Distance Education Program Grants

Transcription

1 Arnold J. Bateman Director Online Worldwide 3835 Holdrege Street P.O. Box Lincoln, NE Fa x: October, 2010 Vol. 2 Issue Program Grants University of Nebraska Online Worldwide is offering grant funding to support the development of new online programs. This includes undergraduate degree completion, graduate degree, and undergraduate and graduate certificate program development grants and collaborative program (IDEA) grants. For detailed information about the University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Program Development Grants visit the website: Grant proposals will be reviewed by the Online Worldwide Grants Review Committee: (Larry Dlugosh, UNL, Chair; Kenya Taylor, UNK; Oren Yagil, UNMC; and David Boocker, UNO). All proposals received by 5:00 PM Friday, November 19, 2010 will be considered for funding. The faculty planning committee chair will be notified before the end of December regarding the funding status of the grant proposal Collaborative Seed Grants University of Nebraska Online Worldwide is requesting applications for funding to support new or expanding collaborative educational or scholarly programs. Awards will be for projects that enhance the prospects of obtaining competitive extramural support for distance education initiatives. Online Worldwide Seed Grants are available to faculty from all disciplines and NU campuses. Recipients are required to submit a proposal for competitive external funding within 12 months of the end of the Online Worldwide Seed Grant period. Awards will be made up to $5,000 (the average range anticipated is between $3,000 and $5,000). For detailed information about the University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Seed Grants refer to the attached call for proposals or visit the website: Grant proposals will be reviewed by the University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Grants and Research Community of Practice Subgroup: (Dawn Mollenkopf, Chair, UNK; John Markwell, UNL; Lynn Harland, UNO; and Oren Yagil, UNMC). Other members of the Community of Practice include: (Marie Barber, UNL, Chair, John Falconer, UNK; and Cheryl Thompson, UNMC). A special thank you is given to the Community of Practice members for their hard work and leadership in developing the Seed Grant application material. All proposals received by 5:00 PM Friday, October 29, 2010 will be considered for funding. The seed grant project committee chair (lead PI or PD) will be notified before the end of November regarding the funding status of the grant proposal. Standard Reports The Educational Marketing Group, Inc. (EMG) in the University of Nebraska Situational Analysis report completed August of 2007, stated that one of the significant barriers to growth in University of Nebraska s distance education was the poor quality of managing information for decision-making purposes. The consultant recommended the development of standard reports across the four campuses. While there is more work to be done in this area, we are completing the third year of standard enrollment data reports from the campuses. A summary of some of the data is included in this newsletter. More detail data is available by contacting the University of Nebraska Office of Online Worldwide. Student Credit Hours Total distance education student credit hours for the University of Nebraska campuses increased from 68,547 in academic year to 94,327 in academic year (see Table I). Between academic year and academic year undergraduate distance education student credit hours increased from 24,239 to

2 55,044 while graduate student credit hours increased from 27,541 to 39,283. The University of Nebraska at Omaha had the largest increase in total student credit hours between academic year and academic year going from 12,832 to 31,814. The University of Nebraska Medical Center student credit hour data is only available for the School of Allied Health Professions for academic year (For undergraduate and graduate distance education student credit hour data by campus see Table I) Distribution of Student Credit Hours The distribution of distance education student credit hours between distance education only students and oncampus students taking a distance education course varies by campus. This is most notable with undergraduate enrollments. In academic year the University of Nebraska at Kearney generated 48 percent of all undergraduate distance education student credit hours from distance education only students, 52 percent were taken by on-campus students enrolled in a distance education course. For the University of Nebraska at Omaha 32 percent of the undergraduate distance education student credit hours in academic year were taken by distance education only students and 6 percent at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (see Graph I). This data is not available for the University of Nebraska Medical Center. This data for graduate programs is much different. For the University of Nebraska at Kearney 93 percent of the graduate distance education student credit hours were taken by distance education only students in academic year , 82 percent at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and 76 percent at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In academic year , 77 percent of all distance education student credit hours at the University of Nebraska at Kearney were taken by distance education only students and 23 percent by on-campus students enrolling in a distance education course (for campus data, see Graph I). Tuition Revenue With the change in the Board of Regents distance education tuition policy June 2009, President Milliken directed that all distance education tuition revenue be accounted for as state-aided funds. The only exception is the Great Plains IDEA program which is exempt from this policy. In July of 2009 each University of Nebraska campus business office was asked to use this method for accounting of campus distance education tuition revenue, and to prepare a tuition revenue distribution model for allocation of distance education tuition funds to support the campus distance education programs. This policy change in accounting for distance education tuition revenue standardized the process on each of the University of Nebraska campuses. Total distance education tuition revenue reported by the campuses for was $15,019,248 and for $22,277,029. See Graph II for distance education tuition revenue reported by each campus. (For more details, see Table II) University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Communities of Practice Developments Grants and Research The Grants and Research Community of Practice recognized a need for providing seed grants. As a result, the University of Nebraska Online Worldwide is requesting applications for funding to support new or expanding collaborative educational or scholarly programs. Faculty from each campus have been added for the seed grant application review process. Please see Collaborative Seed Grants for application details, where there will also be a link to the form(s). Instructional Design and Faculty Support The Instructional Design and Faculty Support group submitted a recommendation that was approved by the Online Worldwide Steering Committee to issue support for cross-campus collaboration in utilizing the Summer Institute for Online Teaching (SIOT) as a key collaborative faculty development resource. This decision was reached after a copious review of available training on each campus. The SIOT was identified as the more comprehensive faculty development resource currently available. (Factoid: The SIOT won the annual Sloan-C

