MCCVLC Distance Learning Administrators SurveyResults & Discussion

Who • Twenty-four submissions

• 23 community colleges• 1 four-year institution (LTU)

• Based on ASC grouping:• Group 1: 7 submissions (10 possible)• Group 2: 6 submissions (7 possible)• Group 3: 7 submissions (8 possible)• Group 4: 3 submissions (3 possible)

Organization Structure• Reporting Line

– 42% report to Chief Academic Officer (2012 - 37%)– 17% report to Academic Dean (2012 - 30%)– 13% report to Non-Academic Administrator (2012 – 4%)

• ITC National Survey: more than 74 percent of respondents indicated they reported to the vice-president of academic affairs or to an academic dean.

Organizational Structure - 2013

In 2012: Centralized – 33%/Decentralized – 26%/Mix – 33%In 2011: Centralized – 33%/Decentralized – 17%/Mix – 46%In 2010: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 19%/Mix – 33%In 2008: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 22%/ Mix – 30%In 2006: Centralized – 48%/Decentralized – 26%/ Mix – 26%

42%

37%

21%Blended - separate dis-tance education office, departmental control of scheduling (10)Centralized (i.e. a recog-nized office that provides administrative oversight of DL program) (9)Decentralized (i.e. each discipline is responsible for it’s DL offerings and there is no institu-tional coordinating of-fice) (5)

PersonnelFull-Time Staff in DE Program

17%

17%

33%

4%

29%

Zero (4)

One (4)

Two (8)

Three (1)

Four or more (7)

2012 – Majority of Programs had 0 – 2 FT Employees

PersonnelPart-time Staff in DE Program

46%

29%

8%

4% 13% Zero (11)

One (7)

Two (2)

Three (1)

Four or more (3)

2012 - Majority of programs had 0 – 1 part-time staff

Program - Enrollments• What is the percentage of enrollment (credit/contact hr) that

your institution’s online program is of the total enrollment for your institution?• Average: 14.7% (2012 - 15%)

Median: 12.4% (2012 - 15%)Range: 4.5 - 38% (2012 - 3.8-39%)

• What percentage increase in enrollment has your distance education program experienced in the past year?• Average: 5.5%• Median: 6.7%• Range: -9.75 – 34%

• Nationally – ITC reports a modest growth of 6.52% in online course enrollments.

Program• LMS Breakdown

• Blackboard – 9• Moodle – 8• Canvas – 4• Desire2Learn – 3• Angel – 2• WebStudy – 1

• LMS Switch• Just 3 colleges said “Yes” (12%) – Down from 26% in

2012• Nationally, LMS switching down to 29% - ITC Survey

Programs• Assessment of course prior to offering

• 63% have some assessment (2012 – 52%)• Assessment of course after offering

• 46% report having assessment practices at some point after course is first offered

• Offering online degrees• In 2013 – 58% said yes (14 colleges)• In 2012 – 48% said yes• In 2011 – 42% said yes• In 2010 – 38% said yes• In 2006 – 52% said yes• Nationally – 90% offer at least one online degree – ITC study

Program• Section enrollment caps for online

• Limiting # of classes taught• 27% report that colleges limit number of class sections a full-time

faculty member can teach during a given period. Up from 34% in 2011. ITC 2012 Study

Course MCCVLC ITC

Math 24 25Composition 23 25Intro Pol Science 24 27

Completion Rates

50%

4%

42%

4%Comparable to on-campus completion rates (12)

Higher than on-campus completion rates (1)

Lower than on-campus completion rates (10)

No answer (1)

Nationally – 43% claim retention is comparable to on-campus rates; 50% said retention is lower for online classes; 4 percent report retention is higher for online classes than for tradition instruction. ITC – 2012 Study

Student Authentication• 100% of respondents require authentic username/passcode

access to course• Nationally – 98% have a similar requirement• Other options:

• Require at least one proctored exam• MCCVLC study – 38%• ITC study – 16%

• Use remote video proctoring• MCCVLC study – 4% (1 college)• ITC study – 8%

• Authentic assessments• MCCVLC study – 3 colleges

Open Educational Resources• Impact on institutions

• 38% - Very Little (60% - Nationally)• 29% - Significant (36% - Nationally)• 29% - Not Sure• 4% - None (4% - Nationally)

• Roadblocks to adoption• Faculty reluctance to change (19)• Lack of faculty awareness (19) (ITC – 66%)• Time needed to locate/evaluate resources (18) (ITC – 67%)• Credibility of sources (15) (ITC - 45%)• Lack of ancillary materials (7) (ITC – 21%)• Resistance from administration (4) (ITC – 14%)

MOOCs

• Beginning to explore options• MCCVLC Study – 13 responses, 54%• ITC Study – 44%

• Have no plans to incorporate MOOC content• MCCVLC Study – 14 responses, 58%• ITC Study – 42%

