Utilizing Shared Resources to Increase Access and Decrease Costs: Leveraging the Benefits of a System in Georgia

1. Utilizing Shared Resources to Increase Access and Decrease Costs: Leveraging the Benefits of a System in Georgia Sandra Stone, VPAA Andy Meyer, Assistant VPAA Dalton State College

2. eCore Electronic Core Curriculum University System of Georgia

3. What is eCore? • eCore offers the opportunity for any USG student to complete his/her core curriculum online – began in fall 2000 • Courses taught by faculty from across the 35 unit system – 25 courses available • Program is completely financially self-sustaining – receives no state appropriations

4. Benefits to Students • Courses are transferrable • Low tuition - $189/credit hour • Accredited by SACS • Convenient/flexible • Highly qualified faculty • ADA compliant • Student support services

5. Benefits to Institutions • Centralized administration • Centralized registration - INGRESS • No faculty or course development cost • Cost sharing (40% to program administration, 40% to site providing faculty – pay faculty $3,600 and keep the rest, 20% to home site for student – must be an affiliate)

6. Benefits to Institution (con’t) • Course revisions and instructional design • Marketing • Faculty training and mentors • Student support • Evaluation • Proctored test coordination • Affiliate tech support

7. Increases Student Success • Retention for FY10 – 82% • Gated registration – requires assessment prior to registration • Identification of at-risk students and intensive follow-up • Faculty training re: student success • Student-friendly navigation within courses • Ongoing evaluation of student withdrawals

8. eCore Retention Rates

9. Student Information • Average age = 26 • About 70% white, 20% Black, rest mixed • About 2/3rds are female • About 2/3rds are Freshmen or Sophomores

10. Program Information • Grade comparisons vary across courses and institutions – passing with a C or better ranges from a low of 62% (English) to a high of 93% (Integrated Science); GPA of eCore vs traditional classroom varies as well • Withdrawals – 19% class related; 16% lack of preparation; 43% personal; 21% other

11. Faculty Information • In FY10, 84% had taught an eCore course before • 70% were full-time at their institution; 24% part-time; 6% retired • 84% of students rated the instructor as an effective teacher (55% strongly agree, 29% agree)

12. Assessment • Overall student satisfaction 4.2 on 5 pt. scale • Most successful area for completion is social sciences (64%); least is essential skills (Eng and Math) (53%)

13. Assessment (con’t) • eCore common outcomes and successful student achievement for FY07 – FY10 (grade of A, B, or C): • Communications – 74% • Quantitative – 67% • Cultural – 74% • Scientific – 67% • Aesthetic – 73%

14. For more information: • https://ecore.usg.edu

15. GA College 411 Shared information site for the University System of Georgia

16. GA College 411 • Began in 2005 • Information for career planning, high school planning, college planning, financial aid • Common admissions application • Common financial aid application • Common transcripts (high school and college)

17. GA College 411 • College Access Challenge Grant – 2009 – funding to add content for middle school and adults and to increase career information • GA Apply to College Week – was one week in Nov., has been so successful it will be extended to the month of Nov. in 2011

18. GA College 411 • BRIDGE Law – passed in GA General Assembly in 2010 – Building Resourceful Individuals to Develop GA’s Economy • Requires students be provided with advisement, counseling, career awareness, and career inventories; requires students to create an individual graduation plan

19. GA College 411 • FY11 – 931,494 individual accounts created, 2 times the number in FY10 • 218,114 admissions applications submitted, 11% increase from FY10 • About 90,000 transcripts sent, 26% increase from FY10 • More than 3.8 million site visits (10 min +)

20. More Information • www.gacollege411.org

21. Additional Online Shared Resources University System of Georgia

22. Georgia On My Line • Complete list of online courses • Complete list of online degree programs • Complete list of institutions providing online instruction • Cross institution registration available • www.georgiaonmyline.org

23. Public and USG Libraries • Administered by the University System of GA • GALILEO – GA Library Learning Online • GIL – GALILEO Interconnected Libraries • OLLC – Online Library Learning Center

24. Collaborations • WebMBA – five schools • WebBSIT – five schools • Independent online learning – UGA • Online Education certificates, endorsements • www.usg.edu • Academic programs • Distance education

25. The Adult Learning Consortium

26. College Access Challenge Grant • Goal: • Increase the college degree attainment of: • low-income adults • who have some college credit • but have not been enrolled in the past year • and have not attained a degree.

