionally, the use of Technology Committees helps align and manage the technology landscape with District-wide business strategies.

While each college have nuances with their respective desired outcomes from their technology plans and committees, there is a concerted effort to standardize and maximize synergies to achieve the following:

  • Timely feedback/data from students to improve technology offerings and for a continuous improvement model
  • Increased technology literacy among faculty, students & staff; equity in technology access and usage; and awareness and utilization of student lab facilities.
  • Improved utilization and understanding of multi-modal technologies; clarity and efficiency in technology support processes; technology integration considering multi- modal approaches.
  • Enhanced satisfaction with technology support and training services; equity considerations in software requests; accuracy and relevance of technology inventories; and Informed decision-making through survey insights and contributions to the strategic plan

Assessment and Metrics

ITS for the District and colleges activitely assess their progress and incorporate various tools to compare to desired metrics. ITS continues to utilize surveys of their students, faculty, and staff coupled with feedback mechanisms (e.g., committees, trainings, external trends analysis) to provide a holistic picture as to their effectiveness as a support service provider and potential opportunities for improvement. In addition to measuring constituency satisfaction, ITS also conducts continual identification of gaps in services as well as in technology solutions and maintains them on the Inventory Gap Log.