HITS data experts Fusen Li (l) and Kyle Kerbawy (r) lead a Birds of a Feather session on "Partnering To Increase the Value of Information Across the Institution." (Chris Gardner, ITS)
Nearly 500 IT staff from U-M’s four campuses filled the Michigan League this past November to develop skills, form and strengthen working relationships, and showcase how their work contributes to moving U-M forward as part of the 2016 Michigan IT Symposium.
After the event, 214 attendees provided their feedback on what worked well and what they’d like to change for next year. Across all survey areas, overall satisfaction averaged 90%, with 97% of survey respondents indicating that they would recommend the event to a colleague in the future. Of the areas to improve, these were the key themes:
- Fewer posters with better space: There was a good variety of topics and campus groups during the poster session but you felt too cramped in the space. We plan to reduce the number of posters and increase the space allocated to them to provide more space for mingling and interactions between poster presenters and attendees.
- Longer Hands on Training: The topics for hands-on-training were well-received but the timeslots didn’t allow you to get as much interaction as desired. We plan to give more attention to the content and experience you may have in these trainings, including making the sessions longer.
- Better Birds of a Feather: Attendees appreciated the opportunity to talk with peers but weren’t necessarily prepared for the session. We plan to provide a more conducive conversation opportunity, particularly if registration is high, and more direction for facilitators and attendees.
- Alternate timing: Holding the symposium on Thanksgiving week makes it difficult for a portion of our community to participate, while others appreciate the event taking place on a traditionally “quiet” week. Based on the availability of suitable campus venues, we are looking into options for holding the event the week following Thanksgiving starting in 2018 (as not to conflict with other events, including SUMIT, EDUCAUSE and SC17).
See more feedback and recommendations for next year in the 2016 Michigan IT Symposium final report. Thanks to all who made the third annual Michigan IT Symposium a success!
Save the date: Nov 20-21, 2017 at the Michigan League
Planning for next year’s event has already begun. If you’d like to participate on the planning committee for the 2017 Michigan IT Symposium, email michigan-it-symposium@umich.edu.
The IT Symposium is one of several activities sponsored by the VPIT-CIO and organized by the Michigan IT Steering Committee to build community and encourage collaboration among U-M’s 2,700 IT professionals.
What would you like to see in the 2017 Michigan IT Symposium? Leave your comments and suggestions below!
