Evaluation of the TU/e notebook program
Marian de VaanUniversity of Groningen
MSc BA Specialization General Management
MSc Business Administration June, 2008 Vorrinklaan 33 5237 BN ’s-Hertogenbosch 06 - 2042 3052 m.j.d.vaan@tue.nl Student number: 1673645 Supervisors
Prof.dr. E.W. Berghout
Faculty of Economics & Business University of Groningen
Dr.ir. R.P. Waterham Director Dienst ICT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This report presents the findings of a research on IT evaluation methods, which was
conducted by a case study on the notebook program of Eindhoven University of Technology. The research was part of my study at the University of Groningen and had to lead to my graduation. I was asked by the director of the IT Service organization of Eindhoven
University of Technology to perform an evaluation on the notebook program of the university and performed the research between December 2007 and June 2008. Although Business & ICT was not a part of my education program, I took the opportunity to perform the evaluation because I, like my client, believe that it is necessary to evaluate any IT/IS system or
infrastructural facility that is of significant influence on the organization.
The assignment took place under the auspices of the director of IT Services dr. ir. R.P. Waterham, who in spite of his busy agenda always made time free when I needed some extra information. He also introduced me to his colleagues at other universities I researched for the benefit of the evaluation. I would like to thank him for his cooperation. I also would like to express my gratitude to the directors of the IT service organization of the universities I visited for this research. All the people at the University of Eindhoven that were willing to help me out with the questions I had regarding the effects of the notebook program deserve my gratitude. All my colleagues IT coordinators about the effects on their jobs and activities, and the employees of the various departments that spoke to me about the effects on the education program. Moreover great support I received of Francis and Steven of the Centre for
Communication, Language and Technology; they made it possible to fulfill one of my wishes in this assignment: to write it in English, I thank them for that support.
Prof.dr. Egon Berghout was my supervisor of the University of Groningen. I couldn’t have wished for anyone better; he is one of the authorities in the field of IT evaluation. His
knowledge helped me to achieve a good result with the evaluation and supported the process. Finally I would like to thank my colleagues, family and friends, and fellow students for their support in various ways. My special thank goes to my husband and buddy Piet, without his encouragement and moral support I would never have come so far in this relatively short period of time.
MANAGEMENT SUMMARY
This report presents the research that has been conducted to determine whether a chosen IT evaluation method that is developed as an IT investment method is also suitable to perform an ex post evaluation. The evaluation itself was executed on the notebook program of Eindhoven University of Technology. The underlying research question was:
What is the result of the evaluation of the notebook program at Eindhoven University of Technology after the selection of a suitable method?
Before a choice for an evaluation method could be made, a literature research was conducted, in which various categories of IT evaluation methods were investigated. The result of the literature research was, besides the acquirement of basic knowledge about these categories, the choice of New Information Economics (NIE) as the method to be used to perform the evaluation. After that decision and before the actual performance of the evaluation the method was studied thoroughly, and the elements that were applicable for an ex post evaluation were selected. As a result of that selection the Alignment Practice and the Performance
Measurement Practice were utilized to perform the evaluation.
The notebook program of Eindhoven University of Technology consists of a notebook, however, also includes the accompanying IT infrastructure, applications like an electronic learning system to support the education programs, supportive services like service desks, and the provisioning of notebooks to students with a financial contribution of the university. Although the idea existed that the notebook program is an expensive way to fulfill the strategic intention of providing students with IT facilities any place and any time, the
evaluation indicates otherwise. The results of the financial evaluation indicate that, because of the use of notebooks to fulfill the strategic intention, a cost reduction of 1,675,000€ occurs. Besides this cost reduction on hardware, the notebook program attracted more students in the first two years of its implementation. That number of first-year students did not decrease, and increases contribution from the authorities with 7,539,075€ for the first two years after implementation of the program..
Due to the knowledge students acquire by managing and operation their own notebook the number of IT support staff was lower compared with the other universities, as a result Eindhoven supports more workplaces per fte support staff.
Also regarding the other effects the evaluation was positive. Even though communication by electronic means is common nowadays, the evaluation indicated that the use of those means did occur earlier in time and increased further because notebooks were part of the integral IT facilities. To investigate this effect a small sample of TU/e students was asked to fill in a questionnaire and teachers were asked questions regarding communication during interviews. The third aspect measured was the competitive advantage Eindhoven University of
Technology was gained from the notebook program. The internal evaluation indicated that in the first two years after the implementation of the notebook program a significant increase in first-year students occurred, respectively 13% and 17%. But to determine if it was really ascribable to the notebook program, and not a coincidence of simply more students enrolling in a technical education program a benchmark with the other technical universities was performed. This benchmark was restricted to the number of first-year students, and indicated that at the same time there was no increase in first-year students neither at Delft University of Technology nor at the Twente University. The increase of the first-year students in the first two consequentive years is therefore associated to the notebook program. This is however not sustainable strategic advantage according to Porter’s definition.
The New Information Economics method demonstratedto be suitable for the ex post evaluation of the notebook program of Eindhoven University of Technology, but some recommendations for adaptation are made.
