Summary
To promote affordability, supportability, sustainability, and consistency of student experience, it is vital that our university maintain standards for its videoconference technology. Even so, accommodation may be sought for documented business needs that cannot reasonably be addressed by universitystandard videoconference platforms. The goal must be to avoid a university fragmentation of videoconference approaches to address users’ “likes,” not “needs.”
Implementation Details
Implementation Details
The IT Advisory Council formally endorses a university standard approach to videoconference technology for both:
- Instructional functions – Zoom
- University-funded, university-supported, integrated with university-standard Canvas platform, UW System standard, vetted for security
- Non-instructional functions – Microsoft Teams
- University-funded, university-supported, integrated with university-standard Microsoft Office 365 platform, very broadly deployed in the UW System, vetted for security
The Council recognizes that special “use cases” may exist that warrant potential accommodation through the:
- Procurement of an alternative videoconference technology tool (i.e., not Zoom or Teams)
- Use of the “instructional” tool (Zoom) for non-instructional purposes; or the use of the “noninstructional” tool (Teams) for instructional purposes
The Council recognizes that special “use cases” may exist that warrant potential accommodation through the:
- Procurement of an alternative videoconference technology tool (i.e., not Zoom or Teams)
- Use of the “instructional” tool (Zoom) for non-instructional purposes; or the use of the “noninstructional” tool (Teams) for instructional purposes
Procurement of an alternative videoconference tool would need to be feasible from the standpoints of:
- Budgetary capacity – Does the prospective procurer of an alternative tool possess requisite, sustainable funds?
- Information security – Does the proposed procurement of an alternative tool satisfy a review by UWM’s Office of Information Security (OIS)?
- Business need – Does the proposed procurement of an alternative tool address a business need that cannot reasonably be addressed by the university-standard videoconference platforms?
Budgetary capacity will be assessed by the Unit Business Representative (UBR) or department Business Manager. Satisfaction of information security requirements will be assessed by the OIS, consistent with the existing university process for IT procurements. Justification of business need will be assessed by UWM’s Chief Information Officer, in consultation with relevant university experts on videoconference technology in UITS, CTS, and CETL.