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AGENDA ITEM BACKGROUND
TO: GOVERNING BOARD
DATE
November 7, 2011
FROM: PRESIDENT
SUBJECT:
Distance Education 2010/2011 Annual Report
REASON FOR BOARD CONSIDERATION
ENCLOSURE(S)
ITEM NUMBER
INFORMATION
Page 1 of 7
D.7
“Distance courses offered in the California Community Colleges system compromise 9.06% of all course sessions. Using advanced
communication and computing technologies, they address student access issues related to geographical, cultural, or facility barriers.
The California Community College 2010 “W” Student Survey indicates convenience is the number one reason why students take a
course.”1
Regulations revised in 1994 in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations require districts to make an annual report of their
distance education activity to their local governing boards, and then forward a copy to the State Chancellor’s Office. This report to the
Cabrillo College Governing Board will discuss Cabrillo’s Distance Education Program, data about students, enrollment, course
completion rates, faculty training, and program growth.
I.
D I S TA N C E E D U C AT I O N P R O G R AM H I G H L I G H T S
This past year the Distance Education Committee focused on topics of student retention and success. Distance
education has grown at a significant rate over the last five years. Mostly young students choose distance classes
because it allows them to continue to work, care for small children, and complete degree requirements in a
reasonable period of time. However, online classes come with the same concerns as traditional instruction,
especially in the area of student achievement—there are disciplines well above the statewide average, and others
lagging behind. In fall 2010, Business instructor Ray Kaupp, presented his findings from a study he conducted on
the Latino/a achievement gap in online education. Low achievement is particularly indicative of females taking
transfer level English and Math. Additionally, the DE Committee examined student retention and the reasons
students drop an online class. The Chancellor’s Office 2010 “W” Student Survey confirmed what instructors
already know: students drop for the same reason they enroll in online classes—work schedules and family
obligations. Several faculty thought the new repeatability regulations may improve retention over time by
motivating students to complete courses.
In the spring, the DE Committee focused on student success. Communication between students and
instructors are of greatest concern to the online student, including, but not limited to instructor responsiveness,
clarity of assignments, comprehensibility of instructional materials, the interactive nature of the course, and the
timeliness and quality of instructor feedback on individual student effort. During spring and fall flex weeks, these
topics were integrated into training for all faculty moving to the new Blackboard system. The @ONE project
provided two 2-day sessions for faculty, with 2-hour follow up sessions throughout the 2011 fall term.
1
Scott, J. (2011). Distance Education Report. Retrieved from http://www.cccco.edu/Portals/4/AA/Final%20DE%202011%20Report.pdf
Administrator Initiating Item:
Renée M. Kilmer, Vice President,
Instruction
Academic and Professional Matter
If yes, Faculty Senate Agreement
Senate President Signature
Yes ❑No
Yes ❑No
Final Disposition
126
Also in 2010–11, new services for online education were added, including managed hosting of Blackboard,
and EduStream, an online video on-demand service. Faculty have access to over 3,000 captioned video titles
produced by Dallas Telelearning and Ambrose. These short 2-7 minute videos are indexed for easy searching.
Cabrillo also has 100 gigabytes of free streaming video storage space. In spring 2012, faculty will begin using
Blackboard Learn, the latest version of the application which includes better tracking tools, assessment
management, and interactive tools.
ENROLLMENT DATA
Enrollment and demographic data for this report was provided by the Planning and Research Office (PRO).
Enrollment shows a plateau over a two year period from 2008–2010, which can be associated with units cut from
the schedule. In fall 2010, enrollment began to move slightly upward again. (Figures 1–3) A total of 9,501
Cabrillo students (duplicated headcount) enrolled in distance courses during the 2010/11 academic year compared
to 9,005 in 2009/10.
