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Overview

Overview. Background Focus and Points of Reference Preview Presentation Abstract. Background. Among other thoughts.

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Overview

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  1. Overview • Background • Focus and Points of Reference • Preview • Presentation Abstract

  2. Background

  3. Among other thoughts.. • "Distance Education is here to stay. And its lightening momentum continually sets in orbit a spate of new questions and challenges." (AACSB Conference Info: Distance Learning: Framework for the Future. June 1–3, 2003 – Villanova University, Philadelphia, PA.)

  4. Focus and Points of Reference • Focus • Spate of new questions and challenges • One of which is accreditation • Points of Reference • AACSB (http://www.aacsb.edu/) • Middle States Association of Colleges of Higher Education (http://www.msache.org/) • New York State Education Department: Office of College and University Evaluation, “Distance Higher Education Initiative” (http://web1.nysed.gov/ocue/Distance • SLN (http://www.SLN.SUNY.EDU

  5. Preview • Systems Approach • The Forest • The Trees

  6. Presentation Abstract • There is a need to insure distance learning courses provide an educational experience comparable to the traditional on- campus experience • How can similar objectives be met with dissimilar procedures? • How can distance learning activities achieve (conceptually) benefits which are similar to the on-campus experience? • How do we measure and evaluate progress in these areas?

  7. The Systems Approach

  8. The Systems Approach

  9. The Systems Approach

  10. Some Objectives • AACSB • Middle States Association of Colleges of Higher Education • New York State Education “Distance Higher Education Initiative” • SUNY Learning Network

  11. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Plans and Policy Statements should • specify the educational objectives of each degree program and articulate courses, sites (if any) and timeliness, • consider the distinctive aspects of the student population to be served and local, regional, national or global needs as addressed in the mission, • explain how distance learning programs emerge from and contribute to the mission, goals and objectives of the institution, • demonstrate how distance learning contributes to the mission, goals and objectives of the business school and its programs, and • specify how the institution's distance learning differs from offerings of other providers.

  12. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Benchmark against existing distance learning programs: • with similar features at comparable institutions to get realistic estimates of the resource needs for distance learning, • in non- comparable institutions or engaged in other types of education to discover best practices and to inspire innovative approaches.

  13. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Thoroughly review the distance learning experience to ensure that any required interactions are meaningful. • Interactive technology assumptions and requirements should be fully described in promotional and descriptive materials, as should requirements for any attendance at on-site sessions.

  14. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Encourage faculty to engage in the discussion of definitions, principles and core values for the distance learning programs. • Creation and maintenance of the necessary faculty resources • Strategically driven • Systematically monitored • Managed. • Faculty recruitment, reward and development practices should reflect the specific duties faculty members perform.

  15. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Develop and implement systematic evaluation of faculty engaged in all aspects of the distance learning program • Preparation of learning experiences • Delivery of learning experiences • Assessment of learning. • Gather information from learners and cognizant peers to evaluate faculty members.

  16. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Supplement content specialists with persons with specific expertise in learning design to create appropriate learning experiences. • Carefully consider whether individual or group instruction best fits the mission, student population and resources available, and then construct support systems with the approach chosen. • Institutional decision making should make provision for monitoring and reviewing the use of technology in guiding the development of distance learning programs within the institution

  17. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Direct sufficient resources to assessment issues so that assessments and assessment procedures are conceptualized adequately and constructed along with the development of other aspects of the distance learning program. Begin work on assessments as a part of the construction of learning experiences. • Resource assessment should be a regular part of an annual distance learning program review. • Develop explicit intellectual property rights policies for materials used in distance learning programs

  18. Quality Issues in Distance Learning(International Association for Management Education, July 1999) • Recommendations • Develop specific policies regarding licensing and other revenue-sharing practices with distance learning materials • Develop student support services • before initiating distance learning programs • clear responsibility chains for liaison • formalize mutual expectations and responsibilities • of off-site • intra-campus • other partners • Regularly survey students to determine and improve support needs.

  19. Distance Learning Programs:Interregional Guidelines for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate ProgramsMiddle States Commission on Higher Education, 2nd Ed. 2002 • Institutional Context and Commitment • Curriculum and Instruction • Faculty Support • Student Support • Evaluation and Assessment

  20. Regional Accrediting Agency on Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs • Statement of Commitment by the Regional Accrediting Commissions • Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs

  21. Statement of Commitment by the Regional Accrediting Commissions • Commitment to: • Traditions, Values, and Principles • Commitment to Cooperation, Consistency, and Collaboration • Commitment to Supporting Good Practice

  22. Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs(http://www.wcet.info/resources/accreditation) • Institutional Context and Commitment • Curriculum and Instruction • Faculty Support • Student Support • Evaluation and Assessment

  23. Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs • 1. Institutional Context and Commitment • Electronically offered programs both support and extend the roles of educational institutions. Increasingly they are integral to academic organization, with growing implications for institutional infrastructure. • 2. Curriculum and Instruction • Methods change, but standards of quality endure. The important issues are not technical but curriculum-driven and pedagogical. Decisions about such matters are made by qualified professionals and focus on learning outcomes for an increasingly diverse student population. • 3. Faculty Support • Faculty roles are becoming increasingly diverse and reorganized. • Same person may not perform both the tasks of course development and direct instruction to students • Regardless of who performs which of these tasks important issues are involved.

