MOREnet Impact Assessment

www.more.net | University of MissouriCopyright ©2005 MOREnet and The Curators of the University of Missouri

MOREnet Impact Assessment

Tempe, ArizonaFebruary 10, 2005

Dr. Bill ElderDr. Tracy Dranginis

University of Missouri--ColumbiaOffice of Social and Economic Data Analysis

StateNets Meeting


What we did to assess impact

• Built engagement -- project advisory committee• Developed State Team -- MOREnet & OSEDA• Developed preliminary logic models -- four• Conducted stakeholder analysis -- 110 persons• Conducted & analyzed focus groups -- 8 regional• Defined 9 case studies -- individual interviewing • Continue to refine models….

– Define and measure impacts (quantitative & qualitative)

– Gather comparative cost and network information


Four Basic Logic Models

• Connectivity• Distance Learning and eMeetings• On-line resources• Customer Services…

– Technical support– Consulting– Training– Security


What key findings do we have• Not done yet… March• MOREnet highly regarded -- connectivity and

customer services• Cost avoidance a major factor for members• Measuring alternative costs is difficult• Preliminary estimates suggest MOREnet

collaborative creates $ 2 million net annual savings for connectivity alone

• MOREnet promotes productive institution building (MERC, MOBIUS, eMINTs) -- relationships matter


Core Focus Group Findings• Reliable, robust, and secure connectivity

“They would rather have water service off for 24 hours than the Internet service off.”

• Economic value “I love the deal I get from MOREnet.”

• Partner in Education “They know our business.”

• Institutional consortium “Can make things happen.”

• Legislative advocacy “Our budgets would be different.”

• Customer service and technical support “They have the expertise and experience to solve problems quickly.” [….because they run a network]


Assessing Impacts

• Will have rich descriptions from models

• Case Studies to highlight impact of models

• But, most information available is not “impact” so we are working on new impact measures.

• For example -- Connectivity Model

Awareness of options and advantages of backbone access

Cost effective access for customers

Reliability

Increased awareness of issues concerning security

Secure access

Use, access, and utilization

Improves internal monitoring and management

Enhanced instructional technologies available

Ability to serve more students clients

Staff resources

Financial resources

Equipment & tangibles

Partnerships

Research into technological innovations

INPUTS

Deliver connections

Customer service

Quality of service

Aggregation capability

Research

Educational conferences

Partnership building

Negotiate & manage costs

OUTPUTSActivities

OUTCOMES Short-term Medium-term Long-term

Inter-institutional customer collaborations

Increased utilization of services & products

Added e-commerce applications

Alumni support

Increased leverage for researchers to grant, foundation, contact funding

Classrooms w/o walls

Technology savvy, better educated graduates

A more competitive MO workforce

Using technology to create life-long self-learners

Accessibility beyond traditional students

Institutional access to technology regardless of institutional resources

Cost avoidance - Savings differential by public or private institution

Statewide broadband build-out

Number and percentage increase in enrollment in distance education

Connectivity-based or –oriented collaboration by institutions of Higher Education for teaching, research, and advocacy purposes

Measures



Increased use of adaptive technologies by disabled Missourians

Measures



Increased use of adaptive technologies by disabled Missourians

Increase in number & percentage of Missouri businesses, jobs, and earnings in high tech industries

Measures

Assumptions:- Customer Institutions, their faculty, staff and students, need & want the services MoreNet delivers.

- Access to information technology increases social capital which, in turn, increases student’s financial capital.

- Customers want fast, reliable, supported connectivity at lowest possible cost with related services available at the lowest possible cost.

External Factors: - State of technology- Variations in resources among customer institutions- Increased need for higher-level security.

Logic Model:Connectivity


How have findings been useful

• Too soon to know—final report in March• State context more interesting than

ever…– Key leadership changes– FY06 Missouri State Budget is bleak– State IT consolidation underway

• Framed some additional key issues that expanded scope of project especially relating to next generation network


New policy questions framed• Policy issues that arose…

– Scale and Scope of Net• Current MOREnet, more smaller nets or bigger net

– Forms of Technology (dark fiber, wireless)– Governance Structures (multiple domains--interests)– Network Management (public – private)– Public Financing (fees, direct appropriations, other)

• Need for comparative national data• Need to estimate alternative costs & savings


What will we be doing next

• Finalize models• Specify quantitative measures• Complete case studies of qualitative

impacts• Complete final report and presentations• Launch similar work for libraries and K12


MOREnet Impact Assessment

Tempe, ArizonaFebruary 10, 2005

Dr. Bill ElderDr. Tracy Dranginis

University of Missouri--ColumbiaOffice of Social and Economic Data Analysis

StateNets Meeting

Documents

MOREnet Impact Assessment