On September 9, 1997, Acting Vice-President
for Academic Affair Douglas T. Brown appointed the On-line Task Force to
address strategic concerns, potential markets, infrastructure requirements,
academic support, and policy issues surrounding the development and delivery
of course components, courses, and degree programs in an on-line environment.
Members of the Task Force recognized the importance and urgency of this
study and were determined to provide as much accurate and quality information
as possible within the timeframe allowed.
Early in the process, the Task Force decided to address
on-line course delivery for both on- and off-campus students. Members of the
Task Force felt that investment in developing on-line learning programs should
always strive to increase the quality of education for the traditional residential
student at James Madison University.
The Task Force identified three major areas of concern:
strategic, tactical, and policy. The primary issues in each area were identified.
Strategic Concerns:
On September 9, 1997, Acting Vice-President
for Academic Affairs Douglas T. Brown appointed a task force to study on-line
course delivery. The general charge of the task force was to examine the
role of James Madison University in offering courses for credit in an on-line
environment. The On-line Task Force was asked to examine the complex issues
related to on-line course delivery in order to facilitate careful, cross-divisional,
long range planning for the university.
Specifically, the Task Force
was asked to address the following issues:
The already existing and rapidly
expanding capabilities of the Internet to transmit voice, video and data
has perhaps made the Internet the most powerful educational innovation
in history. Recent mergers of telecommunications and computing corporations
provide a powerful environment to develop expanded learning opportunities.
Higher education institutions must be prepared to compete and collaborate
in new and innovative ways with traditional competitors and new partners
that did not exist five years ago, if they are to remain competitive in
the future. The advent of corporate-based universities like Motorola University
and multi-state and international initiatives like the Western Governor's
University and the British Open University have changed forever the post-secondary
educational environment. Recent changes to the tax code, amounting to 35
billion dollars in incentives for continuing education, underline the potential
for universities engaging in on-line distance learning.
Today, more than 14 million students
are enrolled in higher education. Less than a third are traditional 18
to 22 year-old students, and even fewer of them are in-residence students.
Although there will always be a market for traditional educational environments,
the greatest opportunity for expansion in the higher education market can
be found in non-traditional learners. Interest in distance learning opportunities
has expanded. Nationwide there has been a 150% increase in enrollments
from 1991-92 to 1994-95 with a total of 753,640 students enrolled in distance
learning activities. These learners demand instant and flexible access
to the knowledge they need to advance their professional skills and personal
lives.
This new educational audience
has a need for quality synchronous (same time) and asynchronous (different
time) instructional opportunities conducive to their schedules and lifestyles.
And more importantly, all of these individuals have the ability to pay
for this education. The challenge to institutions of higher learning is
placing high quality courses on-line soon. Institutions must seek out the
best technology and individuals available to achieve this goal. These resources
may be found in and outside of the traditional university environment.
THE CURRENT ON-LINE ENVIRONMENT
At James Madison University, current
interpretations of on-line education vary. The term "on-line" is sometimes
applied to any class that disseminates information via web pages. The range
of on-line course components is broad. Some current on-line scenarios in
use at James Madison University include:
Given the rapidly increasing demand
for educational opportunities in the world, on-line degrees are critical
in maintaining the university's presence in the current higher education
market. On-line (networked and web) technologies provide a relatively inexpensive
way of developing and delivering distance education. James Madison University
can provide professional degrees in specific, unique programs. A number
of current programs at James Madison University have expressed interest
in developing course components, entire courses or academic degrees via
an on-line delivery mechanism. Such programs have the potential to increase
educational quality and enhance revenue at the university. On-line delivery
of instruction can also provide expanded and/or more flexible learning
opportunities for traditional and non-traditional learners of James Madison
University. For example:
Fitting on-line capabilities into
the existing mission of JMU will require all members of the university
community to re-define "students" to include people of all ages and in
all locations who seek to benefit from our unique educational resources.
For many people, the university's success in educating traditional college-aged
students who reside on or around campus has been synonymous with "the JMU
Way." On-line delivery challenges that notion and makes a statement that
"the JMU Way" is efficient and effective education offered to a broad range
of students located around the globe. The university will need to articulate
carefully and frequently how on-line capabilities take their root in good
teaching strategies and as such are as useful in campus-based education
as they are in distance delivery.
