QCC Academic Senate
Committee on Computer Resources
Subcommittee on Distance Education
Report on Distance Education at QCC
5. Membership of the Computer Resources
Committee - Subcommittee on Distance Education
Appendix
1: The Evolution of Distance Learning in
Higher Education
Appendix
2: Success of Distance Education
Programs
B. State University of New York (SUNY)
Appendix
3: What is Distance Education?
Appendix
4: Why do Students Take Distance
Education Classes?
Appendix
5: The Mission of QCC and its
Relationship to Distance Education
B. Relation of Distance Education to the Mission of QCC
Appendix
6: Where is Queensborough Community
College Now (April 2004)?
A. What Queensborough Currently Offers
B. Where is Queensborough Now with Regard to Access?
1. Access to Educational Technology
c. access for students with disabilities
2. Access to Quality Educational Resources
C. Where is Queensborough Now with Regard to Integration?
c. Blackboard 6 Knowledge Base
Appendix
7: Decisions Need to be Made
Appendix
8: What is Needed at QCC
A. Program Design, Planning and Implementation
B. QCC Online – The Center for Distance Education
C. Faculty Support and Recognition
2. Institutional Support for Faculty Members Who Develop Distance Education Classes
a. multimedia instructional designers
b. instructional design assistants
f. ongoing support for faculty
i. released time/financial support
D. Faculty Awareness and Interest
E. Ongoing Support Services for Students
3. student orientation and training
F. Student Awareness and Interest
Appendix
9: Academic Freedom and Labor Issues
Appendix
10: Sample Charge and Suggested
Membership of a Distance Education Committee
A. Student survey: web enhanced classes
B. Student survey: partly online classes
C. Student survey: fully online classes
A. Faculty survey: non users of online education
B. Faculty survey: web enhanced classes
C. Faculty survey: partly online classes
D. Faculty survey: fully online classes
Appendix
13: References to Educational Technology
and Distance Education
Distance Education has become part
of the institution of education in many countries of the world. In the
Over the past 3
years,
·
continue the growth of online instruction without an
overall plan or
·
organize a Distance Education Program that is
well-defined, tied to the mission of the College, and provides adequate support
to insure its success.
As the College continues to develop its information technology infrastructure, increases its educational technologies and facilities, and extends its faculty development program, we move toward the time when it is possible to realize that:
·
Distance Education modalities have become a part of
the culture of the College.
·
Distance Education is an effective method for
increasing access to the College’s academic programs.
·
Distance Education is a method of outreach to
segments of the community served by the College who would not otherwise be able
to receive instruction.
·
Distance Education modalities and methodologies are
used to supplement, enhance and further develop the instructional program.
·
Distance Education in all of its modalities is readily
available to faculty within all academic programs.
·
Distance Education is supported by a full range of
faculty development support including: mechanics, pedagogy, instructional
design, course management, assessment.
·
Distance Education is supported by a full range of
student services including orientation to the modalities of instruction and
training in the use of the technology and troubleshooting.
·
Students entering the College receive adequate
information making them aware of not only the offerings of the College but the
modalities of instruction and what they entail.
·
Faculty receive adequate support with all phases of
preparing for, delivering, assessing and revising education at a distance from
the learner.
·
Assessment of the modalities and technologies are a
regular feature of the College that leads to revisions and appropriate
adjustments in the provisions of services for faculty and students.
1. A
formal Distance Education Plan should be developed at
2. The
Strategic Plan of the College should include support for distance education
efforts particularly for faculty members to develop distance education classes.
3. The
College should offer workshops focusing on online pedagogy.
4. The College
should offer workshops focusing on online course design.
5. Faculty
offering workshops for colleagues should receive recognition for their efforts
as part of the review process for promotion and tenure.
6. A
Distance Education Plan should address the many administrative issues regarding
distance education courses.
7. For a
Distance Education Program to be successful, a useful marketing plan should be
established.
8. The QCC
Online Web site should be made a more prominent part of the College Web site.
9. Additions
should be made to the site that include areas and content as decided upon by
those involved in Distance Education at the College.
10. The
QCC Online offerings should be improved
by providing for a central location online that presents one-stop-shopping for
students interested in online courses.
11. An
effort should be made to evaluate the utilization-level and the usefulness of
online resources with an eye towards expanding their type and number if it is
determined that they are effective.
12. A study
should be made as to the overall effectiveness of distance learning at the
College.
13. A study
should be made as to the effectiveness of distance learning on retention at the
College.
14. The
College should evaluate the low usage of the wireless network and determine
strategies that will increase utilization.
The Subcommittee on Distance
Education has considered the mission of QCC and the status of distance
education in:
QCC
CUNY
Community Colleges in
Community Colleges in the
Whereas: the Middle States Self-Study (1999) contained
the following:
The College should create an
administration and elected faculty committee to explore the potential for
impact of offering courses through distance learning;
Whereas; there are reasons for a
community college to have a Distance Education Program
·
To increase access: students unable to access the
traditional programs
·
To increase retention: opportunities for students who
could not otherwise "attend" classes
·
To improve the quality of existing programs
·
To provide opportunities for faculty to rethink what
they do and explore a new means to accomplish their objectives that might even
have a "spillover" effect in
their regular classroom teaching.
·
To expand the size of the community the College
services and the range of services as well.
·
To expand markets: business, general community and
specific groups
·
To respond to the needs of the market space and
competition.
·
To increase enrollment .
Whereas; the development and
offering of a distance education program and distance learning classes should
involve the cooperation and participation of faculty, academic departments and
the administration of the college,
Whereas: faculty are the primary
developers of such classes and instructors and managers of the classes,
decisions cannot be made without their involvement and approval.
Be it resolved that the Subcommittee recommends that the College
develop:
·
a full Distance Education Plan that creates a
program of distance education
·
a clear and detailed statement of purpose and aims
for such a program
·
policies that govern the distance education program
including:
Ø
online classes that are fully integrated with the
current classes and programs
Ø
a full system of support for faculty and students
Ø
a process for assessment , review, and revisions, as
needed
·
a plan to bring the full program into existence
that is to be incorporated into the Strategic Plan of the College
·
resources to provide technical and pedagogic support
to faculty and learners alike.
The decision as to offering entire
certificates or degree programs of study online is to be left to those who
develop the Distance Education Plan.
To accomplish these
recommendations the Subcommittee further recommends that the Academic Senate create a standing committee of the Academic
Senate to assist the College to accomplish the recommendations. (see
Appendix 10: Sample Charge and
Suggested Membership of a Distance Education Committee )
Paul Azrak, Economics
Jean Darcy, English
Lorena Ellis, Foreign Languages
Dwight Meyer, Biology
Philip Pecorino, Philosophy,
Chairperson, Computer Resources Committee
Jeanette Treue, Student Affairs
Kathleen Villani, Business
Bruce Naples, Director, Academic Computing Center
Chapter 1, The Evolution of Distance Learning in Higher
Education, in Distance Education: The Complete Guide to Design, Delivery, and
Improvement by Judith L. Johnson. Published
by Teachers College Press,
[http://www.teacherscollegepress.com/]
University. Reprinted with permission.
The Evolution of Distance Learning in Higher Education
Distance learning's past has emerged into a new entity. In
the past decade, higher education has taken on tools for learning faster than
at any other time in its history. Here we look at the beginning of distance
education, its present, and our predictions for the future.
The Past
Distance education, in some form, has been around for
decades. Before 1900, the communication system of the
In the 1930s, radio was first used to broadcast educational
programming to schools. Television became a medium of choice for distance
education in the 1960s, and today with the power, speed, and versatility of the
Internet, courses are offered anytime, anywhere.
During the 1930s radio as a medium was used to deliver
educational programming in
In 1956, television was introduced in Sydney and Melbourne
to deliver educational programming to schools. The programs were used by
teachers to supplement their curricula and to provide access to experiences
that were beyond the resources of the schools (Gilmour, 1979). More
comprehensive pro- grams ill math and science were developed and broadcast to
schools to address a teacher shortage in these subjects. In the 1960s and
1970s, television broadcasting in
In the 1960s, when the Open University (OU) was being
developed inthe
The
Educational broadcasting in the
With respect to higher education, universities were among
the first to have radio stations back in the 1920s. University extension
programs were broadcast using these radio stations and have continued ever
since. Television became the medium of choice for the broadcast programs in the
1960s. Many college and university systems developed televised curricula to
provide access for more individuals and to reduce pressure on the physical
plants. Systems and consortia alike cooperated to deliver courses to the
public. A 1979 survey by the Corporation for Public Broad-casting (CPB) and the
National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) "found that 25 percent
of the nation's colleges and universities offered courses for credit over
television and 36 percent of them used broadcast television to supplement
instruction" (Lyle, 1989, p. 516). A major turning point in the distance
education enterprise came in 1981 when Walter H. Annenberg announced his $150
million gift over 15 years for the development of university-level television
programming. The CPB was chosen as the agency to oversee the planning of the
programming that would be funded under this gift.
The
While these developments were occurring in the
When the
Other Countries
The success of OU prompted other countries to adopt its
model and establish their own open universities. For example, in 1972
These efforts and others were part of the foundation for
today's distance education, an evolution in the making. While some of the
programs and projects in broadcast education may not have been deemed overly
successful at the time, "research and experience leaves no doubt that
educational broadcasting can, particularly within multimedia systems, be an
effective educational instrument" (Lyle, 1989, p. 516).
As Sir John Daniel (2000), Vice Chancellor of Britain's Open
University, asserts:
. . .
whereas in 1990 only a small proportion of traditional universities offered any
distance learning courses, by the year 2000 very few did not have such
offerings. Today no self respecting university president can admit to not
offering courses online.
(For a comprehensive account of early educational
broadcasting, see chapters by Inquai, Hurst, Teather, Lyle, Hill, Cathcart, and
O'Brien in Eraut, 1989.)