27. College Access Challenge Grant • Strategies: • Expand postsecondary program options which • meet the needs of adult students and • are aligned with State’s workforce development plan, • improve services for adult and military students, • conduct an outreach campaign to low-income adults who have “dropped out” or “stopped out” of postsecondary education.

28. USG Adult Learning Consortium 1.0 Atlanta Metropolitan College Fort Valley State University Georgia Southwestern State University Bainbridge College Valdosta State University

29. USG Adult Learning Consortium 2.0 • Atlanta Metropolitan College • Bainbridge College • Fort Valley State University • Georgia Southwestern University • Valdosta State University • Columbus State University • Dalton State College • Gainesville State College • Southern Polytechnic University

30. Adult Learning Consortium Growing exponentially Year 2: Nine+ campuses Adult Learning Consortium Year 1: Five campuses Valdosta State University pilot

31. Administer ALFI Toolkit (ISAS and ALI) • Develop/Expand Prior Learning • Assessment (PLA) options • Develop “crosswalk” programs aligned with • state economic/workforce priorities • Conduct public awareness campaign • Collect data to evaluate progress • Develop best practices and resources • that can be shared System-wide • Institutions will become members of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOCS) • http://www.soc.aascu.org/ USG Adult Learning Consortium

32. The ALFI Toolkit • Institutional Self-Assessment Survey (ISAS): A team of school administrators, faculty and staff evaluate the effectiveness of programs and services that serve adult learners • The Adult Learner Inventory (ALI): Administered to students 25 and older to measure students perceptions of programs and services that attempt to meet their needs • The results of these two assessments are then integrated and benchmarked nationally. Together the ISAS and ALI “provide a framework of policies and practices to make educational programs more attractive and accessible to adult learners” • http://www.cael.org/alfi/tools

33. PLA Options: Tools in our bag Advanced Placement International Baccalaureate College Level Examination Program ACE Guides DSST Credit by Exam Departmental Challenge Exams Experiential Learning Assessments (individualized student portfolios) Evaluation of Local Training Excelsior College Examination Program

34. Target Crosswalk Programs • Begin with Professional and/or Industry Standards • Certification and Credentials • Align with common courses and course credit • Lower … and upper division • Identify appropriate CLEP, DSST, and other nationally recognized assessments

35. Public Awareness • All 9 institutions have their web pages up and available (www.daltonstate.edu/adultlearner, http://www.bainbridge.edu/adultlearners) • Billboard and media campaigns are ready to be launched • www.georgiaonmyline.org/adultlearner

36. Billboards

37. Television and Web video • http://www.georgiaonmyline.org/adultlearner

38. Data Collection Institutions will contribute to data collection and sharing for the purposes of program evaluation, accountability, continuous improvement, and market research. Participant databases will be used for administration of surveys to assess and improve effectiveness of services, provide feedback for program improvement, and provide data for reporting progress on proposed outcomes

39. Current Situation / New Developments • Learning Counts – CAEL, ACE, College Board – created online PLA Center & ALC Institutions are pilot project members • Developing Faculty Assessors Network – establishing online evaluations through GeorgiaVIEW • Planning eMajor – Collaborative Online Programs – focused on adult learners

40. eMajor Planning • First program launches in August 2011 – Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership (ORGL) – as VSU degree • Submit substantive change notification to SACS & BOR to establish collaborative program • Other institutions can submit substantive change and offer ORGL degree – Sp 2012?

41. More on ORGL • Interdisciplinary Degree – short sessions, flexible schedules (full-time, part-time, no cohort) • Concentrations: • Law Enforcement Administration • Legal Office Administration • Office Administration & Technology • Public Service Administration • Communication Arts • More to come soon!

42. Questions?