Content area
The goal of this study was to identify issues in the formation of a computer hardware and software management policy for a small, four-year, liberal arts institution. Towards that end, a two-phase investigation was designed and conducted. Phase I was a pilot study using the institutions in Western Pennsylvania as the subject population. Phase II was conducted using 200 geographically distributed institutions in the United States as the sample population. The research was designed specifically to investigate seven areas of the institution to identify issues in the formation of a computer hardware and software management policy: (1) the characteristics of the computer environment of the institution, (2) the utilization of computer hardware and software in the undergraduate studies, (3) the process of selection of software for the undergraduate studies, (4) the kinds of software selected for undergraduate studies, (5) the involvement of the faculty in developing software for use in undergraduate instruction, (6) the existence and composition of a computer hardware and software management policy and (7) the future plans of the institution for the purchase and use of computer hardware and software in undergraduate studies.
The data gathered by the study specifically in the areas of: (1) governance and selection of computer software for undergraduate instruction, (2) the utilization of computer software in undergraduate studies, and (3) the existence and composition of a computer hardware and software management policy provided the insight as to the issues in the formation of a computer hardware and software management policy for the small, four-year, liberal arts college. These issues were found to be centered around the questions of who, what, where, when and why.