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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
Educational Report
ETEC 6223 Strategic Planning
Susan E. Hoggard
University of Arkansas
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
Abstract
The final project for ETEC 6223 was to create a technology strategic plan for an
organization. I developed a Technology Strategic Plan for the Tulsa Community College Interior
Design Program. The vision is to expand the interior design program to accommodate the new
and upcoming changes to the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ)
certification exam by expanding the course offerings while maintaining high rigorous academic
standards. The industry certification requirements have created a need to expand the two year
program into a three year program. The technology plan uses the strategic planning methods to
effectively analyze the issues related to the decision to expand the program. The project includes
a technology evaluation, a needs assessment, and a three year implementation plan including a
budget.
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
Project Description
The project for Strategic Planning was to create a technology strategic plan for an
organization. I created a technology plan for the Interior Design Program at Tulsa Community
College. The Interior Design program was chosen for this project as the program was
considering upgrading the program significantly.
Early in the project the stakeholders were identified who were involved with the interior
design program. Stakeholders are critical components in the project as they provide important
detailed information regarding their role within the interior design program.
Next, a vision statement was created that could guide the department. The following
vision was written: Our vision is to expand the interior design program to accommodate the new
and upcoming changes to the National Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certification exam
by expanding our course offerings while maintaining high rigorous academic standards.
Next, a technology evaluation was conducted. A technology evaluation will focus on
“what is” at the present time. First, I conducted a detailed inventory of existing equipment.
Specific details regarding the type of computers in use including the processor, hard drive space,
amount of RAM, video card type, and operating system. I also evaluated peripheral equipment
such as plotters and laser printers. The technology evaluation also included the software owned
including the version and the number of site licenses owned. I also evaluated existing furniture
in each classroom including chairs, lighting, and projection systems.
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
Another aspect of the technology plan evaluated was the list of part time faculty members
currently employed and their specific credentials. The goal was to determine the skill sets we
have at the present time with the existing faculty. It was determined the existing computers are
satisfactory at the present time. Also, it was determined the existing faculty are very highly
qualified and have additional skill sets as well. Existing furniture is also satisfactory.
Another aspect of the evaluation plan included the existing course curriculum. TCC
currently only offers enough courses to graduate students with a two year degree in interior
design. TCC does not offer enough courses to offer a three year degree program. A three year
degree program will be necessary in the year 2018 in order to satisfy the NCIDQ certification
requirements. The gap in the existing program is driving this entire project. The evaluation
process determined we will be lacking in course requirements in the near future. The end result is
the program must be expanded to meet certification requirements.
Another aspect of the technology evaluation included the articulation agreement between
the University of Oklahoma and TCC. The agreement provides students with a nice transition for
those who want to relocate and obtain a bachelors in interior design. One aspect of the evaluation
investigated any threats to the program. Outside competition was considered and determined not
a serious threat at this time. The largest concern is what would happen if TCC does not move
forward and expand the program.
Next, a needs assessment was conducted to determine what needs are necessary to obtain
our goal of expanding the interior design program. It was determined the existing program was
fully utilizing all equipment including classroom space, computers, software, and even faculty.
It was determined, in an effort to expand the program, many additional needs would be
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
necessary. There would be a need for additional computers, classroom space, faculty and
software in order to increase the course offerings.
Next, an action plan for the interior design program was developed to help TCC meet the
new and upcoming changes to the INTD certification program. The action plan includes the
expanding the program and adding additional course options. TCC will change the degree
program from a two year program to a three year program. Approximately, seven new courses
will be implemented into the degree program.
A three year technology plan including a budget is included in the strategic plan. The
budget includes supplies and materials, travel, repair maintenance, furniture, IT needs, HR needs.
Throughout the three year plan, regular evaluations will continue to ensure everything is
progressing properly. The SWOT analysis will be part of the ongoing evaluation process
knowing external factors could create a change at any time dramatically impacting our decision
making process. Stakeholders will stay close in touch with the project manager and
communicate the status of the existing technology plan. An annual update including a Gantt
chart is appropriate to maintain adequate communication regarding the project.
I chose this project for my e-Portfolio because the final project met many ETEC
standards specifically in the area of Management and Evaluation. This course particularly
caught my attention immediately as it slowly relates to my first bachelor degree in Management
Science and Computer Systems. I remember studying about project management in IT. I served
as a Coordinator of Computer Technology for nine years so I experienced many of processes
involved in this course first hand. This final project is an example of the type of work I’ve done
over the years. Overall, implementing computer technology is a passion of mine and something
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
I enjoy doing. The example I chose for my final project, the interior design program, is a
discipline within my Business and Information Technology Division at TCC. I highly desire for
the program to be successful.