The method is extended, which makes it applicable for various evaluations, ex ante and ex post. Because the various Practices can be used separately, it is not necessary to apply all practices in a given situation. This means that the extensiveness of NIE is not a disadvantage for the evaluation of a less complex situation. Within the Practices itself there are enough possibilities to adapt the elements on which the evaluation is to be performed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ... 2
Summary ... 3
1. Introduction 1.1. Context ... 8
1.2. Objective of the research... 8
1.3. Description TU/e 1.3.1. General information ... 9
1.3.2. Description of the supportive bureaus involved ... 10
1.4. The Notebook Program 1.4.1. Introduction... 11
1.4.2. Purposes and goals ... 12
1.4.3. The annual process... 13
1.5. Research design 1.5.1. Introduction... 15
1.5.2. Research questions ... 15
1.5.3. Research methodology ... 16
1.6. Outline of the thesis ... 17
2. Literature research on IT evaluation 2.1. Introduction ... 18
2.2. Objective ... 18
2.3. Definitions... 20
2.4. Evaluation methods 2.4.1. Introduction... 21
2.4.2. Evolution of IT evaluation methods... 21
2.4.3. Categories of IT evaluation methods ... 23
2.5. Problems and deficiencies in IT evaluation ... 28
2.6. Conclusions ... 29
3. Evaluating the notebook program TU/e
3.1. Introduction ... 32
3.2. Strategic Intentions ... 32
3.3. The Alignment Practice ... 33
3.3.1. Part I Strategic Alignment ... 34
3.3.2. Part II Internal IT Alignment... 37
3.4. Performance Measurement Practice ... 38
3.4.1. Part I Cost Performance ... 38
3.4.2. Part II Quality and Service Levels ... 42
3.4.3. Part III Process Measurement ... 44
3.5. Effects on communication... 44 3.6. Competitive advantage ... 46 3.7. Analysis ... 49 3.7.1. Strategic alignment... 49 3.7.2. Performance measurement ... 50 3.7.3. Communication... 51 3.7.4. Competitive advantage ... 53
4. Benchmark between four universities 4.1. Introduction ... 54
4.2. Objective of the benchmark ... 54
4.3. Universities included in the benchmark... 55
4.4. Personnel benchmark ... 59
4.5. Financial benchmark... 61
4.6. Analysis ... 62
5. Conclusions and recommendations 5.1. Introduction ... 64
5.2. Results of the evaluation ... 64
5.3. Results of the benchmark... 66
5.4. Answering the research questions 5.4.1. Introduction... 67
Appendix A References ... 74
Appendix B List of figures and tables... 80
Appendix C Questions and results survey communication ... 81
1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Context
“Eindhoven University of Technology is in pursuit of a more intensive use of modern information and communication technology in its education, research, and activities in the domain of social services. In the plans for the coming years explicit room will be created for the development of matters like computer-supported education, e-learning and the use of new media. Especially because TU/e students are known for their frequent use of the internet, the TU/e will stimulate more applications of the internet in student facilities.”
Source: Compete and Collaborate, Strategic Blueprint of Eindhoven University of Technology, March 1997
This strategic statement was the beginning of what once was called the notebook project, and what has become the current notebook program at the TU/e.
Although the notebook program now has reached its tenth anniversary, there has never been a serious attempt taken to evaluate its results. Did the notebook program really bring what was expected at first? Did any other benefits occur that were not thought of at that time?
Because there was no extended evaluation, it is necessary to quantify the results of the notebook program which gives the opportunity to provide a well-founded answer to that question. Within the scope of this research the focus will be on the financial aspects of that question. Furthermore, research is conducted on the effects of the use of notebooks in the education programs, and on the possible advantages for Eindhoven University of Technology regarding competitive issues. Especially to have an indication regarding the latter aspect it is necessary to perform a benchmark with other, comparable, organizations.
1.2 Objective of the research
The objective of this research is to come to a well-founded statement about the
1.3 Description TU/e 1.3.1 General information
The mission of the Eindhoven University of Technology:
“The TU/e strives to be a research driven and design directed Technology University of an international level, which aims to provide young people with an academic education within the domain of engineering science and technology”.
The TU/e consists of 9 departments; together they provide 12 Bachelor and 26 Master’s education programs. Furthermore, there are 4 Master’s programs to obtain a first-degree teacher qualification, and 10 postgraduate designer programs, which are being provided in cooperation with the technical universities of Delft and Twente.
In total there are at the moment 7043 students, 160 fulltime professors, and several guest and part-time teachers. In addition the TU/e employs 639 PhD students. Next to the scientific personnel there are 1169 support staff members.
1.3.2 Description of the support organizations involved
Although the name of the project and the program that provides for the use of Information Technology in the education programs is “the notebook program”, it is much more than what the name implies. It suggests that the main purpose of the notebook program is to equip the students with a mere notebook. Because that would not lead to the goals of the notebook program, from the beginning, it was clear that it was not a project or program of the IT service organization of the university. It was not something that the bureau student administration was going to introduce either. Both bureaus are facilitating organizations, both very needed to implement the notebook program. But the main effort was expected from the departments. They had to make sure that the notebook was integrated in the education programs, so that the main objectives could be reached.
The student administration (STU) and the IT services organization (ICT Services) are responsible for the implementation on the administrative and technical side of the notebook program. The student administration sees to it that every potential student receives al the information he needs about the notebook program. Within the enrolment for an education program at the TU/e there is a part that allows the student to participate in the notebook program. STU also takes care of the contracts a student has with the TU/e regarding the notebook program. Because of that important administrative role, and because STU has a direct link to the departments for education matters (for instance as owner of the education information system, which contains information like college schedules) the role of notebook coordinator is positioned in that bureau. His responsibility is to lead the yearly process of choosing, purchasing, and delivering the notebook to the new students. In that function he also manages the budget of the notebook program, and maintains the strategic contacts with the service provider and the manufacturers of notebooks.
1.4 The notebook program 1.4.1 Introduction
The notebook program at the TU/e was initiated as a result of a decision in the Strategic Blueprint that was published in 1997. One statement in that Strategic Blueprint is the intention to make sure that the TU/e is an innovative university that educates its students in the highest possible way. One of the goals of the notebook program therefore is to provide students with the skills they need to perform excellent in their future positions. In the case of a technical university that means that the students need to know how to work with computer applications that are used in technical research, like applications that allow simulations of dangerous chemical experiments, and tools to help them to design innovative buildings. To obtain that goal it is necessary for students to have the opportunity to use computer systems that are available for them whenever they need them. That means that there have to be a large number of systems available for students. In the early talks about the notebook program, the necessity of that large number was becoming clear for most of the departments. For some of them, for instance Electrical Engineering, the notebook program became very important. They had no computer rooms with public computers for students, like other departments did. In their case they still send their students to public places, like instruction rooms of the central IT services. But students could not work there because that was a public space that was also used for instructions and lectures on IT applications. So especially in Electrical Engineering and other departments without their own computer rooms the call for other solutions became louder.
Space was another possible problem that could be solved by the introduction of the notebook program. If the departments had to invest in computer systems, where would they place them? When you want to obtain the goal of the university in education with IT means, you have to be able to do so. But with all these PC’s and all the space they needed, there would be a great loss of space in the buildings. If you fill up a room with computers, you can not, or almost can not, use it for other purposes like conferences or lectures (those without computers).
With the mindset to all these possible problems and arguments, the Executive Board of the university ordered the development of a solution that would be feasible regarding many aspects.
1.4.2 Purposes and goals
When a student makes use of the notebook program he will be provided with a notebook at reduced costs. The student does not only receive a notebook (hardware) but also the necessary accessories, support with the use of the notebook, and a warranty and insurance for five years. With those conveniences the student can use a properly working notebook for (the greater part of) his education.