Figure 1 2004–2010 Units Attempted & Duplicated Enrollment in Distance Education
Summary (2010-2011)
#
% of Total*
Santa Cruz County
Other California Counties
Other States
3,504
515
19
86.8
12.8
0.5
Total Unduplicated Headcount
4,038
100.0
Figure 2
2010–2011 Distance Education Participation In/Outof-county, Out-of-state (unduplicated headcount)
Units Attempted, Enrollments &
Duplicated Headcount In Distance Education
SEMESTER
Fall 2004
Spring 2005
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Fall 2006
Spring 2007
Fall 2007
Spring 2008
Fall 2008
Spring 2009
Fall 2009
Spring 2010
Fall 2010
Units Attempted
3,878
5,459
5,863
7,009
8,572
9,609
9,864
10,839
10,905
10,608
10,423
9,915
11,179
Enrollment*
1,533
2,028
2,111
2,486
3,923
4,175
4,324
4,675
4,638
4,638
4,601
4,404
4,777
Headcount
1,242
1,523
1,597
1,786
3,023
3,199
3,261
3,412
3,402
3,389
3,385
3,279
3,476
2
Figure 3
2004–2011 Units Enrolled, Enrollment and
Headcount in Distance Education
*Students may be enrolled in more
than one Distance course. Each
course a student takes, counts as one
enrollment. Students may be
counted more than once.
Units = total of Units Maximum in
Section (XB05).
Source: Data Warehouse
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Spring 2011
11,442
4,724
3,503
The TLC provides faculty instructional design services for developing web-based materials in support of both
online and on-campus classes. This past year, the DE Committee helped develop a DE orientation guide for the
Faculty Handbook.
Hybrid and web-enhanced courses make up over half the Blackboard accounts managed each semester. TLC
services include face-to-face and online training in distance learning pedagogy, accessible web design,
podcasting, course design and teaching with a learning management system, which includes assessment
techniques and use of plagiarism detection software. The Distance Education Report (2011) recognizes course
development and support can be achieved by pairing an instructional designer with a faculty member, “each
bringing unique skills to the course-creation process.”
There are currently over 9,800 active student Blackboard accounts (up 1,800 students over 2009–10).
Instructors are using this learning management system for multiple course sections. Additionally, several
instructors are using Elluminate web conferencing software for real-time instruction and office hours. The
Chancellor’s Office project, CCC Confer, provides free access for all California Community Colleges and
includes free captioning services.
Open access computing for students is available in two locations on the Aptos Campus, the Library and
Computer Technology Center, and at the Watsonville Center. Wireless access is available throughout the campus.
Tech support to students and faculty is provided through multiple modes: phone, in-person, and web-based.
I I.
CH A RA C T ER I ST I CS O F S T UD E NT S W H O CH O O S E D E S E CT IO N S
In January, 2011, the Chancellor’s Office conducted a Distance Education “W” Student Survey, contacting 50,000
students who dropped a DE course during fall 2010 semester. The survey asked students why they enrolled in a DE course
and why they withdrew. Fifty-seven percent stated, “my work schedule is heavy and a distance course is more
convenient.” Personal circumstances (family, health, etc.) made DE classes a preference for 55% of those surveyed.
Ironically, work and family are also the primary reasons students withdraw from a DE course. Seventy-two percent
indicated they were likely to enroll in another DE course. Fifty-five percent of DE students are females, and the midrange
enrollment trend indicates a slight shift in gender percentages over the past seven years. (Figure 4)
2010-2011 Enrollment by Gender
Source: Data Warehouse
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
Female
Ssn
61.05%
59.74%
59.55%
59.05%
60.05%
57.50%
55.25%
Male
Ssn
36.29%
38.91%
40.20%
39.87%
40.19%
39.19%
44.27%
Figure 4
2004–2011 Enrollment by Gender
Most students, 99.5 percent, live in-state, and 87.2 percent live in Santa Cruz County. Residents of the San Lorenzo
Valley and Scotts Valley make up 14.8 percent of the distance student population, and Watsonville 16.6 percent.
New federal regulations may require all California Community Colleges with distance education programs to
apply or register in other states to seek approval for providing DE classes to students who reside in that state. The
new regulation does not take into account inconsistencies across all states in how they interpret an agency as
“operating” in their state. The approval process may require a fee and state authorization or nothing at all. Cabrillo
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128
is currently discussing options that may include blocking out-of-state enrollment in DE courses. The college may
not have the resources to establish, or pay for, approval to provide DE courses to out-of-state residents.
