Small changes can equal major time savings
EDTech Managers are called on to do many things. One area that they constantly need to focus on is not allowing technology to get in the way of learning. Tech supports learning, but can sometimes cause delays, slow people down, not function correctly or at peek speeds. Small adjustments to your environment can reap big rewards over the course of time. But we have to weight the benefit against the cost.
Adjustments may be large, like upgrading to the next release of software or buying a new 3D printer. Some may come in smaller forms like a new assessment tool, making a refinement in the standard student machine image or just adding an icon in a logical place on the desktop.
Whatever form these adjustments take it most often includes the process of defining the “Return On Effort” (ROE). I use Return on Effort because most often the EDTech Manager does not have to spend money to save money. So there is no investment in dollars, yen or pesos. It is just a matter of effort being expended.
Most of us go through ROE calcs in our lives. We may use them to justify the effort of getting off the couch and doing some exercise to loose weight. Is it worth the effort? There are no dollars involved unless you need equipment. Running is free, unless you need shoes or a tread mill. So the process is determined by calculating your return on effort. If I need to loose 10 pounds, then the effort to get off the couch is worth it.
So let’s say that you are trying to determine the ROE on something as adding an icon to the desktop. The software is installed, but there is no quick and easy way to get to the software because the image does not have an icon on the desktop.
Take the amount of time (current Level of Effort) that launching the software now and what it would take after the new icon is in place (improved LOE).
Example:
Launching software with no icon or that the student is unaware of.
Current LOE:
Student has to use Windows search and find the software (getting the name spelled right) or go to Start>All Program> and start looking. Time: maybe 20-30 seconds (worst case)
Let’s say you have 5 periods of students that need to use the program. 30 students per class and 4 days per week.
5 periods x 30 students x 4 days x .5 minutes = 300 minutes of lost learning time per week.
You have 36 weeks or so of school = 10800 minutes
Oh – and you have 5 high schools in your district? that makes it 54000 minutes of learning lost. Just for the High Schools.
54000 minutes is 900 hours. It adds up quick.
5 periods x 30 students x 4 days x .5 minutes x 36 weeks x 5 schools = 54000 minutes or 900 hours.
So if we can add an icon and make the time much less and educate everyone on how to click it, we will have had a good return on effort for this task.
New LOE:
The students now just click on the new desktop icon – 10 seconds (max – when students dawdle)
5 periods x 30 students x 4 days x .166 minutes x 36 weeks x 5 schools = 17928 minutes or 298.8 hours – round it to 300 hours.
A max savings of up to 20 seconds per launch. That means that we saved ~600 hours per year.
Modification LOE:
We have to calc in the time it takes to make the modification. Let’s say it took 6-7 days (60 hours) to adjust the desktop, push the image to all machines/students, verify that it worked, pick up some stragglers, etc. Not counting the actual image push being done since it is automated through SCCM. So 60 hours to make the change.
Now for the Return on Effort calc
900 – 300 = 600 – 60 = 540 hours in the first year saved and 600 hours every year after that.
An ROE of 67% (600 hours saved divided by 900 hours spent the old way). If it were an investment of money, you would jump on it. Where can I get 67% ROI on my money? I want to invest in that. That kind of return on effort is great!
Hopefully you get the idea. Small time savings add up.
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