The Master of Distance Education
Dr. Stella Porto
Information and Technology Systems Department
Graduate School of Management & Technology
University of Maryland University College
Master of Distance Education:
partnership
The Partners:
U of Maryland U College
The Partners:
U of Maryland U College
The Partners:
U of Maryland U College
Online enrollment >
177,000
> 100 degree programs fully online
Head count > 86,000
Enrollment > 272,000
2nd largest state
institution in the US
Context and landscape
Oldenburg
Context and landscape
Oldenburg
Context and landscape
Oldenburg
The Master of Distance Education:
Past
• The creation of the program
 Natural fit for UMUC: practical leadership in DE translated into
theoretical leadership
 Historical accident: Two experts with a common project funded by
AT&T grant - “The Virtual Seminar”
 Seminar delivered online for professional development in DE
The Master of Distance Education:
Past
• Advantages of this historical ‘accident’…
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Quick ‘time to market’
Trust among partners
Test bed with a network of experts
International dimension
Quality beyond regular graduate programs
 Visiting experts
 Research
 Faculty development
The Master of Distance Education:
Present
The Master of Distance Education:
Present - Mission
Corporate
Training &
Learning
Faculty
Support
Media &
technology
Distance
Education
Instruction
Design &
Support
Higher
Education
Leaders &
Managers
The Master of Distance Education:
Focus
• Core competencies
 Managing the distance education system in a variety of settings
 Planning, budgeting, development, delivery, and support of distance education
and distance training programs
• Target Audience
 Potential managers of the distance education enterprise in:
 Educational organizations
 Corporate / Business
 Government & Military
 Non-profit and associations
• Entirely online for part-time working adults
• International
• Collaborative
The Master of Distance Education
Present - Curriculum
Core
DE Foundations: systems view, technology, online teaching
& learning, costing and student support
Technology
Teaching & Training
Policy & Management
Leadership
Instructional Design
Multimedia
Globalization &
Development
Advanced Technologies
Internet Technologies
Instructional Design
Library & Copyright
Assessment
Multimedia
Distance Training
Virtual K-12
Leadership
DE Systems
Library & Copyright
Assessment
DE Business
Globalization &
Development
Capstone : E-portfolio & Research Project
Course development
• UMUC
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DE Technologies
Training at a distance
DE in K-12
Library and copyright
Instructional design
Leadership
DE systems
Business in DE
• Oldenburg
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Foundations
Costing and Budgeting
Learner support
Multimedia in DE
Assessment
Globalization and development
Course development
• UMUC
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• Oldenburg
DE Technologies
Training at a distance
DE in K-12
Library and copyright
Instructional design
Leadership
DE systems
Business in DE
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Foundations
Costing and Budgeting
Learner support
Multimedia in DE
Assessment
Globalization and development
Each partner is responsible for the
development of its share of courses, and
owns the decisions of staffing the course
every time it offered
Course delivery
Course delivery
Asynchronous mode (synchronous activities
are infrequent and usually not mandatory)
Proprietary platform
Everything done online, including
assessment
Course delivery
UMUC is the responsible partner for all of
course delivery functions:
-IT infrastructure & support
- Operational teaching & learning support
(other than faculty staffing)
-Digital library & copyright support
Library Services
• Databases
• E-journal + e-books
• Books and interlibrary
loan
• Tutorials for research
skills
• Librarian support: email,
chat, phone, in-class
(online)
• E-reserves
• Effective Writing Center
Student support
Student support: services
• Enrollment management / Registrar
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Admissions
Financial aid
Registration
Advising
Graduation
Portal with self-services
Academic specialist within the department
Program director
Library
Office of disabilities
Student support
UMUC is the responsible partner for all*
of student support functions:
-Graduate advising
-Admissions, registering, financial aid…
-Applying for graduation, diplomas &
certificates…
- Self services through portal
Faculty support
Faculty support: services
• Recruitment
• Training: getting certified to teach online
• Professional development: continuous workshops in a variety of
themes
• Library support: resources and librarians
• Events: program-based and institution-based
• Administrative support
• Technical support
• Instructional support
Faculty support
UMUC is the responsible partner for all*
of faculty support functions:
-Faculty services
-Faculty training
-Faculty assessment
Research
Edited by OL.
The 13 volumes
already developed
will be soon
available in e-book
format.
Books are adopted
as part of several
courses.
Several edited with
contributions with
many experts in
DE.
International faculty & visiting experts
The Synergy of both partners
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Technological infrastructure
Organizational support
Leadership support
Support and training
infrastructure
Communication
Diversity
Recognition & Value in DE
Quality
Autonomy
Faculty development
• Research
• Historical involvement in
DE
• Network of experts
Other environments:
Community information
Other environments:
Community knowledge
Other environments:
Community building
Other environments:
Faculty Sharing
Final remarks:
Latest and future
• Extension of the collaboration
 Dual degrees
 Oldenburg PhD option
 Partnering with international programs in smaller scale
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Potential greater internationalization of the student body
Adoption of emerging technologies
Greater interest in the partnership at the leadership level
Community building efforts
Student and graduate involvement
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the program 2009-2010
Thank you…
Contact:
sporto@umuc.edu