4
129
2010–2011 Enrollment by Zip Code
Headcount Detail in Santa Cruz County
Headcount from California
Headcount by State
California
Counties
AY 10-11
Students
21
2
3
1
11
6
7
2
1
17
3
8
5
5
158
2
All
States
AK
CA
CO
FL
HI
ID
KY
LA
NC
NV
OR
TN
TX
UT
VA
WA
1
3,999
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
2
Total:
4,018
95001
95003
95005
95006
95007
95010
95017
95018
95019
95041
95060
95061
95062
95063
95064
95065
AY 10-11
Students
37
387
101
116
11
185
5
130
64
16
592
42
566
33
17
121
AY 10-11
by % in
zip
1.1%
11.0%
2.9%
3.3%
0.3%
5.3%
0.1%
3.7%
1.8%
0.5%
16.9%
1.2%
16.2%
0.9%
0.5%
3.5%
Scotts Valley
95066
205
5.9%
Nevada
7
Scotts Valley
Soquel
Watsonville
Watsonville
95067
95073
95076
95077
18
189
651
18
0.5%
5.4%
18.6%
0.5%
Orange
Placer
Riverside
Sacramento
2
5
2
9
3,504
100%
San Benito
63
Santa Cruz
Cities
Zip Codes
Aptos
Aptos
Ben Lomond
Boulder Creek
Brookdale
Capitola
Davenport
Felton
Freedom
Mt Hermon
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz
Total:
Summary (2010-2011)
% of
Total*
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Francisco
San Joaquin
San Luis Obispo
San Mateo
Santa Barbara
Santa Clara
1
7
17
23
8
15
3
100
Note: Total Headcount is the total unduplicated
Santa Cruz
Shasta
Siskiyou
Solano
Sonoma
Stanislaus
Tehama
Tulare
Tuolumne
Ventura
Yolo
Yuba
3,466
6
3
2
8
5
1
1
2
2
7
2
count of students in all zip codes in that year.
Total:
4,019
Santa Cruz County
Other California Counties
Other States
Total Headcount
#
3,504
515
19
4,038
Alameda
Amador
Butte
Calaveras
Contra Costa
El Dorado
Fresno
Humboldt
Kern
Los Angeles
Madera
Marin
Mendocino
Merced
Monterey
Napa
Note:
Enrollments in Co-Requisite sections were not
included for this analysis.
86.8
12.8
0.5
100.0
Source: Data Warehouse
5
AY 10-11
Students
130
Hispanics make up 24.5 percent of the distance education student population. (Figure 5) Thirty percent of
students who received a degree or certificate last year took three or more distance courses. (Figure 6) Sixty-four
percent take at least one DE course.
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
African
American
2.37%
2.53%
2.23%
1.82%
2.37%
1.51%
1.99%
2004–2011 Enrollment by Ethnicity
Asian
4.36%
5.63%
5.24%
5.42%
4.71%
5.23%
4.41%
Hispanic/Latino
17.40%
18.68%
20.54%
19.92%
21.27%
21.67%
24.50%
Multiple/Other
2.18%
2.15%
2.26%
2.22%
1.61%
1.22%
2.76%
Native
American
1.25%
1.16%
1.10%
1.06%
1.12%
1.02%
0.72%
NonRespondents
2.74%
3.84%
4.46%
5.50%
6.15%
7.38%
5.10%
White
69.70%
66.01%
64.17%
64.06%
62.77%
61.97%
60.52%
Figure 5 2004–2011 Enrollment by Ethnicity
2010-2011 Students Who Received Degrees and Certificates
No DE courses
347
35.9%
1 DE course
191
19.8%
2 DE courses
131
13.6%
3 or more DE
297
30.7%
Total
966
100.0%
Co-Requisite online courses were not considered.
Figure 6 2010–2011 DE Courses and Degrees
I II.
PE RFO RM ANC E O F S TU D E N T S IN D E S EC T IO N S
Statewide, a gap exists in successful completion and retention rates between distance education and traditional instruction.
This gap is closing though, with both success and retention rates showing slight improvement over the past two years
throughout the state. (Distance Education Report, 2011) This can be attributed to better instructional design and increased
student familiarity with online learning. As more students took DE courses, their ability to perform improved. It is
important faculty continue to develop strategies to help students be successful in online courses—by developing a
learning community that engages students early in the course, builds a positive faculty-student relationship, regularly
assesses student progress, and provides early alert mechanisms that steer students towards needed learning resource
services.