Although making use of the notebook program is not obligatory, it has in recent years almost been impossible to study at the TU/e without a notebook. Many of the education programs are supported with the use of computer programs. For instance, there is the use of AutoCAD for making technical drawings and the use of computer programs to simulate chemical processes. For that purpose the student notebooks are fully equipped, not only regarding the technical specifications of the notebook itself, but also with the applications that are needed for the education program.
The notebook is also used for communication with teachers and fellow students; every student has a computer account and a mailbox from the moment he enrolls in an education program at the TU/e. That computer account can also be used for the electronic learning environment in which students for instance can enroll for an exam.
With all of the above, the notebook has become a Virtual Study Place: at any location on the university grounds the student can use the IT facilities that are needed for his education, and he can continue to work on the train, in his room, or anywhere else he pleases.
Through the use of notebooks by students another advantage arose: standardization. The notebook program forced all employees, teachers and supporting staff, to work with the same applications. Mail is a very good example; before the notebook program several mail services were used at the university, with the problems that you could expect: problems with
compatibility, increased management costs, and the need for more support personnel. The same is imaginable for other applications, for instance word processing applications. A choice had to be made for one platform. It meant that, after a while in which the investments of the past were depreciated; a cost reduction took place for the kind of IT infrastructure. Not only a reduction in the various computer systems and applications, but also in the costs of
Therefore all the aspects of the notebook program, including the specifications of the
notebook itself, had to be focused on that goal. That implied that the departments had to have a greater say in the process of choosing the notebook and all the other IT facilities than the IT service organization. The latter statement is embedded in the annual selection process that is described in the following section.
1.4.3 The annual process
The embedding of the use of IT in the education programs is an ongoing process. The continually growing demands of the applications that are needed, and the increasing
development of new technologies compel the TU/e to an annual choice of the required hard- and software for every new generation of first-year students. Therefore there is a committee of delegates from every department, supplemented with specialists from STU and ICT Services that make a choice regarding the new notebook model. The delegates of the departments stand for the requirements that the departments need for the education programs. That means that they make sure that the applications that are needed in the education program are feasible on the system configuration of the new notebook. Specialists of STU and ICT Services have an advisory role regarding administrational, hardware, and infrastructural issues, but they do not have a say when it comes to making a choice.
After the proposal is received, together with a testing machine of the offered kind, the offers are weighed against each other and the machines are thoroughly tested on various aspects. With the results of the test and the conclusions of the weighing of the proposals, the delegates of the departments decide which notebook is to be delivered to the new first-year students. Between this decision and the actual delivery to the students much has to be done. Specialists from both the departments and ICT Services produce an installation image for each
department. The image contains all the applications a student needs in the first year of his education program.
In the meanwhile new students enroll in an education program; most of them participate in the notebook program, so the employees of STU make sure that a notebook is reserved for them. Further on in time approximately 1500 notebooks arrive at the location of the service
provider. They place the right image on the notebook that is reserved for a particular student and make sure that when he connects to the campus network everything works as it should work. They also pack up the accessories that are being provided to the student, such as a separate keyboard and notebook standard for RSI prevention, and store the whole package until the day of delivery. The figure below is the timeline for the process from specification until delivery in 2008.
1.5 Research design 1.5.1 Introduction
“The Eindhoven University of Technology is pursuing a more intensive use of modern information and communication technology in its education, research, and activities in the domain of services. In the plans for the coming years explicit room will be made for the development of matters like computer-supported education, e-learning and the use of new media. Especially because TU/e students are known for their frequent use of the internet, the TU/e will stimulate more applications on the internet in student facilities.”
Source: Competing and collaboration, Strategic Blueprint of Eindhoven University of Technology, March 1997
This strategic statement was the beginning of what once was called the notebook project, and has since become the current notebook program at the TU/e.
Although the notebook program now has reached its tenth anniversary, there has never been a serious attempt taken to evaluate its results regarding the initial goals. Did the notebook program really bring what was expected at first?
Because there was no extended evaluation, it is necessary to quantify the results of the notebook program to give a well-founded answer to that question.
1.5.2 Research question
The objective of this research is summarized in the following research question:
What is the result of the evaluation of the notebook program at Eindhoven University of Technology after the selection of a suitable method?
To come to a well-founded answer to the research question it is necessary to answer the following sub-questions:
• What are the existing evaluation methods?
• What comprises the notebook program at the TU/e?
• What are the objectives that were intended with the notebook program?
• Which method is the most suitable for the evaluation of the notebook program? • What is the result of the evaluation?
• How can the used method be evaluated?
1.5.3 Research methodology Research type
The first part of the research is a literature study aimed at selecting the most suitable method for the evaluation. IT evaluation methods can be divided into four classes (Berghout en Renkema, 2005):
• financial methods • multi-criteria methods • ratio methods
• portfolio methods
The result of the literature study is a selection of one or more methods from one or more categories, with a possible combination of parts of methods to come to the most suitable method for the evaluation of the notebook program. To obtain a full understanding of the feasibility of the chosen methods, not only the theory of the methods is studied, but also case studies that have been conducted using various methods.
Research design
The major part of the research is desk research. Desk research exclusively uses documents and is of course practiced in the literature study (de Leeuw, 2003). But also in the case study, the evaluation of the notebook program, the greater part of the data is extracted from analysis of policy documents, reports, and financial statements.
The objectives of the notebook program can be extracted from the policy documents. To verify the objectives there are interviews with the policy makers and participants of the notebook project. With this verification, the determination of the objectives in the notebook program is obtained through triangular research (Jonker and Pennink, 2004).
The side effects, for instance the adaptation of processes and changes in the organization of the university, are not easy to quantify. Even when objectives can be clearly defined, it is almost impossible to define clear criteria to measure them, to arrive at a well- founded statement about the success or failure of the notebook program. Therefore, and due to the limited amount of time available for this research, these side effects will not be part of this research.
1.6 Outline of the thesis
In chapter one you will find the context in which this research took place. It is necessary to have knowledge of the organization of Eindhoven University of Technology, and the essentials of the notebook program to have a proper idea of the context of this evaluation. Next to that you will find the research design and method.
Chapter two presents the literature research and its findings. The arguments that have lead to the choice of a method are also stated in this chapter.
Chapter three is dedicated to the results of the evaluation of the notebook program. In this evaluation the financial aspects are researched, and an attempt was made to designate the effects of the use of notebooks in the education program as well. At the end of chapter two you will find the analysis of the results of the research.
