IT Systems Strategy – The Case of Oxford University

Introduction

The United Kingdom has a rich history of providing quality higher education to students, with well-funded institutions using many resources to enrich their students. The integration of information technology into teaching has allowed universities in the UK to provide students with a technologically advanced environment to learn through continuous innovation. One such university that will be the focus of this report is Oxford University. The university is famous for being one of the oldest higher education institutes in the country. The following report will provide an overview of Oxford University. A critical response catered to the University’s top management team for taking an outsourcing strategy to improve their IT services and profiting.

Overview of Oxford University

History

Oxford University has been teaching in some form since 1096 and is the oldest university in the English-speaking world (Oxford 2017). According to Oxford University, there is no clear date that establishes the foundation of the institute. Still, it quickly began its intake in 1167 when King Henry II banned students from England from attending the University of Paris. Oxford University has been synonymous with controversy, with many of its scholars being involved in disputes of religious and political nature. Examples of this include John Wyclif, who campaigned for a Bible in the vernacular against the papacy’s wishes (Oxford 2017). Later on, the University became a leader in the Victorian era, with the Oxford Movement looking to invigorate the Anglican Church’s Catholic characteristics (Oxford 2017). It was only by 1878 that academic halls for women were established in the university and were admitted as full members by 1920. Since 2008, Oxford University has admitted both men and women.

Mission and Objectives

According to the university, its vision is to be recognized as an institution that delivers world-class facilities to produce world-class research, teaching, and learning. Oxford University has a range of long term aims and objectives. One of the university’s main missions is to provide education and training of outstanding quality at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The core of this can be achieved by strengthening Oxford’s research base by identifying new areas of study and research “for development and enhancement, responding to contemporary developments in both the intellectual and national environment” (Oxford 1998, 4). Each year the university sends a Strategic Plan covering its four years of operations to the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Hence, the objectives of the university changed over the years. Currently, the university has outlined the following as its main objectives for 2013 to 2018;

• Develop the university’s capacity to generate and share knowledge through the world by contributing to policy-making and economic growth.
• Collaborating with other institutions and organizations to lead research and teaching.
• Continue to contribute to the culture and socio-economic life of the city of Oxford and the surrounding region.
• Ensure that no potential student is deterred from applying to a course at Oxford due to financial circumstances and difficulties.

Leadership and Management

Oxford University’s leadership and management structure are reflective of its long history. The university’s governance structure is made up of a congregation that is a sovereign body of the university. It has over 5,000 members and is responsible for approving changes to the university’s statutes and regulations, considers major policy changes, elects members to the council and other university bodies, and approves the appointment of vice-chancellors (Oxford 2017). Oxford also has a council that acts as the university’s principal executive and policy-making body. The council is responsible for the academic policy and strategic direction, administration, and the management of its property and finances (Oxford 2017).

IT Strategy Planning & IT tools at Oxford University

The current strategic plan for Oxford with regards to information technology includes enhancing its online presence. The university is planning on positioning itself to engage rapidly and effectively with digital initiatives created by its staff, students, and alumni. The purpose of investing more in digital technology is to direct people seeking knowledge about any academic study area to appropriate work carried out at Oxford. The university also proposes to develop its globally available teaching resources and collections for distance-taught students around the world and learners everywhere.

Furthermore, the university is planning on extending its network of libraries and museums to learn and engage with the available resources. Oxford is planning on digitizing access to its collections. It is also planning on increasing its public engagement on regional, national, and global scales by promoting programs of events and exhibitions of its museums, galleries, and scientific collections by using the internet, social media, and other forms of innovative modes of transmission (Oxford 2017). Lastly, the strategic plan for 2013-2018 included the “Oxford Open Access” used to enhance the university’s Oxford Research Archive (ORA) by making it a permanent and secure online archive of research materials produced by the members of Oxford University. The university is also planning to enhance all infrastructure related to research, including libraries, laboratories, museums, and information systems.