Today
Distance learning is the most significant phenomenon
occurring in higher education today. Everywhere one looks, whether in community
colleges, 4-year institutions, Ivy League colleges, research institutions, or
technical colleges, distance education is on the rise, and the rise is
occurring at a rapid pace. Distance education and technology are major factors
in the contribution to current and expected changes in the postsecondary
education enterprise.
Distance education is expected to grow at a compound annual
growth rate of 33 percent, according to
Inter-national Data Corporation. Analysis predicts that distance education
demand will increase from five percent of all higher education students in 1998
to 15 percent by 2002. [Indeed] . . . the reported growth rates (from 1999-2000
to 2000-2001) range from 200 percent (
Never before in the history of higher education has there
been a change that has had such an impact on those involved in this enterprise.
According to Peter Drucker, "Universities won't survive. The future is
outside the traditional campus, outside the traditional classroom. Distance
learning is coming on fast" (Gibson & Herrera, 1999, p. 57).
The idea and advent of distance education have been
instrumental in producing a range of emotions in those involved in higher
education. Many faculty are resistant; some are confused; others are excited
about the new realm of possibilities for their teaching. Some worry about the
future of their livelihood; others see this change as an opportunity to expand
their pedagogy and teaching opportunities. Critics of distance education say
that this mode is inferior to the more traditional face-to-face, campus-based
learning, where discourse is spontaneous and inter-active, and where the
faculty can see the students and pick up nonverbal body language such as facial
expressions. Skeptical faculty argue that part of the learning experience is
the connection made between student and student, and student and professor, or
the experience of community. However, "in all fairness, there are few studies
that measure the effectiveness of textbooks and lectures as an educational
delivery system" (Oblinger, Barone, & Hawkins, 2001, p. 19). But
because of the newness of technology and the uncertainty of its use in
educating students, institutions are held captive by questions related to its
use.
Proponents of distance learning, on the other hand, argue
that distance education technologies allow for increased access to a variety of
courses. Distance education offers the student more convenience in scheduling classes,
decreases travel time to and from a campus, and allows for student control over
when participation in classes will occur (Johnson, 1999a). Furthermore,
distance learning technology, such as the Web, is the first medium that honors
the notion of multiple intelligences-abstract, textual, visual, musical,
social, and kinesthetic. Educators can now construct learning environments that
enable [a student] to become engaged in learning any way the student chooses.
The anytime, anyplace nature of the Web
allows students to spend as much time as they need searching for in-formation,
running simulations, or collaborating with peers. (Oblinger, Barone, &
Hawkins, 2001, p. 5)
Some have found that this new way of delivering higher
education is just as good as traditional ways, and maybe even better (Daniel,
2000; Johnson, 1999b). In fact, as Sir John Daniel (2000) stated in a speech to
attendees at the Taiwan Conference on Distance Learning:
Open universities have learned how to carry out distance
education successfully at scale and I emphasize that this is not merely a
technological success. Through the principle ofcourse team we have become
better at teaching than conventional universities, on both academic and
pedagogical grounds.
Some say that students in distance education courses are
more engaged with the learning process and that interaction happens more than
in traditional face-to-face courses (Carnevale, 2000b; Marchese, 2000).
Researchers also have found that distance education is
"more effective than the classroom lecture and the traditional
relationship between student and faculty member" (Oblinger, Barone, &
Hawkins, 2001, p. 6).
A large body of research touts that there are no significant
differences between the learning out- comes of distance education and those of
classroom-based education (Epper, 1996; Oblinger, Barone, & Hawkins, 2001;
Weigel, 2000).
[But] why [argue some] hold up lecture-based class-room
education as the benchmark for evaluating new educational delivery systems? . .
. If there is no significant difference between distance education and
class-room-based education, advocates of distance education should hardly
trumpet this claim; they should be deeply troubled by it. How could they think
of making the status quo the standard for evaluating learning technologies that
have so much more to offer? (Weigel, 2000, p. 12)
With distance learning technologies, teachers can develop
new teaching methodologies rather than adapting old pedagogy to their distance
courses. The Web is a "fundamentally new medium for education with the
potential to birth new pedagogical methods" (Weigel, 2000, p. 12).
Charles M. Cook, director of the New England Association of
Schools and Colleges' Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, comments
on distance learning. He asserts that this mode of delivery "can provide a
more active learning environment for students than traditional education by
engaging the student with interactive technology, instead of relying on a
professor's lecture" (Carnevale, 2000d). He feels that this type of
educational delivery is more learner-centered than traditional delivery. In
fact, in a survey of faculty, findings revealed that they "believed
web-based courses do a better job of giving students access to information,
helping them master the subject, and addressing a variety of learning
styles" (Oblinger, Barone, & Hawkins, 2001, p. 19). '
The Web . . . can also be a great new medium for deeper
forms of learning. . . . The beautiful thing is that today's technologies, with
their incredible abilities to connect, search, engage, and individualize, to
prompt performance and assess understanding, are—in the hands of a teacher with
the right ambitions--terrific enablers for [deep learning]. (Marchese, 2000, p.4) ,
Distance education serves the needs of not only the
traditional-age college student, but also the most rapidly growing segment of
the population, adult learners over the age of 35 years who have full-time
jobs, families, and limited discretionary time. A report by the American
Council on
Distance education has touched a majority of institutions of
higher education in the
In 1997, 79% of public 4-year institutions and 72 % of
public 2-year institutions offered distance education courses, compared with 22
% of private 4-year institutions and 6% of private 2-year ones (Carnevale,
2000a, p. A57). Currently, institutions with more than 10,000 students (87%)
are more likely to offer distance education courses than those with between
3,000 and 10,000 students (75%), or those with fewer than 3,000 students (19%)
(Carnevale, 2000a, p. A57). These numbers are likely to increase substantially
over the next decade with all the advances in technology and the growing demand
by the public for convenient and flexible educational opportunities.
In this age of technology, future college students (e.g.,
today's children) have and are using computers in their schools. "Today's
students, increasingly comfortable with technology, expect online resources (a
digital library, Web resources, simulations, video) as part of the learning
tools and learning experience" (Green, 1997, p. 4). In fact, colleges and
universities of today are "dealing with the first generation of students
who have never known life without PCs (created in the '70s) or the Internet
(largely a '90s phenomenon)" (Oblinger, Barone, & Hawkins, 2001, p.
26). Students entering higher education today have the knowledge and skills to
use technology that exceed those of faculty and staff working in higher
education (Bleed, 2000). Students are not only computer literate, they are
"technophilic" (Cini & Vilic, 1999, p. 38).
Over the past 2 decades, communication using information
technologies has gone from using over-head projectors, audiovisual media,
slides, and the viewing of prerecorded public television programs, to the
delivery of instruction using interactive technologies and asynchronous modes,
with degree pro-grams offered to students worldwide. Changes in technology
today are constant, and faculty, staff, and administrators must keep pace with
new technologies to ensure that their students receive the best that education
has to offer.
REFERENCES available on request.
While there has been much publicity concerning the failure
of online instruction to realize the highly inflated estimates of revenue for
those institutions that entered into offering stand alone programs, the basic,
yet less dramatic, story is the rather modest success of distance education
programs throughout the United States and the world. Where an educational institution has created
stand alone units offering programs online, there has not been much success and
many failures.
The State University of New York
also has a distance learning program. It
offers completely online classes through its SUNY Learning Network (SLN) http://sln.suny.edu
. The SUNY Learning Network is the State University of New York's multiple award-winning online education program.
SLN is one of the world's leading providers of online learning with more than:
· 60
complete online degree and certificate programs
· 3,000
online college courses offered annually
· 53,000
student enrollments from around the globe
· 55
participating SUNY colleges
· 1,500 SUNY
faculty
General information
about what the College is doing is presented on the college website at: http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/QCCOnline/Default.htm
Online courses are
offered by every college in CUNY.
Courses and programs offered through CUNY Online span undergraduate,
graduate, and professional degree programs. Virtually all disciplines are
represented.
In its first two years,
CUNY Online facilitated online course development with more than 300 faculty
resulting in more than 400 online courses and 9000 student enrollments (2002).
As CUNY Online enters
its third year, it has developed the Distributed Learning Network, a one-stop
access point for all online instruction in CUNY. It lists online courses, gives
details and points of contact, and is readily updated, allowing instructors to
post special requirements and students to get in touch with those instructors;
the courses can be sorted by discipline, campus, professor, and format. To go
to the CUNY Online DLN http://www.dln.cuny.edu/
Surveys of students who
have taken partly and totally online classes in CUNY Online indicate a very
high degree of satisfaction with their learning experiences. In a recent
survey, 90% of the students indicated that their CUNY Online classes were as
good or better than classroom instruction. 60% claimed it was better!
Faculty participating
in CUNY Online when surveyed indicated a very high percentage who were eager to
continue offering instruction through distance education.
There is ample evidence that college level
instruction can be offered online and offered at a high level with a high level
of learner achievement as well. There is
also ample evidence of a wide range of classes being offered online and entire
degree programs. This is true at private
and public colleges and universities and in four year and community colleges as
well. The question or issue is whether
distance and online education is appropriate and possible for
Distance education includes any
form of instruction in which there is a distance between the learner and the
instructor so that they are not in the same location at the same time. Where once this would include courses of
instruction by written correspondence or by telephone devices, recently the
term has become more commonly associated with courses that are conducted by
videotape (telecourses), or given over the internet using computers (on-line
courses), or conducted via the CUNY private network (MDS) using specially
equipped classrooms (distance learning classroom courses). In the case of video
and internet courses, students are required to attend few or, perhaps, no
classes in person. Distance learning classroom courses require students to
attend scheduled classes on the campus nearest to them.
Distance education courses are fully credited college classes that are attractive options for individuals who are self-motivated and can work independently in a less structured learning environment. There is no difference in what learners are expected to accomplish. It is the mode of instruction and of learning that is different. With distance education courses, most learners work independently from the instructor although not independent from other learners.
