APRIL REPORT OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

Transcription

1 REPORT OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM APRIL 2015 Brice W. Harris, Chancellor

2 Cover Photo: Student at computer, Southwestern College, Chula Vista, California. CONNECT WITH US CaliforniaCommunityColleges.cccco.edu scorecard.cccco.edu salarysurfer.cccco.edu adegreewithaguarantee.com stepforward.cccco.edu doingwhatmatters.cccco.edu icanaffordcollege.com facebook.com/cacommcolleges facebook.com/icanaffordcollege twitter.com/calcommcolleges twitter.com/drbricewharris twitter.com/workforcevan twitter.com/icanafrdcollege youtube.com/cacommunitycolleges/ instagram.com/californiacommunitycolleges

3 REPORT OF THE Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program Table of Contents Executive Summary Methodology TTIP Background Summary of Chancellor s Office-funded Programs Online Education Initiative Common Assessment Initiative Education Planning Initiative TTIP North TTIP South Cal-PASS Plus Financial Chart Emerging Concepts Appendice Cal-PASS Audit Report Prepared by the: CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES CHANCELLOR S OFFICE 1102 Q Street Sacramento, California

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5 STATE OF CALIFORNIA '. BRICE W. HARRIS, CHANCELLOR CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE 1102 QSTREET SACRAMENTO, CA (916) January 29, 2016 The Honorable Edmund G. Brown, Jr. Governor ofcalifornia State Capitol Sacramento, California Dear Governor Brown: I am pleased to present to you the Chancellor's Office report on the Telecommunications, Technology and Infrastructure Program managed by the Technology and Telecommunication Unit. This report meets Budget Act requirements. Included in this 17th annual report are program highlights, financial charts, and future program direction. This report also summarizes how the program furthers the mission ofthe California Community colleges and specifically its commitment to the effective use oftechnology in education. If you, or your staff, have any questions, please feel free to contact Erik Skinner, deputy chancellor, at (916) or skinner@cccco.edu. Sincerely, ~JJ-;(1-~ Brice W. Harris Chancellor Enclosure Cc: Legislative Analyst's Office Department offinance

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7 Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program Executive Summary The California Community Colleges serves more than 2.1 million students and is the largest system of higher education in the nation. The state s 112 colleges provide workforce training, teach basic math and English, and prepare students for transfer to four-year universities and colleges. The Chancellor s Office Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP), was created by Budget Act language in fiscal year to provide systemwide technical innovations and support and to coordinate activities that maximize the system s investment in technology. In the beginning, TTIP recognized the importance of connecting educational institutions to the emerging Internet community and ultimately connected colleges to the 4CNET backbone. Connectivity was then expanded to the video conferencing and satellite networks, enabling colleges to share both data and video communications. Library automation, local telecommunications planning, technology training and e-conferencing were also supported through TTIP. In 2001, as the demand for bandwidth increased, 4CNET and the California Community Colleges began merging with the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), an optical network formed by charter partners (University of California, California State University, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, and University of Southern California) to provide high speed / high capacity networking and represents the common interests of California s higher education academic and research communities. In 2008, TTIP funding for critical functions such as libraries and TTIP allocations for colleges to maintain local technology and infrastructure was eliminated. The TTIP budget was reduced from approximately $44 million in 2001 to its current level in of $15.3 million. This 65 percent reduction requires colleges to finance the technology expenditures that TTIP once supported. In , TTIP continued to make program and budgetary adjustments to address the rising costs of providing Internet connectivity to the California Community Colleges, including circuit and equipment replacement costs. Colleges continued to partially fund backup connections to the Internet, video conferencing services agreements were cancelled and existing TTIP project budgets were further reduced. Even without additional funding, TTIP continued to provide technology application innovations, technical leadership and coordinated activities that maximized the system s investment in technology with the expressed goal of improving learning outcomes. 1

8 Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Program, This 17th annual report highlights up-to-date information on the programs supported through TTIP. The systemwide budget cuts of the past few years, reports of impacted classes, staff reductions and students ill-prepared for college-level work led to the development of the Student Success Program and Governor Brown s Online Education Initiative. In addition to the delivery of existing technology services, TTIP leadership was instrumental in the launch of the initiatives for Online Education, Common Assessment, and Education Planning. The primary goal of the first nine months of the three initiatives was planning and development of the first pilot programs and review and selection of the vendors to provide the technology to reach the goals of each initiative. While not a TTIP program, we will include updates on the three technology initiatives in this report, since they are managed by the technology unit of the Chancellor s Office. Through technology, TTIP strives to improve education and educational services and is committed to innovation and student success. Technology continues to change the way educational institutions run their business and educate their students. The Telecommunications, Technology and Infrastructure Program brought high-speed broadband to the California Community Colleges and the program continues to challenge the status quo through innovative solutions. TTIP funding remained steady this year at $15.3 million. TTIP worked with CENIC, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the California Teleconnect Fund to reduce Internet costs for all colleges in the system and worked diligently to continue to seek out technology-related grants. Through technology, TTIP strives to improve education and educational services and is committed to innovation and student success. The 3CMediaSolutions and CCC Confer grants continued to provide phone and Internet-based conferencing tools, film, store and stream live conferences and instructional content in support of the education community. The Technology Center continued to provide technical assistance and planning, cooperative purchase agreements and supported new statewide technology pilots and ongoing technology programs, such as CCCApply, a uniform application to college soon to be used by all of the 112 community colleges. The electronic transcript project, etranscriptca, was expanded and more colleges than ever are participating. In cooperation with the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), Internet connectivity speed for some severely underserved colleges was increased. The partnership with CENIC provides high-bandwidth connectivity and enables the system to negotiate a flat rate for service, which is now saving the system as much as $4.1 million annually through the California Teleconnect Fund Program. Information technology students studying at Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California. Methodology The Chancellor s Office Telecommunications and Technology Unit is continuously engaged with grant teams and personnel throughout the state. In addition to reviewing biannual updates, the technology unit staff attends regular project meetings and participates in impromptu discussions and face-to-face events with the teams. The staff also collaborates on current technology issues with advisory committees from the system s colleges. 2

9 Data used in this report was submitted by the director of each grant project. Additional project details can be found at the following URL and then by selecting the individual grant: Sys/Telecom/GrantInformation.aspx TTIP Background The Chancellor s Office Technology, Research and Information Systems division governs TTIP, which is guided by provisions of the Tech IV Plan. The Tech IV Plan builds upon the work established in Tech I, II, and III. Tech IV programs have the following objectives: Protect the state s prior technology investment Expand and improve student services. Utilize current technology to leverage the existing infrastructure. 1. The Online Education Initiative (OEI) Introduction An initiative of the California Community Colleges Chancellor s Office (CCCCO) funded by the California legislature in support of increased access to community college online courses, the mission of the OEI is to dramatically increase the number of California Community Colleges (CCC) students who obtain college associate degrees and transfer to four-year colleges each year by providing online courses and services within a statewide CCC Online Education Ecosystem (OEE). Special attention will be given to ensuring retention and success through comprehensive support services especially for students accessing their educational opportunities online. The primary goal of the first nine months of year two of the Online Education Initiative (OEI) was planning and development of the first OEI pilot programs and initial pilot college implementations that began in January TTIP Projects The Chancellor s Office currently funds six systemwide technology projects through TTIP, all with a competitive grant process. These projects include: 1. Online Education Initiative (OEI) 2. Common Assessment Initiative (CAI) 3. Education Planning Initiative (EPI) 4. TTIP North Technology Center 5. TTIP South 3C Media Solutions 6. Cal-PASS Plus California Partnership for the Achievement of Student Success The focus of the initiative is to ensure that significantly more students are able to complete their educational goals by increasing both access to and success in online courses. The OEI is developing and implementing systems and resources that increase students success in high quality online courses allowing them to complete their degrees in a timely manner. Significant attention is being given to preparing colleges to offer more online classes by working together to develop high quality courses and to highly trained online teach 3

10 ing faculty. To accomplish access and success goals, a systemwide set of resources is being developed that includes common online platforms and resources as well as efforts dedicated to increasing consistent quality levels in online teaching and learning. During this nine-month period, the OEI transitioned from a launch team to executive management leadership, developed quality online course design standards, formed the first college pilots, and began the first OEI Pilots which focused on Online Learner Readiness and Tutoring. Active participation from the OEI Steering Committee, Pilot Colleges, and partner groups enabled a collaborative decision-making process. Over 60 colleges within the system have participated in some aspect of the initiative. Key Accomplishments: I. Organizational Structure: Prior to this timeframe, a governance structure encompassing all essential leadership was formed, the OEI Steering Committee was launched, and the launch team led the discovery process and scope of work refinement that informed the Executive management team s planning process. Accomplishments during this nine-month period included: Transition to the permanent management team: The Executive Director role was filled at the end of June Environmental Scan/Needs assessment reports and a two-day August retreat jumpstarted the transition to a seasoned CCC executive management team that was fully on-board by September The Executive management team is composed of the Executive Director, Chief Academic Officer, Chief Student Services Officer, Director of Strategic Planning and Operations, and Chief Professional Development Officer. A Faculty Director of Basic Skills and Open Online Resources was also identified. Project management and executive administrative assistance are now in place. Permanent hires already in place include the Director of Accessibility and Universal Design, the Director of Outreach and Communications, OEI Statewide Program Director at the CCC Technology Center, and a full-time senior FHDA accountant to manage OEI finances. Various launch team members continued on an as-needed basis during this transitional period. Development of the Steering Committee: The steering committee was developed by the original Launch Team and had its first meeting in March of Since that time, the committee has been very active in the role of an advisory group has helped develop and approve policies, offered assistance in the form of advisory expertise on project components, and served as members of the many OEI work groups. The membership of the committee includes representatives of a variety of constituent groups across the college system, including nine ASCCC representatives. Currently, a member of the ASCCC Executive Committee serves as the co-chair of OEI the steering committee. Pilot colleges representing the diversity of the CCC system are on board: Over half of the CCCs (58 colleges) responded to the request for pilot participation, knowing that this work would require a significant resource commitment on their part. Twenty-four colleges were selected as pilot institutions representing the northern, central, and southern parts of California, and with wide-ranging FTE, diverse academic offerings, and established online learning programs. The 24 colleges selected as pilots have contributed significant resources to the success of the initiative, offering 70 courses for inclusion in the first pilots, participating in course reviews, and collaborating in the planning stages of the tutoring, online learner readiness, and common course managements system (CCMS) pilot efforts. The pilot colleges will form the initial consortium (April 2015) to lead the student exchange (Exchange) component of the project (January 2016). 1Defined in the grant proposal, the Online Education Ecosystem (OEE) encompasses all components of the OE deliverables including the governance and organizational structure and the Online Education Consortium; online course development, approval, and delivery; associated faculty/staff orientation, professional development, and support; the wide range of associated student services; and the Education Management Platform. 4

