TASK FORCE ON POSTSECONDARY ONLINE EDUCATION IN FLORIDA INTRODUCTORY MEETING TAMPA, FL JUNE 18, 2013 MINUTES

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1 TASK FORCE ON POSTSECONDARY ONLINE EDUCATION IN FLORIDA INTRODUCTORY MEETING TAMPA, FL JUNE 18, 2013 MINUTES The meeting began at 9:05 a.m. on June 18, 2013 and concluded at 12:00 p.m. 1. Opening Remarks and Charge Chancellor Frank Brogan Chancellor Frank Brogan began the meeting with his opening statements. Chancellor Brogan emphasized the positive outcome of the recent Legislative session and discussed how Florida s postsecondary online education can become a model for the nation. Chancellor Brogan encouraged the Task Force members to think creatively. Chancellor Brogan stated Florida has 700 degree programs and over 30,000 online courses. While Florida is a leader in course volume, the State should strive to be a leader in online education as a whole. Chancellor Brogan spoke to the increasing variety of the type of student who chooses online learning, and that Florida should seek to serve this wide diversity of students. Chancellor Brogan emphasized the Task Force is charged with changing the face and form of the university system to serve the online learning needs of the students. At the end of his opening remarks, Chancellor Brogan introduced Dr. Joel Hartman as the Chair of the Task Force. 2. Introductions Chair Joel Hartman Chair Joel Hartman asked for the Task Force members to introduce themselves. Two Task Force members were absent: Paul O Brien and Mike Rollo. Kendall St. Hilaire substituted for Paul O Brien. Attending were: Dr. Joel Hartman, Chair, Vice Provost for Information, Technologies & Resources & CIO, University of Central Florida Craig Blazejewski, Director, Interactive Marketing Valencia College Dr. Valerie Bryan, Professor, College of Education Florida Atlantic University Jana Kooi, President, Open Campus, Florida State College at Jacksonville Dr. Andy McCollough, Associate Provost for Teaching & Technology, University of Florida Kathryn McFarland, Vice President for Enrollment, Saint Leo University Angelia Millender, Vice President Student Affairs, Broward College Dr. Michael Moore, Associate Vice President, University of South Florida Don Muccino, Executive Director, Florida Virtual Campus Dr. Pam Northrup, Dean, College of Professional Studies, University of West Florida Myron Pincomb, Trustee, University of North Florida and CEO, The Pincomb Group Page 1

2 Rebecca (Becky) Rust, Chief, Bureau of Labor Market Statistics, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Dr. Eddie Wachter, Professor, College of Engineering & Information Sciences, DeVry University Dr. Doug Wartzok, Provost & Executive Vice President, Florida International University Ruth Ann Balla, Executive Director, Virtual College, Miami-Dade College Associate Vice Chancellor, Nancy McKee, was present, along with the ISF consultants, Lauren Kemper, Tammy Young, and Cyndy Loomis. 3. Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) President Art Kirk, St. Leo University President Kirk spoke on behalf of Dr. Ed Moore, President of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida. President Kirk discussed St. Leo s history in online learning and stated the University has top ranking in online degree programs. President Kirk also mentioned St. Leo has served over 1,000 active military. President Kirk expressed appreciation for the ICUF institutions being asked to partner with the public institutions in the Task Force s efforts to improve Florida s online education as well as to share the ICUF institutions statewide experiences. 4. The Sunshine Law Chair Hartman Chair Joel Hartman referred the members to a memo written by Vikki Shirley, the Board of Governors General Counsel, to remind the Task Force members of Florida s open meetings and public records requirements. (Refer to page 27 of the agenda packet.) Chair Hartman advised that all Committees of the Task Force fall under the open meetings and public records requirements. Therefore, Committee meetings must be publicly noticed on the Task Force website. Any letters, memos, s, or other documents relating to Task Force business constitutes public records and are subject to disclosure to the public upon request. 5. Coordinated Online Activities in Other States: a. Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Chancellor Jay Box As Chancellor of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Dr. Jay Box oversees system academic and student issues. He has had past positions as vice president of the system and as vice president and president of community colleges. Chancellor Box gave a brief summary of the online learning activities of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and described the system s new Learn by Term and Direct 2Degree initiatives. Page 2

3 Chancellor Box s presentation will be posted on the Task Force website. The floor was opened for questions and answers: Ruth Ann Balla Question: How are pretests and posttests administered? Answer: Pretests and posttests are not proctored within the Learn on Demand program. Students in Learn by Term are required to take one proctored test. Students in Learn on Demand must use a webcam so they can be monitored by the instructor. Ruth Ann Balla Question: How are science labs accommodated in the online learning environment? Answer: Current science courses offered online do not require an in-person lab, but often use virtual labs instead. The nursing programs require onsite clinical time. Jana Kooi Question: How is faculty loading conducted for Learn on Demand? Answer: In Learn on Demand, the faculty members determine the number of students they want to teach online in an overload situation, which means they teach these courses in addition to their assigned classes. Instructors are paid per student, not per section. The average overload is 30 to 40 students. In the future, Direct2Degree faculty will be appointed fulltime, and will not have any other assignments. Dr. Pam Northrup Question: What are the different roles of faculty members and coaches? Answer: Every course has a faculty member who must pass a quality test to demonstrate his or her capability to teach online. Instructors are required to communicate with the student via webcam within the first 24 hours. Ongoing communication throughout the course is also expected. Lead instructors peer into the online experience to make sure the instructors are communicating with their students. For Learn on Demand, every student has a coach who helps students with administrative items (financial aid, enrolling in the next module, etc.) and to ensure there are no other issues. Dr. Eddie Wachter Question: How are professors summer schedules and vacations accommodated in the online learning environment? Answer: If a faculty member wants to take leave, students stop being admitted into the faculty member s course to accommodate the planned time off. Kentucky is also looking at a new definition and type of faculty who only want to teach in an online environment. Page 3