Distance education can be in any of the following forms:
On-line
Courses: |
|
asynchronous
(fully
–online) |
Online courses are instructor-designed courses that are only
accessible over the Internet. Students must have access to a computer with a
modem and have an internet provider. Online courses are neither time nor
place bound. Students may work at any time of the day or night. The mechanism
for receiving assignments, for turning in assignments, for discussion with
the instructor and other students is built into the software and is integral
with the course content itself. These courses are sometimes termed "asynchronous". |
|
|
Hybrid
/ Blended Courses (partly-online) |
These courses combine
features of the typical on ground traditional classroom experience with
elements of the "online" course. The instructor may be
providing students with information, lessons and exercises that are contacted
through a computer accessing an internet site. |
|
|
Web
Enhanced |
In a web enhanced course,
classes meet as regularly scheduled, but the instructor will utilize the
internet in addition to the traditional methods of teaching. |
|
|
Distance Learning Classroom Classes- Videoconferencing |
Synchronous courses are those that are offered in real
time, simultaneously at different sites in specially equipped distance
learning classrooms. The instructor will be teaching over live video from one
of the CUNY campuses while students take the course at any one or at a number
of the CUNY campuses by means of the videoconferencing links. These links can
be established through the use of the CUNY Media Distribution System (MDS) or
through internet links using dedicated IP addresses. This provision makes instruction available
to a single class from one or several CUNY units at the same time. Students’ access to courses that might
ordinarily be canceled due to low enrollment at any one college in the CUNY
system will be increased. This will
assist in addressing the need to offer students classes needed to meet degree
requirements. |
|
|
Telecourses |
Telecourses combine the viewing of videotapes borrowed
from your campus library with independent assignments and five (or more for
lab courses) required on-campus sessions. A professor coordinates videotaped
instruction with teaching the on-campus sessions and creating and grading
assignments. The video portion of a telecourse is distributed on a
videocassette on loan from the campus library, but these are library reserve
copies and cannot be checked out. |
|
|
As educational institutions extend their campuses, as the population ages, and as the advance of technology requires a greater need for worker retraining, colleges and particularly community colleges increasingly have to cater to a different type of student in order to serve their communities and fulfill their mission. While some may register in these classes with the mistaken idea that they are not only more convenient but also easier, most register because they cannot make the commitment to be present at a particular location at a specified time due to family or occupational or health considerations. A few register because they are geographically distant from the college offering the classes. Finally, there are those who are physically unable to be present on a campus.
Asynchronous classes: |
Most studies indicate
that those taking asynchronous classes are within 30 minutes of the campus
offering the class online. The reason
for their choice of this mode of instruction has more to do with the
inability to make a commitment to a fixed time and place. These classes are
accessible from anywhere and at anytime, but, for most enrolled, it is the
convenience of the temporal availability that has them select the fully
online classes. Nationwide these
students are older (over 26 years) and most will work during traditional
classroom hours. They require flexible learning schedules. They demand
professional development opportunities and classes to help them keep up with
today's ever-changing work environment. Students come to college
for various reasons. They could be interested in changing careers, or they
might simply want to expand their knowledge base for work or personal
reasons. They might want to expand their cultural background, learn a new
language, or start a degree program that was postponed due to family or
career needs. Their main reason for
choosing distance education as a delivery method is that they want to learn
at their own pace or at a time and location that is convenient to them. A majority of distance
learning students are female/male and
many are single parents who want to stay close to home for various reasons.
They might not be able to afford child care or must care for a confined
relative at home. Other students are physically disabled and cannot easily
travel to campus. Some do not have the
time, money, or educational background to come to campus. Distance education
can capture an audience that has been uninvolved with formal higher
education. In many ways Distance Education makes education accessible and available for many people. In this manner it is particularly well suited to the mission of community colleges. |
|
|
Hybrid/Blended Classes: |
Students have a variety
of learning styles and previous academic backgrounds. The use of an online component for
instruction along with the traditional classroom setting or lab experiences
can provide many learners with opportunities to learn at their own pace and
to overcome problems with language and psychological impediments to
performing or simply communicating in public. Instructors who use the hybrid modality for instruction find that it provides for learning experiences that the traditional classroom cannot offer. |
The mission of
Distance education offers the
College an alternative method of instruction to help it provide “ … students
with the best preparation for their future lives and careers.” Further, distance education enhances the
college’s ability to serve as a community resource to meet the “… educational,
professional, and cultural needs of the general community.”
The historical mission of
community colleges has been to offer higher education and access to higher
education to the non-traditional student, to the life long learner, and the
student who is changing careers.
Distance education fits well with the mission of the community college
and thus, it is no surprise to find (College Computing Survey) that there are a
higher percentage of community colleges (@51%) with plans for distance
education and full programs than at four year private colleges (@22%). Distance Education enables community colleges
to reach out and serve various subsets of their communities for whom the
traditional modes of instructional delivery are inaccessible. Distance
education is a means of increasing access for those who otherwise would not be
taking instruction in any form at the college offering the online classes at
that time.
In urban community colleges there
is often a great deal of diversity in the community and in the student
body. Given the variety of learning
styles and differences in educational background and cultures distance education
can offer a more effective manner of instruction for meeting the distinct needs
of such diversity and overcoming some of the problems posed by that diversity.
Distance education employing
online technologies is being demonstrated to be enhanced learning. Thus, if an educational institution has as
part of its mission to be examining and improving its pedagogy for its
constituents, commending itself for attention and adoption and adaptation is
distance education in the form of blended or partly online instruction as well
as the fully online instruction.
If
The College offers
online classes in web enhanced, partly online and fully online modes. Both the College and CUNY have been
instrumental in providing the infrastructure, hardware, software, and basic
training of faculty for online offerings.
Presently, many faculty members are involved in teaching dozens of
classes to thousands of enrolled students, yet Queensborough, and most other
colleges, are considered to be in distance education infancy.
All CUNY colleges use
the Blackboard course management environment to deliver online course
materials. Clearly from the following Blackboard statistics over the past few
semesters Queensborough has hit a distance education plateau with regard to
faculty involvement and online course development.
Blackboard |
Fall 2002 |
Spring 2003 |
Fall 2003 |
Spring 2004 |
Active Courses (under
development) |
124 |
164 |
150 (16) |
150 (6) |
Teachers |
62 |
77 |
83 |
83 |
Students |
2996 |
3629 |
3958 |
3588 |
In the Spring 2004
semester Queensborough offered seven (7) fully online courses, 21 partly online
courses and 122 Web enhanced courses. A list of online courses can be found at:
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/QCCOnline/classes.htm
The following represents Queensborough’s distance learning offerings over the past few
semesters (most,
but not every course ran):
|
SP 2002 |
FA 2002 |
SP 2003 |
FA 2003 |
SP 2004 |
Fully Online |
3 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
Partly Online |
11 |
16 |
20 |
21 |
21 |
Today, computers, Web
and video conferencing, touch boards and other types of telecommunication
technology is used to communicate with students directly from the classroom.
Cable TV is also used in selected courses.
Through this program,
hundreds of homebound individuals residing throughout the greater metropolitan
Homebound students are
admitted to the college on the same basis as all Queensborough students and
must provide medical documentation indicating a need for a home study program.
Homebound students are
subject to all college regulations and must meet the same course requirements
as student attending on campus.
A wide range of support
services are provided to students including: counseling, mentoring, specialized
tutoring, home visiting and technical assistance.
The Homebound Program
is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, TRIO, Special
Services. http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/Homebound/Default.htm
According to the Report of the University-Wide
Task Force for Educational Technology (May 2001): “two key principles inform
and pervade the recommendations of the Task Force: (1) that access…is paramount;
(2) that educational technology…should be integrated and managed through
existing modes of policy and curriculum development.”
There are two major access issues: access to educational technology and
access to quality educational resources. Each of these impacts the delivery of
education at a distance.
Queensborough is
providing ever increasing access to educational technology across all
disciplines. For both students and faculty members, campus connectivity includes
an Internet connection in every classroom, and campus-wide coverage by a
wireless (Wi-Fi) network.
For the delivery of
digitized instructional materials we have deployed fourteen (14) mobile and two
(2) fixed podiums containing myriad instructor presentation technologies
(Computer, Projector, VHS/DVD player, and speakers). There is a plan in place
that will provide smart podium coverage on every teaching floor of every campus
building by 2006. Numerous smart technology classrooms have been installed
including five campus-based (M-127, H-347, H-349, L-117 & LB-14) and seven
department-based (C-205, H-110, M-129, M-255, S-220, T-14, & T-22)
facilities. Additional rooms are in various stages of planning and development
including the updating two Art History classrooms to include instructional
presentation technology. (C-101, C-102,
H-208, L-112, M-136, S-111, & S-112). For faculty, the
The University’s
Community College Investment Plan (CCIP) is providing expanded access to
educational technology, especially noticeable in departments that previously
had little or no technology. The History and Speech & Theatre Departments,
for example, now have computers and projectors where none existed before.
Through the CCIP, educational technology access has expanded in Art, Business,
English, Foreign Languages, Library, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
For students, there are
both departmental and centralized computer laboratories containing more than
1,400 computers. Students can access, for expanded periods of time, the
technology tools necessary to complete their assignments whether from distance
or traditional face-to-face courses.
There is a laptop
loaner program in the Library that allows students, many of whom have never
used a laptop, to gain that real-world experience as well. These laptops use
the campus wireless network to gain access to the Internet and printing services.
Wireless laptops are also used in two smart rooms in the Humanities building,
where students can sign out a laptop to do in-class assignments.
The
Recommendation:
1.
The
College should evaluate the low usage of the wireless network and determine
strategies that will increase utilization.
c. access for
students with disabilities
The CCIP has provided
$84,000 to ensure
The Library has
purchased access-rights to and made available more than 50 quality online
resources including research databases, encyclopedias, abstracts, and indexes.
The Art & Photography department has licensed digital images and the
Recommendation:
2.