11 Initial Pilot Colleges Readiness Tutoring Full-Launch Antelope Valley Barstow Butte Cabrillo Columbia Coastline College of the Canyons Hartnell Imperial Valley Mt. San Antonio Foothill Shasta Mira Costa Ohlone Fresno City Monterey Peninsula Rio Hondo West Los Angeles Pierce Saddleback Victor Valley Lake Tahoe Mt. San Jacinto Ventura Coordination with other key initiatives: A fully functional OEI relies heavily on the work of other statewide programs and partnerships, including but not limited to CCCApply, eportfolio, CCC Confer, 3CMedia Solutions, High Tech Training CCCConfer, TTIP South, and the Research and Planning Group (RP), as well as the two companion grants, Common Assessment Initiative (CAI) and Educational Planning Initiative (EPI). OEI has established connections with all these efforts to take advantage of synergies among projects. Coordination among related projects has reduced the risk of project misalignments, especially for online student services and matriculation. OEI Managers have implemented and led key meetings across these initiatives. Agile approach to project planning: Recognizing that the team is breaking new ground and informed by the discovered details of this complex initiative, project timelines and milestones continue to be refined as more detailed project plans are developed. Engagement of constituent groups in this agile approach has allowed for a fluid, exponential, and sustainable growth of the many project components. II. Early Wins for Greater Student Success: Prior to this timeframe, high demand courses were identified through coordination with the Common Course Identification (C-ID) project, and work was in progress to develop online course design standards and a course review process. Accomplishments during this nine-month period included: Effective Online Course Design Standards: The professional development work group developed a set of effective course design standards that were adopted by the OEI Steering Committee in August of The standards were paired with the Effective Teaching Standards to form a set of quality measures that will continue to be used to prepare courses for inclusion in the OEI pilots and into the student exchange activities of the project. Standards Second Stage: Standards were piloted through course review from November 2014 through February 2015 and revised based on the effectiveness as a rubric in early March Link to Standards. Course Reviewer Training: In September of 2014, 165 educators from across the country applied for 30 course reviewer positions. The reviewers were selected in partnership with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges (ASCCC) and represented 28 different community colleges. They met in San Diego in early October for a two-day training to normalize the standards and prepare to review the courses that would be submitted to the initial pilots and, going forward, with the Exchange component of the initiative. professional development project was instrumental in developing and implementing the reviewer training, which consists of both face-to-face and online training components. Initial feedback from the course reviewer training was very positive, many commenting on how much they learned from each other and the impact it will have on their future online efforts. The Course Reviewers are instrumental in implementing the online course design standards across all of the California Community Colleges. 5

12 Number of Pilot Courses Submitted Reviewed OEI ready CCMS ready In catalog Number of courses Continuous Course Review: The demand for course review training came from both pilot and non-pilot colleges across the state. Course review as a process has become an obvious necessity for development of a quality online program across the system. Three more Peer Online Course Reviewer (POCR) trainings have been set at the end of March through June These next-step POCR trainings are open to all faculty and staff, on a first come, first served basis, in order to develop an ongoing community college culture of quality course standards and an available, trained, course reviewer population. First Professional Development Creative Summit launched, focusing on high-quality course design and delivery. Approximately 90 educators from the 24 pilot colleges met in San Diego on February to discuss the future of the OEI and share their experiences from the more than 70 individual course reviews accomplished by then. The summit included workshops on accessibility, use of video in online courses, ways to increase interactivity, preparing for the CCMS deployment, and ways to leverage online learner readiness and tutoring services along with time allocated to informal conversations. Faculty members who had courses reviewed as part of the pilots were able to meet one-on-one with the seasoned instructional design staff hired to support OEI. The Summit received high praise from the attendees and will be continued as both online and regional events starting the end of March. There was a feeling of enthusiasm there that I haven t seen before. I left very positive about what we can accomplish. Bob Nash Coastline College Preparation opportunities (formerly known as Certification ) for faculty are being developed To ensure that all faculty are prepared appropriately to teach as part of the OEI pilot and subsequent Exchange, faculty must have access to online training courses in both the art of teaching online and in the use of the Canvas CMS. To that end, the initial redesign of menu of online teaching courses began in November 2014 and will be completed for implementation by summer of The courses are being developed in collaboration with the and the OEI management team. The OEI Steering Committee will also review the courses for recommendation. Because faculty certification is a local decision for the colleges, the OEI has developed an application and course review and revision process that faculty must complete prior to courses being included in the Exchange. Instructional designers ONE are assisting online course design revisions by individual faculty members. A community space for connecting instructional designers with individual faculty members is currently being designed in the Canvas CMS. 6

13 Screen Capture of a Quest Readiness Module Development and launch of the first Online Learner Readiness tool, Quest for Success : To prepare students for success in online courses, skill-building online learner success modules tied to the Smarter Measure assessment tool were developed in partnership with course design consultants. Students at eight pilot colleges began using these tools in conjunction with the selected OEI courses starting in January Initial feedback has been quite positive, informing updates for summer and fall. All 24 pilot colleges will be offered the Quest for Success modules in August The results of this pilot will inform further work in this area in preparation for a release available to all CCCs in Selection of an Online Tutoring Partner: Our tutoring partner will provide a cost-effective tutoring platform to connect existing college tutors with students online at no cost to all 112 colleges. Additionally they can add up to 24/7 optional online tutoring support that will ultimately be available for use at any CCC campus. Colleges may choose to use a mix of local and partner tutors. Members of the management team and a steering committee work group, along with the assistance of the CCC Foundation, accomplished the selection of our tutoring partner, Link-Systems International. Link- Systems will be working in collaboration with us on the pilot implementations. Eight pilot colleges now offer tutoring support to students enrolled in selected courses at their colleges. The results of this pilot will inform further work in this area in preparation for availability to all CCCs in As with the readiness modules, the tutoring platform will be piloted in all 24 colleges in August Selection of a Comprehensive Common Course Management System (CCMS) partner: In partnership with the OEI Steering Committee, the CCMS Committee led an extensive process to select an OEI CCMS partner. Based on prioritized crite 7

14 ria collected via Idea Scale and tapping industry experts to explore possibilities for the future. The committee, composed of 55 CCC representatives underwent a two-stage Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) process. By the end of December, a short list of partner proposals was selected and subsequent site visits and due diligence processes were initiated. Intent to Award was issued to Instructure for its Canvas course management product, with contract completion expected by the end of March. With a focus on impact on student success, those involved in the selection process resoundingly agree that the Canvas system will provide the most benefit to our students, now and in the future. As one student representative noted, Its seamless and modern layout and simple navigation sold me on it from the get-go. Canvas actually provided me the option to set where and when I would like to receive notifications/ s about assignments, which is something I never had the freedom to do on any other CMS. The student also noted that faculty members involved were dedicated to choosing the CMS that best fits the students needs and not just their needs of the teacher. Colleges from throughout the state are already voicing interest in using the upcoming systemwide license to upgrade to Canvas on their local campuses. The eight full launch colleges will begin working with Canvas as soon as the contract is finalized. A student on the selection committee noted that faculty members involved were dedicated to choosing the CMS that best fits the students needs and not just their needs as a teacher. The Exchange: Development of systemwide registration and matriculation practices: The Exchange will take place in the common course management system in January 2016, and will allow students to seamlessly register for courses across colleges. This effort is focused on students who have obstacles to completing their programs because they cannot find seats in high-demand courses. By focusing on completion, courses available through the exchange component of the OEI will be open to students across colleges participating in the component. Conversations to create an effective cross-colleges registration system began in November 2014 and have included a full complement of Chancellor s Office staff as well as admission and registration, student services, and instructional leaders across the state. The exchange component will be implemented in the spring of CCC Chancellor Brice W. Harris commented at a recent Board of Governors meeting that the task of accomplishing the exchange system development across 112 colleges is herculean. The OEI team has taken on the challenge and, in collaboration with the pilot colleges and Chancellor s Office staff are working out the details at the time of this writing. Information technology students studying at Mission College Santa Clara, CA California Virtual Campus (CVC) Catalog Revision: The California Community Colleges Technology Center has begun the first phase of a two-phase redesign of the CVC Catalogue to highlight SB 1440 (Associate Degree for Transfer) courses and make those courses easier to find with increased search capabilities. This redesign will be accessible in Spring The second phase in Spring 2016 will include increased functionality and integrations within the EPI Student Services Portal. 8

15 CD-ID AJ 110 ANTH 120 CDEV 100 COMM 150 ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics ECON 202 Principles of Macroeconomics ENGL 100 College Composition GE0G 120 Introduction to Human Geography GEOL 100 Physical Geology HIST 130 United States History from 1877 HIST 140 United States History from 1865 MATH 110 Introduction to Statistics PHIL 100 POLS 110 PSY 110 PSY 200 PSY 205B SOCI 110 SOCI 120 VIRTUAL CAMPUS CATALOG Course Title Introduction to Criminal Justice Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Child Growth and Development Intercultural Communication Introduction to Philosophy Introduction to American Government and Politics Introduction to Psychology Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology (With Lab) Introduction to Sociology Introduction to Research Methods Creating Sharable Online Course Development Resources (Clearinghouse) and Online Teacher Network: The staff at TTIP South, funded from the OEI, is developing a repository in collaboration with the Student Success Program at the Chancellor s Office. The clearinghouse will allow searchable access to model online courses, shared course content items, a comprehensive calendar of events, as well as space for online community building for the system. The draft version is complete with expected completion of the final version in early May Basic Skills Support Services and Open Education Resources (OER): The faculty director of Basic Skills began meeting with faculty within the pilot colleges in January Resources in support of underprepared students and special populations have been collected and are being shared with faculty for student use. Additionally, these resources will be available to all CCCs in the Clearinghouse. To assist in lowering the cost of textbooks and online materials for students, the director of Basic Skills is also working to identify free textbooks via the OER movement. The work to ramp up these efforts will be increased in the second half of year two through year three. Accessibility for Disabled Students: A comprehensive rubric for accessibility in course design was developed in March 2015 and will form the basis for continued accessibility review of courses for addition to the Exchange program. Accessibility review has been completed on 30 of the courses in the pilots with the remaining pilot courses in progress. A revision of the Accessibility Review Process is also underway to refine and create an effective workflow between faculty driven course design review and the accessibility review processes. Web Aim and Alt Format Solutions have been contracted to provide assistance with the review process. II. Open and Effective Communications: Ensure public awareness of OEI progress: During this period, the primary goal of OEI public communications was to inform and educate stakeholders and the broader community about the OEI and to keep them up to date on our progress. Information was disseminated via the CCC Technology Center Student Success e-newsletter, frequent articles in the TechEDge e-newsletter, speaking engagements at major conferences and at individual colleges, the OEI website at various CCC listservs, and a YouTube channel focused exclusively on OEI communications. In addition, the OEI Executive Director publishes a blog post each month in the TechEDge e-newsletter, which focuses on initiative updates and allows for pub 9

16 Students at San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, California lic comment on the activities of the OEI. The blog postings document a running history of the initiative and can be found at ion. Communications revolved around informing the field about the initiative as a whole and about its components, including: pilot college recruit ment, intake, and support; OEI Common Course Management System selection process; OEI Online Student Readiness progress; OEI Tutoring Services plans; course quality standards and professional development efforts, and soliciting feedback for future planning efforts. Ongoing CCC Outreach: The OEI was featured in local, regional, and stakeholder media, including the Monterey Herald, South Lake Tahoe News, Pierce College Round-Up, The Rostrum of the Academic Senate CCC, and Perspectives, the newsletter of the CCC Research & Planning Group. IdeaScale was used via a website to inform the development of the OEI common course man agement RFP by allowing CCC faculty, staff, and administrators to provide ideas, vote ideas up and down, and to comment throughout the decision and selection process. The team has also responded to a wide range of requests, from brief summaries of activities to participating at local events. Overall, our impression is that the field has strong interest in the OEI and many campuses and stakeholders are eager to participate. The RP Group will provide 10 a more substantial analysis of this communications effort in their year-end report. Over 40 presentations by the management team and steering committee representatives have been made at colleges and statewide events to inform the public and the col lege community about the initiative. Communications Planning: The team began work on a Strategic Marketing/Communications plan along with a redesign of the OEI website to facilitate the open flow of communications and ensure up-to date information sharing for this very fast-moving initiative. Designers and developers are currently working on a comprehensive OEI website. Due to changes at the Butte Tech Center and the addition of the needs of the EPI and CAI projects, a Director of Communications position is now in the hiring pro cess for the OEI and should be filled by mid-april. The new director will oversee all OEI communica tions activities and will be the liaison with the Tech Center communications director going forward. Familiarizing colleges with the selection of Canvas CMS: Developers at the Butte College Tech Center created a guide for colleges to use as they con sider the adoption of the Canvas CMS. The guide includes testimonials from faculty, staff, and stu dents from two system colleges that have already adopted Canvas, as well as many resources that will allow members of the college community to experi ence the benefits of the CMS.

