EDUCAUSE: The Value of Teaching and Learning Technology - Beyond ROI

Given the hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year on technology initiatives in higher education, questions about the value of these expenditures almost seem moot. However, virtually every CIO at every institution of higher education is asked to report the return on investment (ROI) of technology spending on his or her campus. Making such an accounting is a daunting challenge. Applying a strict business-school definition of ROI would require providing evidence of a dollar-for-dollar return on hardware, software, and infrastructure projects. The desired return in question, however, is not always so obvious. Should technology investments save money? Increase institutional capacity? Improve throughput?