Standard 4 MANAGEMENT
Substandard 4.1 Demonstrate ability to utilize project management techniques during the
creation and implementation of instructional technologies.
This project required use of project management techniques as this was the design of the
course. The project required me to choose a project and establish stakeholders. The project
required I create a vision statement and begin the process of evaluating technology needs. The
project also required a needs assessment to determine gaps. An action plan was created along
with a three year detailed budget and timeline. A plan for communication with everyone
involved was developed in an effort to keep the technology plan on time and budget. Also, a
SWOT analysis is performed regularly to ensure the project is on target and make any necessary
adjustments. All these project management techniques demonstrate the importance of project
management and the implementation of a long term technology plan. Without careful planning
and oversight of the project, gaps may appear and the project may fall behind schedule or go
over budget. The goal of a project manager is to successfully implement the project and ensure
the overall project goal is achieved.
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
Substandard 4.2 Demonstrate ability to effectively manage projects with multiple
components. This includes the ability to budget, evaluate, and further the project.
The technology plan for the TCC interior design program was exhaustive and included
multiple components. The project included stakeholders, part time faculty, OU faculty, and TCC
staff. The plan required extensive evaluation of the existing status of the program and the
curriculum. We chose to upgrade the program to a three year program after a careful study of the
new changes to the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certification
exam. The technology plan involved an evaluation of existing computer equipment, staff, and
facilities. The three year project included a budget and methods to continue to evaluate the
process to ensure the project stays on target. The budget is tracked by the business division office
staff, the interior design faculty member, and me. The budget is updated several times
throughout the semester using Excel. The interior design faculty and I review the budget
throughout the semester and estimate future expenses each semester. Every January the faculty
requests needs for the upcoming academic year so the needs are carefully evaluated annually.
Regular communication with stakeholders and an annual report is distributed to keep everyone
up to date on the progress. The project involved numerous individuals from areas in the industry.
The project also needed to be approached from various angles such as from the student
perspective, from the University perspective, from the TCC perspective, as well as from the
hiring employers of the TCC graduates perspective. A comprehensive and through evaluation
was critical to the final decision making aspect of this project. Each semester the advisors meet
with the interior design faculty member. Throughout the three year project the project is
discussed, evaluated, and updated. New courses are added to the curriculum each year and the
advisors review the course descriptions and objectives of the course.
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
Substandard 4.3 Demonstrate ability to manage multiple resources. This includes the
ability to justify the allocation of funds, document cost effectiveness, and the utilization of
staff, time, supplies, and/or instructional resources.
This technology plan recommends the purchase of additional computer equipment, obtain
additional software, obtain use of additional facilities, and potentially acquire additional staff.
The needs analysis determined the existing equipment is fully utilized. A careful review of the
room utilization reports assessed the existing classrooms for interior design. The report reflects
the Business Division is making good use of the classroom space available. The report also
reflects the Business Division will need to acquire additional computers and classroom space in
order to expand the interior design course offerings. The needs analysis reviewed the existing
software the interior design program currently owns. We determined the interior design program
needs to make updating the software such as AutoCAD a priority. The updated software allows
students to remain current in their field of study. The use of Photoshop is a resource shared with
the computer science discipline and documents resourcefulness on our part. Essentially, the
division is saving money, by sharing the software between two disciplines and demonstrates cost
effectiveness. Adobe products are very expensive so the sharing of software by adjusting
classroom scheduling shows good use of the dollars we already have. The project requires good
organization and documentation of software ownership including licenses and versions. Also, it
is important to document specifically which computers have the different types of software. The
division software, including location the software is installed, is documented and stored in a safe
location in the business office. In some cases the interior design program is already using older
versions of Photoshop, in an effort to converse dollars. The project also requires management of
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
the interior design lab including part time staff and supplies such as caring for the plotter and the
maintenance agreements. The part time interior design employee provides assistance in
maintaining records including inventory and student records and projects. The part time
employee also provides assistance maintaining the interior design showcase and maintains the
interior design lab including the equipment. All resources owned by the interior design program
are carefully monitored by the existing staff.
Substandard 4.4 Demonstrate ability to implement and manage various delivery systems
of instructional technology. This includes the ability to attend to hardware and software
requirements, technical support for both users and developers, and process issues such as
guidelines for learners, instructors, and support personnel.