17 Date December 2013 Milestone Launch team in place OEI Project Milestones Spring 2014 Summer 2014 Fall 2014 Steering Committee in place (March) Management team hiring process begins (March) Draft Charter for Steering Committee developed (March) First Steering Committee meeting (April) OEI Course Design Standards development begins (April) Basecamp online communication system deployed (April) Call for college pilot participation (May) 58 colleges respond to call for pilot participation (June) Common Course Management System (CCMS) RFI released (June) Management Team and Work Groups begin development of Exchange project components (June) Marketing/Overview visits to approximately 20 colleges and conferences across the state (June) Executive Director in place (July) OEI Course Design Standards approved by Steering Committee (July) 24 pilot colleges selected (Aug) Permanent management team in place (Aug) Initial environmental scans and needs assessments completed (Aug) OEI Course Design Rubric released Standards for Quality Online Teaching released (Aug) 17 High demand C-ID Associate Degree for Transfer courses identified (Aug) Development of CCMS RFP and selection process begins (Aug) CVC Catalog update underway (Aug) Project interim web site continuous development (Aug) 165 applications received and reviewed for 30 course reviewer positions 30 faculty course reviewers trained from 28 different CCCs First round online course review process (67 courses reviewed from 24 colleges) CCMS RFP released (Oct) CCMS selection rubric developed Tutoring vendor selected Readiness Modules developed Professional Development Clearinghouse design process begins Continued on next page 11

18 OEI Project Milestones Date Spring 2015 Summer2015 Fall 2015 Milestone Online Learning Readiness pilot begins (January) Tutoring pilot begins (January) CCMS partner (Canvas) announcement (February) Accessibility course review developed Creative Summits for OEI instructors - 90 attendees at first summit in February Course Design Standards reviewed and revised after pilot phase Instructional design support available starting February Second round of regional course reviewer trainings (3 scheduled) open to all CCCs (late March through April) Tutoring solutions available to all colleges via FCCC (March) Canvas partner contract finalized (March/April) Second round online course reviews begin (starting late March) Canvas Deployment Plan initial development (March/April) Canvas/CCC development partnerships begins OEI permanent website design and development Canvas migration initiated at the Full Launch pilot colleges Canvas deployment plan for all pilot colleges begins Review of data and feedback from Readiness and Tutoring pilots Continued piloting of Online Learning Readiness and Tutoring solutions (increase from 8 to 16 pilot colleges) Development of online instructor preparation and training* Online Teaching Conference (OTC) in San Diego (June 17-19) DE Coordinators Retreat at OTC (June 17) Professional Development Clearinghouse initial deployment OEI permanent web site launch CVC Catalog website upgrade Online proctoring solution identified OEI-related courses available within Canvas at Full Launch pilot colleges Continued piloting of Online Learning Readiness and Tutoring solutions - increase from 16 to 24 colleges, serving approximately 2500 students Third round online course reviews begin Streamlined online instructor preparation and training available* Continued course reviewer training for all colleges Continued Canvas deployment in phases across the system Development of online teacher community and network in Canvas Online proctoring deployment at 24 pilot colleges 12

19 OEI Project Milestones Date Winter/Spring 2016 Milestone Course Exchange available to Full Launch pilot colleges OEI-related courses available within the CCMS at all pilot colleges Continued Canvas deployment in phases across the system Additional courses to be added - from 24 courses up to 40 possible courses On or before the end of 2016 Systemwide licensing available to all colleges at free or reduced cost: Canvas, Online Learning Readiness Assessments, Tutoring, Professional Development Clearinghouse Online student readiness modules available system wide at no cost through Creative Commons licensing Tutoring platform available system wide at no cost *Formerly known as certification. Working closely with the CCCCO and the OEI Steering Committee, the OEI Management Team and Pilot Colleges are now demonstrating that they are fully prepared to launch successful pilot implementations. The OEI Executive management team hit the ground running in September 2014 and completed the planning and design for the first pilot implementations that began in January 2015 a massive undertaking that required many sleepless nights and extensive travel schedules. The initiative is on track for initial CCMS deployment in the summer of 2015 as stated in the grant. This initiative is breaking new ground in many ways. Heavy involvement of stakeholders throughout the state is key to the success of the OEI; building trust is of utmost importance. It has been important to prioritize work to ensure that all voices are heard and the team has time to successfully implement critical nearterm projects. The effects of taking a common approach to quality online program development are far reaching and will help lead to an increase in efficiencies of scale in purchasing, and to standards relating to student access for the system as a whole. All in all, these last nine months have set the stage for successful pilot implementations our first opportunities to test the impact of our efforts toward the ultimate goal of the OEI: to dramatically increase the number of CCC students who obtain college associate degrees and transfer to four-year colleges and universities by providing online courses and services within a statewide OEI Ecosystem. A great deal was accomplished All we do must be based on an affirmative answer to the question, Is this what is best for students? Student success must be at the heart of our work. Patricia James OEI Executive Director in this first year and a half: a collaborative pilot selection and planning process, creation of a robust professional development program plan and implementation of several beginning phases, selection and review of 70 online courses, creation and implementation of our first Online Learner Readiness tools, selection and implementation of our Tutoring partner, the selection of a CCMS partner, and timely communications for ongoing, effective marketing of this important initiative. The team has laid the groundwork for successful pilot implementations that will provide invaluable insights into future OEI implementation. 13

20 Some Important Numbers! Over 60 colleges participated in at least one of the following: Steering Committee and associated work groups Course review Pilot colleges (24) On-campus presentations by OEI staff Overall: 21 percent of CCC s are pilot colleges, 38 percent have another form of participation,41 percent of the colleges have not yet participated OEI Course and Professional Development: Reviewers Trained: Over 160 faculty applied to be course reviewers 30 faculty from 28 colleges were trained. 29 participated in the review process. Courses reviewed: 67 Courses submitted for review: full launch ; 19 readiness, 24 tutoring OEI Professional Development Summit, February 20-21, of the 24 pilot colleges participated. 40 of the faculty who submitted their courses for review were in attendance. 10 additional faculty were present. 18 administrators were in attendance (SPOCs, DE coordinators, VPI, other). Spring 2015 Student Readiness and Tutoring Pilots Student Readiness tools: 546 students participated in student readiness component 449 of those students completed the student readiness assessment Participating Colleges: 16 Teaching Faculty: 42 Total Class Sections: 49 Total Capacity: 1,921 students (sum of class maximums; does not reflect actual census data yet!) Average Class Max: 39 14

21 2.The Common Assessment Initiative (CAI) The Common Assessment Initiative (CAI) Grant was awarded by the California Community Colleges Chancellor s Office (CCCCO) to the Butte-Glenn Community College District in December The overarching goal of the initiative is to develop a comprehensive, common assessment system that will: align to state legislation reduce unnecessary remediation provide statewide efficiencies effectively support faculty and staff to ensure accurate student placement, resulting in more successful student outcomes The assessment will take the place of a number of different tools currently used by colleges to test in the areas of math, English, and English as a Second Language. The system will integrate multiple measures and assessment preparation while providing for professional development and a centralized data warehouse. Partners in the CAI include the California Community Colleges Technology Center (CCCTC) out of Butte College, Cal-PASS Plus and Educational Results Partnership of San Joaquin Delta College, Saddleback College, and the Academic Senate of California Community Colleges (ASCCC). Work began in earnest in early 2014 with the establishment of a comprehensive project website ( to provide general project updates and critical information to stakeholders and interested individuals. A steering committee representing faculty, student services and assessment staff, researchers, and administrators, has over twenty members who meet monthly. Organizations represented on CAI Steering Committee: Chief Information Systems Officers Association (CISOA) 1 member Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) 1 member California Association of Community College Registrars and Admissions Officers (CACCROA) 1 member Student Success Matriculation Professionals Association (SSMPA) 1 member Chief Instructional Officer (CIO) 1 member Research and Planning 1 member Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 1 member Chief Student Services Officer (CSSO) 1 member K-12 2 members Assessment Directors 2 members Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) 6 members in the following specialties: Math Basic Skills 1 member Math member ESL 1 member ESL Noncredit 1 member English 1 member English Basic Skills 1 member CCCCO Assessment Workgroup 1 member Student Success Support Program Advisory Committee (SSPAC) 1 member 15

22 Pilot Colleges Additional Work Groups/Committees Engaged in the CAI Initiative: In addition to the CAI Steering Committee, there are a number of work groups and committees engaged in the work of the initiative. There is purposeful overlap between members of the Steering Committee and faculty and staff from pilot colleges on each of the following work groups/committees: English Work Group Math Work Group Higher Math Work Group ESL Work Group Multiple Measures Work Group Test Development Process Work Group Professional Development Work Group Platform Work Group RFP and Vendor Review Committee Throughout summer and fall 2014, faculty work groups created Assessment Competency Maps in Math, English, and ESL. The use of these competency maps will allow for the collection and reporting of detailed student data to assist colleges in making more effective local placement decisions. This is a change from the use of single cut scores as test results leading to placement and puts California on the leading edge of a new assessment paradigm. For reference, competency maps can be found here: preliminary-competency. In May, 2014, applications were requested from colleges wishing to participate in the Pilot phase of the Common Assessment Initiative. Thirty-five applications were received and the following twelve colleges were chosen based on a broad representation of geography, demographics, student population size, college size, and Student Information Systems (SIS) in place. Environmental Scan An environmental scan was released in May 2014, providing insights from other states across the country that have created or are in the process of creating a statewide common assessment system. A copy of the report can be found at category/ cai-documents-and-reports?download=34:environmental-scan. Information gleaned from those ahead of California in the process has been incorporated into the work plan to leverage lessons learned by others. Request for Proposal (RFP) and Vendor Selection A comprehensive Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued in December 2014, seeking vendors and test publishers who would propose innovative solutions for California s Common Assessment System. After review of over 700 pages of response documents, two full days of vendor presentations, and another full day of discussion around the best possible solution for the CCC system, two successful vendors were identified. CAI will be partnering with Unicon, Inc., and Link Systems International, Inc. (LSI) on the creation of CCCAssess. Unicon ( will focus on the Software Platform and Administrative functions including researching and reporting. Link Systems International ( brings their Worldwide Test Bank to the content areas of English, Math, and ESL. The work ahead continues along an aggressive timeline through development, piloting, and phased release and implementation. 16