An
effort should be made as to evaluate the utilization-level and the usefulness
of online resources with an eye towards expanding their type and number if it
is determined that they are effective.
According to the CUNY
Task Force Report: “technology is just a means…the goal is improved teaching,
scholarship and learning.”
To what extent has Queensborough integrated faculty training
and support, assessment, and retention efforts into our distance learning
efforts, and strategic plan?
Each semester the
Overall we have a
robust workshop history and schedule that is even attended by faculty from
other CUNY institutions. However, although current workshops do address some
the pedagogical issues related to distance education, a recent survey at the
college indicates that additional workshops should be offered covering both
online pedagogy and course design.
Recommendations:
3.
The
College should offer workshops focusing on online pedagogy.
4.
The
College should offer workshops focusing on online course design.
For the past few years
a Perkins III grant has supported faculty development related to the college’s
vocational programs. Stipends and faculty development services have been made
available to faculty members who develop online course materials. Interest and
participation in these activities have waned in recent semesters.
c. Blackboard
6 Knowledge Base
In concert with a
number of faculty members, the ACC has implemented a Blackboard 6 Knowledge
Base as an on-going resource for faculty to learn from each other, and share
their ideas and knowledge regarding the many facets of distance education.
Faculty members are encouraged to participate at a level at which they are
comfortable.
The QCC Online portion
of the College Web site (http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/QCCOnline) contains general
information about the College technology
resources and services, online courses, and specific information for both
students and faculty members. For faculty there are online forms for
registering for a workshop, or setting up a Blackboard course. For students
there is a “suitability self-test” to determine if online study is right for
them. For both students and faculty members there are many Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) available to answer many of their questions related to online
learning issues. Special mailboxes (Webmaster@qcc.cuny.edu and
BBSupport@qcc.cuny.edu) have been set up to handle questions as they arise.
Recommendations:
5.
The
QCC Online Web site should be made more a prominent part of the college Web
site.
6.
Additions
should be made to the site that include areas and content as decided upon by
those involved in Distance Education at the College.
Most faculty and all new faculty appear to be
aware of these efforts of the ACC. Recent surveys conducted of all faculty
indicate a high level of interest in
online instruction supported by the belief that such forms of instruction have
merit. (See Appendix 12 Faculty
Surveys.)
A recent survey conducted by this sub committee
of current faculty using the QCC online websites with their classes indicates a
high level of satisfaction. Most faculty
who elect to use the technology in one or more modalities of instruction
continue to do so. (See Appendix 12
Faculty Surveys.)
A number of factors have combined
to make it necessary for the College to make a number of decisions concerning
the uses of educational technologies and education at a distance if the College
is concerned about the effectiveness of the teaching and the amount of learning
that is occurring and if it is at all concerned about the deployment of
resources with some rationale.
·
The information infrastructure
Ø The
communications networks, are among the finest operating anywhere in CUNY. They are far greater in their capacity than
in their current use.
·
The faculty development program
Ø The ACC conducts a superb series of workshops
preparing faculty and staff for the use of the new educational
technologies. The trained faculty is led
to make demands greater than are currently being met.
·
Online Classes
Ø The number of online classes using a variety
of approaches to instruction is steadily increasing. There is as yet no plan as to how these
offerings are to be further developed or organized or supported.
To continue the current tradition
of unplanned development will lead to a possible wasting of resources in some areas
and a failure to meet needs in other areas.
Decisions need to be made to avoid this.
While Distance Education could be
a part of goals of the college, at the present time there is no program/
committee in Distance Education with the
support to participate in the initiatives.
If there is to be such then there will need to be a careful and detailed
program design with a plan to see the design accomplished. A planning meeting could be scheduled to
determine the amount of support available before responsibility can be assumed
and the structure of any coordinated effort on this initiative can be moved
forward. Administration, chairs, and
faculty need to agree on the appropriate structure for this important
effort. While faculty have assumed the
responsibility for participation in Distance Education, there can be no growth
without support.
Planning for Distance Education
should be an ongoing process with regular review, assessment and revisions, as
needed to insure that the Distance Education program continues to fulfill its
mission relative to the mission of the college.
Implementation should be planned
as carefully as the program is designed.
Recommendation:
7.
A
formal Distance Education Plan should be developed at
If the College is going to
establish a Distance Education Program, then it should also have a centralized
location for all components of the program. The
·
Registration for partly and fully online classes
separate from regular non-distance education classes.
Ø Rationale: A persistent problem has arisen for partly
online (hybrid) classes – faculty report large numbers of students who are
unaware that they have enrolled in a class that will be taught partially
online. To reduce the incidence of this
occurring, students would only see this list of classes if they have already
chosen to visit the
Ø These
online registrants would still have these classes added to their bursar’s bill
as in the past; however, the listing of these classes would only appear in the
·
The ability to email faculty directly from the
center’s Web site to ask questions of faculty or to notify faculty that they
have registered for a course.
Ø Rationale:
Since students are requested to email instructors immediately after registering
for an online class, this procedure should help facilitate this
requirement. Currently, faculty teaching
fully online classes report that many students wait until after classes begin
to make this initial contact with the professor. Ideally, a procedure would be created so that
as soon as a student registers for an online class, they are prompted to send
an email to the faculty member.
·
A current listing of all partially and fully online
classes with course descriptions, including course-specific online components,
requirements for software use and special skills students should have before
enrolling.
·
Tutorials for using Blackboard’s many
components. Principal among these
features would be the use of the Discussion Board and the Digital Drop Box.
·
Live online help during primary registration periods
with faculty and/or staff who can immediately answer student questions about
online courses.
·
A suitability self test for students that yields an
answer to the question: “Are online classes a good idea for you?” Based on their responses students could be
told that they are suitable/questionable/aren’t suitable. For those who are questionable perhaps they
can be directed to speak to someone at the online center or with the professor
who is teaching the course they wish to take.
·
A link to the Center’s home page should be given a
prominent place on the College’s home page.
Currently the online component is part of an area simply called “Online”
and is grouped together with online registration, online information, online
courses, and online advisement.
Recommendation:
8.
The
QCC Online offerings should be improved
by providing for a central location online that presents one-stop-shopping for
students interested in online courses.
If faculties beyond the early
adopters are to seriously consider utilizing the new instructional technologies
and the move to learner centered education through distance education they will
need both support and recognition.
Support is needed in many different senses and so is recognition. Faculty should be recognized and rewarded
through the promotion and tenure review and evaluation process for their
effective involvement in developing more effective pedagogies and for their
employment of instructional technologies, not the least of which would be,
distance education formats.
For proper preparation and support of the instructional staff there should be a full range of instructional workshops that would range from a basic introduction to distance education and the technical programs and hardware and software involved to in service training for experienced faculty. Such a program of workshops would consist of at least the following:
I. A Introduction
to the BB program (ACC)
B.
The BB program: all the basic (ACC)
II. Basic Instructional Design
III. Pedagogy for DE
V. Advanced BB features and CMP's
(ACC)
VI In Service for experienced DE Instructors
–with best practices
VII.
Multi Media and DE
Recommendation:
9.
Faculty
offering workshops for colleagues should receive recognition for their efforts
as part of the review process for promotion and tenure.
There is no specific
level of support, for faculty members who develop distance education classes,
in either the college technology or strategic plans.
a. multimedia instructional designers
During the initial development
stage of online class preparation faculty need the assistance of those skilled
in multimedia programs and how they are employed in online instruction. There are specialists in this area. The QCC Distance Education Program should
have such a person available to work with all faculty during their initial
online class development and during their review and revision activities.
b. instructional design assistants
Faculty need to have the
assistance of those who are experienced in online class design. There are
specialists in this area. The QCC
Distance Education Program should have such a person available to work with all
faculty during their initial online class development and during their review
and revision activities.
Faculty entering into the process
of developing an online class, either partly or totally online, should be
paired with a more experienced member of the faculty, preferably in the same
discipline area. The mentors would offer
assistance based on their experience with class development, instruction and
management and with class assessment.
Mentors should receive recognition for their efforts as part of the
review process for promotion and tenure. This program of recruiting, assigning
and maintaining mentors should be part of the QCC Distance Education Program.
Faculty training, course
development and even management and assessment can be facilitated and enhanced
through a collaborative process involving colleagues at various levels of
experience with online instruction. This
could take place in workshops and in virtual spaces created for this purpose.
A single class website for peer
communication amongst online instructors should be established and provide an
online help system, driven by faculty experts. Assistance may be sought from
peers and best practices shared through this community device. This process
once established should remain ongoing. An online class site for this purpose
should be created and maintained by the QCC Distance Education Program.
Faculty managing this website for
colleagues should receive recognition for their efforts as part of the review
process for promotion and tenure.
The College might maintain
community sites for each discipline and a course shell in which faculty may
exchange ideas and offer assistance, carry on dialogues and post materials
helpful to others in their discipline. These discipline sites should be created
and maintained as part of the QCC Distance Education Program.
f. ongoing support for faculty
For both first time and
experienced instructors there needs to be adequate support to insure that the
effort will be well done and succeed in the actual teaching and learning.
This support pertains to the
hardware and software issues related to online instruction. Technical
assistance is of paramount importance for novice and experienced instructors
alike. This is true for all phases of
instruction, class development, actual instruction, management, maintenance,
revision, archiving. For this technical
support staff must be available by phone and in person during campus hours and
by email.
The
There are people who are quite
experienced in online instruction in all forms and who have specialized in the
principles of effective pedagogy and how they may be incorporated into online
class design and instruction. This
support pertains to the issues related the design of presentations and
assessments and for interaction experiences for instructor and learner in
online instruction. Pedagogic assistance
is of essential importance for novice and experienced instructors alike during
many phases of instruction: class development, actual instruction, management,
and class revision. For this pedagogic
support staff must be available in person during campus hours and by
email.
i. released time/financial support
For instructors who are developing
an online class or component for the first time there must be adequate support
to insure that the effort will be well done and succeed in the actual teaching
and learning. That support would be in
released time in the semester of development prior to the semester of actual
instruction.