The technology plan includes travel to market field trips enabling students and interior
design staff to stay abreast of current trends in interior design. We chose to implement these trips
since they are very beneficial to students as they learn about current products available and learn
about the purchasing process. The trips ensure students receive practical hands-on instruction in
the field of interior design. The type of experience a student receives from attending one of these
field trips is invaluable. An actual field trip such as a trip to market is a delivery system in that
this is the only way a student can really experience what it is like to attend market and
understand how an interior designer remains current in the field. We feel attending market
provides a way for students to see the latest trends in design, meet experienced designers, and
take a guided tour by the TCC interior design instructor. The technology plan also includes use
of Blackboard to implement additional online courses. Technology training may be taken
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
advantage of through in-house training through TCC. The hardware and software requirements
of Blackboard, technical support, and support for end users are a service provided by the TCC IT
support team. The interior design program benefits from the services IT provides immensely
including the technical support for students, full time faculty and part time faculty. As course
developers we receive training through the TCC Distance Learning Department. There will be no
additional expense for any Blackboard training taken through TCC. The course developer(s)
may only be the full time interior design faculty member employed by TCC.
Standard 5 EVALUATION
Substandard 5.1 Demonstrate ability to use both formative and summative strategies to
evaluate the quality of instruction.
Both formative and summative strategies were used to evaluate quality of instruction. A survey
was created and communicated via email to stakeholders as a summative strategy to evaluate
effectiveness of the interior design program including quality of instruction, curriculum,
computers, and other resources available to staff. The feedback was very helpful in developing
the technology plan. For example, the faculty shared the need for more AutoCAD licensing.
The formative assessment was used during the meeting with stakeholders and again with some
interior design faculty. The session essentially requested feedback from each participant as the
new curriculum was developed. The advisors for the program shared helpful information in
regards to the needs of the Tulsa area. Tulsa business need certified interior designers. Tulsa
businesses also need specific skill sets and TCC can help train students in these areas such as
kitchen design. Our goal is to build a program at TCC enabling students to become certified
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
designers, but also to meet the needs of the Tulsa community employers. It has been satisfying to
see many of the students employed in the Tulsa community as interior designers.
Substandard 5.2 Demonstrate ability to identify and implement appropriate learning
measurements or assessment instruments.
I am including a document listing the new courses for the interior design program at
TCC. This document was created as a result of the implementation of the new three year degree
program. The advisors, the interior design faculty, and I reviewed the NCIDQ requirements and
determined specifically which new courses TCC needed to implement. The new courses created
are now listed on the degree program. I am also including a document describing all the current
course offerings. These documents demonstrate appropriate learning measurements as these are
now the required courses for graduation. The Photoshop for Interior Design course was created
during this interior design program upgrade. The course was developed by our Photoshop
instructor in Computer Science. The Interior Design advisory committee and myself reviewed
the content to ensure the curriculum was appropriate for the program. The students use the
Photoshop course to learn how to take their design projects to a new “level” meaning really
enhancing the projects appearance. The class has been taught now for two years. The projects
are now more robust and are really top notch in terms of quality. It is now very apparent the
Photoshop course has already enhanced the students learning experiences in the interior design
program. Completing the required course work from TCC qualifies a student to sit for the
NCIDQ exam. Completing of the NCIDQ enables the student to work as a certified interior
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
designer. The final and most important assessment is the ability of a student to successfully
complete the NCIDQ exam.
Substandard 5.3 Demonstrate ability to develop an assessment plan to show evidence of
an instructional problem or opportunity for organizational growth.
The technology plan clearly shows opportunity for growth for the Interior Design
program at Tulsa Community College. The existing curriculum consisted of a two year program.
The Interior Design Advisory board reviewed the program standards along with the TCC Interior
Design faculty to assess the state of the Interior Design Program at TCC. The interior design
faculty at TCC presented to the advisors the new NCIDQ standards. The assessment considered
the industry standards and upcoming changes to certification requirements, and a gap was clearly
identified in the program beginning year 2018 when the NCIDQ certification guidelines
expanded. After reviewing the existing curriculum and circumstances related to certification,
clearly TCC needs to expand the interior design program to accommodate the NCIDQ
certification requirements. The TCC faculty, advisors, and Business Division administration
agree the college needs to conduct a needs assessment and determine what exactly needs to be
done to ensure the program stays on track. This technology plan used a technology evaluation
and needs assessment to put together a plan to grow the program at TCC into a three year
program allowing students to graduate and sit for the NCIDQ certification. The interior design
program has been growing each year and is in high demand. The needs assessment clearly
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
indicates the room for growth of this program. The analysis clearly determined the immediate
need to expand the program to meet the NCIDQ requirements. We determined if we did not
upgrade the program within a period of time the TCC program would lose value and potential
new students. As a result of the upgrade, more students are becoming interested in the interior
design program at TCC. Beginning fall 2014 there is now a waiting list for students eager to
begin their interior design studies. The result of our study has proven to be very beneficial to the
interior design program. We are very pleased with the results of our study and the program
upgrade.
