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Technology Landscape University of Maine at Presque Isle April 2012. UMPI History
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Technology Landscape University of Maine at Presque Isle April 2012
UMPI History Traditionally, the Micmac people have lived along the 400-mile-long St. John River, which runs along the Canadian border in northern Maine. Native gatherers inhabited this region as early as 12,000 years ago. Tribal history suggests that the Maliseet peoples and the Micmac jointly inhabited this area for several thousand years. http://www.fourdirectionsmaine.org/micmac
UMPI was founded in 1903 as the Aroostook State Normal School and has gone through four name changes since that time (The Aroostook State Teachers College in 1952; The Aroostook State College in 1965; the Aroostook State College of the University of Maine in 1968; The University of Maine at Presque Isle since 1971).
Mission Statement of the University of Maine at Presque Isle The University emphasizes professional programs and a balanced curriculum that promotes a strong foundation in the arts and sciences. Undergraduate study includes a variety of majors leading to baccalaureate degrees in teacher education, career and professional fields, health and human services, arts and sciences, and the natural environment.
History of Digital Technology We have been approved to deliver four baccalaureate programs designed to provide a complete online (distance) degree (in English, History, Liberal Studies, and Psychology) and are currently developing additional programs (Art History and French Education). We have also established distance and online courses in each area of the General Education Curriculum (GEC) and thus are providing a complete distance education curriculum, inclusive of the GEC, for the aforementioned majors. All of the coursework required for the majors as well as General Education courses will be provided directly by UMPI faculty. This reflects UMPI’s dedication to expand its distance education offerings to provide opportunities for place-bound students both within and without the state of Maine.
In the past four years, UMPI’s ability to deliver distance education courses has increased dramatically. In the fall of 2007, for instance, only 4 courses were delivered asynchronously (as online Blackboard-platform classes). In fall 2008, that number increased to 8. By fall 2009, the number of such offerings increased to 15, and by spring of 2010 to 24, with 28 courses scheduled for the fall of 2010. In Spring 2011, were offered, enrolling over 1000 students, a 100% increase from Spring 2010. In Spring 2012, 71 online courses were offered, filling 1344 seats, or 29% of overall enrollments.
Our distance education programming grows from our mission in two specific ways. Northern Maine (comprising Aroostook County as well as parts of Penobscot and Washington Counties) is a large and rural region. Increasingly available high-speed internet (via the Three Ring Binder project in which UMS is playing a major part) makes online coursework the most efficient way for many residents to pursue higher education. We pride ourselves on being a school that serves rural students. Historically we have had a significant number of part-time and commuting students. We must continue to best meet the needs of those individuals who are never or rarely able to come to campus with the best available platforms and technologies informed by best pedagogical practices.
It has been and remains the primary goal of all distance education—particularly online educational modalities—programs at UMPI to deliver courses of the highest level quality with maximal student-faculty interaction. Thus, all of our distance education courses are officially capped at enrollments of 25 students; online courses such as College Composition and Creative Writing which would be capped at 18 as “on ground” modalities are similarly capped at 18 in their online modalities. Thus, UMPI is dedicated to providing equivalent instructor to student ratios in its online programs as are found in its on ground iterations of such programs.
As recommended by the US Department of Education study, none of our online courses are delivered via “computer based instruction” in which students complete pre-formatted tasks and quizzes, receiving minimal or no meaningful (qualitative) feedback.
In addition, in the College of Arts and Sciences (delivering the majority of online courses currently), all instructors incorporate delivery/design standards modeled after those developed by California State University, Chico, a recognized as a leader in online evaluation/assessment/development (see http://www.csuchico.edu/tlp/resources/rubric/rubric.pdf for the rubric itself) and QualityMatters.
We have learned that in order to maintain a robust slate of quality distance education courses, we have to provide continual faculty training opportunities and technical support. For example, in addition to instructing faculty new to distance education, we must train for upgraded software and technological innovations. As mentioned above, we have made strategic choices in courses offered and certificates and programs developed, as well as providing support for the faculty engaged in such practices (including faculty training in new technologies as well as ongoing technological support, i.e. purchase of laptops and appropriate software for all faculty teaching online courses).
Distance Education authority within UMPI is assigned to the VPAA and is shared by the College Chairs. The campus culture emphasizes cooperative problem solving across organizational levels. There is no separate organization for distance education. All aspects are integrated within the existing academic governance structure. As such, there is no one individual assigned coordinating responsibility separate from his or her normal duties. Nonetheless, the Chair of the College of Arts and Sciences, in which all of the currently proposed programs and the entire (online) general education curriculum is housed, in conjunction with the VPAA, plays the central role in coordinating online offerings. The College Chairs have responsibility for direct oversight of course delivery and faculty duties. We have discussed the potential need for a coordinate at some time in the future, but our current organization structure is accommodating online delivery at this point.