In chapter four the findings are given of the benchmark that has performed to underpin the results of the evaluation. It is almost impossible to perform a proper evaluation without comparing the results with the data of other, more or less comparable, organizations. I chose three universities for various reasons. Those reasons, as well as a short description of the universities, and of course the findings of the benchmark, are described in this chapter.
Chapter five contains the conclusions and recommendations that resulted from the analysis of both the evaluation and the benchmark. In addition you will find my recommendations on the use of the chosen method for evaluating a project similar to the notebook program.
2 LITERATURE RESEARCH REVIEW ON IT EVALUATION 2.1 Introduction
The anticipation of new technologies and the way costs, benefits, and risks of Information Technology (IT) are evaluated can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful investments (Berghout & Renkema, 2005). It follows, therefore, that that profitable
investment in IT is not just a technical problem, but also has tactical and even strategic aspects.
2.2 Objective
The aim of this literature research is to explore the theory regarding IT evaluation. With knowledge of this the choice for an appropriate method can be made to perform the research that is necessary for this thesis. The literature research will describe the evolution of IT evaluation methods, the different methods that are available, and the problems and deficiencies that occur when starting and conducting an IT evaluation.
The conclusion of this research will be the selection of an appropriate evaluation method that can be used in the case study on the Virtual Study Place program at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Further on in this research the Virtual Study Place program will be referred to as the notebook program.
The literature that was used for this research was partly recommended by the supervisor of the University of Groningen, partly searched for in the library of Eindhoven University of
Name article / book Writer(s) Year Type/use
1 Evaluating Information System Effectiveness Hamilton & Chervany 1981 Informative 2 Information Technology and Corporate Strategy:
A Research Perspective.
Bakos & Treacy 1986 Informative
3 Information Economics Parker, Benson &
Trainor
1988 Method 4 Information Strategy and Economics. Parker, Trainor &
Benson
1989 Method 5 Information Technology Evaluation: Is It
Different?
Powell 1992 Informative
6 It evaluation: Managing the catch 22 Willcocks 1992 Informative
7 Designing Local Evaluation Models for IT Investments.
Kusters & Renkema 1994 Informative 8 Information Systems Investments: Evaluation at
the Feasibility Stage of Projects.
Willcocks & Lester 1996 Informative 9 Evaluation of Information System Proposals:
Design of a Decision Support Method.
Berghout 1997 Informative
10 Information as Competitive Advantage: the Role of Human, Business, and Technology Resources
Powell & Dent-Micallef
1997 Informative 11 Methodologies for information systems
investment evaluation at the proposal stage: A comparative review
Renkema & Berghout 1997 Overview
12 Rethinking the Approaches to Information Systems Investment Evaluation.
Serafeimidis & Smithson
1999 Overview 13 Information Technology Evaluation Methods &
Management
Grembergen 2001 Informative
14 Developing a frame of reference for ex ante IT/IS investment evaluation.
Irani & Love 2002 Informative 15 Measuring information system service quality:
SERVQUAL from the other side.
Jiang, Klein & Carr 2002 Informative 16 From Business Strategy to IT Action Benson, Bugnitz &
Walton
2004 Method 17 Investment judgement of IT-projects Berghout & Renkema 2005 Overview 18 The Eleven Years of the European Conference on
IT Evaluation:
Berghout and Remenyi 2005 Overview 19 The enigma of evaluation: benefits, costs and risks
of IT
Love, Irani, Standing, Lin & Burn
2005 Informative 20 Information Technology, Strategic Decision
Making for Manager
Luca 2005 Informative
21 Investeringsbeoordeling- en management Renkema & Berghout 2005 Informative 22 The Advancement of IS Evaluation, a Literature
Review
2006 Overview 23 Operational Use evaluation of IT investments Al-Yaseen, Eldabi,
Lees & Paul
2006 Informative 24 Risk and Return of Information Technology
Initiatives
Dewan & Ren 2007 Informative 25 The Business Case for (ICT) Investment
Evaluation in Nonprofit Organizations.
Braaksma, Commandeur & Berghout
2.3 Definitions
Evaluation is a broad concept; there are many different definitions of it in various scientific and non-scientific literature. The “Van Dale Dictionary” defines evaluation as “the
determination of the worth of something”, and evaluation research as “research on the results of taken measures”.
In the literature on IT evaluation some researchers use the general term for evaluation, whereas some adapt it especially for the use in IT evaluation. Most of the definitions that are used in the literature refer to a decision that has to be made whether to implement an
information technology appliance, or to decide which one to choose from several alternatives. Both Berghout (1997) with the definition in his dissertation “Evaluation is defined of the activity of comparing alternatives and the act of choice together” and Symons & Walsham (1988) with their explanation: “The primary function [of IT evaluation] is to contribute to the rationalization of decision making” focus on that purpose of IT evaluation. Other emphasize the use of IT evaluation afterwards. That purpose is not always stated in the definition itself, but when reference is made to the value of IT for the organization it can be interpreted as if the evaluation is meant to be performed afterwards. There are many reasons why the determination of the value of IT/IS systems in advance is so difficult that only afterwards evaluation is performed in most cases: complexity, ambiguity, many interests involved, and unfamiliarity are just a few (Berghout, 1997).
Willcocks & Lester (1996) write about “Establishing by quantitative and/or qualitative means the worth of information systems to the organization”, whereas Eldabi et al. (2003) also mention the time aspect as they define evaluation as: “A process that takes place at different points in time, or continuously explicitly searching for (quantitatively or qualitatively) the impact of IT projects”.
Remenyi & Sherwood-Smtith (1997) combine the two in their statement “Evaluation is a series of activities incorporating understanding, measurement, and assessment. It is either a conscious or tacit process which aims to establish the value or the contribution made by a particular situation. It can also relate to the determination of the worth of an object”.
With that opportunity, it is possible to control the benefits for the organization. As soon as the impact of an information system is clear, measures to try to enhance, or decrease, the impact can be taken. Important is the frequency at which the evaluations take place, which shall be different for various systems.
In the case of the notebook program there was only one evaluation after the implementation. That evaluation was restricted to a survey regarding the experiences of the participating students; there was no intention to evaluate the notebook program itself.
2.4 Evaluation methods 2.4.1 Introduction
Because of the greater impact of Information Technology and Information Systems within organizations, and due to the greater amount of money that is involved in IT/IS investments, researchers and practitioners emphasize the importance of IT evaluation. A well-performed evaluation makes it easier to assign scarce resources to the right IT project, so that maximum return on investment is achieved. An ex ante evaluation method will prevent misallocationof funds. Another form, ex post evaluation, investigates the results of an information system already in use.. A starting point for such an evaluation is the objectives as stated at the time of the investment decision. Other additional advantages can be organizational learning, so that in the future there will be a better decision-making process. And last but not least: by the use of IT/IS the organization can gain competitive advantage, leaving behind competitors that fail to use the right information systems.
