Maximizing Campus Impact

Strategy #3: Be Productive

Productivity is an obvious strategy for success: the more you do, the more people you have a chance to reach. Impactful centers are productive in particular ways; the type of work done is as important as the volume produced. Strategic projects that have a wide-ranging effect, such as those that can be applied across courses or disciplines, will increase a center's impact on campus. Projects that can be reused or repurposed in whole or in part also have greater impact than custom, one-off solutions.

To maximize the beneficial effects of productivity, look for areas where a single, generalized solution will serve many people. For example, rather than creating individual learning objects for faculty, investigate authoring tools that your center could support, build, or modify to meet the needs of your faculty. Offering training and support for a good tool will allow your center to reach more faculty and work on more projects than building individual learning objects by hand.

It is not enough to only be productive, even if your center consistently turns out high-quality, strategic solutions. You must also show off what you do. Take steps to ensure that your center's accomplishments are reported and celebrated. To extend the success of this strategy, highlight what your clients are doing because of your help, rather than focusing the attention on the center itself. Showcase faculty projects, share success stories in the campus newsletter, and host an open house where the demonstrations are given by enthusiastic faculty.

How to Get There: Suggestions from Directors

As a starting point, take stock of where you are. List the various projects or programs your center is involved in; ask the people who come through to fill out a questionnaire before they leave, or send out brief follow-up surveys, to describe how the results of your work will be used, and by whom; ask key people on campus to list your center's positive contributions, to get a sense of how you are perceived on campus. Request a professional program assessment, if you have access to personnel trained in that area. Once you have identified the areas that need work – whether raising awareness, refocusing efforts on more appropriate projects, or celebrating accomplishments – develop a plan to address it.

• Select projects that are strategic. When you are approached by individual faculty, look for a way that the solution to one problem can be applied to others. In the world of software development, code is often reused to save time and effort. Apply the same principle to your work whenever possible. Look for solutions that address a campus- or system-wide need.
• Build a portfolio of success. Create tearsheets for each of your projects or services. Include a description of what the project is, who will use it, and the work your center is doing; ask clients to give testimonials that you can include. Create annual reports that show off your accomplishments. Keep a gallery of current work online that you can point to when potential clients come to call.
• Market your organization to the campus and to the educational technology community. Market your center by sharing what you've been doing and what you can do. Make it easy for clients to find you and to understand what services you offer. Presentations at conferences and workshops can broaden your audience, and word of mouth is great advertising. Carefully prepared, professional-looking materials will also be beneficial: if your staff does not include a graphic designer, consider hiring one to prepare materials that you plan to distribute, whether in print or online. As is the case with any brand, a center's image is closely tied to its marketing materials.
• Host events that benefit your clients. Making your presence known through workshops, training sessions, and other events will help highlight productivity. A carefully planned yearly open house, advertised well in advance, gives your center the opportunity to share projects with the campus community and provides an excellent venue for introducing yourself to new faculty.