23 Shared Governance Steering Committee Foundation Steering Committee Meetings Work Group Formation Work Group Meetings Test Development/Content Competency Map Development Test Specs and Blueprints Developed Item Review and Development Item Testing Intensive for Review and Development Field Testing Pilot Colleges Pilot Colleges Selected Pilot Test Items/Field Testing Piloting Software/Platform Platform Development Request for Information (RFI) Released Request for Proposal (RFP) Released RFP and Vendor Review and Selection Contracting with Selected Vendors Software Development Release Release to Pilot Colleges/Piloting Release to Field Phased Rollout Implementation Professional Development Validation/Approval Ongoing Support Win. Spr. Sum. Fall Win. Spr. Sum. Fall Win. Spr. Sum. Fall 3. The Education Planning Initiative (EPI) The California Community Colleges Technology Center (CCCTC) promotes technology programs that support student success by encouraging colleges to work together for student and institutional success and achieve savings through economies of scale. CCCTC received funding from a FY14-15 $6,000,000 Chancellor s Office grant with the Butte-Glenn Community College District to conduct the Education Planning Initiative (EPI). Education plans are not a new idea. Institutions recognize planning as an effective intervention and have been doing them in a limited way for years. Why are we investing in them now? Leverage Existing Counseling Services: With more than 1800 students for every counselor, technology can automate and integrate many steps of the education planning process, creating the potential for every student to have a current education plan, yielding more effective outcomes that leverage the existing counselor-student resource investment. Improve Return on Investment: 23 percent of full time CCC students graduate or transfer. Student participation in their education planning effort, using their laptop or phone, will provide greater focus and a sense of accomplishment and certainty, helping students strengthen their commitment to completion and realizing the benefits from their investment. Reduce time to graduate: In , CCC provided instruction to more than 350,000 students who already had earned 60 or more degree appli 17

24 cable semester units. Of these students, nearly 95,000 had earned more than 90 units. Education plans that are highly visible, current, and relevant to a specific goal will reduce time to graduate and unnecessary courses. Improve Efficiency: Today a wide range of isolated websites address individual aspects of the planning process. These websites are costly, difficult to find, generally not integrated, and have overlapping functions. An integrated and student-tailored education planning process reduces the investments required by colleges and support organizations. Support Education Planning Across All Colleges: Adoption of statewide education planning solutions is a local district choice. To support all solutions, EPI is working to provide essential centralized data in the areas of Electronic Transcripts, Course Articulation, and Curriculum Inventory. The Education Planning Initiative will develop, deploy, and support an integrated statewide student services portal that will: Help students make informed choices based on clear goals and a consolidated, personalized, sequenced plan Support management solutions, e.g. Planning future class loads, avoiding delays for students due to lack of sections Align to state legislation, supporting 3SP requirements for funding and provide statewide efficiencies Consolidated and Personalize Key Information The new statewide student portal integrates a broad range of existing student services that are today scattered across more than a dozen websites, putting them in a logically organized and personalized environment, reducing the effort required by busy students. Career and college exploration College application Financial Aid Orientation Education planning Student retention Degree audit Student services (e.g. disabled students, transportation, veterans services) Integration with Assist, C-ID, and Curriculum Inventory Implementation and support services Screen interfaces to a new student web portal, which is a gateway to more than a dozen state websites that provide information pertaining to student services. The portal can be accessed directly by students who are making initial forays into their college career, integrated with local colleges, or via existing statewide portals such as Nearly 2.1 million applications for admission are processed each year. All students applying for admission will be messaged through the new statewide portal with essential information to be successful in college. The portal can be adopted all or in part by individual colleges, with appropriate branding by each college to fit with their individual character and needs. The portal and all of its components are available to colleges at no cost, providing an attractive alternative for 18

25 procurement and maintenance of existing systems and support services. Collaborative Development Environment Partners in the EPI include the California Community Colleges Technology Center (CCCTC), the Academic Senate of California Community Colleges (ASCCC), RP Group, and our ten pilot colleges listed below. To support transparency, communications, and collaboration, a comprehensive marketing plan and project website was established to provide general project updates and critical information to stakeholders and interested individuals. Find the website, and ongoing project news, at cccedplan.org. Close collaboration with the CCC Chancellor s Office team ensures transparency and coordination with statewide initiatives, including the Student Success and Support Program, Student Services, Communications, Institutional Effectiveness, Workforce and Economic Development, and Academic Affairs. The program s governance structure further supports transparency and collaboration. Three overlapping committees provide detailed subject matter expertise and objective overarching guidance. The composition of each committee is coordinated with statewide organizations to reflect faculty, student services and assessment staff, information technology, security, researchers, and administrators. In total, the committees have over 50 members who have met monthly since March 2014 to develop detailed requirements, coordinate work with colleges, and guide the development of EPI solutions. EPI Governance Committees Education Planning Initiative Steering Committee (EPISC) Advisory, resources, and compliance Student Services Portal Steering Committee (SSPSC) Student services subject matter expertise Education Planning Tool-Degree Audit System (EPT-DAS) Selection and implementation of off-theshelf software supporting education planning, student retention, and degree audit tools Each committee includes a number of workgroups addressing specific program requirements and oversight activities, such as research, user interface/user experience, dashboard/analytics, and/or special services. There is purposeful overlap between members of the Steering Committee and faculty and staff from Pilot Colleges on each of the following work groups/committees: Apply for Admission Workgroup Career and College Explorer Workgroup Counseling Services Workgroup Degree Audit Workgroup Dashboard Workgroup Education Planning Workgroup Financial Aid Workgroup Research Workgroup Student Support Services Workgroup Step Forward Messaging Workgroup User Experience Workgroup EPI is also supported by a number of statewide CCC information technology organizations to ensure interoperability and compliance with best practices: Statewide Architecture Committee (SAC) Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Committee (TTAC) California Community College Security Center Pilot Colleges In May 2014, applications were solicited from colleges wishing to participate in the pilot phase of the Education Planning Tool and Degree Audit System portion of the Initiative. Ten colleges applied and were chosen representing a broad sample of geography, demographics, student population size, college size, and Student Information Systems (SIS). 19

26 College Participation in Pilot Phase of the Education Planning Toll and Degree Audit System City College of San Francisco Crafton Hills College El Camino College Fresno City College Fullerton College Los Medanos College Mt. San Jacinto College Santa Barbara City College Santa Rosa Junior College Victor Valley College Procurement and Vendor Selections The EPI governance team sought to leverage recent improvements and availability of innovative off-theshelf software whenever possible. A key mission of the steering committees is to define operational processes and technical standards to facilitate the goals and objectives of the Education Planning Initiative grant. These processes include defining requirements for the end product that will be provided to the user, and as these requirements take shape the need of procurements are defined. To support the EPI mission thus far, two RFPs have been defined, released, and awarded, with several more driven by discovery and evaluation efforts currently underway. RFP Name Student Services Portal Purpose Software development services to produce a high performance statewide student services portal leveraging open-source technologies. Education Planning Tool and Degree Audit System Procurement of hosted commercial off the shelf software (subscriptions), implementation, and support services for 60 California Community Colleges (anticipated number of adopters over the five year grant) to support education planning and degree audit activities. Orientation Tools Procurement of hosted commercial off the shelf software, implementation, and support services. Self Assessment and Career Exploration Tools Procurement of hosted commercial off the shelf software, implementation, and support services. Electronic Transcript Leverage maturity of the vendor community. Evaluate the need for a competitive bidding process. Curriculum Inventory Leverage maturity of the vendor community. Evaluate the need for a competitive bidding process. 20

27 The Path Ahead The work ahead continues along an aggressive timeline through development, piloting, and phased release and implementation, aimed solidly at producing a production ready solution at our pilot colleges by the end of the year. Pilot implementations have begun with technology team orientations completed in March Next steps will continue the culture of collaboration and shared learning in pursuit of our shared goals of Student Success. The table below provides a long-range forecast of program activities over the next five years. Program Component New Ed Planning, Retention, Degree Audit Tools 10 College Pilot/Implementation Implement 10 additional colleges Implement 10 additional colleges Implement 10 additional colleges Implement 20 additional colleges Statewide Student Services Portal for All Students Development/Pilot Implementation/Operations Data to Support All Colleges in Ed Planning and Degree Audit Articulation C-ID: web services, ADT Support CCC-CCC Articulation Curriculum Management Plan for Improvement Design, Procurement Implementation/Operations Electronic Transcripts Incentives for CCC expansion Enhanced data transport services Improved etranscript California Implementation/Operations Please find contact and program information at edplan.org. 21

28 Telecommunications & Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) The Chancellor s Office recognizes that technology is an increasingly integrative and essential part of many services and programs in the college system. The following six projects are funded with TTIP dollars and the California Community Colleges and are highlighted in this year s report: TTIP North, also known as The Technology Center, incorporates the following programs: CCC Systemwide Technology Platform CCCApply Open CCCApply OpenCCC Identity Federation etranscript California California Community College Information Security Center Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) Information Security Center (ISO) California Virtual Campus, which incorporates the following programs: eportfolio California CCC-CETC (California Educational Technology Collaborative) programs TTIP South includes the following programs: 3C Media Solutions CCC Confer & CCC 22 To maximize resources and services for technology projects throughout the California community colleges, The California Educational Technology Collaborative, was formed. Collaborative members are the project directors from: Technology Center Butte College Cal-PASS San Joaquin Delta Community College District 3C Media Solutions Palomar Palomar College and Mt. San Jacinto College California Virtual Campus Butte College CCC Confer & CCC ConferNow Palomar College An information technology instructor at Mission Community College, Sant Clara, California. 4. TTIP North The Technlogy Center California Community Colleges Technology Center (CCCTC) promotes technology programs that encourage colleges to work together for student and institutional success and achieve savings through economies of scale. CCCTC received funding from a $2,299,323 Chancellor s Office grant with the Butte-Glenn Community College District. CCCTC facilitates and coordinates the work of systemwide technology projects by: providing project leadership managing contracts developing external funding resources providing hosting services and publicizing the progress of the projectsttip North The Technlogy Center

29 Technology Center Initiatives Systemwide Technology Platform Federated Identity enables access to participating inter-segmental systems, government agencies and vendors through a single user name and password, known as the OpenCCC project. Service Oriented Architecture enables colleges to access and use parts of existing program code within their applications and enable new features without a complete system upgrade. Enterprise Portals allow colleges to integrate services into their websites and Student Services Portal will link statewide services. Elastic Cloud Infrastructure supports high user demand without building new data centers. Business Intelligence to facilitate analysis of student pathways, outcomes, transfer and institutional performance for continuous improvement. CCCApply and OpenCCCApply etranscript California CENIC / CalREN Network Administration Listserv Services, Web-Hosting Library Automation and Electronic Information Resources Systemwide Online Admission Application provides colleges and students with a common web-based application for admission to college. Inter-segmental Internet-based system for requesting, sending, downloading and viewing academic transcripts. Partners with CENIC to leverage the California Research & Education Network (CalREN) to provide cost-effective network resources and Internet connectivity for colleges. Manages community college listservs and hosts websites for statewide projects and CCC Organizations. Library Automation To Identify potential library catalog products and facilitate purchase of cloud-based integrated library system (ILS). Electronic Information Resources purchased through statewide acquisition achieved significant economies of scale. Information Security Center Technology Communications and Governance Identify security needs and provide solutions to help the colleges protect student data and promote information assurance. CCCTechEdge, a technology newsletter/website Systemwide Architecture Committee Governance Telecommunications & Technology Advisory Committee 23