Recommendation:
10.
The
Strategic Plan of the College should include support for distance education
efforts particularly for faculty members to develop distance education classes.
The
The ACC has a Faculty Development Room that provides access to needed tools
(software and hardware) in support DE development efforts. Available for
faculty use are Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Acrobat, Photoshop, Flash, MS-Office
Professional, Camtasia, Contribute, as well
as a scanner, digital still and video cameras, video editing software installed
on Internet connected PCs and Macs.
Through a Perkins III grant the ACC is providing stipends and loaner laptops in
support of DE development. The ACC also has two staff members (Raj Vaswani
& David Moretti) who spend part of their time assisting faculty one-on-one
with their Distance Education efforts. Support ranges from phone to direct
face-to-face meeting with both students and faculty.
Most students who take any form of
online instruction without any prior experiences need assistance to
succeed. They need assistance with the
basics of the hardware and software involved and with the different form of
pedagogy employed. Not to provide such
will have an adverse impact on retention rates in online classes.
For students who are enrolled in
an online class or component for the first time there must be adequate support
to insure that the effort will be well done and succeed in the actual teaching
and learning. This support pertains to the hardware and software issues related
to online instruction. For this
technical support staff must be available by phone and in person during campus
hours and by email.
Provisions must be made for 24/7
performance of the Blackboard server (while at QCC) and for the student email
server.
For students who are enrolled in
an online class or component for the first time there must be adequate support
to insure that the effort will be well done and succeed in the actual teaching
and learning. Support with the actual learning experiences should be provided
in the form of online tutors. These are people who would be aware of how online
classes are designed and assist the learners in securing the information they
need about the class, its instructional content, the nature of the learning
activities in that class, the class requirements and assistance with
understanding how learners in online classes can best participate in the
learning activities such as discussions and group activities. For this pedagogic support staff must be
available in person during campus hours.
Students who register for online
courses should be required to use their QCC student email address. There must
be a procedure established to confirm they know how to and will access their
student email. An orientation session should be provided for all first time
registrants in an online course. Students that have not previously registered
in an online course will not be permitted to register late after the
orientations session.
For fully-online courses, an
orientation session is provided. There is a problem with students registering
late (after the orientations session) in fully-online courses.
For a Distance Education Program
to operate successfully, students must have some basic skills for using the
internet, using student email, and using a computer. Currently, each faculty
provides their online students with varying degrees of an orientation to the
skills required in their course. It is recommended that students be required to
take a at least a one hour online orientation class. It should also be part of
the Introduction to College Life Classes offered by Student Affairs. This class would cover basic procedures
including but not limited to accessing the internet, logging onto Blackboard,
accessing student email accounts, etc. The orientation class would be presented
several times throughout the year. A student should complete the orientation
session before registering for an online course.
A recent survey conducted by this sub committee
of current QCC Online students using Blackboard websites indicates a very high
level of satisfaction and willingness to take other classes in web assisted,
hybrid, or asynchronous modes. (See Appendices 10 and 11.)
Assessment of the
effectiveness of distance learning has yet to be addressed at Queensborough.
Recommendation:
11.
A
study should be made as to the overall effectiveness of distance learning at
Queensborough
A study of whether or
not distance learning, in all of its forms, has any effect on the retention of
students has not been address at Queensborough.
Recommendation:
12.
A
study should be made as to the effectiveness of distance learning on retention
at Queensborough.
At the present time there are many
issues and difficulties with various aspects of online instruction that need to
be addressed and resolved as the college moves to adopt a comprehensive program
for Distance Education.
The offering of both fully online
and partly online courses involves a commitment of college resources in terms
of programs, server space and support services. Blackboard and faculty websites
are the predominant means of offering courses both fully and partly online.
Currently, with Blackboard 5.0, support is provided by the
As with standard classes, the
scheduling or offering of fully and partly online courses should be the result
of the decisions made by the Academic Departments with consultation with the
Office of Academic Affairs. As all online courses using Blackboard migrate to
the CUNY server, course offering decisions may be affected by CUNY as well.
As QCC develops a formalized
program of Distance Education and possibly offers degrees or certificates
earned through online courses, there will be an increased number of courses
that will need to be scheduled. There may be a need for a Committee on Distance
Education to review and prioritize such requests for offering fully and partly
online courses.
Fully Online:
There is no need for classroom
space for a fully online courses.
Partly Online:
Currently partly online courses
need regular classroom assignments and are scheduled as standard classes. As
more partly online courses are offered and as faculty become more experienced
with expectations in a partly online course, the situation should be analyzed
as to scheduling only the in-class meeting times with a classroom. For the
online portion of the course, classroom space will not need to be allocated and
the classrooms can be used for other regular classes.
There are different needs in
technical courses compared to theoretical courses, and differences in fully
online versus partly online modes for these courses. The class size for each
online class must be reviewed independently.
The size of the class in any mode of distance education, the number of
distance education classes to be taught by a faculty member and the management
of such classes by the faculty member are all issues to be determined by a
process involving the faculty member. As
online instruction typically involves more time on the part of the faculty
member and as online instruction involves a great deal of writing for all
involved, the general guidelines for class size would most likely follow the
national norm and set class size somewhere between 50 to 75% of the face to
face classroom modality.
Students register for fully online
and partly online classes as they do for any other course.
There should be ample information
regarding online courses and what they entail made available to students on the
QCC website, in the Schedule of Classes, and in additional forms of literature
such as pamphlets and flyers.
Information on online courses in
the Schedule of Classes should be more prominently displayed.
Fully Online:
The Registrar must send or make
available to the instructor the names, addresses and email address of the
registrants on an ongoing basis and no later that one week prior to the first
day of classes. This is needed so that letters and emails can be sent and phone
calls can be made to students prior to the first day of the course so that they
will learn what they need in order to succeed in the course. Students who
register for online courses should be required to provide an email address when
they register. If they intend to use the QCC student mail, there must be a
procedure established to confirm they know how to and will access their email
prior to beginning the class. For fully-online courses, an orientation session
is provided. There is a problem with students registering late (after the
orientations session) in fully-online courses.
Partly Online:
For partly online courses, in the
Schedule of Classes booklet, there is an asterisk (*) next to the course
section with the note ‘internet access required, see appendix for information’.
In the online Schedule of Courses, the course section may or may not be
highlighted in green. When you click on the green, a “note” appears, in this
case indicating the course is partly online.
The Registrar will send each
instructor the standard attendance records.
Fully Online:
Fully online courses should be
treated as if they were meeting once a week for roster purposes, unless the
instructor informs Registrar otherwise in which case the frequency of class
meetings will be specified and sent to Registrar. Instructors will fill out the
records and send them to the Registrar office as with any other attendance
forms. The instructions for taking and
submitting attendance to the Registrar in an asynchronous class should be made
clear to the instructors by the Registrar.
Registrar should work towards
online submission of attendance rosters, both five-week and final.
Partly Online:
Rosters for partly online courses
will be prepared the same as a regular class.
Registrar should work towards
online submission of attendance rosters, both five-week and final.
Instructors may make the students’
grades known to students by any means available by the technology and programs
being employed. Privacy concerns must be observed in any mode of publicizing
grades. The instructor must take measures to insure that student grades will
only be available to the individual student and not to others in the course.
Likewise any and all uses of the
student’s social security number must be safeguarded and not used or made
available in any way in the course program. Instructors should be aware that
posting grades in Blackboard while using AOL, can create breach of
confidentiality. It is recommended that faculty using AOL as their service
provider, should minimize AOL after the connection, and then access Blackboard
using Internet Explorer or Netscape.
Instructors will submit the final
grades for these courses as with any other courses.
Grades are submitted in person at
the Registrar’s Office by the date specified each semester.
Registrar should work towards
establishing procedures to transfer final grades electronically to Registrar.
For totally asynchronous classes
that are offered to those who are not able or willing to be on campus a method
for completing the admissions process must be developed and clearly explained
and made available.
For totally asynchronous classes
that are offered to those who are not able or willing to be on campus a method
for registration must be developed and clearly explained and made available.
Registering for a fully online
class should lead to the mailing of a postcard to students reminding them to
email their instructor. In addition to having all online classes as part of the
regular course listings they should be listed on a separate page in the
registration booklet and on the website.
For totally asynchronous classes
that are offered to those who are not able or willing to be on campus a method
for satisfying payments with the bursur must be developed and clearly explained
and made available.
Recommendation:
13.
A
Distance Education Plan should address the many administrative issues regarding
distance education courses.
Currently information on online
courses is available on the QCC website and the Schedule of Classes booklet. Of
the utmost importance at this time is to properly inform students of the
availability of online courses and the requirements on their part for the
successful completion of an online course.
The following recommendations are
made to inform existing students of online courses:
·
Mail information to the students along with their
Academic Advisement information each semester.
·
Information mailed to the students is also distributed
to all faculty and staff informing them of the online program.
·
Inform homebound students and special needs students
of the Distance Education Program.
·
Suggest to faculty and advisors that they inform
students of the online program when
doing academic advisement.
·
Suggest faculty announce the online program in their
classes.
·
Create a poster and post throughout the campus
(academic departments, academic advisement, instructional support services, all
computer labs, ACC, student lounge/cafeteria areas).
·
Include information on the online program as part of
the freshman orientation program.
·
Include information on the online program as part of
the ST100 and ST101 courses.
·
Include information on the online program as part of
the new full-time and part-time faculty orientation (including tour of the
ACC).
·
Move the information on online courses in the
Schedule of Classes booklet to a more prominent location.
·
Refer students to the QCC website for more
information.
·
Online marketing separate for fully online and partly
online courses
Of equal importance is to identify the market beyond the
regular QCC population for which online courses/degrees would be the preferred
method of successfully completing an education. This could be homebound and
special needs students; stay-at-home parents; workers/people unable to attend
classes during regularly scheduled classes.