Substandard 5.4 Demonstrate ability to develop a long-range plan for the advancing of
technology in an organization or institution.
The technology plan put together a three year plan for implementing necessary
curriculum to satisfy the NCIDQ certification exam. The plan included additional computer and
software purchases, obtaining an additional classroom, and seeking additional part time faculty.
The technology plan includes a budget as well as procedures to ensure the project stays on time
and budget. The process creating the long-range plan was exhaustive and included stakeholders,
meetings, and plenty of research. The attached three year time line with the implementation plan
demonstrates the long-range plan for improving the technology in the interior design program at
TCC.
Development: Substandard 2.4 Demonstrate ability to use Flash and/or similar types of
computer-based software to create interactive media presentations.
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
I created a PowerPoint presentation including audio and posted the presentation on
YouTube. The PowerPoint essentially is an overview of the entire interior design project. The
presentation describes the program degree and the need for the increased number of hours for
graduation. The PowerPoint allows students and other stakeholders in the program to learn more
specifically about the decisions and reasons behind upgrading the program. The program inspires
stakeholders and students to “buy into” the program upgrade. The PowerPoint served well as a
tool to present to the administration and part time faculty the specific reasons behind the program
upgrade. The presentation was a good information resource sharing system. The PowerPoint is
valuable as it allows anyone interested in the program to understand the history behind the
program upgrade. The YouTube video is interactive in that students are able to push buttons to
play, pause and fast forward through the video. The video viewing size may be adjusted as well
as the volume. There is a place for comments below the video in YouTube.
I am including a link to my presentation. I hope you enjoy it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzvCdXlXj5s
REFLECTION
The final project I created for Strategic Planning course allowed me to reflect on many
different levels. First, I was able to reflect back to my days at Oklahoma State and remember my
Management Information Systems courses and some of the projects completed while an
undergraduate student. The Management Information Systems courses I took at Oklahoma State
allowed me an opportunity to learn about project management. I remember creating class
projects where I designed a computer system upgrade for a local company in Stillwater.
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
Secondly, this project allowed me to reflect on projects I was charged with while serving as
Coordinator of Computer Technology for nine years. I have used project management to plan
computer rollouts and deploy upgrades to the computers on my campus. I am used to managing a
staff of employees, articulating a plan, establishing a budget, and making sure the plan is
successful. Planning a computer rollout for approximately one thousand computers requires a lot
of planning. I have used Microsoft Project to create Gantt charts to ensure my projects stay on
time and budget. Thirdly, I was able to see existing projects at TCC and connect with the
processes taking place around me at work. An example is the new ERP system integration
project. This class served as a capstone for me as I was able to pull from past experiences as well
as current experiences. I was able to identify the processes taking place and compare them to
existing projects I worked with over the years. I’m sure the next time I am involved in a large
project, I will be mindful of the importance of conducting a technology evaluation, conducting a
needs assessment, developing an action plan, as well as implementing a time line for completion
of the project.
The interior design program at TCC was going through huge change so I immediately
knew I could get involved and help. I was able to take this course project and quickly put to use
my new and current knowledge. I was able to provide assistance to the interior design faculty
member and closely work with her as we put together a three year plan to expand the program.
She was very grateful for the advice I gave her and welcomed our discussions and my
suggestions.
It is very satisfying to me now as I see the interior design program thriving and migrating
into the new three year program. The program has been approved by the TCC cabinet and is
moving forward! I have been able to stay in touch with the interior design faculty and discuss
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EDUCATIONAL REPORT ETEC 6223
the ongoing project even though I completed the course in 2012. The new course rotation
schedule is posted and students this fall semester begin to matriculate with the new curriculum.
It makes me feel good to know I was able to provide assistance to the young faculty
member who was struggling with the details of implementing this huge change. It makes me feel
good to know our plan was approved. It also makes me feel good to know students in the Tulsa
area have a respected community college to attend if they want to become a certified interior
designer.
I have learned the methods for evaluating and conducting needs assessment is very
important. The goal setting and justification analysis created in the technology plan served us
well. The class proved to be very beneficial to me. I expect to use the skills I learned in the class
on future projects in my career at TCC. AT this time I am unaware of any large projects I will be
managing as my emphasis for now is on teaching my classes.