3 award for Excellence in Faculty Development for Online Teaching in 2004.) The SIOT staff will work toward integrating some additions that accommodate varied needs across the campuses. Modifications currently under consideration include incorporating faculty discussion facilitators from all four campuses, and determining how campus-based technology workshops may be provided/included. This group is working on a Sample Syllabus that is intended to provide guidance relative to essential components that ensures adequate communication with students, some consistency for students who enroll at multiple campuses, while also enhancing faculty/administrative efforts to identify transferability of course credits. Work toward organizing an extensive distance education resource database continues. Student Services The Student Services group is currently identifying technology issues related to student services that present unwanted challenges for students enrolled at multiple campuses. Improved access to Blackboard course content for visiting students, and proctoring/preceptor processes are two examples of issues currently being examined. Orchestration of Financial Aid award processes are also on the agenda. Infrastructure and Systems (NEW!) This Community of Practice was recently formed, per intentions set forth in the Three-Year Strategic Plan. In consultation with campus distance education directors, this CoP will address infrastructure issues that support the needs of faculty who work with distance education programs, as well as the needs of distance education students. This group convened at the beginning of October. We anticipate that this group will help to bridge some of the needs and best practice initiatives voiced by the Instructional Design & Faculty Support CoP, as well as the Student Services CoP. Infrastructure and Systems Community of Practice (CoP) Membership Dan Moser, Chair, ITS Learning Environment/Internet Services (UNMC) Tanya Custer, Instructor, Radiation Science Technology Division (UNMC) Anne Constantino, Director of Student Affairs, Allied Health-Health Service Administration Division (UNMC) Karen Premer, Instructional Technologist, ecampus (UNK) Shelley Haberlan, College of Education IT Support Specialist, (UNK) Bruce Sandhorst, Academic Technology Liaison (UNL) Charles Ansorge, Professor, Educational Psychology (UNL) Nathan Fuerst, Associate Director of Operations, Admissions (UNL) Shelley Schafer, Manager and Academic Partnerships for Instruction (UNO) Sloan Consortium Please remember to take advantage of the Sloan-C workshops, a valuable benefit made available to any NU employee. Seat holders may learn about, and explore a variety of techniques and technologies used in the world of distance education. In addition to finding more instructional tools, one may establish connections with peers around the world. To find a link to available workshops featured through 2010, and to review how to access the workshops while reviewing other benefits related to our institutional membership to the Sloan Consortium, see p.4 of the July 2010 Online Worldwide newsletter: Sloan Conference The 16th annual world renown Sloan-C International Conference focusing on distance education will take place November 3-5. We have five more $50 discounts available for any NU employee to use, so please contact Jennifer Schrodt ( ) for the discount code if you would like to attend this conference, and perhaps catch some of that Florida sun as an added bonus before winter arrives in Nebraska!

4 Online Worldwide support team Arnold J. Bateman Director Kristin K. Grosskopf Specialist Jennifer L. Schrodt Administrative Assistant

5 Table I University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Student Credit Hours Report by Campus Academic Years 07 08, and Year UNK UNL UNO UNMC * Total of All Student Credit Hours Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total ,921 11,792 17,713 7,898 13,337 21,295 10,420 2,412 12,832 24,239 27,541 51, ,976 14,688 22,664 11,751 13,274 25,085 17,378 3,420 20,798 37,105 31,382 68, ,703 16,468 26,171 17,505 13,038 30,543 27,351 4,463 31, ,314 5,799 55,044 39,283 94,327 Note: *UNMC reported data is for the School of Allied Health Professions and is only available for AY Source: Campus 07 08, 08 09, and academic year distance education reports and campus distance education semester/term data reports

6 Graph I University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Percent Distribution of Student Credit Hours by Campus Reported for Undergraduate and Graduate Taking a Course Academic Year % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 52% 48% Undergraduate 93% 7% Graduate 77% 23% All UNK UNK Only UNK On Campus Enrolled in One or More Courses 100% 90% 80% 70% 94% 82% UNL 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 6% Undergraduate 18% Graduate 47% 53% All UNL Only UNL On Campus Enrolled in One or More Distance Eduction Courses 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 32% 68% 76% 24% 40% 60% UNO UNO Only UNO On Campus Enrolled in One or More Distance Education Courses 0% Undergraduate Graduate All

7 Graph II University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Tuition Revenue Report by Campus Academic Years and $25,000,000 $22,277,029 $20,000,000 $15,000,000 $15,019,248 $10,000,000 $8,935, $5,000,000 $4,256,555 $5,735,062 $6,686,767 $4,075,926 $6,857,176 $0 $749,048 UNK Total UNL Total UNO Total UNMC Total (School of Allied Health Only) Total of All Student Credit Hours

8 Table II University of Nebraska Online Worldwide Tuition Revenue Report by Campus Academic Years and Year UNK UNL UNO UNMC * Total of All Student Credit Hours Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total Undergrad Graduate Total $1,143,051 $3,113,504 $4,256,555 $2,440,647 $4,246,120 $6,686,767 $3,066,922 $1,009,004 $4,075,926 $6,650,620 $8,368,628 $15,019, $1,664,510 $4,070,552 $5,735,062 $4,327,633 $4,608,100 $8,935,743 $5,481,685 $1,375,491 $6,857,176 $97,000 $652,048 $749,048 $11,570,828 $10,706,191 $22,277,029 Note: *UNMC reported data is for the School of Allied Health Professions and is only available for AY Source: Campus 07 08, 08 09, and academic year distance education reports and campus distance education semester/term data reports