PROPOSAL TO OFFER FULLY ONLINE MASTER OF ARTS IN PUNJABI CULTURE
GLOBAL UNIVERSITY
July 25, 2012
INTRODUCTION
The goal of this proposed project is to develop and offer a fully online, self-supporting Master of
Arts in Punjabi Culture degree, offered by Global University’s Department of Ethnic Studies in
partnership with the Division of Continuing Education (DCE). Launching a successful program
will require creating the structure and content of ten online courses, monitoring the necessary
internal and external approvals, identifying assessment measures, and developing a marketing
plan.
TARGETED AUDIENCE
There are over 100 million Punjabis across the globe and the Punjabi Diaspora bring their
language, religion and culture with them as they settle in new places. A new generation of
Punjabi learners wishes to mirror the cultural diversity of the global community. As such, Global
University is proud to present a fully online, self-supporting MA-Punjabi Culture degree
program, geared towards working professionals. The university has been building its online
campus for over 15 years, extending the university’s reach well beyond its geographic
boundaries.
KEY ELEMENTS AND OBJECTIVES
I: Develop and evaluate ten online courses
The Department of Ethnic Studies has recently revised the proposed MA-Punjabi Culture
curriculum, which has been approved and will be implemented in Spring, 2013. None of the ten
courses have been developed or offered in an online format, although all courses were recently
approved by the College Curriculum Committee for online format (Kaminiski and Milheim).
Two subject matter experts have been identified to develop courses in accordance with the
distance learning curriculum and objectives.
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Each course will include the following elements/areas:
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Course Description Area
Includes course number, title, description, course learning objectives; instructor
name, and contact information; required course textbooks, materials, computer
capability and software. Instructor/Facilitator contact is provided to maximize their
availability and to serve as a technical liaison to students (Hootstein).
Syllabus Area
The syllabus will contain the course outline by modules with beginning and ending
dates, designated dates for exams, assignments, and policies regarding academic
dishonesty, adherence to the Americans with Disabilities Act, grading criteria and
policies, exam and other evaluation criteria.
Module Area
Each course will have 15 instructional modules, each with an overview, student
learning objectives, assignments and due dates; instructional materials (mini-lecture,
podcast, graphics, images, annotated PowerPoint presentation, video, case study,
audio, etc.); hyperlinks to value-added websites; and quizzes and other exercises.
Discussion Board
The discussion board will contain the following forums: questions for the instructor,
where students can post questions to the instructor and the instructor can respond;
conference organized by instructor-designated topics, which will allow students to
discuss module-related topics with other students and the instructor; and work areas
reserved for use of assigned student groups working collaboratively online
(Hootstein).
Global University utilizes Blackboard Version 9.1 as its online learning management system.
Blackboard provides several collaborative technology tools that enhance community building
such as threaded discussions, wiki creation, document sharing, and e-portfolio. Learning how to
use these tools effectively will contribute to the student’s learning.
II: Procure all necessary approvals for online, self-supporting degree program
In order to launch the self-supporting degree program, several approvals must first be obtained.
The program must be approved by DCE and by the Global University Academic Senate. In
addition, since the program is a fully online program, the program must be approved for online
delivery by the Western Association of School and Colleges (WASC).
III: Develop assessment evaluation measures
The Chair of the Punjabi Department will be responsible for ensuring the uniform quality and
consistency of the online courses and developing the assessment measures. For each course,
students will be asked to evaluate their overall course satisfaction through the Global University
student evaluations, which are administered on a regular basis. Course-specific student
satisfaction questions will be added to the standard student evaluations. In addition, each course
will have a pre- and post-test evaluating the stated student learning outcomes at the beginning
and end of each course (Byers). Evaluation of the project will be based on student performance
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in course assignments and examinations, student self-assessment of skills and knowledge, and
student course evaluations. These will help measure learning outcomes, student competencies,
and student satisfaction (Austin, Banta, Cross El-Khawas, Ewell, Hutchings, Marchese, McClenny,
Mentkowski, Miller, Moran and Wright).
OPPPORTUNITIES AND STRENGTHS
Global University has been revered as a leader in online education with over 15 years of
developing and offering online programs. The MA-Punjabi Culture degree in this innovative
online format will fit well with students’ family and work schedules and will allow students to
learn at their own pace, with no requirement to attend class on specific days or times. In addition,
a fully online program will be less stressful for students as they will not be burdened with
concerns about traffic, finding parking, or missing classes due to work or family emergencies. It
will allow for full class participation, offering more opportunities for interaction with classmates
and instructors and, in addition, the program will be “green,” in that driving and gas usage will
be reduced. A fully online program can accommodate students with diverse learning styles and
abilities, and all course content can be designed for accessibility. The fully online MA-Punjabi
Culture is an innovative solution for increasing educational opportunity access without requiring
students to leave their local communities.
CHALLENGES, WEAKNESSES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
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This program is a very specialized one that does not allow for much margin for error in
terms of expected enrollments and budgetary flexibility. Solution: In order to address
this, DCE’s marketing team will work closely with the department to ensure that the
program is widely advertised to targeted populations to maximize enrollment.
For a subject matter that is largely taught in person, it may be difficult for learners to feel
like active participants. Solution: Special assignments are designed to mitigate this issue
by requiring students to listen to selected Punjabi music and watch dances that are
posted on YouTube.
Since this is the first time these courses are taught in an online format, instructors may
not be seasoned online instructors. Solution: Specialized training will be provided to
instructors to familiarize them with online teaching and to incorporate technology into
their instruction (Howell, Williams and Lindsay).
SUMMARY
The fully online and self-supporting MA-Punjabi Culture degree is one of several educational
offerings that Global University can offer to working professionals with career responsibilities
that prohibit regular attendance in physical location classes. DCE will seek out opportunities to
present the process of developing this self-supporting program though presentations and regional
and statewide meetings of faculty, as well as through meetings of Deans of Continuing
Education within the Global University system.
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WORKS CITED
Austin, Banta, Cross El-Khawas, Ewell, Hutchings, Marchese, McClenny, Mentkowski, Miller,
Moran and Wright, 9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning,
https://bb.csueastbay.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/20123_EDUI_7801_01HA_SSD/20122_EDUI_6701_
7801MRG_ImportedContent_20120307095319/9_Principle_of_Good_Practice_for_Assessing_Stud
ent_Learning.pdf
Byers, Angela, Interactive Assessment and Course Transformation Using Web-Based Tools,
http://technologysource.org/article/interactive_assessment_and_course_transformation_using_w
ebbased_tools/
Hootstein, Ed, Wearing Four Pairs of Shoes: The Roles of E-Learning Facilitators,
http://www.astd.org/LC/2002/1002_hootstein.htm
Howell, Williams and Lindsay, Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed
Foundation for Strategic Planning, http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall63/howell63.html
Kaminski, Karen and Milheim, William D., Institutional Challenges in the Creation and Delivery of an
Online Degree Program,
http://technologysource.org/article/institutional_challenges_in_the_creation_and_delivery_of_an_online_
degree_program/
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