30 TTIP North - The Technology Center California Community College Systemwide Technology Platform The CCC Systemwide Technology Platform provides a foundation for new system-wide applications composed of 5 key technologies (see below). OpenCCCApply, the new application for admission, was used as the proof of concept and implementation vehicle to spread adoption across the system. Over 500,000 student accounts have been assigned the new systemwide student identifier (CCC-ID) which will help tie disparate swirling student data together as they attend multiple colleges over the course of their academic career with the CCC. Currently the CCCTC is in negotiations with Internet2 to provide InCommon Federation membership for all of the colleges. Service-oriented Architecture Deconstructs isolated systemwide applications into their component services and connects them using secure Internet communications. This enables component services to be reused by college or vendor applications and combined into composite applications. The Systemwide Technology Platform is composed of the following technologies: Federated Identity Enables a common log-in for the student and staff across applications and institutions while increasing security and privacy. The greatest potential benefit for the Chancellor s Office may be in transferring student account data to California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC). CSU and UC have Federated Identity initiatives based on the InCommon Federation. The InCommon Identity Federation includes more than 500 higher education institutions, government agencies and vendors. With the roll-out of OpenCCCApply, built with the CCC Technology Platform, 66 colleges have adopted Federated Identity and another 30+ are implementing. Currently, web services are built within OpenCCCApply to facilitate secure access by software applications to students personally identifiable information. Through the Education Planning Initiative Grant, CCCTC is working with ASSIST to provide articulation via web services to Degree Audit and Online Education Planners. Another project where CCCTC is building web services is PESC EDExchange, a web services network that will facilitate ubiquitous exchange of educational data across California and the country. Enterprise Portals There is a growing trend of colleges moving to web portal interfaces for students. Systemwide applications will be provided as portlets so colleges can easily provide additional services and functionality for students. An examination of portal technologies was conducted in 2009 to select a portal technology that would both be compatible with many college portals, and be proven to scale to the millions of user accounts. OpenCCCApply was written as a portlet and operates within a portal environment. The environment currently supports tens of thousands of user logins per day. 24

31 Elastic Cloud Infrastructure Elastic cloud platforms move the computing power behind deployed applications. The platform is monitored and will scale up or down depending on demand. The dynamic system has made it possible to efficiently support the annual cyclic student demand on student services applications without having to build a large data center to handle peak loads. This efficiency will result in lower costs to the colleges. The OpenCCCApply system with 66 colleges currently in operation is deployed on a Hybrid Cloud infrastructure where Students Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is stored within a hardened infrastructure (Secure Identity Center). This data is securely connected via a high speed backplane and secure web services to applications in a multi-tenant Elastic Cloud infrastructure where computing capacity can be scaled to meet demand. This very efficient architecture mitigates expense by alleviating the need to build a data center that is constantly capable of meeting peak demand, when in actuality the demand fluctuates throughout the year with admission cycles. This same infrastructure will be used to deploy the new system-wide technologies associated with the Student Services Support Program and Online Education Initiative. Striving to Improve Educational Services and Student Success The Technology Center strives to improve education and educational services and is committed to innovation and student success. The Technology Center serves students and supports student success by establishing the technical platform that supports the initiatives set forth by the Student Success Taskforce(SSTF) and ultimately SB1456, the Student Success Act of SSTF Recommendation 2.3 Community colleges will develop and use centralized and integrated technology, which can be accessed through campus or district web portals, to better guide students in their educational process. The Technology Platform developed by the Technology Center provides solutions designed for and made available to all colleges in the California Community Colleges System. Business Intelligence To facilitate analysis of student pathways, outcomes, transfer, and institutional performance for continuous improvement, there is a need to bring together various disparate data sourced from the existing applications within our system and tie it together into usable structures that can be easily researched and presented to end users in a usable format for immediate and future decision making purposes. To satisfy the reporting, dashboard, and access to data needs of admission and records personnel across the system, a Business Intelligence package has been implemented as part of the OpenCCCApply system. This will become the primary Business Intelligence tool for all future systemwide applications. Students working on Cisco equipment at San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, California. Systemwide Online Admission Application CCCApply CCCApply is a web-based student application process available to all community colleges and is funded through the Technology Center Grant at Butte College. The site ( provides comparative descriptions of the colleges and their programs in an 25

32 efficient, automated program. To date, 103 colleges subscribe to CCCApply. Fiscal Year Student Applications to CCCApply Student Applications July 2007-June ,169,555 July 2008 June ,596,578 Support from the California Community Colleges Developed and operated by the California Community Colleges Technology Center, the all-new CCCApply online application to college is owned by the CCC Chancellor s Office, and governed by the CCCApply Steering Committee. July 2009 June ,794,147 July 2010 June ,180,000 July 2011 June ,925,407 July 2012 June ,785,183* July 2013 June ,982,006* *CCCApply + OpenCCCApply Applications Open CCCApply The existing application to college (CCCApply) is now over 13 years old. The legacy technology and vendor hosting environment present issues with student experience, cost, security and service to the colleges. In response, the Technology Center initiated the OpenCCCApply project to build out the CCC Systemwide Technology Platform and propagate federated student identity across the system. Date Range Applications Processed Launched 48,167 7 Nov 12 June 13 July 13 June , Colleges Live Top 50 words found in the post application student survey to describe OpenCCCApply. Intuitive Interface The clean look of the user interface, and the easy feel of the intuitive tab based navigation system, are enhanced by an intelligent conditional questioning format that hides unnecessary questions and verbiage unless it specifically applies to the student. Page completion indicators tell the student if they have completed a page or not, and the Final Review gives the user time to review their information completely before submitting their application. For Spanish speaking students, a built-in hover help feature provides translation throughout the application. As of August 2014, 66 colleges are live with over 30 in the process of implementing OpenCCCApply. The new CCCApply, the official statewide online application suite for the California Community Colleges, combines customized college identity and processing with systemwide consistency, compliance, and support. Students only see what they need to see. 26

33 Tab Based Interface: Intuitive page tabs promote easy navigation between pages of the application. Conditional Questioning: For students, the application seems far more manageable as they are only presented with questions they need to answer. Eliminates Duplicate Records: Unique OpenCCC accounts eliminate duplicate records saving time and errors for admissions, IT and college management systems. Search as You Type School Finder: A lightning fast High School & College Finder greatly increases accuracy in providing the college with viable school codes and reduces hand entry of schools. Built in Help for English and Spanish Speakers: Field level Hover Help (tool tips) is available in both English and Spanish, better informing students about what information they should provide. Superior Support Services Re-designed for student success, the new CCCApply has all new support services - including an improved 24/7 Help Desk call center, monitored by ACS Xerox, and CCCHelp.info, an on-demand, community-powered, support site providing official FAQs and online support to students as they apply to college and navigate the community college system. Final Review allows students to catch errors: reduces support calls to A&R. OpenCCC Account Data Integration: Students need only verify their personal account information and it is automatically included into their application. This reduces errors and tedium in reentry. Social Security Number Encouragement: Students are messaged about the importance, and encouraged in different areas of the account setup and application, to provide their SSN which greatly assists the college in managing students records and facilitating financial aid. Final Review: Students can now review their application data just before submitting their applications, thus reducing errors to A&R. 24/7 Help Desk Call Center: To ensure our students get the accurate and immediate support they need when applying to college, CCCTC has partnered with ACS/Xerox to provide world-class, professional telephone support with a 95 percent customer satisfaction rate. The other guarantees assured by the vendor: Answer in 30 Seconds or Less: The vendor has guaranteed that a human service representative will answer 27

34 80 percent of support calls in 30 seconds or less and resolve 85 percent of all first-time caller issues. Self-service and Easy Password Recovery: User self-service account recovery removes frustration and helps students reuse existing accounts eliminating duplicate records to colleges. Support for Admission & Records: Call center support increases communication with students, sends referrals back to A&R, and lessens the demand on the college s helpdesk. CCCHelp.Info An online, on-demand, support community with a scalable knowledge base which addresses common questions in areas such as admissions, financial aid, transfer, etc. CCCHelp.info community forum reduces phone calls to A&R and other college departments, and also promotes dialogue about problems and ideas encouraging continuous improvement in CCCApply and other systems. UCTrust (University of California), institutions, government entities, and companies across the US. The CCCID: When an OpenCCC account is created by a user, a unique identifier is created called the CCCID and stores the user s personal identification data in an Identity Center. The CCCID is the master link between the Identity Center, admission applications, and other systemwide services. When users are authenticated to use a systemwide service or application, the CCCID will be passed to the service to identify the unique individual. In this way services and applications can maintain personal accounts for the user anonymously, thus ensuring privacy for the user. Data Integration: The CCCID will be used to pass unique individual identity information between the college and the Chancellor s office for reporting purposes. Enhanced Security & Privacy Re-designed for efficiency, the new CCCApply application is also more secure than ever before. OpenCCC systemwide student account system safeguards student identity information and delivers maximum protection through enhanced security measures, including requiring a SSN, unique PIN, additional security questions, and a monitored password recovery system that requires management level authority to reset account information. OpenCCC OpenCCC is the new CCC federated identity initiative, developed by the CCC Technology Center. OpenCCC allows staff and students access to Web-based technology applications such as those envisioned in the Common Assessment Initiative, the Education Planning Initiative, and Online Education Initiative across the System via one common, single sign-on account. OpenCCC operates within the InCommon Federation along with CSUConnect (California State University), Federated Identity: Staff uses their own college account to authenticate into CCCApply. In this way if staff leaves, access to CCCApply is shut down with their college account deactivation. This eliminates forgotten accounts that create FERPA issues. Encryption of Data at Rest: Student Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is stored in a hardened data center with 24/7 threat monitoring and security audit. Sensitive data such as SSN s is encrypted at rest. Encrypted Data Transport: Only secure web services that incorporate financial industry level security are used to send and receive sensitive student data. Enhanced Security Questions: Well-crafted security questions for each OpenCCC account increases the 28

35 chances that students can recover their account if they have forgotten their password. Security for Public Computers: Account timeouts now help protect users that forget to sign out. In addition a PIN question will be used to re-verify users before sensitive activities such as printing an application. Digital Signatures: Each submitted application is digitally signed with public key encryption ensuring data integrity and attribution to one student. College Benefits Cost Savings: CCCApply is now owned and operated by the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, thus leveraging economies of scale to eliminate the need for institution based hosting fees that ranged from $12,000 to $25,000 per year for each college. Once fully implemented, OpenCCCApply is projected to save the colleges more than $600,000 each year through cost savings in hosting, open source licensing and support. Time Savings! CCC Report Center: Easy and powerful reporting and dashboards for A/R and Researchers allows staff to easily build ad-hoc reports, dashboards, and perform analysis via a highly interactive Webbased environment. Common reports may be scheduled to automatically run and be delivered via to save time. etranscript California In 2007 the Chancellor s Office established a statewide Internet-based system for requesting, transmitting, downloading and viewing academic transcripts. This system is referred to as etranscript California and was formerly known as CCCTran ( etranscript California highlights: Reduced per transcript processing cost from as much as $10 to 50 cents. Reduced staff workload--500 transcripts automatically process in 15 minutes. High school electronic transcript capability in production. Custom SIS Integration: The new CCCApply will deliver nearly the same file format in the same directory streamlining integration for college IT. Owned, operated, and governed by the CCC. Owned, Operated, and Governed by the CCC: Because CCCApply is now owned by the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, operated by the CCC Technology Center, and governed by the CCCApply Steering Committee, the colleges and students will see a significant increase in service and response. 29

