Abstract:

The complexity of the information systems (IS) in the higher education institutions (HEI) has been continuously increasing during the last decades. Due to the particularities in their numerous processes, the IS differ much from the others in common organizations. These systems must support the management of information in several and distinct domains, such as: academic organisation, financial, teaching, research, etc., with high level of requirements of internal and external interoperability. Additionally, during our research work, we observed that from one HEI to another the processes and concepts are very distinct. Thus, managers need tools to evaluate the maturity of their IS, in order to continuously improve them. Additionally, the accreditation processes and rankings may also include organisational aspects in their criteria, in which the maturity models may be a useful tool. However, the existing literature is scarce on validated maturity models focused on the comprehensive management of complex HEI information systems.

In previous papers, we initiated our research by conducting a literature review that enabled us to identify the need and the opportunity to develop a new maturity model for the assessment of the HEI’s ISs. Later, in another paper, we discussed and proposed the Mettler’s methodology to be followed in order to develop the model.

The contribution of the present paper relates to a proposal for the architecture of a new maturity model and the identification of the dimensions that it should embrace. This proposal is the result of a multi-case study, in which we identified the dimensions to consider in the model. The proposed approach is based on a two-dimensional architecture with two types of dimensions: Horizontal and Vertical. Our approach presents two main advantages: In the first place, it will enable the systematisation of all the common characteristics that must be evaluated in the scope of each vertical dimension. Consequently, this approach enables the coherence of the evaluation of the maturity of the HEI’s IS in a top-down perspective in terms of the common characteristics, because they are considered in the horizontal dimensions. This is an important aspect, since permits that these characteristics could be shared by all of the vertical ones. In our opinion, this design option it will simplify the process of applying the maturity model, since enables the users to focus in a smaller set of characteristics. As second advantage of the two-dimensional architecture, the proposed approach also enables other perspectives of evaluation.

The results of this step of our work have great importance, because now we have the base conditions to start the design phase of the model. We should mention that we intend to develop a comprehensive maturity model, which is ambitious due to the complexity and number of dimensions. We argue that the proposed architecture it will facilitate this ambitious work, in order to systematically and gradually develop the model, dimension by dimension.

We believe that our approach, can mitigate the implications of the complexly issues of HEI on the maturity model to be developed.
In the further steps of our work, we will validate each of one of these dimensions and define the set of characteristics for each stage of maturity.

Keywords:

Stages of Growth, Maturity Models, Higher Education Institutions, Education Information Systems, Management.