  24. Best Practices for Electronically Offered Degree and Certificate Programs • 4. Student Support • 21st Century student is different • demographically and geographically • differences affect everything from admissions policy to library services. • Reaching these students, and serving them appropriately, are major challenges • 5. Evaluation and Assessment • Assessment of student achievement and evaluation of the overall program take on added importance • As new techniques evolve • E.G. seat time is essentially removed from the equation. • Requirement for sustained, evidence-based and participatory inquiry • achieving objectives? • Results of such inquiry are used to guide: • curriculum design and delivery • pedagogy, and educational processes • and may affect future policy and budgets • perhaps have implications for the institution's roles and mission.

  25. Preamble

  26. Principles and Operational Criteria for Good PracticeNY State Education Department--Distance Higher Education Initiative (DHEI) • Organizational Commitment • Principle • Discussion • Operational Criteria (10) • Examples of Good Practice • Learning Design (9) • Learner Support (6) • Outcomes and Assessment (3) • Program Evaluation (3)

  27. Principles and Operational Criteria for Good Practice(Organizational Commitment) • Principle • Distance learning must be backed by an organizational commitment to quality and effectiveness in all aspects of the learning environment. • Discussion • To be effective distance learning programs must be backed by a commitment on the part of the institution or organization to include distance learning in its planning and goal-setting, to treat distance education and on- campus education equitably in its policies and procedures, and to provide the necessary resources – human, fiscal, programmatic and technical --- to support those programs.

  28. Principles and Operational Criteria for Good Practice(Program Evaluation) • Principles • Institution evaluates effectiveness of its DL programs • Uses the findings to improve the programs and services.

  29. Principles and Operational Criteria for Good Practice(Program Evaluation) • Operational Criteria • Process in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all aspects /regular basis • Evaluation results used for continuous program improvement. • Procedures include determination that DL results in learning outcomes appropriate to the degree's or certificate's: • rigor • breadth

  30. Principles and Operational Criteria for Good Practice(Program Evaluation) • Examples of Good Practice • The institution evaluates the effectiveness of its distance learning programs and uses the findings to improve the programs and services. • Intellectual Property Rights • Informational Technology and Disabilities • Organizations • General Information: • Distance Education Clearinghouse • Resources for Distance Education • Etc.

  31. Survey of Sources

  32. Time on Task in Online Education • Reading course presentations/ "lectures“ • Reading other materials • Participation in online discussions • Doing research • Writing papers or other assignments • Completing all other assignments (e.g. projects)

  33. On-Line Discussion RatingsFrom SLN Infrastructure • Comments • 1-10 • Show or No Show • Rubrics

  34. Faculty Evaluation • Develop and implement systematic evaluation of faculty engaged in all aspects of the distance learning program • Preparation of learning experiences • Delivery of learning experiences • Assessment of learning. • Gather information from learners and cognizant peers to evaluate faculty members.

  35. "Best Practices" Expectations • Your Expectations • The School of Management’s primary mission is high quality course instruction. This applies equally to web-based classes, as well as classroom based classes. As part of the School of Management’s continuous quality improvement initiatives, we adopted a “Best Practices” for all School of Management web-based courses offered in the School of Management. • As a student in this web-based course you can expect: • A clear description of all course content will be available at the beginning of the semester. • The course objectives will be met by the end of the semester. • A clear description of the grading policy will be available at the beginning of the semester. • A reasonable deadline for assignments will be set at the beginning of the semester.

  36. "Best Practices" Expectations • You will receive feedback and grades for a reasonable percent of your final grade in this course prior to the SUNYIT deadline to withdraw from courses. • Every instructor will post a reasonable time period for grading assignments. • Questions submitted in student private folders and questions about the current module will be addressed within at least three business days. Any exceptions, e.g., if the instructor is traveling, will be posted in advance. • The instructor will log on at least three times a week. These days will be announced at the beginning of the semester. Any exceptions, due to instructor travel and so forth, will be posted in advance. • All materials posted by the instructor will be checked for grammar and spelling. • No student-faculty communication in the online office hours folder will be deleted.

  37. On-Line Evaluations • Participate in SLN • SOM Evaluation Forms • Web Based • Mandatory for grade in course • Students advised beforehand

  38. Objectives and Learning Outcomes • Articulate the traditional characteristics of excellence in higher education as they pertain to a non-traditional mode of delivery • And place these characteristics within the framework of established accreditation bodies • Identify/propose standards for consideration • Discuss activities that describe, develop and assess pedagogy to address these standards • Solicit suggestions for areas for future development • Consider the characteristics of excellence historically associated with accreditation self evaluations as they are applied in the distance learning environment.

  39. Q and A • Discussion • Suggestions? • Havranek@sunyit.edu • Www.sunyit.edu/~havranek

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