36 Participation Continues to Increase Transcripts Delivered 55,472 69,973 95,172 88, , ,062 Institutions New Development the end of , the colleges have sent 565,000 electronic transcripts. If these transcripts were sent in CCCTC s Executive Director is a Co-Chair for the Post- paper format, the cost to the system would have been secondary Electronic Standards Committee (PESC) over $4,802,500 compared to $282,500 for electronic Common Data Services taskforce. Through this group, transcripts. CCCTC is developing the open source EDExchange web services network that will replace the SPEEDE TTIP North The Technology Center Server, currently a single point of failure and an unnecessary third party in the exchange of educational Internet Connectivity In partnership with CENIC data across the nation. EDExchange will provide a secure point-to-point web services network that will TTIP funds a portion of initiatives for California s make transcript exchange ubiquitous by bridging the education and research communities. TTIP leverages gaps between the various state-based networks, and resources to obtain the most cost-effective network- offering an open source (free) method for colleges to ing. Partnering with the Corporation for Educational exchange transcript data. Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) to use the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-bandwidth, high-capacity Internet network that consists of 3,800 miles of CENIC-owned and managed fiber, has resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the community colleges. This strategy supports TTIP missions and answers the growing needs of faculty, staff, and students. A student studying at Southwestern College, Chula Vista, California. Estimated Costs Savings to California s Educational System Paper transcripts cost between $7 and $10 to send, whereas an electronic transcript costs 50 cents. By CENIC designs, implements, and operates CalREN specifically to meet the unique requirements of the education and research communities. CENIC consists of charter members from the University of California, California State University, the California Community Colleges, K-12, Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, and the University of Southern California. For more information see CENIC currently provides: Centralized invoicing to CCC for no local cost Internet connection at all college and district sites. *Cost estimates for paper transcripts based upon an average cost of $8.50 to send **Cost estimates for electronic transcripts based upon 50 cents per transcript ***These CCC savings do not include the substantial savings to the CSU and UC systems by directly receiving data. 30

37 Over $2 million in savings annually on Core Network Backbone costs through the California Teleconnect Fund program because of CENIC s initiative with the California Public Utilities Commission, which commenced in July Primary connection at all colleges and districts to the CalREN for data, Internet access and video. Diverse secondary/backup connection at approximately 50 percent of college and district sites. An average of $4 million savings annually over the past five years on colleges circuit/connectivity costs through the California Teleconnect Fund program, a 50 percent discount due to CENIC backing the CCC. Connection at 15 approved off-site centers to CalREN. CENIC Expansion and Enhancements: Utilizing new one-time and ongoing TTIP funding will upgrade all remaining DS-3 or lower bandwidth circuits to 1Gig at all colleges and districts. Utilizing new one-time and ongoing TTIP funding add 1Gig diverse secondary circuits to all colleges and districts that do not have a backup circuit. Replace all end-of-life routers and associated circuits and equipment at all college, district and center sites utilizing the new one-time TTIP funding. Central Valley Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure Project, which will provide a fiber link from the CENIC Backbone to 14 community college sites with the result of adding bandwidth at zero cost to the CCC. Northern California Regional Middle-Mile Infrastructure Project and Golden Bear Broadband will provide middle- and last-mile broadband infrastructure to connect 16 rural counties. Resulting in access and/or improved access and bandwidth to the region. Connections to public libraries to enable them to fulfill their mission as part of the state s research and education community through improved internet connectivity and bandwidth. CENIC is currently working to connect three regional Library Systems as well as Northern Valley and Central Valley Libraries. Cloud VOIP at reduced rates to community colleges and Districts via three vendors that will provide infrastructure and virtual data centers. TTIP North currently provides funding for: Approximately 117 primary connections free of charge to college and district sites. Diverse secondary/backup connections to 117 college and district sites at no additional cost. Connections to 15 off-site centers at no cost to the associated college/district. Upgrades to circuits reaching their bandwidth limits from DS-3 to 1Gig, which began in 2009; to date 93 circuits have been converted to 1Gig and three college sites now have a 10Gig connection. Additional One-time and Ongoing TTIP Funding will allow: Payment for upgrade of all primary and secondary circuits that are currently 1Gig bandwidth to 10Gig connections for those colleges, district and center sites which have increased bandwidth demands to ensure equal access to information for students, faculty and staff. Ongoing monthly circuit costs for all current and new college, district and center primary and secondary connections. Payment for intra-district circuit connections to providing consistent, manageable service to all colleges, district and center sites. Addition of 1Gig backup circuit connections for all approved off-site centers. Upgrade of end-of-life routers, circuits and related equipment for all college, district and center sites. In addition, CENIC has continued to provide very reliable and high performing networking to the California Community Colleges, with decreasing or fairly flat fees. If each college acquired Internet access independently they would gain a burden of 31

38 workload at substantially increased administrative costs simply in monitoring and making payments for connectivity. Based on several analyses that have been conducted, the cost of using the CENIC CalREN network are substantially less than those that would be incurred by colleges for the same level of connectivity and bandwidth obtained via other means. This is due to the fact that CENIC is uniquely positioned to leverage education community-owned networking infrastructures and resources, as well as inter-segmental aggregation of demand across the education community in California, to maximize cost-savings opportunities for California Community Colleges. half that at $1,527 while conversely bandwidth has increased 99 percent from the megabits per second T-1 circuits to 1Gig circuits. In 2005 a conversion from T-1 to DS-3 circuits began, resulting in replacement of approximately 77 percent of the circuits. Costs rose due to purchase of new equipment needed to upgrade to DS-3 circuits, but then began to drop in 2007 when the conversion was 93 percent completed as fewer circuits were required overall to provide commensurate or higher levels of bandwidth. CENIC: Increased Bandwidth and Circuit Upgrades The CENIC partnership keeps the colleges connected to the Internet and is funded through a grant with Butte College s Technology Center. CCCTC staff manages and disburses funds to CENIC. A total of $8,622,649 was funded in with 75 percent to provide connectivity for colleges, districts and centers. CENIC has leveraged resources to help the community college system realize cost savings even as circuits have been added and bandwidth increased. Over the years costs have dropped from an average of $3,139 per circuit per month to less than Bandwidth upgrades to GigE circuits for high priority sites, such as districts serving multiple campuses, were completed in 2009 and provided greater bandwidth delivery from one connection. Upgrades were expanded to the remaining colleges on Dec. 1, 2010 when the California Community Colleges started realizing the savings from the California Teleconnect Fund discounts, which also allowed many sites to keep their old DS-3 circuit as a backup. These discounts were initiated by CENIC with support from the California Public Utility Commission. The cost savings realized approximately a 50 percent discount provided resources for these additional circuit upgrades through in the midst of budget cuts. 32

39 Following further TTIP budget cuts in , upgrades ceased except to sites in dire need of bandwidth. For the first time, colleges and districts were asked to assist in covering costs by paying for a portion of their secondary circuits. Many opted to disconnect secondary circuits since most were still DS-3 circuits that would be unable to provide adequate bandwidth in the event of failover. At the same time teleconnect taxes and surcharges increased resulting in a slight raise in monthly circuit costs. In 2014 CENIC went out to bid with the telecos for continued provision of service to circuits. AT&T responded with a bid that was significantly lower, saving over $1.4 million in the first year of service. As mentioned, due to CENIC s understanding and efforts on behalf of the California Community Colleges the cost for Internet connectivity has remained stable while bandwidth has increased dramatically. In fiscal year costs were $3.8 million for DS-3 circuits at most of the college/district sites; a few rural sites were still operating on T-1 circuits. During the California Community Colleges spent only $448,000 more than in and 91 percent of the 119 sites and 15 centers now have connectivity via a GigE circuit. The addition of these gigabit circuits has enabled more than 50 percent of the sites to preserve their DS-3 as secondary diverse circuit and/or a backup circuit for peak usage. Some of the services offered by CENIC cannot be duplicated or provided with equivalent performance via other means. For example, CENIC connects its network directly to a variety of major sites of high interest to community colleges, such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft. These direct network connections enhance the ability of colleges to use desirable and cost-effective services such as Google , Amazon cloud services, etc. Other Internet providers would offer connectivity to these sites, but not as reliable and high-quality network performance as with CENIC. Moreover, CENIC s private network supports cost-effective emerging technologies such as Voice-Over-Internet Protocol, a new offering of CENIC, not able to be supported as effectively over alternative Internet connectivity approaches. Lastly, CENIC s expert staff frequently review connection routes and offer suggestions for reconfiguration that save the college and system even more. Individual colleges probably would not have this expertise and a for-profit Internet provider would not readily assist in reducing their own profits to the benefit of the colleges. CENIC: Increasing Connectivity Options CENIC and private sector partner CVIN (The Central Valley Independent Network LLC) created the Central Valley Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure Project, which was awarded $46.6 million in federal government stimulus funds. Additionally, CVIN LLC committed $13.2 million cash match and the CPUC will provide $6.6 million. This project will increase the availability of broadband networking infrastructure for 18 counties within the Central Valley and will result in a profound reduction in costs to the California Community Colleges. Again, CENIC is leveraging resources that neither the Chancellor s Office nor the colleges have at their disposal. This fiber-optic project will result in significant savings as college and district sites reconfigure so that as many as 30 circuits will connect directly to the CalREN network for an annual savings of more than $400,000 when completed. CENIC: Diverse Circuits Budget Impact Diverse circuits, also known as redundant or backup circuits, provide colleges and districts with an alternate path to the Internet should the primary connection fail. As mentioned, cuts in TTIP funding during and and lack of funding restoration in forced the Chancellor s Office to seek assistance from California community colleges and districts in covering the cost of these vital secondary circuits. Approximately 25 percent of those sites have been forced to cancel their secondary circuits for lack of funds. Status: The budget did not restore TTIP funding and some sites are not receiving central funding, bandwidth needs are increasing and second circuits, where they exist, are grossly inadequate for full failover. 33

40 The list below represents areas of concern for TTIP and the colleges: 15 of 112 California community college campuses do not have a centrally funded backup connection to the Internet. 12 of 112 colleges have a saturated primary connection. Meaning that there is more Internet traffic moving through the circuit than the circuit can support. Historical trends show that traffic will not decrease and instead will continue to grow exponentially. 64 of 112 colleges have a saturated backup connection. 63 of 77 approved off-site centers do not have a centrally funded primary or a backup connection to the internet. California Virtual Campus The California Virtual Campus (CVC) is a statewide community college system program to create comprehensive instructional support for faculty and students. It addresses development of content and delivery of online and hybrid instruction. The principle goals are to support the California Community Colleges in online course offerings, e-learning and/or distance education. It is funded through a $1,389,600 grant in partnership with Butte College. The CVC program made successful progress during the first three quarters of the fiscal year in pilot activities, statewide services and infrastructure services provided to California Community Colleges and partners in intersegmental efforts supported as authorized by legislation passed regarding the CVC (Senate Bill 1437). In the fourth quarter, grant funding was reduced 10 percent and further reductions resulted in the elimination of CVC staff. Despite funding challenges, CVC addressed many of the goals authorized or mandated by SB The following activities are in direct support of SB 1437: Activities in Direct Support of SB 1437 Support faculty access to professional development training focused on online course development. Dissemination of best practices in online teaching through participation in statewide and national conferences. Increase availability of learning objects for online courses. Partnered with MERLOT to increase quantity and quality of peer-reviewed learning objects. Providing services for faculty and online students Developed a self-service matriculation portal for distance education students. Also available via mobile devices. Implemented the CVC Online Course Catalog enabling students to locate distance education course offerings throughout the System. Continued the Online Degree Planner Project Continued the eportfolio Project Facilitating collaborations and joint efforts relating to the use of technology and Internet connectivity Developed a self-service matriculation portal for distance Community Based Online Learning Project to provide highspeed Internet access to low-income neighborhoods. CETC K20 to facilitate use of technology resources to support teaching and learning The Chancellor s Office has responded to the direction of this bill by: Disseminating best practices in online teaching through active participation in program committees and planning efforts for multiple statewide and national conferences including the Online Teaching Conference (OTC), the Sloan 4rd Annual Emerging Technologies for Online Learning Conference and the WCET organization. 34

