MCCVLC Distance Learning Administrators Survey

Results & Discussion

Who

• All 21 submissions were community colleges• Based on 2008-2009 ASC grouping:– Group 1: 8 submissions (10 possible)– Group 2: 6 submissions (7 possible)– Group 3: 5 submissions (8 possible)– Group 4: 2 submissions (3 possible)

Organization Structure• Reporting Line– Group 1: 50% report to Academic Administrator; 38%

report to Non-academic Administrator; 12% report to President

– Group 2: 50% report to Academic Administrator; 50% report to Non-academic Administrator

– Group 3: 80% report to Academic Administrator; 20% report to Non-academic Administrator

– Group 4: 50% report to Academic Administrator; 50% report to Non-academic Administrator

– ITC National Survey: 74% report to Academic Administrator; 6% report directly to President

Organizational Structure2010

In 2010: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 19%/Mix – 33%In 2008: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 22%/ Mix – 30%In 2006: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 26%/ Mix – 26%

Program• Non-credit offerings:– 48% responded Yes– 66% offer non-credit online offerings – ITC Survey

• NEW – retaining old online courses– Majority reported holding between 1-3 years– Faculty responsibility after 1 year

• LMS – looking to switch– Constant at 33%– In line with ITC Survey

Program

• Assessment of course prior to offering– 67% have some assessment – Up from 2006 when 57% did assessment prior to

offering

• Offering online degrees– In 2010 – 38% said yes– In 2006 – 52% said yes– Nationally – 75% offer at least one online degree

Program• How are decisions made regarding new courses and

programs?– 38% - academic/discipline level decision– Only one college uses a strategic plan to guide

program & course development decisions• Average length to develop a course– 3 – 6 months (38%)

• Number of courses developed this year– Average is 5.75– Range from 2 to 20

Program

• Section enrollment caps for online– In 2010, average is 23-25– In 2006, average was 20– Nationally – per ITC Survey• 27 for Introduction to Math course• 25 for Introduction to English Composition course• 30 for Introduction to Political Science course

Program

• Services planning to offer in the next year– Online student orientation for distance learning– Student helpdesk & technical support – Campus testing center for online classes– Dedicated faculty training staff – Faculty helpdesk and technical support

• Nationally– Online counseling and advising services– Online student orientation– Online student organization, Web site & services

Program

• Video streaming– 29% are using video streaming services– Nationally – 74% employ video streaming

• Digital repositories– 81% are not using

• Course content development– 100% develop own content and majority also use

publisher content

Copyright

• Who is responsible to acquire permission?– Instructor – 15– Library Staff Support for Distance Learning – 6– Distance Learning staff – 4– Academic Department/staff – 2– Other – IT department - 1

Greatest ChallengesChallenge Ranking 2010 Ranking 2008 ITC Ranking 2009

Measuring Quality 1 1

Operating Budget 1 5 4

Adequate Assessment 2 3

Admin Authority 3 2 5

Support Staff 4 2 1

Adequate Student Services 5 6 2

Org. Acceptance 6 3 7

Faculty Acceptance 7 4 6

Student Acceptance 8 7 10

Faculty

• Challenges – from ITC Survey– Finding enough faculty to teach online.– Lack of faculty understanding of online teaching

pedagogy and best practices.– Our faculty have recently come together in a

collective bargaining unit. They have decided that faculty should have control when and how a course should be delivered. This struggle is just now coming to a head.

Faculty

• Teaching Ratios for online course– Full time average – 63%– Nationally – 64%– Part time average – 37%– Nationally – 35%

• Limiting number of classes taught– 76% do not limit– Nationally – 66% allow for flexibility

Faculty

• Training prior to teaching online– 67% said training was mandatory– Nationally – 60% indicated training was

mandatory• 70% require more than 8 hours of training• 20 % require less than 8 hours of training• 10% require exactly 8 hours of training

Students

• Challenges - from ITC survey– Making sure students are prepared to take online

classes.– Getting students to read information about

distance education classes and understanding there is a basic knowledge of computer skills needed to be successful.

Students

• Are students required to participate in an orientation prior to enrolling in online courses?– 62% responded No (13)– 38% responded Yes (8)

• Retention– Of those reporting – average retention rate is 67%– Range from 50% to 79%– National – 72%

Students

• Distance Learning Fee– 76% reported collecting additional fee– Range from credit hour/per course/billing contact– $20- $133/course– Nationally – 40% charge additional fee– Minimum - $2.00/credit– Maximum was $80.00/credit

• Student demand for class offerings– Exceeding current class offering – 86%

Library

• Librarian assigned to distance education courses– 76% responded No

• Is Librarian part of distance learning team– 62% responded No

• Does institution follow ACRL’s Standards for Distance Learning Library Services?– 71% responded No

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

10. Struggles to obtain understanding, acceptance and support from campus leaders, who often lack direct experience with this method of teaching and learning (sometimes a generational disconnect).

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

9. Often leads the institution in dealing with issues of assessment, design, rigor, course quality and learning.

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

8. Has become a significant change-agent, prompting increased faculty training and professional development, rethinking how we teach, and providing a catalyst for integrating technology into instruction.

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

7. Offers approximately 160 online classes/class sections each semester.

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

6. Is under-staffed, working in cramped conditions, and has an inadequate budget.

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

5. Reports to the academic side of the institution (dean or above).

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

4. Is attracting an increasing number of non-traditional (younger) students.

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

3. Increases access to higher education.

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

2. Does not offer enough classes to meet student demand.

Typical Online ProgramTop Ten List

1. Is the primary source of enrollment growth for its institution!

From the 2009 ITC Survey – Trends in eLearning: Tracking the Impact of eLearning at Community CollegesMarch 2010