Bringing Technology into Higher Education Policies ---- A Regional View

1. Bringing Technology into Higher Education Policies----A Regional View J. B. Mathews Senior Technology Policy Advisor Southern Regional Education Board

2. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY COOPERATIVE • Formed in 1995 • Comprised of 38 state higher education and K-12 coordinating and governing boards • Task Groups, involving approximately 160 individuals: distance learning, professional development, professional development, and telecommunications & infrastructure • Information sharing, conferences, studies

3. AMERICAN TELEDCOMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE • Formed in April 2001 • Four regional educational compacts & MiCTA • Low cost contracts • Leadership in services to education • Existing contracts: long distance, interactive video, wireless, internet access, etc.

4. ELECTRONIC CAMPUS • Began in January 1998 • 5000 courses, 200 programs, & 350 institutions • GALILEO: accessed by 50 institutions outside of GA • WAYS-IN: collaboration with GA GLOBE

5. DISTANCE LEARNING POLICY LAB • A regional (and national) project, funded by FIPSE, to develop information and policy guidelines and recommendations for state and institutional policy makers • State Partner concept • GOALS : Quality, cost, and access issues in distance learning • At midpoint of three-year grant

6. TECHNOLOGY ENABLED: new functions flexibilities access, economies student centered needs of population economic development life-long learning credit and non-credit anytime, anywhere just in time, and modularized. VISION

7. UNDERSERVED • Goal/Issue • Ubiquitous infrastructure; computer ownership • Greater citizen instruction and training • Access to programming and information sources at low cost • Growth of postsecondary enrollment • Raise education levels in the South; increase number of postsecondary degrees

8. UNDERSERVED • Policy Proposals • Changes in financial aid • Promote corporate tuition reimbursement • Support community access, economic development, k-16 initiatives

9. FACULTY ISSUES • Goal/Issue • Improve effectiveness of teaching and learning • Support new roles for faculty; change compensation and incentives policies • Equitable policies that balance access and ownership rights

10. FACULTY ISSUES • Policy Proposals • Strengthen commitments to “human resource development” • Institute “continuous improvement” and evaluation strategies • Adopt regional as well as institutional evaluation schemes • Establish “capitalization” or “investment” funds for start -up

11. FACULTY ISSUES • Institutions adopt instructional team approach • Recognize e-learning contributions in tenure, promotion • Establish more flexible contract policies • Create new organizational structures • Substitute learner outcome evaluation for seat time and course length policies

12. FACULTY ISSUES • Strengthen local tutorial support of distance learners • Establish a priori intellectual property policies, and assure understanding • Financial rewards should follow contributions • Support “fair use” through federal law changes.

13. FINANCIAL AID • Goal/Issue • Increase amount and sources of aid available to part-time students, distance learners taking courses from multiple institutions, and for non traditional term lengths • Support non-degree work; modules of learning

14. FINANCIAL AID • Goal/Issue • Expand allowable costs in financial aid packages (e.g., computers, DLS line) • Encourage educational choice on a program, not an institutional level • Determine method of disbursing aid for overlapping loan periods • Determine an average completion time in terms of preparation and study time

15. FINANCIAL AID • Goal/Issue • Distinguish distance learning from correspondence courses

16. FINANCIAL AID • Policy Proposals • Better identification and tracking of distance learners • Delivery of aid to student not institution (GI Bill model) • Omission of seat time as measure of progress • Promotion of a regional agreement on financial aid guidelines

17. FINANCIAL AID • Promotion of a borrower-based academic year with “just in time” disbursement of aid

18. FINANCE • Goal/Issue • Adopt “goal centered” funding policies for technology • Adopt studen-centered rather than institutional or departmental goals • Disaggregate services and pricing to facilitate distance learning • Costing and resource allocation should facilitate collaboration

19. FINANCE • Goal/Issue • Promote “economies of scale” and other conditions that improve cost-effectiveness • Address policies that incent opposite behavior (or disincent roal-related behavior) that are built into the system • Encourage e-commerce capability

20. FINANCE • Policy Proposals • Tuition policies which are more segmented and tailored • Normalize funding for technology as opposed to “one time” or special allocations • Fund ongoing replacement and upgrading; use “life cycle” planning • Support new policies toward outside providers and vendors

21. FINANCE • Policy Proposals • Allow more flexibility between expenditure categories • Develop “investment” and depreciation models of funding • Diminish/change classification between capital and operating • Establish periodic review mechanisms

22. FINANCE • Policy Proposals • Provide change incentives for faculty • Cost services separately to establish equitable pricing

23. STUDENT SERVICES • Goal/Issue • Improve quality and availability of student services for all students (traditional, distance, part time) • Develop a 24 x 7 philosophy

24. STUDENT SERVICES • Goal/Issue • Establish link between particular services and student success in distance learning • Encourage unbundling of services: student choice of service packages to meet their individual needs

25. STUDENT SERVICES • Policy Proposals • Institutional mission statements that emphasize meeting student needs • Integrated on-campus and DL services • Utilize outside vendors • Allow alternative, flexible funding strategies for services (reallocation)

26. QUALITY ASSURANCE • Goal/Issue • Allay concerns about DL courses and programs while also protecting consumers • Improve levels of faculty-student interaction • Focus on the aspects of quality instruction appropriate to the means of delivery rather than comparing on- vs off-campus

27. QUALITY ASSURANCE • Goal/Issue • Look at quality assurance policy at the different levels (state and institution) across different systems. • Create a matrix typology of emerging policies from the faculty point of view, the accrediting body view, and the institutional view.

28. QUALITY ASSURANCE • Policy Proposals • Include e-learning in mission statements • Encourage institutions and systems to develop strategic plans • Establish state-level quality control processes

29. QUALITY ASSURANCE • Policy Proposals • Review adequacy of faculty development, infrastructure, student services, regulatory requirements • Establish continuous improvement mechanisms of assessment and modification

30. CREDIT • Goal/Issue • Lower costs and time to degree for DL students taking courses from multiple institutions • Accommodate the multi-institution student • Accommodate a modularized curriculum

31. CREDIT • Policy Proposals • Common general education requirements at the state level • Full transferability of accredited associate degree across state lines to any SREB institution • Electronic reports showing how credits will be recognized at any institution in the region

32. CREDIT • Policy Proposals • Establish institutional transfer coordinators • Specific and general articulation agreements • Establilsh statewide transfer committees • Develop generic BA degrees to complete specialized AA degrees

33. CREDIT • Policy Proposals • Common standards for tracking and reporting migration of students across states • State organization which serves as “credit integrator” and degree completer • Statements of “student responsibility”

34. TUITION: REGIONAL E-RATE • Goal/Issue • Expand student choice • Establish “free trade zone” in SREB for distance learning • Reduce duplication • Utilize available capacity

35. TUITION: REGIONAL E-RATE • Goal/Issue • Promote regional economic development • Expand institutional markets

36. TUITION: REGIONAL E-RATE • Policy Proposals • Establish permissive state policies to allow institutions to establish an e-rate that is independent of location of student • Encourage “market pricing”