In this section the evolution of IT evaluation methods will be described, as well as their various categories. All methods do have their inadequacies: they will also be designated.
2.4.2 Evolution of IT evaluation methods
Evaluating such a situation can be done with a financial evaluation method, several of which are described in the following part of this section (below).
On the other hand it is more difficult to assign benefits to IT when the applications are more at the strategic level. Strategic information systems can aim to increase customer satisfaction: the problem is the criteria which with these advantages could be measured.
A similar hard to measure advantage is the costs that are saved, or the benefits that are gained regarding the loss or preservation of market share when implementing a strategic information system. The last two issues are impossible to measure with only financial evaluation methods. For that reason there is a shift towards the use of both financial and non financial methods, the so called multi criteria evaluation methods. These multi criteria methods provide a more well-balanced result of an IT evaluation. An overview of this is given in this table.
Characteristics “old” investment evaluation Characteristics “new” investment evaluation Financial
Identification of cost savings Emphasis on content
Local, stand alone facilities for a small number of users
Functional oriented
Dominant role for the IT department
High technical risk systems Optimization of project portfolio
Emphasis on evaluation in advance
Emphasis on project control: costs and throughput time
Multi dimensional: financial and non financial
Search for strategic opportunities Integration of content and processes
Integrated infrastructural facilities with broad availability
Beyond functional orientation
Dialog between managers, IT department, and users
High financial and organizational risks Avoiding poor solutions and uncertain actions
Integration of evaluation in advance and afterwards
Emphasis on project control: management of benefits
2.4.3 Categories of IT evaluation methods
There are several researchers that make a distinction between various evaluation methods. In this section the examination of classifications of a few of these methods is presented, without trying to give an exhaustive overview.
Serafeimidis (1997) writes about technical streams, economic streams, and interpretive alternatives. Each has its own purposes, subject of evaluation, time frames, methodologies, and underlying assumptions. Powell (1992) refers to the dichotomization of methods into objective and subjective techniques.
Objective measures try to quantify the system’s input and output in order to attach value. Subjective methods rely on the opinions and attitudes of the users and builders of the
information system. Because of that reliance, subjective techniques can only be used ex post: there is no applicability to evaluate an investment that has yet to be made.
Remenyi and Sherwood-Smith describe the same taxonomy with the concepts of summative and formative, where summative is the same concept as objective and formative equals the subjective methods as classified by Powell. Hamilton & Chervany (1981) disagree with this statement; they speak of a goal-centered view and system-resource view which is similar to the distinction drawn between summative and formative referred to above. The goal-centered view is a way to assess the system’s effectiveness by determination of the task objectives of the system, development of criterion measurements, and comparing the two. In contrast, through the system-resource view, system effectiveness is determined by attainment of a normative state. System effectiveness is measured by user job satisfaction.
Patel & Irani (2000) framed the different evaluation methods according to the following taxonomy: economic, strategic, analytical and structured, and integrated. According to that taxonomy they made a summary of appraisal techniques and approaches.
In their book Investment evaluation of IT projects (2005) Berghout and Renkema describe as many as over seventy evaluation methods, divided in four main categories: financial, multi criteria, ratio, and portfolio. In their paper “Methodologies for information systems
investment evaluation at the proposal stage: a comparative review” (1997) they describe a comparison of methods that are classified according to these main categories. In the comparison they name the following aspects: objects of the method, evaluation criteria, support evaluation process, and type of outcome.
In the following part of this section the classification of Berghout & Renkema (2005) will be the guideline. Financial, multi-criteria, ratio, and portfolio methods will be discussed in turn
The Financial Approach
Financial methods consider only effects of information systems when they are translatable in money term (Berghout & Renkema, 2005). Zakierski (1987) refers to these methods as objective ones which seek to quantify system inputs and outputs in order to attach value to items (in Powell, 1992).
Payback period
This is the period between the moment that an investment is made, and the moment that the total investment is recovered through net incoming cash flows. It depends on the organization as to which time span is appropriate.
Average accounting rate of return
The first step is to estimate the financial return of an investment for each year of the projected lifetime; this then is divided by the lifetime of the project. When that result is divided by the initial investment sum the remaining ratio is the return on investment.
Net present value
This is a method that gives the opportunity to calculate the future costs and incoming cash flows, and thus makes them comparable so that the right investment decision can be made. Internal rate of return
The internal rate of return is the threshold at which the net present value equals zero. This threshold is calculated after discounting the incoming and outgoing cash flows. If the threshold exceeds the opportunity cost of capital, then the investment is worthwhile.
The Multi-Criteria Approach
Methods with a multi-criteria approach assess both qualitative as well as quantitative effects of an investment project (Berhout & Renkema, 2005). Kusters & Renkema (1994) plead for a local evaluation model in which financial criteria will always play a major part in the
Information economics
In the field of evaluating IS investment proposals Parker et al.(1988, 1989) have given the multi-criteria approach widespread publicity with their “Information Economics” method (Renkema & Berghout, 1997).
The first criterion of the information economics method gives a financial evaluation of a proposed IS investment, Parker et al. call this Enhanced Return on Investment. In this ROI there is not only an emphasis on financial aspects; this method also provides additional techniques to predict incoming cash flows. Next to this Enhanced ROI Parker et al.
distinguish between a business domain and a technology domain with regard to non financial impacts and risks. The technology domain provides the business domain with the required IT opportunities.
The business domain pays for the used resources and focuses on optimal deployment of the given IT opportunities. As such the total evaluation of an IT proposal takes place in three steps, having focuses on financial, business, and technology dimensions.
New Information Economics
This method has evolved from the Information Economics that was developed in 1988. The NIE Method (Benson et al., 2004) consists of five NIE practices: strategic demand/supply planning; innovation; prioritization; alignment and performance management. Like Information Economics its main goal is to let IT fundamentally improve how the business performs. To do so, business management must be directly involved in IT decision making. The generic process model incorporates NIE practices and supporting practices such as portfolio management to provide a more integrated and effective strategy-to-bottom-line connection. These practices close the gaps between strategy-to-results. The practices, when integrated with existing organization’s management processes such as budgeting and annual planning, will give the organization a sound set of management processes that satisfy the goal of translating business strategy into IT goals that produce the right business results. The practices used in a connected set of management processes will enable management to control IT spending and improve IT’s impact on the mission performance.
