QUESTION:
What is needed to better equip colleges with adequate staff to support instructional use of technology? What are appropriate staffing numbers/positions? What are are the enticements that would keep valuable staff from leaving for "greener" pastures?

e.g. hiring process, job descriptions, consistent titles/pay scales, attractions for jobs, district support?

IDEAS:

1. Cross training to teach specialized skills to existing staff
2. Training with commitment to years of service (with contract to keep it binding) => Entice
3. Ratios: number of computers per person; student: teachers
4. Student interns in labs; pay them higher rate than other CWS
5. Enticement: $, competitive salary; salary schedule competitive to industry for technicians
6. Training program delivered in variety of different formats
7. Formula based ratio for amount of technology and support
8. Non-competitive clause in MCCD--don't poach from each other
9. Hiring at entry level appears to be equitable, but after they are trained we lose them because no increase in pay
10. Technology classification in pay scale
11. Have in-house technical training institute to certify our employees
12. Cross-train and develop own partnership among college for resource and personnel sharing
13. Professional growth opportunity for tech staff
14. Number needed varies based on services, staffing, needs, etc., need to assess and strategic plan that support such
15. Hays assessment missed technology concerns
16. Good benefits, especially education; also flexible work schedules
17. Use student internships as both a "grow-your-own" and augmenting of existing staff
18. Identify the ratios used in private industry and at universities expressing proper staffing levels to number of desktops, total technology $, applications supported, etc.
19. Administrative and executive buy-in to idea that, operational $ should be increased and balanced to cap $
20. Keep good people by "Intel-like" sabbaticals (mandatory, every 7 years); ask employees what benefits they want; training; telecommuting
21. Reassess salary levels and industry standards for numbers of workers, etc. to compete with business and industry
22. Recognition of value of existing staff; be more flexible with work hours and duties; allow more independence
23. Support professional growth
24. Find out what incentives are important to individuals
25. Cross-training of all workers and (??) jobs on a formal basis
26. Career path; grow our own technology workers
27. Support for CTCs for experimenting with instructional technology
28. Reward (variety of ways) faculty for using CTLs to learn and same for support staff
29. Research and find colleges/universities with success in staffing levels
30. Informal bench-marking and visiting other colleges in our district and outside our district for staffing levels and positions
31. Identify researchers at League technology conference in October 98 and get a copy of their study on support of technology
32. Provide variety in assignments, flexible work environment
33. Provide on-going training, support, and tools (cell-phone, paper, computer for home)
34. Decide how many staff you need, then double it
35. Rewrite job descriptions and salary schedule
36. Have clear mission plan for technology and instruction
37. Enticement: appreciation, rewards systems, flexible schedules, dollars, access to resources, offer growth opportunities
38. Elevate technical level of faculty/staff to enable more self-sufficiency; mentoring (empowerment); reassigned time for faculty training
39. Cross-training as a way to staff where needed during peak times
40. Develop ratios based on: number of computers, programs, year
41. Staffing requests tied to technology requests and vice versa
42. Track technology staff movement: are they going to other Maricopa colleges or leaving the district? If there is a net loss, then salaries must be increased
43. The amount of technical support will vary with the courses, skills, and knowledge of the faculty
44. There are inequities among colleges, there needs to be equity; driven by FTSE and college size; larger colleges are more financially efficient
45. Recruitment dollars; remove IT from restructure salary schedule (MAT)
46. Depends on student head count and other needs of campus
47. Formula based on number of machines
48. "Grow more grass"
49. New employee group "Technology"; accurate job descriptions and career path
50. Work environment, telecommute, flex work hours
51. Budget
52. Cross-training; job enrichment
53. Internships--number of staff to meet our need based on customer satisfaction surveys
54. Adequate number of positions/lines
55. Adequate quality and nature of preparation of staff
56. New positions, revise existing job descriptions
57. New system of rating job descriptions
58. Adequate pay
59. Adequate number staffing
60. Training--send to training sessions
61. Tools to do the job
62. Work environment/recognize staff
63. Job security
64. Invite staff to be on technology committees
65. Ratio of computers to techs, ratio of students to techs
66. On-going training for new managers/supervisors
67. Recognize/reward current employees to retain them
68. Re/staffing numbers track the current and predict future needs
69. Maintain satisfying and exciting work environment where employees feel involved
70. Separate our technology staff from PSA and MAT manual
71. Tie staffing to number of units--use a formula
72. Link fund 7 to fund 1--staffing per units
73. Provide more incentives to work for us--flex time, cafe benefits, ability to work from home
74. Use English faculty (see Margaret's article) and grow our own students
75. Support should be for whole campus, not just instructional
76. A plan is needed before staffing needs are determined; levels of support need to be determined
77. Competitive pay, cultivating student workers
78. Treat staff as professionals
79. Base pay on workload
80. Training--staff and faculty, $
81. Staffing based on campus size
82. Support both morally and politically, money
83. Do management training, learn people skills, communication, job training skills
84. More flexible schedules
85. Offer more challenging assignments; newer equipment, job training
86. Dual career paths, management or technical--offer opportunity for both
87. Mentor relationships
88. Crew needs more respect from rest of college community
89. Publicize current stable job environment--entice new employees
90. Offer recruitment bonus
91. Funding for internal and external technology communication and customer service training
92. Frontline 50:1 (per UCLA)d
93. Less stress, career path, professional development and training, give bonuses, creative funding and resources, telecommuting, flex scheduling, more contract employees
94. Carl Center Model can be used to develop a ratio model
95. Develop a staffing formula
96. Contract out support
97. Apprenticeship programs
98. A template of an organizational structure, what is an ideal unit of services
99. Centralized technology support for colleges--training, grow your own
100. Training and development programs for technical people
101. Make assessment/self-study skills available
102. Commitment to instructional use of technology and then funds to support
103. Rationale needed for use of technology--cost/benefit analysis needs
104. Mechanism to share technology uses at various colleges
105. Staffing in proportion to technology usage
106. Money, time, recognition, and access to resources throughout district, staff development opportunities, friendly working environment
107. Hire service to facilitate technology (outsource)