We find that institutions often are aware that they need to upgrade
their information technology infrastructure, support system and
organization, but aren't sure what to do. ECF provides a very effective
but low cost consulting service in designing campus networks for
security and high performance; assisting with incorporating students
into the technical and user support functions of the IT department;
and optimizing the organization of the IT department to provide
the necessary services, and to help campus management place the
IT department in the appropriate position in the organization.
The ECF principals have a great deal of experience in higher education
and information technology in general, over 120 years worth. In
addition, through the campus visits performed to date (over fifty
and growing), we have identified a number of highly qualified information
technology specialists who are enthusiastically available to work
with ECF in designing solutions to problems encountered at other
campuses. ECF carefully observes the performance of these specialists
and matches their capabilities with the characteristics of the problems
at the other organizations. Further information is available upon
request.
A solution to the problem of overworking the campus network support
staff is to have students handle the less demanding but time-consuming
user and technical support problems, so the staff can focus on more
critical issues. Through AN-MSI, ECF has worked for three years
with the Student Technology Services (STS) model, a very effective
approach that that has been implemented at more than 75 colleges
and universities across the nation. The typical STS program employs
students part-time, has a separate operating budget, and is almost
completely self-managed. The STS model works equally well in small
or large settings, including high schools and two-year colleges,
requiring as few as ten students or easily accommodating as many
as 300 student employees. Click here
for a more detailed description of the STS model, and contact information
for the eLearning Consulting Group, where Mr. Douglas serves as
STS Director.