Strategic Investment Evaluation and Selection Tool Amsterdam (SIESTA)
Balanced Score Card (BSC)
The BSC is a frequently used method for IT evaluation. This method is a supplement to a financial approach and distinguishes a financial, customer, internal business, and an
innovation and learning perspective. Much research regarding the use of the BSC usage in IT evaluation has been conducted by Van Grembergen. In his book “Information Technology Evaluation Methods & Management (2001) he describes research by himself and Saull regarding the linking of the IT BSC with the business BSC, as well as contributions provided by Meyerson, Verleun & Berghout & Looijen, and Eickelmann. With this Van Grembergen emphasizes the growing usage of, and interest in, BSC in IT evaluation.
The Ratio Approach
Due to the demand for benchmarking financial data, research has been conducted into the usability of, in particular, financial ratios. Ratios do not only refer to financial data; they can also be related to the numbers of employees, or to a production unit.
Return on Management (ROM)
The main assumption with this method is that the management style of an organization influences the benefits of Information Technology. In this method the added value of
management is related to the costs of that same management. To calculate the ROM there has to be access to the (not public) MPIT database. This database contains data of approximately 300 organizations over several years, and can be used to screen the organization as a whole as well as evaluate an individual decision.
IT-Assessment method
The Portfolio Approach
Portfolios are frequently used methods to support decision making processes. A well known method is the Growth Share Matrix developed by the Boston Consulting Group. In the
evaluation of IT projects the projects are placed in the matrix with regard to several evaluation criteria.
Bedells’s method
With this method three questions will be answered: is it necessary for the organization to invest in IT; which organizational activities should be computerized; and which IT
applications should be developed? Three stakeholders are asked to answer those questions: senior management, user management, and IT specialists. The main issue of this method is the balance between quality and importance. An information system is important if it supports important activities, and if those activities are important to the organization. With all these data the various IT projects can be prioritized.
Investment portfolio method
The investment portfolio evaluates IT investment proposals simultaneously on three criteria: contribution to business domain, contribution to technology domain, and the financial consequences by means of net present values calculation.
To get the right proposition for the investment decision three different stakeholders are involved: senior management, IT management, and the project management of the
development project. They evaluate the investment proposal on one of the three evaluation criteria as mentioned above.
Investment mapping
2.5 Problems and deficiencies in IT Evaluation
There probably is no field of study where the methods of development are without problems or deficiencies, and the discipline of IT evaluation is no different. And as in various fields of study, the saying goes: “You cannot fully understand a subject until it is measured”. The mere fact that there is no general IT investment evaluation method available that covers all possible questions and circumstances indicates that it is almost impossible to develop such a method. But what makes it so difficult to evaluation IT investments? Berghout & Renkema (2005) describe four aspects that have an influence in the evaluation: the benefits of IT are hard to estimate, measure, and control; the costs are high and unpredictable; there are great
uncertainties and considerable risks; and there are communication problems and conflicts of interest between the various stakeholders. Several researchers speak of the difficulties they encounter when trying to decide what criteria and measurements to use.
There are various causes that make evaluation so hard to accomplish: the costs and benefits of IT are integrated in the total costs and benefits of the organization: it is therefore extremely challenging to extract the exact part of IT from those figures.
Besides the integration of the tangible benefits, there is a problem with the measurement of intangibles, which are most often the key to many investment decisions (Lucas & Weill, 1993). It is almost impossible to measure things like job satisfaction, because not only the personal perspective of the concept is different among people, but the values they have about satisfaction also can vary. That makes it difficult to produce a reliable analysis of the research.
Other problems in evaluating are: inadequately defined objectives and measurements; the fact that objectives and measurements used in the evaluation may differ from those defined initially; and the issue that individual perception may differ on what the objectives and measurements are (Hamilton & Chervany, 1981). Mirani & Lederer (1998) and Khalifa et al. (2001) state that because IT evaluation is contextual and subjective there is no unified “one-size fits all” concept possible. Kusters & Renkema (1994) argue for a model that reflects local organizational circumstances and language that is in use in an organization. In that
And if all these problems are still not enough, an evaluation can be influenced by ethical issues such as the distribution and exercise of power, as well as the culture that is present in the organization (Ballantine et al., 2000).
2.6 Conclusion
The presence of information technology and information systems in organizations today is significant. Most of the IT/IS are embedded in the organization in such a way that the processes of the organization can not be performed without them, or only at higher costs. Besides this significance, investments in IT/IS also represent a substantial part of the total investments of an organization. Both aspects should be a reason to evaluate IT investments, both ex ante and ex post. The former is to prevent available resources being ascribed to projects with the least benefits, or worse; with a negative impact on the organization. The latter is to give an indication of the benefits, and to help improve the decision-making process and organizational learning. In spite of all these advantages, not many organizations have IT evaluation embedded in their processes. The reason for the reluctance towards IT evaluation lies in the problems that come with it. It is difficult to specify the right criteria.
It is also not always clear what the objectives initially were. If the objectives were clear then there can be differences in perspective between the various stakeholders. A final reason is that political issues may obstruct evaluation.
In view of all these problems it seems impossible to develop one generic model for IT
evaluation, especially when the organization’s context is to be considered. This means that for every IT evaluation, the evaluator and his team have to combine several techniques,
depending on the objective of the evaluation.
2.7 Selection of an evaluation method for the notebook program
For the evaluation of the notebook program of the Eindhoven University of Technology the method New Information Economics (NIE) is chosen. This method seems, of all the methods that are included in the literature research, the best to perform the evaluation of the notebook program. The method is recently developed, on the basis of the Information Economics method of 1989. This means that the concepts of a proven method are integrated in one that meets the demands of the present time.
In an evaluation like the one on the notebook program, where strategic objectives are the main reason to implement IT facilities, this alignment is the far most important issue to evaluate. Next to the Alignment Practice, as it is being called in NIE, a Performance Measurement Practice is also presented, which is divided in financial and other performance measurements. NIE consists of more practices: Innovation, Prioritization, and Strategic Demand/Supply Planning Practices, which makes it suitable for ex ante evaluations. But the practices are well suited to perform separately, which makes the method fit to use for an ex post evaluation.