JMU should promptly review its
mission and prioritize its objectives in connection with the delivery of
on-line education. The first sentence of mission statement of the university
makes clear that the university's efforts are aimed virtually exclusively
toward those students who live on, or near to, the campus:
"James Madison University provides quality comprehensive educational, cultural and social experiences for students."Indeed, the only reference to off-campus learning relates to service, not teaching and scholarship: "...to the public schools and to other community settings that would benefit from the expertise and experience of the faculty." Therefore, if JMU begins to deliver substantial on-line educational services to individuals who are not residential students, its mission statement should be modified accordingly. That, however, is only the first step.
The Task Force hopes that adopting
a comprehensive plan for the development of on-line courses and programs
will spur JMU to break the credit hour for seat-time matrix, which permeates,
drives and ultimately constrains higher education. This transformation
of the academic currency from credit hours to competencies is inevitable.
Taking a leadership position now will help the university adapt to a changing
higher education environment.
In response to the transforming
technology, major changes in the faculty roles and faculty activities are
to be expected, requiring new methods of determining faculty workloads.
Some faculty members will spend less of their time "teaching" and more
of their time as facilitators of learning, mentors, advisors, guides to
resources, and as monitors of student progress and mastery. A considerable
amount of time will be spent in the development of courses for on-line
delivery. Based on these inevitable changes, decisions will need to made
regarding the most appropriate method for calculating faculty workload.
For example, will faculty be
expected to facilitate a prescribed number of student competencies over
a designated time period, or will faculty be required to deliver a certain
number of courses in on-line format each semester? How many new courses
will faculty be expected to develop for on-line delivery each year? Will
time limits in developing course materials be imposed? How frequently will
courses need to be updated? What types of expectations regarding electronic
publishing of research on the Web, if any, will co-exist with requirements
for on-line course delivery and development?
With the advent of the Western
Governor's University, the U.S. Department of Education is currently suggesting
changes in accreditation standards to emphasize fewer contact hours. JMU
will need to address the issue of whether or not credit hours should continue
to be defined in the traditional manner. For instance, as Web-based instruction
becomes more prominent, will credit hours need to be redefined in terms
of the number of students reaching competency? Further, as on-line courses
become a standard feature of our instruction at JMU, what will be the basis
for state funding?
Although front-end investments
are likely to be high for the university, costs per student are expected
to be considerably lower than in traditional classroom delivery, potentially
resulting in lower costs to students. If there is a movement toward a "fee
for use" approach implemented with on-line instruction, and a shift away
from charging flat tuition rates, will students still be considered eligible
for financial aid? Will financial aid cover the purchase of computers and
software to facilitate student access to on-line instruction?
The investment of
the university in the development of on-line courses:
How will the university invest in course development
efforts and organize to achieve on-line goals? Will the university support
entrepreneurial efforts or internal efforts? If entrepreneurial, will the
university offer guidance? What are boundary conditions for faculty? What
are guidelines for interaction and collaboration in and outside the university?
If an on-line course proposal is for an off-campus audience, who makes the determinations about the effects of competition (either existing, or potential), the viability of the market for the course/program, the effects on JMU's existing programs/priorities, or the effects on JMU's desired "image
To what extent should JMU acquire on-line courses constructed by others for delivery and administration by JMU faculty? It should not be necessary to recreate the wheel, especially since course creation is so time-consuming; in addition, this approach could provide a better product, as well as provide more time for faculty to be "managers" of learning.
To what extent should the development of on-line educational efforts be individual decisions, or should there be a central clearing house to (i) make use of the knowledge and activities of others on campus, and/or (ii) to make sure that sufficient university funds and resources will be available (e.g., even if the out of pocket expenses are funded by an external grant, the additional burden on the university's registration system or infrastructure may mean the proposal should be re-thought)?
In this new arena of higher education,
information technology will need to be an institutional priority. Investments
in on-line learning, even for niche markets, will impact the university's
academic and infrastructure support systems. This means that investment
in network-delivered instruction will require year-to-year investments
in course development, course delivery, and course administration. Resources
will be quickly overwhelmed by demand.