41 As funding reductions resulted in the elimination of CVC staff by the end of the fiscal year support participation has been stopped. Partnering with MERLOT, a free and open online community of resources designed primarily for faculty, staff and students of higher education from around the world to share their learning materials and pedagogy. Creating a one-stop self-service portal for distance education students, with a dashboard featuring a flexible and adaptable suite of online student matriculation services to serve as the front-end interface. The portal contains a new College Directory Service that provides profiles for each of the colleges, existing tools for career exploration (California Career Resources Network), information about financial aid, information concerning transfer, access to student services on the eportfolio California site, and large System-wide services such as CCCApply and ASSIST. E-Portfolio System allows participating students to demonstrate attainment of academic learning objectives, skills, and knowledge that relate to career interests, and completion of prerequisites for participation in courses or training programs Website redesign and updated daily content Average 2,300 hits per month on eportfolio website Weekly newsletter received by 266 faculty and staff eportfolio California Team and PESC (Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council) CVC and the California Community Colleges Technology Center (CCCTC) continued to partner with CSU in the development of a software prototype for an application that would improve available online planning. The program s working title was California Online Program Planner. Budget cuts at CSU and CCC, caused CVC to change course and develop a partnership with MyEdu to deliver an online degree planner and associated student services to the colleges as a pilot program at no cost. Marketing efforts were put into effect and by the end of the reporting period, several colleges have expressed interest. Community-Based Online Learning project (CBOL) is a multi-year project, focused on providing access to high-speed networking and computers, and ensuring access to adequate technical and operational support for community-based organizations in low-income neighborhoods. The grant directly funds a maximum of $100,000 to cover the costs of setting up and managing Internet connectivity and ongoing arrangements with Internet. Library Automation and Electronic Information Resources In prior years, TTIP provided the California Community Colleges with financial assistance through the TTIP allocation process. In , the library community suffered severe cutbacks when TTIP allocations to libraries were eliminated. In an effort to support the libraries, TTIP offered a leadership grant to help sustain the community while library leadership developed a new approach to supplying content. The library leadership grant team proposed the central purchase and statewide adoption of a library content database. The team estimated a cost savings of 50 percent if the content database was purchased and adopted centrally versus at the individual college level. Even in the presence of severe cutbacks in TTIP funding, TTIP recognized the importance of library content to community college accreditation and opted to make budgetary cutbacks in other areas of the program. The library leadership grant team issued a Request for Proposal and in early 2012, selected EBSCO as the statewide community college library content provider. By moving to a centralized contract, the system collectively has saved more than $3 million. TTIP continues to support the libraries through this agreement. The CCL continues to manage the vendor relations and technical support services for individual electronic information resource companies, as well as with EBSCO. The libraries are interested in enhancing the functionality of the existing product through statewide acquisition of the EBSCO discovery tool software as well as an additional database. They have submitted 35

42 a budget proposal for CCC Chancellor s Office and Department of Finance consideration for the state budget. In the library leadership grant has provided tremendous opportunity for the Council of Chief Librarians (CCL) to provide leadership in the development of statewide acquisition or individual purchase of electronic library catalog systems and has facilitated purchases by more than 35 colleges of a cloud-based integrated library system (ILS) offered by OCLC. The results of a systemwide ILS survey that was disseminated to gather data are currently being compiled and analyzed. A Student Engagement Survey is now being sent to students at over 40 colleges to identify how students use technology to access information. To further the effort, CCL developed and submitted a budget proposal for CCC Chancellor s Office and Department of Finance consideration for the state budget outlining the costs and benefits of a state funded ILS purchase and implementation. Library Leadership Grant funds help CCL Support: Half the cost of providing the Country Watch database to all CCC Libraries. Promotion of InfoPeople classes and webinars to the CCC library community. Production of the online CCL Outlook newsletter and blog that carries news about CCL work, other CCC news, regional and nation news about library activities, research, and other information important to the CCC library community. The Fall 2013 CCL 2-day workshop (North and South) free of charge to 78 attendees Planning, Assessing, and Communicating Library Impact; Putting The Standards For Libraries in Higher Education to Work. The Spring 2014 CCL 2-day workshop (North and South) free of charge to 91 attendees Technology Tools: Power Searching and Instructional Design, which featured three nationally-known librarians. Presentation of the 2-day CCL Annual Deans, Directors and Chairs Meeting each March in Sacramento to more than 80 attendees for discussion of policies, issues and changes in the CCC environment, as well as the CCL Strategic Plan. Regional Meetings for groups of college libraries to discuss local/regional issues, needs and opportunities as well as acting as a networking opportunity. Collaborative work and attendance at meetings with CCC groups and organizations to discuss and explore policies, issues and new opportunities related to the provision of library services. CCL Board meetings to review and discuss all organizational activities and projects, including those related to both the Strategic Plan and the library leadership grant. The services of an Executive Director, who handles organizational and financial matters. The services of a webmaster/communications officer, who handles website, online directory and the listserv as well as production of the CCL online newsletter. Information Security Center (ISO) The CCC Information Security Center (CCCISC), works to coordinate prioritize and oversee the overall policies goals and procedures for the information security functions of the California Community Colleges Technology Center. The CCCISC also works to ensure information security efforts system-wide are coordinated and in compliance with reducing overall security risk and are under explicit management control. The Security Center is also responsible for establishing and maintaining a framework to ensure that information security strategies are aligned with CCC Chancellor s Office objectives and are consistent with applicable laws and regulations. The CCC Technology Center launched the CCC Information Security Center in March 2013, The web site provides Information Security information, as well as, informs the California Community Colleges of free information security services provided by the Technology Center. 36

43 Most colleges do not have a staff member dedicated to information security, do not have an information security awareness program, and feel that their information security programs are immature and lacking in Information Security Policies In February of 2013 CCCTC in coordination with the Systemwide Architecture Committee (SAC) polled the California community colleges to find out what the states of their Information Security Programs were. Results showed that most colleges did not have a staff member dedicated to information security, do not have an information security awareness program, felt that their information security program was immature, and were lacking in Information Security Policies. Information Security Governance In the following months the California Community Colleges Technology Center worked on creating the California Community Colleges Information Security Center to help colleges develop their Information Security Programs. The Information Security Center formed a Systemwide Committee, the Information Security Advisory Committee (ISAC), consisting of members from 28 different community colleges. The focus of ISAC is to help rectify some of the deficiencies identified in the Survey. The committee meets monthly and discusses Information Security topics such as policy, procedure, security tools, training, and best practices. The committee thus far has published 12 Administrative Regulation templates, a white paper, and a comprehensive Information Security standard. Information Security Awareness Training To address the lack of Information Security Awareness training available at community colleges the CCC Information Security Center has licensed online video training. The video training is produced by the SANS Institute, which a leader in Information Security training. The video training is self-paced and is aimed at educating everyday computer users on security best practices and how criminal hackers may try and gain access to the College s information resources. After the training has been completed the staff member receives a certificate of completion. Reports can also be provided to the Colleges should they want to make it a requirement for all classified staff or offer FLEX credits for faculty. This training is available to all California Community Colleges staff and is free to the colleges. CCC Information Security Standard and Board Policy To address the deficiencies in Information Security policy a comprehensive Information Security Standard was created. This standard builds the frame work for an Information Security Management System. It lays out the best practices in the areas of risk management, Privacy, Security Awareness and training, third parties, change control, access control, and many other areas. The policy was created in the Systemwide Architecture Committee (SAC), and was reviewed and edited by ISAC. The standard was also reviewed by Gartner a leader in IT consulting, the Chief Information Systems Officer association, and the Community College League of California. The standard is available now to be implemented by the Colleges. A board policy and administrative policy template has also been created for college boards to officially adopt the standard. We will continue to update and expand the Information Security Standard as technology and practices change. In the future the ISAC is working on implementing best practices documentation for common enterprise software used in the CCC environments such as Colleague and Banner. ISAC is also working on implementing peer reviewed Information Security audits of the CCCs. The CCC Security Center will continue to offer security services such as awareness training and will identify and implement other security services that may be useful to the CCCs. 37

44 Systemwide Architecture Committee (SAC) Research and Trend Analysis The Systemwide Architecture Committee (SAC) provides technical expertise for planning the development and growth of the systemwide information-technology (IT) infrastructure for California Community Colleges (CCC). SAC is a subcommittee of the Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Committee (TTAC). SAC works in close coordination with TTAC to develop strategic plans, policies, implementation strategies, practices, and standards regarding the systemwide implementation of IT infrastructure. TechEDge CCC TechEDge, the California Community Colleges system technology newsletter, provides current information about statewide technology efforts and the people bringing cutting edge technology to the California Community Colleges. Its audience includes distance educators, information systems officers, business leaders, the California legislature, and the entire CCC technology community. The CCC TechEDge website is updated on an ongoing basis with stories and announcements focused on technology in the colleges. Links to TechEDge stories, announcements and news from affiliates are posted as status updates to the CCC TechEDge Facebook page and tweeted via Twitter. Once a month an update, including references to each new story since the last update, is sent to the TechEDge News mailing list. Currently, TechEDge has over three thousand (3000) readers. To learn more, visit Surveys of the colleges reveal that most have insufficient information security practices to properly defend critical systems in today s high risk environment. Working with the CCCTC Information Security Officer, SAC developed a CCC Information Security Board Policy and associated CCC Information Security Standard to address insufficient information security practices at the colleges. The Board Policy is currently under review at the CCLeague for inclusion in their standard Board Policy offering. In addition the Information Security Advisory Committee (ISAC) is developing recommended controls and procedures to support the Standard. Surveys also reveal a strong desire by CTO s to improve information assurance by implementing Disaster Recovery and Backup into the Cloud. SAC s investigation of Disaster Recovery/Backup to the Cloud with the goal of facilitating cost savings for the colleges lead to a pilot between Verizon/Terremark and the CCC Technology Center to prepare an offering that provides peering onto the CalREN network, to avoid bandwidth charges, and to take advantage of CENIC s negotiated pricing with Verizon/Terremark. Colleges typically do not achieve economies of scale during annual purchasing cycles and a system to reveal high demand systems may facilitate bulk purchasing agreements. SAC surveyed the colleges in the spring to find out what equipment is budgeted for purchase. Where economies of scale were identified and bulk purchasing looked practical, SAC worked with CCC Foundation to get purchasing contracts in place. 38

45 The need exists in the Education Planning, Common Assessment, and Online Education grant initiatives to coordinate technology and have a governance body for technology. SAC has agreed to serve as the primary for the Technology Advisory Committee to the CAI/OEI/EPI initiatives. To this end they have begun to review related technology offerings and have provided feedback on environmental scans to the colleges. Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Committee (TTAC) TTAC advises the California Community Colleges Chancellor s Office on the continued development and deployment of telecommunications and educational technologies in the California Community Colleges. The committee researches technology trends and recommends the direction for technology infrastructure initiatives within the California Community Colleges system. It meets four times a year. The Technology Center supports TTAC by coordinating its quarterly meetings and its annual Strategic Planning retreat. 5. TTIP South 3C Media Solutions The Evolution of 3C Media Solutions 3C Media Solutions, began in 1999 as CCCSAT, a satellite system for broadcasting distance education, instructional and professional development programs to the California Community Colleges. The unit was renamed 3C Media Solutions in 2007 to reflect an expanded vision of multimedia services and support for the California Community Colleges system, including digital storage and on-demand video streaming. 3C Media Solutions along with CCCConfer Training are supported through a $3.275 million grant to Palomar Community College District. 3C Media Solutions Services Video Production Capture, edit, caption and index Conference Support Capture, edit and distributed for virtual viewing Podcasting for Educators Storage and distribution of educational materials Student Film and Video Festival Support Support student filmmakers, showcase student work Educational YouTube Upload and share educational materials free of advertisements Video Conferencing 3C Media Solutions is working with the Chancellor s Office to identify a viable alternative to the K-20 Video Conferencing solution for the community colleges that was cancelled in due to budget cuts. Video Production 3C Media Solutions provides all video production services, including video creation, editing and distribution. Media and video, in particular, are in a period of profound transition. Technology has rendered many of the processes of media creation, distribution, and consumption faster and less costly than ever before, making it easier for both faculty and students to produce their own videos. As a result, there s an abundance of digital content that must be stored and indexed (digitally labeled to enable users to search and find content) in order to be made available and accessible by classrooms and larger audiences. Educational YouTube 3C Media Solutions also maintains an educational YouTube channel, content from any college or organization in the system regardless of length can be uploaded and shared with anyone, anywhere. This single port-of-entry saves users the need to search in multiple places to find desired content or videos. To 39

