Distance Education

Distance Education

Distance

1700s 1800s 1900s 2000s

Distance education used to be about the distance.

Distance Education

Distance Education

Education

A Course…

…is a course.

Good Teaching…

…is good teaching.

Online Education - in the News!

Online and Hybrid Course Enrollment and Performance in Washington State Community and Technical Colleges

Di Xu and Shanna Smith Jaggars March 2011

Community College Research Center Working Paper No. 31

“Online classes and completion”

I certainly agree that college completion is vital, both to our

nation's economy and to our efforts to maintain an informed

and engaged citizenry. Yet I'm concerned that some two-year

institutions and systems might be taking the wrong approach,

one that may ultimately prove counterproductive. Specifically

(and predictably enough), many state systems have said that a

key component of their plans to raise graduation rates involves

increasing online offerings, despite strong evidence that online

classes may have just the opposite effect.

by Rob Jenkins Chronicle (3/13/2012)

Strategies for improved completion…

• Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education (Online Learning) - updated 2011

• www.msche.org/publications/Guidelines-for-the-Evaluation-of-Distance-Education-Programs.pdf

• Completion Agenda projects (example: AACC student preparedness & math preparedness projects)

Strategies to Improve Completion…

• Involvement in national-level efforts

- Examples:

Completion Agenda

Bridge to Success Project

• Implement fully online degrees

Defining the Best…

Quality Online Courses

Design vs. Delivery

The faculty member is integral to both design and delivery.

Course Design … is the forethought & planning that a faculty member puts into the course.

Course Delivery … is the actual teaching of the course, the implementation of the design.

MCCVLC Online Course Development Guidelines

• Outcomes

• Construction

• Interaction

• Assessment

• Technologies

• Resources

• Maintenance

• Development & Support

MCCVLC Rubric

www.mccvlc.org/~staff/content.cfm?ID=108&printVersion=1

Quality Matters Rubric

www.qmprogram.org/files/QM_Standards_2011-2013.pdf

Characteristics of Online Educators…

• Innovative

• Facilitative

• Interactive

• Organization

• Uses interactive, engaging teaching methods

Pedagogical

Andragogical

• Communicates effectively in the online environment

Communicator

Instructor Competencies

• Relates to the learner in the online learning environment

• Establishes community

Social

• Manages the online learning environment Managerial

Instructor Competencies

Technical

Instructor Competencies

Assessment

•Uses varied assessment tools

•Establishes deadlines

•Effectively uses online learning tools

• Support

• Resources

• Quality Improvement Initiatives

• Individual Renewal

Defining the Best…

Development Opportunities for Effective Online Teaching

Online courses

and programs

A great option

for the

completion agenda

Steps to Success

• Create quality online courses taught by trained faculty

• Develop one or more complete degree programs online

• Add the necessary online student support systems

Accreditation Requirements for Online Programs

Provide a list of credit bearing educational programs where 50% or more of the credit hours are delivered through distance education modes at RCCC

• The six Associate Degrees that are 100% online are: Associate in Arts, History, Political Science, Accounting, Business Administration, and Business Administration – Marketing and Retailing

• Another 14 Certificates and 3 Diplomas can be obtained 100% online

RCCC Total Distance Education Sections and Total Student Enrollment

10 % Point of Enrollment

Data

2007 2008 2009 2010 % Change

Since

2007

Sections (Hybrid/Online) 140 211 321 398 184%

Section (Traditional) 1949 2060 2330 2510 28.8%

Real numbers:

Online increased by 250 courses; traditional increased by 560 courses

Faculty Assignments and Qualifications

Semester Total Sections:

(Internet/Hybrid) Sections Taught by Full-Time Faculty

Sections Taught by Part -Time Faculty

Fall 2008 106 67% 33%

Spring 2009 149 61% 39%

Fall 2009 172 56% 44%

Spring 2010 198 45% 55%

Fall 2010 200 50% 50%

Spring 2011 235 49% 51%

Completion Analysis: ENG 111

Findings: 2006 - 2010

Completion Percentage:

Baseline: 74.57%

Hybrid: 53.98% down 20.59%

Internet: 60.85% down 13.72%

South: 63.38% down 11.19%

CBTC: 61.47% down 13.10%

RCCC Research on Completion Rate

Completion Analysis CIS

110

Findings: 2006 - 2010

Completion Percentage:

Baseline: 68.42%

Hybrid: 54.56% down 13.86%

Internet: 58.70% down 9.72%

Part-time: 71.89% up 3.47%

Withdrawal Percentage:

Baseline: 14.89%

Mini-mester: 33.36% up 18.47%

Hybrid: 31.20% up 16.31%

Internet: 18.78% up 3.89%

South: 19.33% up 4.44%

Part-time: 11.48% down 3.41%

RCCC Research on Completion Rate

Online Student Resources

• Blackboard help desk funded by NCCCS

• Telephone support, online chat, robust website, 24/7 Helpdesk

• Online tutoring for English, writing, math, science, biotechnology, foreign language, business and technology

Robust RCCC Website

Online

• Registration, pay, WebAdvisor, search for text books, supplies, apparel, online purchases are shipped to student’s home

Other Observations

Defining the Best…

Student Success

Floyd and Casey-Powell Model

• Learner Intake Phase

• Learner Intervention Phase

• Learner Support Phase

• Learner Transition Phase

• Measurement Phase

Floyd, D. L., & Casey-Powell, D. (2004). New roles for student support services in distance learning. New Directions for Community Colleges, 128, 55-64.

Learner Intake Phase

Students need information about online learning, admissions, online programs, placement testing, contact information, financial aid, scholarships, and orientation to the college.

Students need to determine whether or not online learning is appropriate for their learning style, level of motivation, and personal needs.

Learner Intervention Phase

This phase begins with the student’s first online course.

Students learn how to become effective online learners. They learn about the institution’s services that are designed to support students, such as tutoring, library services, and technical support.

Learner Support Phase

The Learner Support Phase covers the remainder of the semester (week 2 and beyond).

Students develop additional skills that lead to successful course completion. Students may develop these skills by working with faculty, academic advisors, and other support staff.

Thursdays with Joyce! Distance Learners, you now have an online advisor just for you! On Thursday evenings, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., join Academic Advisor Joyce Murphy as she answers your general academic questions. To participate, all you need are speakers (required) and a microphone (optional). Go to http://www.aacc.edu/virtualcampus/virtualmeeting.cfm for directions on setting up your computer. It’s easy and will only take a few minutes.

Learner Transition and Measurement Phases

Students receive career and academic advising as part of the Learner Transition Phase. The institution examines the effectiveness of its online student services by assessing retention, graduation, and persistence rates during the Measurement Phase.

ITC National DE Survey (2011)

Trends in Student Success

National Trends in Completion

• Selected Results of the 2011 ITC

• National Distance Education Survey

• 78% of respondents report they offer at least one fully online degree

• 80% of respondents report their online courses are equivalent or superior to traditional classes

• Most campuses report they offer a full array of student services accessible to online students

• Inadequate training for faculty/lack of student preparedness are significant problems

National Trends in Completion

National Trends in Completion

• Barry Dahl (consultant/trainer) recently pointed out that DE classes can match the completion rates of traditional classes and campuses are working on improving completion:

www.chronicle.com (3/13/12)

I've long been an advocate for online learning, but admit

that it's still in its infancy. Methods and approaches

continue to get better and there are lots of smart people

working hard to improve online teaching and learning….

Engaged faculty and robust support systems make a

huge difference.

Member Benefits

• ITC News & Listserv

• Grants Information

• Job Postings

• ITC Quarterly Newsletter

• Library: Articles, Abstracts and Research

• Professional Development Webinar Series

• eLearning 2013 – Feb. 17-20, 2013 San Antonio, Texas with Alamo Colleges

Leadership Academy

For more information:

Anne Johnson, Dean Business, Social Sciences and Online Learning Inver Hills Community College ajohnso@inverhills.mnscu.edu Fred Lokken, Dean TMCC WebCollege Truckee Meadows Community College flokken@tmcc.edu

Jean Runyon, Dean Learning Advancement and the Virtual Campus Anne Arundel Community College jmrunyon@aacc.edu

Carol Spalding, President Rowan-Cabarrus Community College carol.spalding@rccc.edu

Diane Thomas, Dean Online College Greenville Technical College diane.thomas@gvltec.edu Or Instructional Technology Council http://www.itcnetwork.org/about-itc.html