Additional places the QCC Distance
Education Program could be marketed:
·
Senior citizen centers and groups
·
Community Organizations
·
·
Local High Schools (Private and public)
·
Women’s Groups
·
Groups and Publications for representing the disabled
·
Independent Living Centers
·
United Cerebral Palsy Centers
·
Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association
·
the internet (especially when people do a search for
“online courses/degrees”)
Recommendation:
14.
For
a Distance Education Program to be successful, a useful marketing plan should
be established.
Within CUNY the principle of
Academic Freedom is long established and respected. The choice of the method for instruction
rests with the instructor. The
scheduling of classes rests with the academic department. Faculty may choose to offer instruction using
any or all instructional technologies available to them. Faculty may choose to use any instructional
modality they believe to be effective given their class content, their teaching
styles, the learning styles of their students and their willingness to effort
at developing offering and managing their classes in the various modalities for
instruction.
In addition faculty may choose any
course management program or system through which to offer their online
instruction in addition to or instead of that offered by the college or
university. Such is the current case and
this option should continue to be offered and it would be expected that some
small portion of the faculty offering online instruction would exercise it.
The college is not to intrude into
or disturb the learning environment created by a faculty member with a class
website. The only insertion of materials
into the class websites using the course management program supplied by the
college and university are for safety or emergency purposes. Any other
insertions should be conducted only with the permission of the instructor.
The collective bargaining agency
for the faculty of CUNY, the Professional Staff Congress, has an agreement in
effect with the administration of CUNY relating to all forms of distance
learning. The pertinent documents are
available at: http://www.psc-cuny.org/distance.htm.
It is clear that at the present
time faculty are free to choose their method of instruction and can not be
required to participate in any form of distance technology nor can they be made
to utilize and instructional technology.
If they do elect to do either the
circumstances of their doing so are open to negotiation at the level of their
department and college. The size of the
class in any mode of distance education, the number of distance education
classes to be taught by a faculty member and the management of such classes by
the faculty member are all issues to be determined by a process involving the
faculty member. If the decisions made
are not acceptable to faculty, they are free to refuse to each assignment or
possible online class in any form of distance education.
As teaching online does involve
more effort on the part of the instructor (some estimates indicate an average
of 30% more time) and as they are writing intensive they should have class
sizes as set by the Academic Senate for Writing Intensive classes. In addition instructors should be cautioned
against attempting to offer more than one online class in their first semester
offering online instruction. Instructors
should also be advised by colleagues, mentors and by any Distance Education
Committee guidelines before deciding on offering multiple online class
sections.
Faculty who are asked by their
departments or the college administration to offer more than two fully
asynchronous classes in a single semester should have some form of support to
assist them in doing so. That support
would be in released time in the semester of the actual instruction or in the
prior semester where it involves online class development. While stipends may be considered for these
faculty they do not offset the increase in teaching load activity for the
online instructor.
No faculty or members of the
administration may observe an online class or enter the class website in any
manner unless invited or permitted to do so by the instructor. Observations are to governed by the terms of
the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the PSC as adapted to online classes
by a agreement to be reached by the PSC Chapter Leaders and the College
Administration.
Sample
charge for the standing committee:
·
to report and make recommendations to the Academic
Senate on all matters related to Distance Education, in particular, concerning
policies and procedures related to the development of, support for and offering
of programs, degrees and classes,
·
to prepare a report on what type of Distance
Education Program , if any, would best serve the College and its mission,
including:
Ø
purpose(s)
Ø
resources
Ø
training program
Ø
support services
Ø
assessment ;
·
to assess any Distance Education program of the
College and report to findings to the Academic Senate periodically;
·
to serve as an advisory body for all matters related
to Distance Education.
Suggested
membership for the standing committee:
The
Standing Committee should consist of seven faculty, two students and the
President’s representative. All faculty
and students should be experienced with online instruction. Faculty should come from different
departments so as to be representative of the wide range of disciplines and
degree programs at the college. The
Bylaws Committee of the Academic Senate should work with the Committee on
Computer Resources and the Committee on Committees in the creation of the
charge and membership for the new committee.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nonusers (n=69)
Do you think distance
learning, i.e. students doing some or most of their course work via the
Internet/Web has pedagogical merit for your students?
If yes, what
would you require as a minimum to adopt distance learning technology in your
class?
Web Enhanced (n=39)
How do you think the
students are learning compared to a class without the enhancement?
Would you like to
move to the next level - to conduct a partly (hybrid) or completely online
course?
no
because I …
What support, if any,
would you like, to
continue your online endeavors?
What do you consider
the very minimum support,
if any, you require to continue your online endeavors?
Partly Online (n=18)
How do you think the
students are learning compared to a regular class?
Would you like to
move to the next level - to conduct a completely online course?
no because I …
What support, if any,
would you like, to
continue your online endeavors?
What do you consider
the very minimum support,
if any, you require to continue your online endeavors?
Fully Online (n=5)
How do you think the
students are learning compared to a regular class?
What support, if any,
would you like, to
continue your online endeavors?
What do you consider
the very minimum support,
if any, you require to continue your online endeavors?
CUNY Master Plan 2000 [to access: go to
www.cuny.edu; click Administration, click Master Plan] Preamble – The New Millennium At All Colleges: To provide professional
development opportunities for faculty, particularly in the use of technology
to enhance instruction, and to offer leadership opportunities for students. To prepare students to work in
diverse environments and to use new technologies. II. Vision of the Future CUNY Online Plan, June 2000-June
2003 An aggressive three-year
development cycle is planned for the expansion of CUNY Online. This bold new
instructional technology initiative will grow and develop in close concert
with academic policy-making and academic program implementation as guided by
the University's administration. |
Report of the University-Wide Task Force for Education
Technology (May 2001) [to access:
go to www.cuny.edu; then click on Colleges and Academic Programs, then – on the right – click on CUNY Online,
then click on News] p. 1 Executive Vice Chancellor asked …[the] new Task Force for Educational Technology [to make] recommendations to guide the University's use of technology in instruction. More specifically, … what the University, pursuing this general goal, should do to improve professional development and effective instruction, to address key policy issues, and to manage resources more efficiently. …Two key principles inform and pervade the recommendations
of the Task Force: (1) that access, broadly understood, is paramount
-- and part of this broad understanding is that adequate planning and
resource allocation are essential for the responsible development of educational
technology; (2) that educational technology, as new means of achieving our
longstanding ends, should be integrated and managed through existing
modes of policy and curriculum development. Access…, educational technology should
be widely accessible to faculty and students, but without diminishing the
availability other educational resources. Use of technology should extend
rather than obstruct the University's mission to deliver both access and
excellence. … the use of technology: we must make every effort to ensure that
technology-enhanced courses are fully accessible in a broadly defined sense
that includes attention to hardware, software, appropriate technical support,
and training…. the responsible exploration of technology enhanced instruction
requires careful planning, adequate resources, and close monitoring to ensure
that no student is categorically excluded from reliable and convenient access
to these tools. Report
of the University-Wide Task Force for Education Technology (May 2001) (continued) Integration While enhancing teaching,
scholarship, and learning by technological means is a new and exciting
endeavor, we must never lose sight of why we are doing it: technology is just
a means -- ideally, an integral means; the goal is improved teaching,
scholarship, and learning. …Faculty need to be well-supported, but that is so
they can better serve as educators. Consistent, equitable policies are
needed; they are key to the University's mission. Resources are critical --
without them, the possibilities we pursue here are baseless -- but they are
sought as necessary means, not ends. The great end is extending the offer of
the best possible education. And we need to be ever mindful that the new and
evolving means of delivering instruction and accessing information we address
are means to the traditional ends of the University: the creation and
dissemination of knowledge. There is nothing so fundamentally new or
different about using educational technology in achieving these ends that it
cannot be coordinated by existing institutional policies and governance
mechanisms. p.3 SETTING
AND ACHIEVING GOALS The commitment to instructional technology on the
part of the University and its campuses should be stated in terms of explicit
goals, priorities, and plans. Since the use of instructional technology should
not be a piecemeal use of technological applications in instruction but
instead a innovative approach to the teaching and an enhancement of the
learning, we need to articulate a comprehensive vision of what this entails. Recommendation 1:
The University and each college should be encouraged to articulate in their mission
statements the goal of preparing students for citizenship in a technology-
and information-rich society. Recommendation 2:
With some guidance from the University, the curriculum committees of
each college should identify the information and technology competencies
students should have to fulfill the college's mission. The committees should
also see to it that the curriculum in each case is structured to help meet
the required competencies. Recommendation 3:
Individual colleges should engage in strategic planning processes,
involving broad representation from the campus community, for the ongoing
integration and management of technology in the instruction they offer. Recommendation 4:
The University should also engage in strategic planning/management as an
ongoing process, with broad representation from the University community, in
order to coordinate work with instructional technology and facilitate
cross-campus initiatives. p.4 SUSTAINABILITY The University and individual campuses should affirm
that the commitment to instructional technology is an enduring one.