The NIE Method consists of five NIE practices: strategic demand/supply planning;
innovation; prioritization; alignment and performance management, and its main goal is to let IT fundamentally improve how the business performs at the bottom line. The practices, when integrated with existing organization’s management processes such as budgeting and annual planning, will give the organization a sound set of management processes that satisfy the goal of translating business strategy into IT goals that produce the right business results.
This is visualized in the figure below, which Benson et al. (2004) in their book “From Business Strategy to IT Action” call the Strategy-to-Bottom-Line Value Chain. The five practices of NIE and supporting practices are embedded.
Fig. 2.1 Strategy-to-Bottom-Line Value Chain (Benson et al., 2004)
3 EVALUATING THE NOTEBOOK PROGRAM TU/e 3.1 Introduction
In this chapter the chosen evaluation method New Information Economics is applied to the notebook program of Eindhoven University of Technology. Before an evaluation method could be chosen, research on the various available methods was performed. The results of that research are presented in chapter 2, as well as the argumentation of the choice in favour of NIE. For the evaluation of the notebook program all the practices of NIE are not applicable, the practices Alignment and Performance management are chosen to conduct the evaluation with. The argumentation to use just these two practices is also presented in chapter 2. To perform the evaluation on the notebook program of the TU/e the first thing that has to be done is to determine the objectives of the notebook program. As the notebook program is already in existence the evaluation will have an ex post approach; the overall objective will be the investigation of the results of the program. A starting point for such an evaluation is the objectives as stated at the time of the investment decision. A possible bottleneck as described by many researchers in evaluation is changing objectives, it is important to conduct research on the possible changes of the objectives of the notebook program.
3.2 Strategic intentions
Before the practices can be applied, and the evaluation can be performed, the strategic intentions of the notebook program have to be clear. In the table below these strategic intentions are summarized. The strategic intentions are withdrawn from the mission of the Eindhoven University of Technology as stated in the strategic statement in 1997, taking in consideration the assignment to fulfill the strategic statement in a feasible way.
Strategic intention Description Goal Key metric
A.
Integrated IT facilities for all students and
employees in a feasible way
The possible use of IT facilities for all students and employees, in a way that the costs of those facilities are manageable
The possibility to use IT facilities at the user’s convenience.
Manageable costs for the university
Costs of the various ways of implementing the strategic intention
B.
Embedding IT in the education program
Increasing the use of IT facilities in the education program. For this research there is a delimitation on mail functionality
Equip the students with the necessary skills to use IT resources for their future positions
The increase of the use of mail between students and teachers
C.
Acquire competitive
Acquire competitive advantage compared to
Above strategic intentions can also be visualized in the conceptual model below, which implies the question whether the notebook program is of influence on costs, changes is communication between teacher and student, and competitive advantage.
Competitive advantage TU/e
Changes in communication between student and teacher
Financial aspects for students & university
Fig. 3.1 Strategic intentions notebook program
3.3 The Alignment practice
The Alignment practice looks at the existing activities and relates them to the business strategic intentions. With that it provides a way to review decisions about investments in the past, taking in account present and future needs. If necessary it gives way to free resources for activities that have got a higher impact on the wanted strategic intentions. The practice is divided in three parts: the first is Strategic Alignment and is about addressing the alignment of asset pools (applications, services, infrastructure, and management) to the business strategic intentions. The second part is addressing how well the asset pools are aligned to each other. This part is called Internal IT Alignment. The third one is called Functional Alignment and is concerned with the service level, quality, functionality, technology, and intensity of use of each asset pool. All the parts of the Alignment practice answer the same question: “Does the existing IT activities promote or inhibit the strategic intentions and operational
3.3.1 Part I Strategic Alignment
This part of the Alignment practice is about addressing the asset pools, and about how well they support the strategic intentions and the operational requirements. At first it is necessary to name the elements of the asset pools. These are summed up in the table below. Because the elements are not only activities of one supportive bureau, the names of bureaus involved are also mentioned.
I Service Part of organization TU/e
1. Enrollment first-year students Student administration 2. Distribute information notebook program Student administration 3. Advice choice about notebook Departments
4. Make choice notebook first-year students Executive Board 5. Purchase notebooks Student administration 6. Compose image with necessary applications Departments & IT Services 7. Helpdesk / on-site support IT Services & Departments
II Applications Part of organization TU/e
1. Student Information System Student administration 2. Studyweb (electronic learning system) Departments
3. Website provisioning applications IT Services 4. Notebook Information System IT Services
III Infrastructure Part of organization TU/e
1. Network LAN & Wireless IT Services
2. Software licenses IT Services
3. E-mail and storage access IT Services
4. Internet IT Services
5. Security IT Services
IV Management Part of organization TU/e
1. Budget management Student administration
2. SLA partner management Student administration 3. Insurance management Student administration 4. Compose images planning IT Services
5. Operational support management IT Services Table 3.2 Asset pools Strategic Alignment
That purpose is visualized in the figure below. Applications Operational Requirements (Business Processes) Stategic Intentions Infrastructure Services Applications Operational Requirements (Business Processes) Stategic Intentions Infrastructure Services
Fig. 3.2 Strategic Alignment, source Benson (2004)
It is necessary to assess the various elements of the asset pools in their relationship to the three strategic intentions. For that an alignment the alignment scale shown below is determined.
3 Critical enabler Without this service, the strategic intent cannot be established
2 Enabler Without this service the strategic intent can be accomplished, but at some additional costs
1 Indirect enabler Service is indirectly related to achieving the strategic intent 0 No effect Service has no effect on achieving the strategic intent Blank NA Not Applicable, service is not used
-1 Minor inhibitor Service is indirect related to inhibiting the achievement of the strategic intent
-2 Inhibitor With this service the strategic intent can be accomplished, but at additional costs
-3 Critical inhibitor With this service, the strategic intent cannot be accomplished
The assessment of the varying elements of the asset pools is done within the interviews with the people of Student administration, IT Services, and the teachers and researchers that were interviewed. I Service Strategic intention A Strategic intention B Strategic intention C
1. Enrollment first-year students 3 0 2
2. Distribution information notebook program 2 2 3
3. Advice choice about notebook 2 0 2
4. Make choice notebook first-year students 2 0 3
5. Purchase notebooks 2 2 3
6. Compose image with necessary applications 2 3 2
7. Helpdesk / on-site support 3 3 3
II Applications Strategic intention A Strategic intention B Strategic intention C
1. Student Information System 1 1 0
2. Studyweb (electronic learning system) 3 3 2
3. Website provisioning applications 3 3 2
4. Notebook Information System 2 1 0
III Infrastructure Strategic
intention A
Strategic intention B
Strategic intention C
1. Network LAN & Wireless 3 3 2
2. Software licenses 3 3 2
3. E-mail and storage access 3 3 2
4. Internet 3 3 2 5. Security 2 2 1 IV Management Strategic intention A Strategic intention B Strategic intention C 1. Budget management 2 1 0
2. SLA partner management 2 3 0
3. Insurance management 2 2 0
4. Compose images planning 2 1 0
5. Operational support management 3 2 0
Table 3.4 Results Strategic Alignment Asset pools
3.3.2 Part II Internal IT Alignment
The assessment of the internal alignment is the one of the alignment between applications and infrastructure. Is the infrastructure supporting the applications? These relations are visualized in the figure below.
