The OneIT process will produce a set of strategic recommendations by November 1, 2017, but projects don't stop while planning happens. This page highlights current IT projects that fit the spirit of On IT through innovation, enhancing IT services, and fostering partnerships across organizational boundaries.
Student success technologies
More than two dozen technology projects focused on enhancing student services and success are slated to be completed within the next two years. Student success projects include implementation of a new course catalog, advising and academic planning tools, and paperless processes in Admissions and the Registrar's Office. The projects are a collaboration of multiple units across campus, including Central Information Technology, the Office for Student Success, the Registrar's Office, Admissions, and Student Affairs IT.
Student success technologies projects
Mobile app development
UM launched a mobile app during the past academic year and continues to develop high-value services that can be delivered effectively on smartphones and tablets. The app integrates content and functionality from Moodle, provides access to grades, and features popular tiles such as the Food Zoo menu, the UDash bus schedule and hours of operation of offices and businesses on campus.
UM will engage in a pilot project in Fall 2017 to use the mobile app for student attendance tracking with the goal of enhancing student success and meeting compliance requirements.
UMontana mobile app
IT service management (ITSM) solution
Multiple campus departments are partnering on selecting, funding and implementing a campus-wide IT service management solution. The solution that has been chosen is TeamDynamix (TDX) for Higher Ed, that will provide an online portal to request IT services and support, as well as self-help tools and content.
TDX includes enterprise service management options for facilities, human resources and project management, which offers additional opportunities for integrating and consolidating access to campus services and support.
Software asset management
Central IT has taken on the role of leading software licencing management strategies by providing software asset management tools and resources to campus.
Software asset management is a business practice that involves managing and optimizing the purchase, deployment, maintenance, utilization, distribution and disposal of software applications within an organization.
Software asset management site
Cascade 8 CMS upgrade
A project to upgrade the Cascade web content management system used by most departments is in progress this summer. The go-live date is scheduled for August 1.
Cascade 8 upgrade and beta access
Support discussions with academic units
As academic units are dealing with budget challenges and staffing changes, the central IT organization is reaching out to discuss support strategies. Central IT currently provides primary tech support to The College of Education and Human Sciences, Missoula College and Bitterroot College.
Central IT funding model
Central IT is pursuing significant changes to its funding model to ensure that IT funding is sustainable, equitable, and allows the University to meet growing academic, administrative and research IT needs. As of July 1, 2017, IT discontinued monthly departmental chargebacks on network ports and telephone connections.
Network and telephone chargebacks have constituted a significant part of Information Technology's operating budget for many years, but revenue has dropped 35 percent over the past three years as departments have discontinued telephone service in favor of personal cell phones and opted to have employees connect to the UM network wirelessly rather than through a hardwired network port. While those strategies helped units meet budget challenges, they did not produce overall savings for UM and had a detrimental impact on productivity and services.
A new funding model will rely on allocations from each sector. For FY18, those allocations will be based on historical data and predicted billing.