Financial technological strategies
for the university will need to be adaptable, and the first priority will
be investment in support staff. The satisfaction of the students will depend
not on equipment availability, but in access to "people" services.
Investment in on-line education
may begin with grant awards or excess funds, but should eventually receive
year-to-year financing. These funds may come from within the university
or through strategic partnerships with industry.
The identification of funding
sources depends in large part on the JMU vision for on-line education and
the potential markets that the university identifies for its offerings.
There is a considerable cost of development at the outset that will need
to be covered in order to offer anything at all. The university may want
to explore contractual arrangements with consumers of its materials; particularly
corporate customers that might allow for cost recovery. Governmental grants
for this type of endeavor are difficult to attain at present and this situation
is only likely to worsen in the next few years. The university may want
to think more creatively and consider spinning off a private company or
foundation that raises money for the sole purpose of on-line course development.
The university might then have the potential of attracting investors and
the flexibility to change in a much shorter timeframe. There is also the
possibility of attracting direct funding from the state as an appropriation.
The provision of
resources and training to university faculty in a technological environment:
What should be the legitimate technological expectations/requirements
of faculty members? Incoming faculty members? Existing faculty members?
To prepare for effective teaching and learning for an on-line environment, the university will need to invest in resources and development opportunities for faculty. This investment may need to be broad and focused at the same time. A broad-based investment may take the form of a university-wide faculty development initiative that would provide faculty with a foundation of technology knowledge. Focused investment may take the form of in-university technology grants, course development support, and academic systems development.
Reward of faculty
and staff:
Because of the substantial investment
of time and resources required to set up an on-line course, faculty will
require incentives to justify the investment of their time and expertise.
The university must implement a policy to compensate faculty and staff
for the development of new courses on-line, whether the reward is in the
form of leaves time, increased compensation, and credit for publication
to be applied to consideration for merit raises or tenure, or some other
combination of benefits.
As on-line courses are developed,
the effects on university policies, strategic university planning, campus
infrastructure, and academic services will be considerable. On-line education
provides a potential significant benefit to the university and its students,
but cost, risk, and complexity accompany this benefit. Very early in the
meeting process, the Task Force divided into three teams in order to more
effectively address the charges. This section follows the charge of the
On-line Task Force, outlined in the beginning of the report. It starts
with potential markets, moves to support services, and concludes with policy
issues.
As mentioned in the "Strategic
Issues" section of this report, tactical issues are extremely important,
and will need to be worked on through the long-term. It is, however, important
for strategic issues to be addressed, in order to provide a framework to
face these tactical challenges.
The Task force examined immediate and long-term markets for on-line education, as well as the unique strengths that JMU can bring to the market and the specific "niches" that the university is especially well-positioned to target were examined. There are two general kinds of markets appropriate for early exploration of on-line course delivery. Immediate markets are ones for which a demand is already apparent. These markets should receive priority in course development. The long-term markets offer significant opportunity in course expansion and delivery.
Immediate markets include:
On-line course development and delivery impacts several roles of the university including course development and delivery, faculty development, technical services, library services, registration services, financial aid services, infrastructure requirements, and academic systems development.
Course Development and Delivery
Developing a course on-line requires
expertise in two areas: the subject matter to be taught and system on which
the course is to be delivered. Certainly the faculty provide the expertise
in their subjects, but they cannot be expected to develop on-line courses
in isolation. Instead, the development and delivery on on-line curricula
should reside with a design team. This team fills a number of roles:
The university has submitted a state proposal to
invest in faculty development. On a three-year continuing cycle, this effort
would provide faculty with technology development resources, establish
core instructional software, and address inequities in computer knowledge
and computer ownership. Most important, this initiative will emphasize
instructional changes facilitated by technology, in association with an
examination of teaching and learning issues. Any faculty development program
should continue to invest in developing teaching strategies which enhance
learning, including:
A range of facility capabilities
are needed to support the wide variety of applications that qualify as
on-line course delivery, for instance:
In addition to the expanded possibilities
of delivering information via the Internet, the library will continue its
essential roles as partner to faculty in the delivery of information and
as instructor to students in the critical skills of searching and evaluating
data. These library roles have been made more complex by the widespread
use of Internet and CD-ROM based technology. Specific issues related to
library support of on-line education include:
The Internet is the largest, most
powerful computer network in the world. It encompasses millions of computers
with Internet addresses that are used by up to 30 million people in more
than fifty countries. As more and more colleges, universities, schools,
companies, and private citizens connect to the Internet, either through
affiliations with regional not-for-profit networks or by subscribing to
information services provided by for-profit companies, more possibilities
are opened for educators to overcome time and distance to reach students.