4 Kathryn McFarland Question: What are the trends in demand for Learn on Demand compared to Learn by Term? Answer: There are currently 12,000 students enrolled in Learn by Term and 1,000 enrolled in Learn on Demand. Learn on Demand grows each year, but has not been heavily marketed because of issues such as financial aid and student services. Kentucky is now ready to begin a heavy marketing plan, which should increase enrollment. Becky Rust Question: How are courses and programs tied to labor market demands? Answer: Kentucky s programs are focused on the labor market demand, and they work closely with the State s economic development office. b. University of Massachusetts (UMass Online), Dr. John Cunningham, Interim CEO Dr. John Cunningham is Interim CEO of UMass Online. He has held a series of faculty and university leadership positions at UMass for more than 25 years, and is currently serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and International Relations for the UMass System. He spoke on the status of UMass Online. Dr. Cunningham s presentation will be posted on the Task Force website. The floor was opened for questions and answers: Ruth Ann Balla Question: How are the UMass Online programs advertised? Answer: UMass Online pays for search engine optimization on Google. UMass Online is responsible for all state-level UMass Online marketing. Each campus is charged 2% for marketing efforts, but can undertake its own additional advertising. Everything online is the same as the on-campus experience. Students earn authentic UMass degrees. Dr. Joel Hartman Question: How many of the colleges and universities participate in UMass Online? Answer: All the universities and college participate in some way. Their participation is based on what services they want to opt-in and pay for receiving. Dr. Joel Hartman Question: How is duplication of courses and programs handled among the institutions? Page 4

5 Answer: Each institution can choose to offer whatever courses and programs it wants based on local needs. UMass Online only points the students to the available options. Dr. Joel Hartman Question: How does UMass Online coordinate among the colleges and universities in 2+2 situation? Answer: Colleges and universities frequently partner with each other in specific program areas. Norman Tripp Question: How are student admissions accommodated? Answer: Each institution regulates its student admissions. Admission requirements for online students are the same requirements for on-campus students. Students not admitted into their desired institution look for other educational opportunities at other institutions. Norman Tripp Question: How do students enrolled in one institution take online courses at another institution? Answer: There is not a separate admission process for the other institution. The Continuing Education unit at the home institution coordinates this effort on behalf of the student. Becky Rust Question: How are courses and programs tied to labor market demands? Answer: High-demand, high-wage courses are at the forefront in the online offerings. Myron Pincomb Question: How is data collected to measure the State s online learning efforts? Answer: UMass Online does not have many statistics on its online students and has retained a company for this purpose. UMass Online currently has to obtain the data from each individual institution. Craig Blazejewski Question: How does branding for UMass Online occur compared to the efforts by the individual institutions? Answer: UMass Online developed its own brand. UMass Online ensures the underlying technologies will be there for the institutions to deliver services. UMass Online does not tell the campuses what to offer or how to offer the courses. Page 5

6 Dr. Joel Hartman Question: How does UMass support MOOCS? Answer: Dr. Cunningham is still unsure what role MOOCS will play within UMass Online. MOOCS are a good tool to gather information, but they do not lead to credit. There is a question of quality and integrity of MOOC courses. At this time, UMass Online is only going to offer courses that award students college credit. Cyndy Loomis Question: What would UMass Online do differently based on its history and lessons learned? Answer: UMass Online would change the model for pricing to the institutions. There needs to be more collaboration between faculty members from different campuses teaching the same course. c. State University New York Learning Network, Carey Hatch, Associate Provost Carey Hatch is the Associate Provost for Academic Technologies and Information Services at the State University of New York, System Administration. He heads the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS), which supports and coordinates a variety of cooperative library programs and initiatives within the sixty-four campus State University, including the SUNY Connect initiative. Mr. Hatch also oversees the SUNY Learning Network (SLN) program, as well as the SUNY Center for Professional Development (CPD). He spoke about the mission of SLN, Open SUNY, and the system s new MOOC venture with Coursera. Mr. Hatch s presentation will be posted on the Task Force website. The floor was opened for questions and answers: Don Muccino Question: How has SUNY engaged the librarian community? Answer: There has been a great deal of collaboration with librarians since they already know how to find and manage content. They also have experience in purchasing e-resources and negotiating with vendors. SUNY sees this role continuing to increase. Dr. Pam Northrup Question: How are the concierge services provided? Answer: The concierge is a one-stop place for students to receive help. SUNY assigns individuals as contacts for the online learners to call with any questions or problems. The concierge helps the students navigate the university structure and points them to the right department. Page 6

7 6. Expectations of Committees Chair Hartman Chair Hartman referred the Task Force to page 29 of the agenda packet, which specifies expectations of the Committees, and page 31, which lists the issues to be considered by each Committee. The Committees will further define those issues and determine the best process for addressing them, whether by creating separate workgroups or making assignments to members. The Committees will draft Committee reports and recommendations regarding the issues for which they are responsible. The consultants will weave the Committee reports together into a draft report for the full Task Force to review and approve in November and submit the final report to Chancellor Brogan in December. 7. Closing Remarks and Adjournment Chair Hartman Chair Hartman thanked the Task Force members and reminded them of the Sunshine Law. If members run into problems that may require interference, they should contact Nancy McKee. Page 7