Applications IT Management Services Services Infrastructure Applications IT Management Services Services Infrastructure
Fig.3.3 Internal Alignment, source Benson (2004)
The same alignment scale as used for the Strategic Alignment is used for this assessment.
III Infrastructure Application
1 Application 2 Application 3 Application 4
1. Network LAN & Wireless 3 3 3 3
2. Software licenses 1 3 3 1
3. E-mail and storage access 2 3 1 2
4. Internet 3 3 3 0
5. Security 3 3 3 2
Table 3.5 Internal alignment infrastructure
The table shows that all infrastructural elements are in alignment with the used applications. The score on email in particularity is important because the mail application that is used at Eindhoven University of Technology is Microsoft Exchange, and application 2 (Studyweb) is build on functionality of that product.
The notebook program consists of more than one application; it also contains the changes in communication and the possible competitive advantage. The functional alignment assessment of this practice seems not to be of use in this context. The necessary functional evaluation is conducted as part of the Performance measurement Practice and described in section 3.4.2.
3.4 Performance Measurement Practice
The Performance Measurement Practice, like the Alignment Practice, consists of three dimensions: Cost Performance, Quality and Service Levels, and Process Measurement. These dimensions and their interconnection are visualized in the graph below. The relationship between the Service and Quality Level, and Costs are clear. Less clear is the influence that the quality of processes has on the relationship between costs and quality. For instance: an improvement in the costs of purchases can occur if the process “Purchasing” is well defined and fine-tuned.
Cost Performance
Quality and Service Level Process Development
Fig. 3.4 Performance Dimensions, source Benson (2004)
3.4.1 Part I Cost Performance
With that basic assumption in mind in this research costs and cost reduction are being weighed for just that parts of the IT investments that vary between the alternative ways to fulfill the strategic intentions. There is no difference in the investments in technical
infrastructure, applications and so on whether the end-point of the integrated IT facilities is a notebook or a desktop PC.
A difference does exists between the costs of the PC’s or notebooks that are used to fulfill Strategic Intention A, the prizes of the devices are different, especially if the technical specifications have to be as equal as possible. Another possible difference could occur in the costs of service and support of these end-points of the integrated IT facilities.
In de following table these two alternatives (desktop or notebook) regarding the financial aspects are presented. In the table only the costs that are paid by the university are presented. In case of the notebook alternative the student also pays a part of the total sum (except for the housing part), this explains the relatively low costs for the notebook alternative, whereas in the desktop alternative all costs have to be paid for by the university
All costs per year in € Desktop(including accessories) Notebook(including accessories) Purchase value 350 200 Support services 250 150 Hardware service 0 50 Housing 460 345 Total costs 1.060 745
Table 3.6 Costs of alternative configurations
Some additional remarks have to be made regarding the figures in the table above: • These figures are an indication;
• The notebook alternative also includes insurance, and the use of a temporary spare notebook in case of a broken notebook;
• The extra amount for hardware services has to be counted for because the guarantee that is purchased with the notebooks is on basis of carry-in, whereas the student notebooks are being repaired on-site (on the university grounds).
That means that spare parts and labour costs of the service provider in the last two years have to be paid separately.
This topic of on-site handling and extended guarantee is not applicable to desktops, because they are purchased with an on-site guarantee contract, and are being replaced after three years;
• The costs of Support services of notebooks is considerable lower, two causes are responsible for that difference.
o The services that are to be delivered to notebooks is based on carry-in, the service desks are located in every departmental building, and in the building of the central student facilities. This means that students come to the service desk with their notebook and problems. When the desktop alternative was
implemented, the employees that support the computer rooms had to go to the rooms that are scattered across the buildings.
o The knowledge students acquire of the IT facilities that are offered by the notebook program. This is one of the Strategic Intentions, but also has a positive influence on the costs of support services. Students are the system engineers of their own notebook, and because of the knowledge they acquire whilst operating and managing the notebook they simply generate less service calls.
Both causes taken into consideration, all the interviewed departmental IT coordinators mentioned that they would have at least one fte support staff more to solve problems with desktop PC’s in computer rooms. Next to that; less support staff is necessary in the buildings that are not part of a department, like the public lecture building. The support staff in those buildings is reduced with at least 4 fte. These reductions in personnel costs are taking into account when calculating the costs for Support services of the notebook alternative;
need less space for housing is that almost any place is useful, as long as the needed facilities like the wireless network are available. This means that students can work, alone or in groups, in the university restaurant, in lecture rooms, or anywhere they choose without the university providing them with special places.
The above mentioned cost reductions are benefits for the university itself.
In the academic year 2007-2008 the student had to pay € 900,00. The rest of the costs of the notebook and al the above mentioned services are subsidized by the university in the form of an obligation contract the student signs. After three years of study at Eindhoven University of Technology the obligation is finished.
The university converts the obligation into a gift, and the student acquires the ownership of the notebook. Although the contract only lasts for three years, the students that make use of the notebook program receive hardware support for five years and software support for six and a half years. This extended service means that the university’s contribution is higher than that of the student.
The costs for the students can be paid in once, but students can also make use of a loan of which the university pays the interest.
The main reasons that students make use of the notebook program are the high technical specifications of the notebook, and the services provided. And although sometimes a mere notebook can be bought for less, 95% of all first-year students to make use of the notebook program.
Another cost advantage of the use of notebooks in the education program emerged while talking to some of the researchers and teachers. Two of them, and several IT coordinators, mentioned a change in the use of sophisticated experimental systems in different laboratories. In the past there were just a few of those systems available for students, but due to the
introduction of the notebooks researchers developed peripheral equipment to use with the notebook. This means that the during the practices in the laboratories students could use the power and screen of the notebook in stead of the expensive, and therefore few available, stand alone equipment.