The growth of the Internet, combined
with dramatic improvements in the processing power of personal computers
and advances in magnetic storage technology have made the computer a dynamic
force in distance education, providing a new and interactive way to overcome
time and distance to reach learners.
Although technology plays a key
role in the delivery of distance education, educators must remain focused
on instructional outcomes, not the technology of delivery. The key to effective
on-line education is focusing on the needs of the learners, the requirements
of the content, and the constraints faced by the instructor, before selecting
a delivery system. Typically, this systematic approach will result in a
mix of media, each serving a specific purpose.
Costs
Academic Systems Development<
Integrated Information Systems is working to provide administrative access to student systems and secure web-based self-service features for students. Some of these features are already being coordinated through the PeopleSoft environment. Other services are being designed as in-house solutions to academic technology challenges.
Administrative Services Needed:
The delivery of on-line courses presents two sets of challenges to registration services, one relating to policy and accreditation issues and the other to practical day-to-day administration of student registration and record-keeping. The experimental status of on-line education in general means that critical policy questions relating to the application of credit hours for students and the measurement of teaching loads for faculty have yet to be resolved. Measurable standards of academic quality for on-line courses have not yet been developed. Which students are qualified to take courses on-line, whether on-campus students will have resort to on-line curriculum and in what proportion to remote learners are all questions that will impact on this office.
General Policy Issues
Financial Aid/Title IV Accreditation Issues
The issues with which Financial
Aid is concerned are similar to those of Registration Services in that
many of the critical policy issues that will directly affect the University
have yet to be settled. Because the degree status and access of financial
aid for many students, as well as the accreditation status of the university
itself, depends on these issues being conclusively settled, it is important
to address them as early in the planning stages as possible.
With the advent of on-line course
delivery and the resulting physical distance between faculty and students,
JMU will need to develop effective strategies to security issues. First,
how will JMU limit access to course materials to only individuals who are
enrolled in a given course? Although password systems can be readily implemented,
they are not foolproof, and new incentives for maintaining password confidentiality
may need to be developed. As an alternative approach to a password system,
access to on-line course materials can be restricted to enrolled individuals'
personal computers or designated campus computers. Possibly, general course
materials should be freely accessible to all students, with certain interactive
components (e.g., with the instructor and other registered students) limited
to those who have paid for the course. Second, what can be done to insure
that students are submitting their own work for progress assessment and
to guard against the use of unauthorized supplementary materials when completing
an exam? Given that the format of examinations will have to change to accommodate
the multimedia capabilities, what new modes of testing that take advantage
of the new technology should be developed? Testing centers may need to
be established in which students are required to produce identification
unless a new system of respondent authentication can be developed that
would enable students to take exams from any location. Such testing centers
could be equipped with computers and proctored by graduate students or
staff. With the centers open regularly, students can arrange for testing
at times that are most convenient for them. Efforts to implement security
systems into computer-adaptive assessment efforts should take advantage
of the cutting edge development currently conducted at the university.
Intellectual Property,
Royalties, and Copyright
Increased effort funneled into
the electronic delivery of education will need to be matched by expanded
efforts to define what constitutes quality on-line instruction and to measure
student outcomes. What are the unique features of on-line instruction that
are particularly important for facilitating student learning? Clearly,
the question of whether or not technologically delivered instruction is
generally as effective as traditionally delivered instruction will have
to be assessed in order to justify changes in college instruction. Experiments
involving a comparison of student outcomes in courses taught in the two
modes will need to be conducted. Obviously, the integrity of such comparison
studies will depend on the degree of control exercised over all variables,
other than the method of course delivery, that are likely to impact outcomes.