46 date, there have been more than 93,000 viewers on the project s YouTube channel. 3C Media specializes in providing services to the educational community, as a result, colleges receive the benefits of private sector services without the limitations, costs and advertising that are common when purchasing technology commodities. Conference Support In addition to its YouTube services, 3C Media Solutions provides multimedia conference support for organizations wishing to make conference presentations and events available to members unable to attend face-toface or to those who wish to review past events. Conference sessions are captured in high quality, edited and captioned, if desired, and made available for Web viewing, often with opportunities for interaction with the presenters. CENIC Chief Information Systems Officers Association Earth Sciences Information Partners EdSource etranscript California National Public Health Information Coalition North County Higher Education Alliance Online Teaching Conference The Research and Planning Group MPICT :Mid-Pacific Information Comm. Tech. FACCC: Veterans Town Halls, Student Success Task Force CARL: Creativ Online Education Streaming media has enabled distance education to become more interactive and accessible than was previously possible. Faculty have access to a wider variety of educational tools and students are now able to take online courses at a time and place suitable for them as long as there is an Internet connection. The availability of streaming media services enables faculty to: Examples of 3C Media Solutions Conference Support: American Association of Colleges and Universities Basic Skills Initiative Butte Sustainability Conference California Career Technical Education California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages California Community Colleges Real Estate Center California Distance Learning Health Network California Virtual Campus Include digital educational materials in their online courses. Create, store and stream digital content Seamlessly link content to any learning management system such as Blackboard and Moodle. Enhance the explanation of concepts through downloadable handouts, video clips, and receive student feedbacks through mediums like live chats and s. Streaming Media Services 3C Media Streaming is one of the many services provided by 3C Media Solutions to faculty and staff of the California Community College system where videos 40

47 are streamed for use on many computers and mobile devices. Faculty and staff may stream instructional, informational or orientation videos using 3C Media Streaming services to enrich the online learning experience of students and staff. Access to Educational Content The video-on-demand service allows faculty and staff to link any digital media to their Learning Management System or website of choice and the media is streamed directly to the student. 3C Media Solutions Event Streaming 24x7 dedicated live streaming channels are available to member institutions to stream their live events. 3CMedia has provided live webcasting for events such as the Online Teachers Conference (OTC) and the CCC Real Estate Educators Conference. Additional community college live streaming events include: College programing and announcements Live online tutoring sessions Monthly college board meetings Sporting events Live class sessions Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations Live conferences College President s welcome speech for faculty Systemwide e-conferencing, CCC Confer CCC Confer provides no cost, systemwide audio and electronic Internet-based conferencing services to all college staff and faculty. The $3.5 million e-conferencing grant awarded to Palomar College in 2001 funded the development of a comprehensive, coordinated e-conferencing tool to complement the decentralized infrastructure of the California Community Colleges. Initially supporting meetings, the success of CCC Confer eventually prompted a separate grant to encourage and expand the use of e-conferencing technologies in the classroom. CCC Confer along with 3C Media Solutions Training are supported through a $3.275 million grant to Palomar Community College District. CCC Confer Audio-Visual Virtual Meetings Meet&Confer meetings allow large and small groups to quickly setup a conference call bridge and an Internet site to engage in discussions, share documents, presentations and video. Audio Meetings Call Confer meetings allow large and small groups to quickly setup a conference call bridge and engage in discussions and meetings. Online class Delivery Instructors deliver lectures, assess student learning, solicit responses and feedback from students all online. Instructor Office Hours Students can meet with instructors in a virtual setting to ask questions and further learning. Archiving Meetings and classes are recorded and saved for viewing at any time or location over the Internet. More than 560 archived sessions viewed per month. Device Accessibility Students, faculty and administrators can be connected on fixed or mobile devices. E-Conferencing Impacts on the CCC System Providing the California Community Colleges with an e-conferencing system produces an estimated cost savings by reducing travel-related expenses, but more importantly, more community college faculty, students, staff and administrators are connected to one another and to the broader educational community. The following chart shows the number of people (students, faculty, staff and administrators) in able to participate in no-cost virtual classes, meetings and informational sessions. Without the option of virtual attendance, many participants would have been excluded due to cost and distance factors. 41

48 E-conferencing strives to eliminate barriers to participation and learning. Meeting Category Conference Call and Call/Internet Number of Participants 300,900 Webinar s 452,079 Teach and Confer 265,254 Office Hours 11,297 The benefits of this technology include: Minimized travel expense, since meetings and classes are conducted over the Internet Time savings, since participants do not have to go anywhere, set up any rooms or equipment Training and professional development can be extended from small groups and locations to large groups in several locations, and recorded for future dissemination Timely and efficient personal contact between instructors and students, administrators and constituents, organizational leaders and members Removal of geographical limitations to the information flow of large organizations, ensuring that all individuals are on the same page and able to strategize, act and react faster than ever before Toll-free telephone calls and free captioning to accommodate differently-abled participants Systemwide Technology Training for Faculty and Staff (@ONE) With an effort to enhance instruction through offers free and/or low-cost training for the faculty and staff of the colleges, thereby providing colleges with a substantial cost savings for high quality professional development. Instructors provide face-toface training, online and self-paced courses, webinars, accessible archives, and downloadable ONE ( provides training and technology co-operated in partnership with Mt. San Jacinto College, along with 3C Media Solutions, and CCC Confer are supported through a $3.275 million grant to Palomar Community College District. Professional Development Services Online Courses Training delivered in a virtual setting to participants over the Internet. Courses are four weeks long. Desktop Webinars Hour long virtual seminars that explore a variety of educational technology topics and practices. Trainer s Bureau Customized face-to-face and virtual training offered at a college or venue and delivered to a large group of faculty or staff approved trainers. Online Teaching Certification Program Certification curriculum pattern adapted from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning standards for instructors of distance education. Online Teaching Conference Inter-segmental conference focused on curriculum, pedagogy and technology to improve online instruction and learning. In , the In-Person Institute portion of the Professional Development Series was temporarily suspended due to budget cuts. In , the In-Person Institute portion of the Professional Development Series was temporarily suspended due to budget cuts. Training Skill Levels Trainings fall into five general areas and are designed in various skill-level tracks to address the needs of faculty and staff: Fundamental technology skills Microsoft Excel, Word 42

49 Technology-enhanced instruction Developing Effective Online Assessments Multimedia Building Online Community with Social Media Online teaching and learning Teaching with Moodle, Blackboard Technical training Creating Accessible Online Courses A science-technology student from Sierra College, Rocklin, CA Systemwide Technology Training for Faculty and Staff (@ONE) Trends in Professional Development Offerings and Participation added only a few training sessions across its professional development series, participation increased across services. The Trainer s Bureau sessions had a much higher participation rate per session in It is anticipated that this may be a result of institutions realizing cost savings by using the subsidized statewide service rather than commercial alternatives. The Online Teaching Certification Program and Conference participation demonstrates the educational communities continued need and interest in acquiring skills related to online teaching and learning. There is a large decrease in online participation in the Online Teaching Conference; however, with only a portion of the conference available online and an increase in physical conference attendance, those who have attended virtually in the past may have opted to benefit from the full conference. Training Sessions Category % Change Desktop Seminars % Online Courses % In-Person Institute n/a Trainer s Bureau % Sessions Continued on next page. 43

50 Participants by Training Category Category % Change Desktop Seminars Online Courses In-Person Institute Trainer s Bureau Online Teaching Certification N/A N/A 274 *OTC: In-Person *OTC: Online *OTC, Online Teaching Conference % % n/a % % % % Need to include narrative of need and future plans With increased participation across professional development series, it is evident that there is a growing interest in system-wide technology training. With statewide interest in online education and its ability to further support the success and attainment of educational goals of our is looking to meet the increasing demand of providing training to develop quality online educators. There is demand for training in specific technologies (screen recording) and instructional delivery practices (video-based content through a partnership with the CCC Online Education Initiative, plans to provide training for online educators, assist with the review of online course design for quality assurance, and participate in the development of an electronic clearinghouse for statewide professional development activities. Budget Cuts Impact Offerings and Participation The deep budget cuts that offerings in and are slowing being restored. Desktop Webinars, which were temporarily suspended during the cuts, have been slowly added back and have grown in participation (189 percent since ). Since cutting back online course offerings to only the core courses in the certification pathway, fill rate averages near ninety percent. While this is a positive trend, without new is unable to support repeat participants after they have completed the training available. Systemwide Technology Training for Faculty and Staff (@ONE) Demand for Training Services Requests for training from California community college faculty and staff to realize that the demand for training was as great as it always has been (if not greater because local colleges had largely lost their 44

51 own staff development professionals). The demand for Trainers Bureau grew considerably in , because colleges could afford ($700 for one day or up to $2,100 for three days) to have trainer come to the college and train a large group of faculty and staff. TTIP was able to provide funding in support of identifying and coordinating the one-hour desktop webinars and participation increased but funding is still insufficient to support the longer online courses. It should also be noted that the numbers reported in the tables represent participants taught also provides its curriculum to colleges and districts at no charge so that colleges can train faculty and staff locally. The availability of reus curricula saves the colleges and districts money needed to develop training curriculum as well as ensure that they are getting a quality instructional s use of the Creative Commons for its materials is a significant system-wide benefit. Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that enables the legal sharing and usage of creative works, such as curriculum. The Online Courses and the Certification Program showed considerable growth that reflected the de mand for quality online instruction. Likewise, the On line Teaching Conference provides a unique develop ment opportunity for experienced online instructor to share their expertise and learn from other experienced instructors. The conference is the only development activity for experienced instructors to network and learn. Most of the other activities are aimed at new or recent online instructors. The demand services is greater than it has ever been, due to the prevalence of technology in all aspects of teaching. Further, with the emphasis of Accreditation on Student Learning Outcomes and a greater scrutiny on online course quality, the Certifica tion Program is providing a mission-critical service that individual colleges cannot deliver. Thousands Saved in Professional provides the California Community Colleges with substantial cost savings when compared to the cost of training provided by a non-@one institution. The following chart compares the cost of an Desktop Webinar, Online Course and Custom training sessions to the average cost a private consul tant training session based upon actual participation offerings. In addition, the cost of Online Teaching Certification course sequence and practicum is provided. In provided professional development at a reduced cost with an estimated savings of $456,000 for Desktop Webinars $186,930 for Online Trainings $330,000 for Custom Trainings $1,019,350 for Online Teaching Certification Savings has a potential to be greater but participation remains steady due to lack of additional and new course offerings and in-person trainings. 45