Money, Stress and Time: Innovative use of Activity-Based Costing Models

Higher education institutions are continually challenged to integrate new technology in a cost-effective manner.  Whether for operational efficiency or innovative educational delivery, activity-based cost models break costs by activities rather than organizational units.  This approach enhances cost benefit analysis, resource analysis, and decision-making.  This webcast describes several examples of how activity-based cost models produce invaluable information for guiding more cost-effective local use of technology.  The program will illustrate how to apply a flexible methodology to your institution's unique structure and challenges.

The webcast will be informative for novices as well as for experts who may be unfamiliar with applications of activity-based costing that analyze technology use in education.

What You Will Learn (Objectives):

• An understanding of activity-based costing concepts
• Knowledge of the application of activity-based
• Exposure to specific situations that used activity-based cost analysis to draw cost benefit conclusions
• An introduction to a methodology that can be used at your institution

Who Should Participate:

• Accountants
• Accounting department personnel
• Budget managers
• Controllers
• Financial administrators of colleges, departments, and special programs
• Project administrators

Meet the Presenters: 

Steve Ehrmann
Steve Ehrmann is one of the founders of The Teaching Learning and Technology Group.  Since 1993, he has directed the award-winning Flashlight Program, which helps educators evaluate and improve their own uses of technology on and off campus. He is co-author of the first and second editions of the Flashlight Cost Analysis Handbook.  His special interest lies in the relationship of cost analysis to the improvement of learning and other program outcomes.  Dr. Ehrmann has spoken worldwide on the uses and abuses of technology for improving education. His Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is in management and higher education.

Russell Poulin
As associate director of the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, Russell Poulin organizes the information sharing activities among WCET members.  He directs the Technology Costing Methodology project, a federally funded effort to create an authoritative set of procedures for analyzing the costs of using educational technologies.  Poulin also directs EduTools (www.edutools.info) Web site in providing analyses e-learning software; co-directs the NEON project, which opens access to programs not available in every state; and consults on distance education planning projects.  

Tom Henderson
Tom Henderson is the assessment coordinator at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology at Washington State University.  He has led WSU’s field testing of several activity-based cost models including the Flashlight Cost Model, the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunication’s (WCET) Technology Costing Methodology (TCM), and the TCM/mini-Bridge cost simulation model.  Henderson has a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies, an MBA in finance, a B.S. in accounting, and 15 years of industry experience.

Christine Geith

Dr. Geith directs MSU Global Ventures at Michigan State University where she is responsible for new product development and creating new lines of business. Dr. Geith has conducted a number of cost studies for online learning, classroom technology, and software applications. Case studies have been published by the Sloan Consortia; the TLT Group's Flashlight Cost Handbook; and in her dissertation; a cost analysis of instructional treatments for discussion-based activities.

Field of Study:  Accounting and Auditing; Specialized Knowledge and Applications

Course Level:  Intermediate

Prerequisites:  None

Format:  Live                

Length:  100 minutes

CPE:  2 credits

Fees

Time

Available on-demand at any time.

Length

Approximately 100 minutes

Technical Requirements

• Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP (Mac and Linux are not supported)
• IE 5.0 or Higher (Netscape is not Supported)
• Windows Media Player 6.01 or Higher (May have some issues with versions below 7.0)
• To successfully view this program you must first follow the Test Your System link located on the Event Help Guide

Customer Support Center:
Technical Issues with Webcasts
Call 1.800.462.4916 to speak to Customer Support.