• Offering course credit/certificates for completing MOOCs• MCCVLC – 1 response, 4%• ITC Study - <1%

• Incorporating MOOC curriculum into existing online courses• MCCVLC – 1 response

Course Quality• Regarding course content and rigor – online courses compared

to face-to-face traditional courses:• Superior to face-to-face traditional courses

• MCCVLC Study – 2 responses, 8%• ITC Study – 7%

• Equivalent to face-to-face traditional courses• MCCVLC Study – 17 responses, 71%• ITC Study – 83%

• In need of improvement• MCCVLC Study – 4 responses, 17%• ITC Study – 10%

Greatest Challenges

Challenge

Ranking 2013 Ranking2012

(Spring)

ITC Ranking 2012 (Fall)

Adequate quality assessment of distance learning courses 1 2 2

Support staff needed for training and technical assistance 2 5 3

Operating and equipment budgets 3 1 4

Adequate student services for distance learning students 4 4 1

Adequate administrative authority 5 3 5

Student authentication in online courses 6 7 7

Faculty acceptance 7 9 10

Organizational acceptance 8 8 11

Compliance with new financial aid attendance requirements

9

6

8

State Authorization regulations 10 6

Adequate space for training and technical assistance 11 10 9

Student acceptance 12 11 12

Greatest Challenges• Other Challenges

• Accessibility and ADA Compliance• Maintaining/Achieving Quality• Faculty – Contracts, Training• Lack of vision by upper administration• Decentralized situation = Responsibility and no authority• Lack of commitment from other departments

• Public Policy Issues• Future federal regulations – state authorization

“Growing competition for online courses from other colleges and universities.”—2012 ITC Survey Respondent

“Ensuring online materials are compatible with mobile devices. Keeping up-to-date with new

technology.”-2012 ITC Survey Respondent

“Every proposed change must go before committees for approval before implementation,

which is a very slow process.”-2012 ITC Survey Respondent

Student Support Services• Top Services provided

• Campus testing center for distance learning classes• Dedicated distance learning program website• Dedicated faculty training staff• Online admissions to institution• Online information & application to financial aid• Online library services• Online payment of tuition and fees• Online registration of courses• Online student course evaluations• Online textbook sales• Online student orientation

Student Support Services• Services less available to online students

• 24/7 faculty help desk• 24/7 student help desk• Online counseling services• Online plagiarism evaluation• Online student organization website/services• Online tutoring assistance• Online writing lab

Development of Services• Over half (52%) describe a collaborative effort to provide

online support services. In most cases, development teams include members from instruction, information technology, student services and student success centers.

• Thirteen percent reported that support services for online students are developed through the student support services division.

• Other responses (35%) indicate that there are a variety of online opportunities for online students, spread out over several departments with no apparent oversight.

Greatest Challenges/StudentsChallenge

Ranking2012

(Spring)

ITC Ranking

2012 (Fall)

Cheating/Secure online testing 1 7

Orientation/student readiness for taking distance education classes 2 1Low student completion rate 3 5

Computer problems/technical support 4 4

Assessing student learning and performance in distance education environment

5 3

Completion of evaluations 6 6

Providing equivalent virtual student services (e.g. financial aid, library services, tutoring)

6 2

Recruitment/interest in distance education 8 8

Disruptive student behavior 9 9

Students

• Orientation• 33% require orientation for first time students (2012 – 37%)• 67% do not require orientation (2012 – 52%)

“Having a mandatory tutorial in place for students to take prior to enrolling in an

online course would greatly enhance online retention rates for newer students.”

- 2012 ITC Survey Respondent

Students• Demand for courses

• 54% report demand exceeds course capacity (2012 – 54%)• Nationally – 53% report demand exceeds capacity

ITC – Key Observations and Trends• Demand for distance education courses by community college

students continues to grow – at a rate much greater than demand for traditional courses. However, the unprecedented growth of the past decade has slowed on many campuses, as overall student enrollment at many community colleges has declined.

ITC – Key Observations & Trends As online instruction continues to mature, distance education

administrators see a pressing need to address course quality and design, faculty training and preparation, course assessment, and improvements in student readiness and retention.

ITC – Key Observations and Trends• Growth in the use of blended, hybrid, Web-assisted, Web-

enhanced and Web-facilitated classes continues.

• The gap between distance learning and face-to-face student completion rates has significantly narrowed.

• Online program administration has shifted so that more academic administrators, such as deans and academic vice presidents, are responsible for distance education, rather than library services or the IT department.

ITC – Key Observations & Trends• Many colleges continue lack compliance with the accessibility

requirements of online instruction outlined in sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

• Nearly every distance education program authenticates student access to online courses.

• From the ITC 2012 Distance Education Survey Results: Trends in eLearning: Tracking the Impact of eLearning at Community Colleges (http://itcnetwork.org/attachments/article/87/AnnualSurveyApril2013.pdf)