On-line education offers the university
an opportunity to team with a variety of different organizations to create,
deliver, and assess this new educational experience. The university needs
to establish a protocol for deciding the organizations with which collaborations
occur, including public schools, peer institutions, industry, and government.
On-line education offers an opportunity for the university to better connect
to the institutions that provide our undergraduate students (and in so
doing, ensuring a continued supply of high quality undergraduates) and
to which a number of our graduates return to teach (ensuring ongoing connections).
Careful thought must be given
to the process of identifying what courses will be developed for on-line
delivery and how the development process will proceed. There needs to be
a clear process in place that will guide the developers in the planning,
development, and execution of an on-line course, particularly for faculty
with no experience in this area. A group of interested and knowledgeable
parties need to identify the steps that each course will need to go through
on its way to being offered digitally. This means that the technical support
and resources must be clearly established and accessible to the faculty
member. There will also need to be consulting for the faculty member at
a peer level of how to translate material to an on-line environment. The
peer counseling is an often-overlooked piece of the design puzzle. While
the technical staff can help with the "dials and knobs," someone with some
instructional design experience needs to offer advice and feedback. Traditionally,
those services have been offered through the Center for Multimedia, the
college computing coordinators, and college media centers (i.e. the CISAT
Media lab).
As an increasing number of courses
are offered over the Internet, students will be spending less time interacting
face to face with their peers and with faculty. Many traditional experiences,
which have provided the medium for students' personal development (clarification
of interests and goals, emotional maturity, fortification of values and
attitudes, etc.) and interpersonal or social development will be reduced
substantially with the advent of web-based instruction. Will new experiences
be introduced on campus to facilitate opportunities for development in
non-academic areas? Or, will non-academic dimensions of student development
that have been traditionally fostered by the college experience no longer
represent part of the domain of an undergraduate education? In view of
the fact that a majority of students live on or adjacent to the JMU campus,
it seems logical to assume that the responsibility for student development
will continue to reside with the university. Various units in Student Affairs
(e.g., Campus life, the Center for Multicultural Student Services, the
Madison Leadership Center, Residence Life, University Recreation, etc.)
will probably need to provide expanded opportunities for students to not
only interact socially, but to work with others on community projects,
to participate in special interest study groups, to become involved in
personal growth workshops, and to attend lectures, etc. In addition, there
may be a need to add non-computer-based experiential components to courses
offered over the Web, which would provide opportunities for interaction
with others while also supplementing student learning. For example, students
enrolled in a particular course might be required to meet and compose a
group project or attend course-related study groups. Organized trips to
museums, concerts, businesses, secondary schools, seminars, and professional
conferences can also be arranged. The issue of student development represents
an important concern in view of the fact that many other traditional avenues
of face to face student interaction beyond classroom instruction (e.g.,
advising, counseling, assessment, mentoring, etc.) are likely to become
electronically delivered in the future as well.
The information contained in this
report is urgent. If the university wishes to invest in on-line education,
these recommendations should be acted on immediately. Hesitation will likely
lead to failure in implementing an effective on-line educational program.
Hesitation will also mean that James Madison University will lose its competitive
edge in a new era of higher education.
Any investment in on-line education
will affect the university's public reputation and its faculty, residential
students, and the community at large as well. The roles historically required
of faculty, departments, colleges and the Office of the Vice-President
of Academic Affairs may change subtly or dramatically to support the new
technology. As the university designs the on-line degree programs, it should
consider the extent to which this change is desirable and practical. Some
aspects of a residential campus such as leadership, social development
and service, all of which have historically been central to the building
of the student community, currently cannot be found on-line. The university
must work to build the on-line student body into a community of scholars,
scholars who identify with one another and with the university at large,
and whose affiliation with James Madison University is as abiding and profound
as the one forged among the residential students.
The university needs to carefully
review the world of ideas and the reward of creative people. The university
also needs understand its rights and responsibilities in the ill-defined
world of copyright and fair use.