Technology-enhanced instruction is not a passing fad but a major transformation
in the delivery of instruction, one that requires a maintenance of
effort, a capacity to build on an ever-increasing store of knowledge about
systems and strategies, and a consistently high priority. Recommendation 1: The
University should ensure -- and should encourage individual campuses to
ensure -- that faculty development for work with instructional technology
takes place in a context that includes ongoing technical support, easily
available consultation on teaching/learning questions, and accessible,
up-to-date hardware and software. Recommendation 4: An
advisory group, broadly representative, should be created to oversee
the implementation of these recommendations about technology-enhanced
instruction. |
UNIVERSITY
PERFORMANCE GOALS & TARGETS AND QCC’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2004-05 |
|||||
CUNY |
CUNY |
University Targets |
QCC Strategic Plan |
QCC Strategic Plan |
QCC Strategic Plan |
1 Promote CUNY Flagship programs and strengthen premier campus programs, while ensuring that every college offers a coherent General Education program. |
[page 1] [page 2] [page 3] Evidence of renewed attention to examining the goals and organization
of general education. |
CUNY’s most prominent programs will draw greater recognition. All colleges will engage
their academic departments and programs in re-examining the goals &
organization of general education |
Institute a program-specific advertising campaign to enhance
enrollment: ·
In flagship
programs-Laser and Fiber Optics Technology, Dual/Joint QCC/QC in Liberal Arts
and Sciences and Early Childhood/Elementary Education, New Media Technology,
and new programs in Digital Art and Design, and Massage Therapy, if approved ·
In a cluster of
academic programs, which the VPAA will identify in consultation with academic
department chairs: ·
In the Nursing
program CETL will work with Academic Affairs to organize an academic conference
in the spring of 2004, highlighting best practices in community college
pedagogy, and to promote publications in “community college pedagogy.” Through these & other activities, the
College is fostering a scholarly atmosphere & encouraging research in effective
and replicable pedagogical strategies, especially for teaching community
college students. |
Create a year long advertising campaign that highlights the College’s
prominent programs and distinguished faculty, specifically using the
Excellence in Faculty Scholarship brochure. Create a year long advertising campaign that highlights the College’s
new programs. The faculty General
Education Committee will extend its inquiry into Queensborough’s General
Education curriculum and work with |
5. Establish a process to review the College’s mission in its totality in light of new initiatives such as Gen Ed, the Coordinated Undergraduate Experience (CUE), writing intensive courses, learning communities, Honors program and distance learning. 7. Using
the information gathered at the Spring 2004 Conference, CETL will
conduct a second Conference for Spring
2005. 10. Begin to implement the recommendations
resulting from the General Education inquiry project, as approved by the
Academic Senate. Implement the Gen Ed
pilot project with |
UNIVERSITY
PERFORMANCE GOALS & TARGETS AND QCC’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2004-05 |
|||||
CUNY |
CUNY |
University Targets |
QCC Strategic Plan |
QCC Strategic Plan |
QCC Strategic Plan |
2.
Use program reviews and assessment outcome efforts
to enhance and update programs, pedagogy and use of instructional
technology. |
[pate 4] [page
5] [page
6] |
Use of technology to
enhance instruction and student access to computer technology will increase,
as measured by student survey. |
|
In consultation with the
Academic Development Committee of the Academic Senate, assess utilization of
techniques learned in the workshops on integrating technology into
instruction Utilize the wireless
library network system to increase access to library information and
resources, and provide free access to computer applications. Begin a project to make
digitized reserve and AV materials available for wireless and off-campus
accessibility. Expand the number of
distance learning courses (asynchronous and hybrid) by 10, from 25 to 35.
Expand the number of Black- board-supported courses by 10. Expand the use of wireless
technology in at least 20 sections. Frequency of student use of
computer technology, as indicated on the CUNY Student Experience Survey,
will rise above 1.84. Student satisfaction with
access to computer technology, as indicated on the CUNY Student Experience
Survey, will rise above 2.90. |
11. Begin implementing the timetable for
academic program reviews. LIST
18. Create a design for a freshmen experience
incorporating the outcomes of the
general education inquiry so as to
establish a community of learners. 23. The Office of Academic Affairs, in
consultation with the Computer Resources Committee of the Academic Senate,
will determine a process for studying the effectiveness of integrating
technology into instruction. 24. Complete the project to make digitized
reserve and AV materials available for wireless and off-campus
accessibility. 25. Explore ways to utilize wireless technology
infrastructure. 26. Frequency of student use of computer
technology, as indicated on the CUNY Student Experience Survey, will rise
above ______. 27. Student satisfaction with access to computer technology, as
indicated on the CUNY Student Experience Survey, will rise above _____. |
UNIVERSITY
PERFORMANCE GOALS & TARGETS AND QCC’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2004-05 |
|||||
CUNY |
CUNY |
University Targets |
QCC Strategic Plan |
QCC Strategic Plan |
QCC Strategic Plan |
7. Improve
quality of student support services Make administrative
services more efficient, increase entrepreneurial efforts, and apply
savings/new revenues to student instruction-related activities |
[page 12] Student survey results on satisfaction with academic
and student support services. [page
17] |
Student satisfaction with academic support services
and student services will rise at all colleges. |
|
Revise the QCC Student
Survey to incorporate questions regarding the student experience with
University testing. During Spring 2004, in
consultation with the Student Activities Committee of the Academic Senate, a
plan will be developed to address concerns raised in the Fall 2003 Student
Experience Survey With the input of the College
Environment Committee of the Academic Senate, initiate a campus-wide
assessment of the use of facilities to improve utilization of offices,
classrooms and parking. Conduct a facilities survey
for ADA/504 Compliance. The number of sections offered
at night, on Fridays and Weekends will increase by 1% from 36.1 to 37.1. |
44. The Academic Senate committee Chairs will
review the results of the QCC Student Survey and make recommendations to the
College administration. 61. With the input of the College Environment
Committee of the Academic Senate, initiate a campus-wide assessment of the
use of facilities to improve utilization of offices, classrooms and
parking. 62 Review and begin implementation of the recommendations of the ADA/504 Compliance Survey 63. Review weekend program offerings so as to
ensure the ability to complete degree programs. Increase the number of sections. |
Middle States 2004 Periodic Review – Preliminary Report –
First Draft – Issued: September 2003
QCC Self- Study Committees’ or |
Lead Area(s) |
Status |
Update |
|
7. [p.5] |
The College should consider improving its academic
planning process through the formal use of data and reporting mechanisms, as
well as regular coordination of such activities as program development,
facility utilization, use of CLT personnel, and equipment purchases. (page 11
– Middle States Team Response Report) |
|
Ongoing |
The departmental planning templates incorporate reports on
the needs relating to programs, faculty, CLTs, and equipment. |
12. [p.6] |
The College should consider the immediate development of a
technology plan that includes both equipment and staff training for academic
programs, based on internal and external needs assessment. (page 16 – Middle States Team Response Report) (repeated on page 34
of this report) |
|
Complete Complete |
In April 2001 the College after campus wide consultation
adopted a three year broad based Technology Plan proposed by a joint
faculty-administrative committee. The
goals of this plan have been implemented.
In April 2002 the College after campus wide consultation adopted a
Technology Fee plan proposed by a joint student-faculty- administration
committee to spend the proceeds of the new technology fee students pay each
semester. The goals of this plan have
been implemented and a new annual plan was adopted in May 2003. |
55. [p.15] |
While much of the technology
infrastructure is being acquired with capital project and grant funds, the
College must consider ongoing funding for technical support, faculty and
staff development, and maintenance and replacement costs. (repeated on page 35 of this report) |
Finance
and Administration
|
Ongoing |
As part of its Strategic Plan the College offered more
than 15 faculty workshops on course design and the integration of
technology. Each faculty member has the
use of a computer and the College has upgraded the memory of the older ones
and intends to meet the goal expressed by the Academic Senate during the
2002-03 academic year of replacing all faculty office computers over a five
year cycle. |
2. [p.16] |
Queensborough, in concert with other CUNY colleges, should
attempt to reverse the trend of relying on adjunct faculty and revert to the
prior proportion of 70% full-time faculty. |
Finance and Administration |
Ongoing |
As part of its commitment to this goal Queensborough will
be utilizing funds generated from a tuition increase improved by the CUNY
Board of Trustees in June 2003 to hire 37 new full time teaching faculty
during the 2003-04 academic year. |
6. [p.17] |
The Characteristics of Excellence states that
administrators should have “clearly defined roles and responsibilities,” yet
the role of the academic dean seems unclear as it relates to department
chairs. (page 12 – Middle States Team Response Report) |
Academic Affairs |
Completed |
President Marti has revised the College’s reporting
structure so the academic department chairs report directly to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs. The VP
has monthly meetings with the chairs during which the full range of a
academic issues are discussed. Together,
the VP and chairs have launched a series of new initiatives (e.g., new summer
schedule, new recognition for faculty scholarship, new standard for placing
students on probation, new program of learning communities.) |
1. [p.19] |
Reliance on grants to fund technological initiatives has
left some significant gaps in the curriculum and support areas. Among these
gaps is a paucity of computers in significant curricular areas like English
and in important areas like the library. (page 15 – Middle States Team Response Report) (repeated on page 30
and 33 of this report) |
Finance and Administration |
Ongoing |
The Library received funding for 25 wireless laptop
computers in 2002-3 and English is to receive the same amount in 2003-4. |
5. [p.21] |
Funds should be allocated to enhance faculty development. |
|
Ongoing |
Commencing in the year 2000 the College has been providing
additional funds for professional related travel, for faculty development and
funding released time for new faculty. |
24. [p.21] |
The College should sponsor more faculty development
workshops. |
|
Completed |
More faculty development workshops are offered. The ACC provides a robust program so that
faculty can learn about new technologies.
QCC is one of CUNY’s leading colleges in terms of sponsoring CUNY-wide
faculty development seminars. The
Office of Academic Affairs sponsors a comprehensive set of workshops. The College has expanded opportunities for
department chairs and administrative staff to participate in leadership
development programs. |
1. [p.24] |
The team noted challenges relating to the implementation
of instructional technology as well as coordination in program planning, course
scheduling and resource management. The College recognizes the need to
provide students greater access to information via technology and the
Internet, as well as to incorporate the use of innovative technology in
number of areas, and is making some positive steps. (page 10 – Middle States
Team Response Report) (repeated on page 42
of this report) |
Finance
and Administration |
Ongoing |
Queensborough
was the first CUNY college to offer on-line registration, on-line academic
advisement and on-line financial aid.
