Jones, D. (2001) Technology Costing Methodology Handbook Boulder, CO: Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications Juwah, C. (2006) Interactive Online Education London: Routledge
Technology Costing Methodology Handbook
About Tony Bates
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
How much money is spent annually in the United States on technology?
Good question, Vicki, and I don’t know the answer. However, the most likely source of information on this is Kenneth Green’s The Campus Computing Project <http://www.campuscomputing.net/2009-campus-computing-survey>.
As a rough estimate (and the figure will vary considerably by size of institution) I would estimate that institutions spend around 10-15% of their operating budget directly on IT, including software, ‘renewable’ equipment such as computers and servers, networks, maintenance and IT support staff. However, there are also indirect costs, such as faculty time spent developing learning materials, for instance, that are not included in that figure. If anyone has better figures or sources, I would love to know about them.
So investment in technology is a major item of expenditure, which makes it all the more important to use it strategically, for major change and improvement, rather than just to support the existing system, where it is much harder to justify the cost.