The fundamental question in this
area is who owns the electronic course that is created and who benefits
from that labor? Does the faculty member own the course and is he/she free
to take it with them if they leave for another institution? To what extent
does the technical staff, which helped to build the on-line course, share
in the rewards? Is there a royalty stream to the creators? This question
gets to the root of the reward structure for this kind of endeavor at this
institution. The university needs clear and thoughtful policies in place
from the outset to avoid misunderstandings and provide clear direction
to its entrepreneurs. The Task Force recommends that both the faculty (content
experts) and the support staff (technical experts) be rewarded for this
creative activity. The Task Force also recommends that policies be developed
about the ownership and portability of this intellectual property.
The previous paragraph dealt
with copyright from the creators' point of view. The university also needs
to consider copyright from a user's point of view. There is a strong need
on campus for a dedicated effort and understanding and advising faculty
and staff on the current rules for copyright and fair use, particularly
in regards to electronic media. There is considerable uncertainty at the
federal level regarding the evolution of copyright laws and their application
to digital media. If the university is to move strongly into the area of
on-line instruction, it must have a thorough and accurate understanding
of this topic.
An intriguing feature of Web-based
instruction is that it allows for accommodation to individual differences
in student goals, learning styles, and abilities, in addition to being
potentially useful for a number of different student populations (undergraduate,
graduate, non-traditional, culturally diverse, and students with disabilities,
etc.). However, assessment efforts need to be directed toward identifying
the distinct conditions under which technologically delivered instruction
is most beneficial to different types of students. As the focus of competency
inevitably emphasizes learning rather than teaching, much greater responsibility
for learning will reside with the student; and new methods for assessment
of changes in their knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes resulting
from technologically based instruction will need to be developed and implemented.
On-line instruction is likely to lead to a de-emphasis on completion of
a specified number of courses in particular departments and an increased
emphasis on demonstrating competency in particular academic areas.
The table provided below summarizes
the current and future status of university instruction, highlighting the
fact that a transition from one mode of instruction to variable formats
is likely to produce a need for uniform or fixed methods of assessment
across the different learning situations. Current Future Mode of Instruction
Fixed Variable (Web, traditional lecture, workplace, etc.) Evaluation of
Learning Differs based on instructors Fixed
Beyond the school connection,
the university can develop post-graduate programs for specific sponsors
that meet their educational needs, as Computer Science has done with their
Information Security MS program. However, the program need not lead to
a degree, but rather a certificate of competency or merely required training.
The university can serve as on-line
providers to a variety of different institutions (federal/state government,
local and national business/industry, foreign governments/industries, K-12
education, and even perhaps higher education in a well-targeted way). The
university might also pursue currently available (and future) products
and implement them here at JMU, although in the current market, there is
not much to choose from. The university may likely need to wait before
a selection of on-line materials is available.
Most of discussions about developing
on-line capabilities presume that JMU's role is the provider of that instruction.
But the university must also acknowledge both the growing presence of on-line
materials, courses, and programs developed elsewhere around the globe and
the capacity of on-line instruction to give our students ready access to
expertise not available at JMU. On-line delivery holds enormous promise
for helping students develop the "global consciousness" that is expressed
in our institutional mission statement by allowing the university to tap
the expertise of international faculty and professionals. With almost half
of incoming students saying that they want to incorporate an international
experience in their undergraduate career, distance learning, in particular
on-line courses, can be an important component of international education.
But whether the on-line courses
are developed in Germany or in North Carolina, JMU must determine whether
present policies dealing with the acceptance of transfer credit will suffice
for dealing with the richness and complexity of the world of on-line education.
And ultimately, the university community needs to reflect on the meaning
of a JMU degree.
Also, will there be a review
process of the on-line course, or will faculty members, as a virtue of
academic freedom, be able to do whatever they feel is best? This is a crucial
issue since there is little knowledge of the best pedagogy for the web.
The university runs the risk of alienating potential consumers by offering
on-line courses that are not conceived well.
Faculty and staff will need to
understand the entire process for developing on-line courses. Is this an
entrepreneurial effort? Will the university identify particular areas and
encourage development? How are resources attained? Can faculty use some
currently available resources (sabbaticals/leaves) to aid and abet development?
In order to maximize faculty
and staff (especially faculty) buy-in to the development process, there
needs to be clear communication about the process itself, the reward structure,
how this effort ties in to faculty/staff rewards, etc.