All students have been provided with a college email address. |
23. [p.29] |
The College should create an administration and elected
faculty committee to explore the potential for and impact of offering courses
through distance learning. |
|
Completed |
The Academic Senate has established a Computer Resources
Committee with jurisdiction over distance learning. |
1. [p.29] |
It is suggested the College explore evening, weekend and
distance learning courses (credit and non-credit) that may extend learning
opportunities for existing students and attract new populations.(page 23 –
Middle States Team Response Report) |
Academic
Affairs |
Ongoing |
The College has expanded evening, weekend, and distance
learning courses. |
1. [p.31] |
The library has had to cancel periodical/journal
subscriptions due to budget cuts. There is currently access to a broad range
of full-text on-line journals through CUNY. This rich database should be
widely promoted among students and faculty as a supplement to limited
in-house periodical subscriptions. (page 18 – Middle States Team Response Report) |
|
Ongoing |
The library staff and CUNY promote the use of this
database. |
30. [p.33] |
The College should assist departments in establishing and
maintaining the computer support needed to deliver the curriculum and keep it
current. |
|
Ongoing |
This is currently being done by both the staff of the
information technology office and the academic computing center. |
1. |
Reliance on grants to fund technological initiatives has
left some significant gaps in the curriculum and support areas. Among these
gaps is a paucity of computers in significant curricular areas like English
and in important areas like the library. (page 15 – Middle States Team Response Report) (repeated on pages 19
and 30 of this report) |
Finance
and Administration |
Ongoing |
Addressed previously. |
3. |
There is very little use of the World Wide Web in
coursework, despite its obvious broad applications across the curriculum.
(page 16 – Middle States Team Response Report) |
|
Ongoing |
Connections to the Internet are now available in every
classroom. There are more than 1,200
computers in instructional labs. There
are an increasing number of Smart classrooms and mobile Smart podiums, both
allowing ready connection to the Internet.
An expanding number of distance learning courses are being offered,
some completely online, some hybrid, and many more web-supported. |
4. |
The College recognizes the need to provide students
greater access to information via technology and the Internet, as well as to
incorporate the use of innovative technology in number of areas, and is
making some positive steps. (page 10 – Middle States Team Response Report) |
Finance
and Administration |
Ongoing |
Addressed previously. |
5. |
The College should consider the immediate development of a
technology plan that includes both equipment and staff training for academic
programs, based on internal and external needs assessment. (page 16 – Middle
States Team Response Report) (repeated on page 6
of this report) |
Finance and Administration |
Complete |
Addressed previously. |
6. |
The College should consider budgeting regularly for the
installation, maintenance, and upgrading of necessary instructional
technology, including computers. (page 16 – Middle States Team Response Report) |
Finance and Administration |
Ongoing |
This is being done. |
7. |
The College should attempt to provide Internet access to
all students as soon as possible. (page 16 – Middle States Team Response
Report) |
Finance and Administration |
Complete |
This has been done. |
8. |
The library has recently upgraded a significant number of
computers and provided students with access to the Internet. The library staff provides instruction in
searching the “Net”. (page 16 – Middle States Team Response Report) |
Finance and Administration |
Ongoing |
This practice continues.. |
9. |
While some of the computers have been upgraded, the
majority of the remaining PC’s in the library and the learning resources
center are far below standard for Internet access and/or Windows software.
(page 17 – Middle States Team Response Report) (repeated on pages 19
and 30 of this report) |
Finance and Administration |
Ongoing |
Addressed previously. |
10. |
There is an electronic Internet-accessible classroom for
library instruction as well as a variety of other classrooms for library and
general College use. Bibliographic and Internet training is readily
available. (page 17 – Middle States Team Response Report) |
Finance and Administration |
Ongoing |
This is still the case. |
|
·
Finance
and Administration ·
Committee
on Computer Resources |
Complete |
A response to the chair of the committee was provided on
all three areas of concern. |
|
17. [p.35] |
A formalized plan should be implemented to ensure the
continued maintenance, repair, and upgrading of computer hardware, software,
and laboratories and other instructional equipment. |
·
Finance
and Administration ·
Technology
Fee Plan Committee |
Complete |
This exists as part of the technology fee plan. |
2. [p. 42] |
The team noted challenges relating to the implementation
of instructional technology as well as coordination in program planning,
course scheduling and resource management. The College recognizes the need to
provide students greater access to information via technology and the
Internet, as well as to incorporate the use of innovative technology in
number of areas, and is making some positive steps. (page 10 – Middle States Team Response Report) (repeated on pages 24
and 26 of this report) |
Finance
and Administration |
Ongoing |
Addressed previously. |
3. [p.43] |
The College should develop an institutional facilities
master plan, which includes the technology infrastructure requirements. (page
8 - Middle States Team Response Report) |
Finance and Administration/Facilities |
Ongoing |
The College’s three year Technology plan developed in
2001-002 addressed improvements in the technology infrastructure. With the
inauguration of the Student tech fee, other funds became available to improve
security and establish redundancy of our technology infrastructure. [Issue of integration of technology needs to be
addressed.] |
10. [p. 46] |
Provide additional space for the Library and |
|
Ongoing |
Although there has been no additional space given to the
Library, existing space has been more efficiently used. The reserve area on
the first floor was expanded in 2002 into space previously assigned but not
used for listening rooms. AV equipment
was relocated across from the Reserve Desk in an area specially wired to
accommodate it. On the third floor, the stacks were rearranged for better and
increased access to the stacks, and the |
50. |
The College should provide additional funding to more
broadly publicize the strengths of the College’s programs and accomplishments
of its graduates and students to enhance the public view of the College. |
·
Finance
and Administration/Facilities ·
Committee
on Publications |
Ongoing |
In 2002-2003
_____________ was earmarked to publicize the accomplishments of QCC students and
faculty. Publications included Excellence in Faculty Scholarship (2002) as
well as a variety of brochures on College programs, profiles, and student
achievements. |
Middle States 2004 Periodic Review – Preliminary Report –Draft Report - November 2003 Technology and
Planning [p.6] ·
The
College should assist departments in establishing and maintaining the computer
support needed to deliver the curriculum and keep it current. ·
While
much of the technology infrastructure is being acquired with capital project
and grant funds, the College must consider ongoing funding for technical
support, faculty and staff development, and maintenance and replacement
costs. (also include in faculty development) ·
Ongoing
institutional funding needs to be secured for programs currently funded by
VATEA grants.***** ·
… ·
Consistent
and increased funding should be provided to acquire and maintain equipment
and increase full-time staff in the ·
The
College should consider budgeting regularly for the installation,
maintenance, and upgrading of necessary instructional technology, including
computers. (page 16 – Middle States Team Response Report) ·
… ·
The
College should attempt to provide Internet access to all students as soon as
possible. (page 16 – Middle States Team Response Report) (also in distance
learning section and online courses) Curriculum
Developments [p. 20-21] Weekend, Evening, Online
Courses and Distance Learning ·
It is
suggested the College explore evening, weekend and distance learning courses
(credit and non-credit) that may extend learning opportunities for existing
students and attract new populations.(page 23 – Middle States Team Response
Report) ·
The
College should create an administration and elected faculty committee to
explore the potential for and impact of offering courses through distance
learning. (Also in technology part of
report) ·
The
College should attempt to provide Internet access to all students as soon as
possible. (page 16 – Middle States Team Response Report) … An expanding number of distance learning courses are being offered, some completely online, some hybrid, and many more web-supported. The Academic Senate Committee on Computer Resources has established a subcommittee on distance learning that will make policy and program recommendations to the Senate. To enable the continued development of online courses and distance learning to attract additional student populations, all faculty and students have been assigned Queensborough email addresses. A weekend coordinator will be hired to support weekend online instruction by monitoring computer servers for internet access to the classes. Middle
States 2004 Periodic Review – Preliminary Report –Draft Report -
November 2003 (continued) Faculty and staff have been offered a comprehensive program of training workshops in use of Blackboard, website development and various computer software packages. As of September 2003, the college is offering four classes completely online, 21 partly online classes, and 250 web-enhanced classes. Eight thousand students are participating in online instructional activities, and 187 instructors are using the Blackboard platform in their courses. Fifty QCC faculty members have their own websites. Faculty Development [p.32 – 33] ·
Funds
should be allocated to enhance faculty development. ·
The
College should sponsor more faculty development workshops. ·
The
College should provide more mentoring and faculty development opportunities
for adjuncts. …. As part of
its Strategic Plan, the College offered more than 15 faculty workshops on
course design and the integration of technology. Since its inception in 2000,
the |
Technology
Plan – April 2001 |
|
reference page |
reference item |
p.6 3rd paragraph |
..equally important to infuse technology into existing courses.. |
p.6 5th paragraph |
..Beyond cost maintenance and retooling utilizing today’s technology, there is also a need to offer students new learning options.. ..Queensborough needs to develop computer-based online courses and to increase the availability of distance learning.. |
p.7 1st paragraph |
The Strategic Plan calls for an institutional focus on applying technology in instruction and provides for faculty training in the use of educational technologies, as well as expanding the services of the ACC…. |
p.8 last paragraph |
The |
p.9 2nd paragraph |
..Over half of the faculty felt that development in the new educational technologies should be Queensborough’s highest priority. Sixty-six percent of the faculty endorsed participating in a distance learning course, and survey respondents overall were strongly supportive of the use of technology to augment instruction and collaborative learning. Fewer than half of the faculty felt that their participation would depend upon incentives, and twenty-eight percent felt their involvement would depend upon training. These results confirm the faculty’s willingness to participate in online instruction and training. |
p. 10 last paragraph first sentence |
..use of technology through all curricula.. |
p.11 last paragraph first sentence |
Academic needs include an advisory body to the ACC staff to assist in designing and expanding Web-based services, as well as creating content to support academic computing needs. |
p14 2nd paragraph |
As stated in its Master Plan of 2000–2004, over the next four years, the University will make a major investment in technology initiatives designed to enhance instruction and to equip graduates with the tools and skills they need to contribute to the City’s and State’s economic vitality in the new information-based global economy. |
p.17 last paragraph |
There should also be
established a task force of faculty chosen by each academic department
working with the Director of the |