MCCVLC Distance Learning Administrators Survey

1. MCCVLC Distance Learning Administrators Survey Results & Discussion

2. Who • All 24 submissions were community colleges • Based on ASC grouping: • Group 1: 8 submissions (10 possible) • Group 2: 6 submissions (7 possible) • Group 3: 7 submissions (8 possible) • Group 4: 3 submissions (3 possible)

3. Organization Structure • Reporting Line • 29% report to Chief Academic Officer • 29% report to Academic Dean • 17% report to Non-Academic Administrator • ITC National Survey: more than 70 percent of respondents indicated they reported to the vice-president of academic affairs or to an academic dean.; 6% report directly to President

4. Organizational Structure2011 De-centralized Mix In 2011: Centralized – 33%/Decentralized – 17%/Mix – 46% In 2010: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 19%/Mix – 33% In 2008: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 22%/ Mix – 30% In 2006: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 26%/ Mix – 26%

5. Program • Non-credit offerings: • 58% responded Yes (Up from 48% in 2010) • 73% offer non-credit online offerings – ITC Survey • LMS – looking to switch • 50% responded “yes” – Up from 33% in 2010 • Nationally – 38% - ITC Survey • In 2010, ITC results indicated a drop of six percentage points for the Blackboard/WebCT/ Angel Learning share of the LMS market—down from 56 % of Blackboard/WebCT users reported in 2008.

6. Program - Enrollments • What is the percentage of enrollment (credit/contact hr) that your institution’s online program is of the total enrollment for your institution? • Average: 16.97%Median: 17%Range: 6% - 33%

7. Program • Assessment of course prior to offering • 50% have some assessment • Down from 67% have some assessment • Offering online degrees • In 2011 – 42% said yes • In 2010 – 38% said yes • In 2006 – 52% said yes • Nationally – 81% offer at least one online degree

8. Program • How are decisions made regarding new courses and programs? • 38% - academic/discipline level decision • 21% - institution-wide committee/team decision • Three colleges use a strategic plan to guide program & course development decisions – up from one in 2010

9. Program • Section enrollment caps for online

10. Greatest Challenges

11. Greatest Challenges • Very segregated • HLC-NCA recommendations/requirements • We don’t have an official distance learning administrator. • Creating consistency w/programs and courses. • Unclear direction from administration • Preparing students for taking online courses. • Transitioning from de-centralized operation to a more centralized operation

12. “The inability to have the authority to manage the program remains my primary frustration. Decisions are made affecting offerings without my knowledge and decisions are being made without an adequate understanding of the situation. I think all distance education administrators eventually ‘hit the wall’ since their organizations continue to refuse to adapt to the new reality.” —2010 ITC Survey Respondent

13. Faculty • Challenges – from ITC Survey • Finding and training enough faculty to teach online. • “Navigating political minefields with [the] union and administrative issues; getting buy-in to some kind of standard development process.” • “Everyone is doing more with less, to the point where there is little to no time to develop people professionally in online technology or pedagogy.”

14. Faculty • Teaching Ratios for online course • Full time average – 66% ( for 2010 - 63%) • Nationally – 64% • Part time average – 34% (for 2010 - 37%) • Nationally – 35% • Limiting number of classes taught • 58% do not limit (for 2010 - 76%) • Nationally – 67% allow for flexibility

15. Faculty • Training prior to teaching online • 54% said training was mandatory (for 2010 – 67%) • Nationally – 63% indicated training was mandatory • Most indicated that “more than eight hours” of training are required for online faculty.

16. Faculty • Requirement on amount of interaction w/students. • 67% said No • 29% said Yes • For those reporting no, majority indicated it was not an issue. Some indicated that quality standards have helped with this.

17. Student Authentication • Authentic assessments in the course – 6 • Pin/Password access to course – 19 • Proctored exams – 18 • Other • Respondus lock • Some courses require in person presentations • Unique student id and password – with secured login process.

18. ITC – Key Observations & Trends • Demand for distance education by community college students continues to grow—at an accelerated rate. The growth is occurring in traditional and nontraditional age categories.

19. ITC – Key Observations & Trends • As online instruction continues to mature, distance education administrators see a continuing need to address course quality and design, faculty training and preparation, course assessment, to improve student readiness and retention.

20. ITC – Key Observations & Trends • Growth in the use of blended/hybrid and Web-assisted, Web-enhanced, and Web-facilitated classes continues.

21. ITC – Key Observations & Trends • The gap between distance learning and face-to-face student completion rates has narrowed significantly, and individual campuses are reporting real progress in exceeding traditional completion rates.

22. ITC – Key Observations & Trends • For most colleges, providing virtual student services and technology support services are a priority. • The learning management system (LMS) market remains volatile.

23. ITC – Key Observations & Trends The administration of online programs has shifted from colleges’ IT departments, to their academic areas and programmatic services, as distance education has become more mainstream and increased in visibility and importance.

24. ITC – Key Observations & Trends • Many colleges continue to see challenges addressing accessibility issues, such as Section 504 and 508 compliance. • Nearly all colleges already authenticate student access to online courses. • From the ITC 2010 Distance Education Survey Results: Trends in eLearning: Tracking the Impact of eLearning at Community Colleges (http://itcnetwork.org/images/stories/itcannualsurveymay2011final.pdf)