UMPI’s online presence has grown organically over the past half decade. Some of the factors contributing to this growth are as follows: • all faculty were equipped with tablets and docking stations; • faculty who needed screen capture and other instructional technologies were provided with them; • during spring faculty retreat, we shared successes, tips and tricks; • 1K stipends were provided for (full time) faculty who wanted to try this environment*. In other words, faculty were offered incentives and support to teach online, encouraging those who desired to enter that realm. • We continue to look for ways to improve this experience for faculty and students. *The Chair of Arts and Sciences vigorously believes that this stipend should be available, on a discretionary basis, to qualified adjunct faculty.
UMPI Information Technology Services staff and College administrative assistants provide direct technical support, mailing services, proctored testing, videoconferencing support, and courseware and technical support for students and faculty. In addition, University College is obligated as part of a service level agreement to provide many aspects of distance education support, including the following: • Training and assistance to faculty on instructional course design; • Technical implementations for interactive television and network infrastructure; • Student academic support through centers statewide and course registration phone assistance; • Equipment and software maintenance; • Proctoring of testing; • Off-campus library services for students and faculty; and • Course management system support.
As of Spring 2012, UMPI has initiated a pilot project using IDEA resources to support student evaluations for all of its courses in an online format. For the first time, this will ensure that formal evaluations for online modality courses will fall within contractual guidelines. The success of this pilot program will be evaluated following the Spring 2012 semester results (including rate of return, etc.).
Context from faculty (full and part time) perspective -Incentives, disincentives A major incentive is to maintain strong enrollments and to increase the number of prospective majors in targeted programs (i.e. English, Psychology, etc.). A disincentive remains the amount of start-up time necessary to design and deliver the initial iteration of classes as a percentage of the faculty’s overall workload; although a stipend has helped to incentivize many faculty members. UMPI believes that the transition from desktops to laptops for all faculty, coupled with the stipend for developing and delivering an online course for the first time is what has cultivated the organic nature of our growth in the online delivery of courses and programs.
Implicit or explicit models of faculty (career) development and support;assumptions about computer literacy development and just in time support UMPI has generally functioned in a one-on-one mode of professional development/training in regards to distance delivery. We have shared ideas among faculty and with the instructional technology support area. Recent proposals deemed essential to move beyond this peer-to-peer mode include that of hiring a full time instructional design specialist to help meet the challenges posed by an expanding online curriculum (including foreign language courses, laboratory science courses, etc).
Context from student perspective An increasing number of students expect online courses to comprise a significant part of their course-load. Additionally, growing numbers of students are enrolled specifically as “online” students (either within our without UMPI’s general geographic area) and expect all General Education courses as well as those within their majors to be delivered in distance modalities.
All University programs, including the ones addressed in this report, rest on established learning outcomes. Assessment of learning effectiveness is integrated into the overall assessment programs by academic area, as described in the institution’s NEASC report. Components of the distance courses are included in the program assessment. The online courses in support of the programs addressed in this report are primarily delivered via the Blackboard course-management system. As noted earlier, course enrollments are generally capped at 25 and often are set at lower maximum enrollments depending upon curricular requirements as determined by individual programs. In designing courses, the emphasis is on enhancing communication and bolstering student interaction. The faculty makes extensive use of the discussion board features of Blackboard. Several instructors have developed video, via DVDs or online streaming, to supplement the other communication structures, primarily by using the webcams built into laptops as well as by programs such as Camtasia.
The faculty reports that successful online courses are characterized by (as underscored by the recent U.S. Department of Education study): Highly organized online structure with multiple teaching/learning methods; Consistent and thorough instructor response and “presence” in the online environment; Effective advising and support at multiple levels, and from instructors and staff across a range of areas; and Students who have high levels of self-direction.
UMPI endeavors to provide excellent services to students who are not readily able to travel to campus. The central course-based services of accommodations, tutoring, and help desk operations are systematically extended to students at a distance. As we move into program delivery at a distance, we will continue to expand the scope of services to address the often unique advising and planning needs of programs offered via distance technologies.
Students have access to technical assistance via a variety of means. Director of Instructional Technology and IT office provide student support with Blackboard and other technical matters. The IT departments of the University and the System each provide phone helpdesk support for computer and network issues. Students in online courses, like all students, may seek redress for concerns via a range of established avenues, including the College Chairs and Dean of Students. Formal appeal processes are established for academic decisions.
UMPI serves a diverse population of online students including students in our local region who would not otherwise be able to attend classes. Our online presence assists in strengthening all of our local programs as we offer the ability to complete the entire General Education Curriculum online. We have seen empirical evidence (which literature supports) that the process of developing and teaching an online class has improved our on-ground courses; as our faculty have taken this opportunity to revamp their other courses with the lessons learned in teaching online. The online environment has allowed us to fill some faculty course loads (keeping them fully employed) and to utilizing retired faculty as adjuncts, providing students continued access to experts in their fields. UMPI is committed to the notion that the autonomous nature of managing our online presence and making program and course decision for the online environment must remain intact. This autonomy must be retained for us to ensure the quality of our programs as our online success depends upon the quality of our product.