Retention in distance education courses averaged 78.8% in 2010-11, down 1.6% from the previous year. The data
below reflects duplicate counts due to students enrolling in multiple sections per term. (Figure 7) Success rates in distance
education averaged 59.5 percent in 2010-11, down 1% from 2009-10. The DE Committee works with Cabrillo’s
Articulation Officer each year to inform the college which courses meet degree requirements for students seeking to fill
their on-campus course schedule with DE choices. Perhaps a better strategy would be to assess the success of courses
within those degree requirements and build a schedule based on potential to improve student success.
Termname
SM 10
FA 10
SuccCnt
286
1,890
SuccPct
70.6%
58.2%
RetnCnt
347
2,504
RetnPct
85.7%
77.0%
Total
405
3,250
SP 11
1,963
59.5%
2,629
79.6%
3,301
Total
4,139
59.5%
5,480
78.8%
6,956
*These are duplicated counts, due to students enrolling in multiple sections per term.
Figure 7 2010–2011 DE Success and Retention
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The Legislative Analyst’s Report on Distance Education (2010) looked at various distance education topics and made
several recommendations. In addition to providing more DE courses for students who might not be able to enroll because
of personal and professional obligations, they suggest colleges provide opportunities for students attending one campus to
find and get credit for courses at other campuses, speeding up graduation. They also suggest possible collaborations with
other colleges to offer entire online departments taught by faculty from more than one college.
IV.
DI S TA NC E E DU CAT I O N C O U RS E S O F F ER ED 2 0 1 0 – 2 0 11
During the 2010–11 academic year, 172 sections, not including the language lab sections, were offered. The following list
includes departments and the number of courses offered in the distance education class schedule last year: accounting (6),
art history (2), anthropology (3), art photography (1), business (5), computer applications and business technology (6),
culinary arts and hospitality management (1), counseling and guidance (3), computer information systems (5), criminal
justice (4), communication studies (3), computer science (4), digital media (4), English (6), finance (1), fire technology
(5), foreign languages (1), geography (1), geology (1), history (2), health science (1), library (2), medical assisting (1),
math (5), meteorology (1), music (4), oceanography (1), kinesiology (1), political science (1), psychology (1), reading (1),
sociology (2), and theater appreciation (1).
V.
DE @ CAB R IL L O
The Distance Education Program at Cabrillo College is part of the overall college planning process. In the College Master
Plan, Objective B3, strategies were identified to increase use of current and emerging technologies for student support and
for teaching, both on campus and via distance learning.
Cabrillo also recognizes how vital it is to provide a full range of online services to remote students, whether they are
distance students, or students learning on campus using technology-mediated instruction. Providing online student
services is critical to student success, and includes online admissions, enrollment, library services, tech support, online
orientations, academic advising, financial aid, textbook ordering, and academic assistance.
According to Babson Research Group, who conducted a study of 2,500 colleges and universities for the Alfred P.
Sloan Foundation, institutional leaders are saying online education is critical to their long term strategy. 2 Over 5.6 million
students took at least one online course during the fall 2009 semester, and nearly 30% of higher education students now
take at least one course online. The study also points to a concern for new rules dealing with financial aid, especially in
the for-profit sector. (Class Differences, Online Education in the United States, 2010) This could drive more students to
public institutions.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (2008) resulted in new regulations requiring accrediting agencies to assess
how distance programs verify student identity. Since distance education courses were first offered in 1998, Cabrillo has
provided secure authentication for students to login to a course management system generated by their enrollment in the
student information system for that particular term. This year the Distance Education Committee plans to draft a district
student authentication policy that reflects college practice.
Academic integrity is as much of a concern for distance courses as it is for traditional classes. The perception is that it
is easier to cheat or have someone else do the work in an online class. Cabrillo faculty are diligent in using technology
tools to encourage academic integrity, such as plagiarism detection software, computer-randomized question tests, and
proctored and timed assessments. The more effective strategies employ regular assessment in multiple modes. The
Distance Education Committee is working with Student Affairs to augment the Student Rights and Responsibilities
Handbook with an online behavior policy, and emphasizing the academic honor code, currently being drafted by the
Faculty Senate.
The Distance Education Report (2011) indicates findings similar to the Sloan Report (2010). In spring 2011, they
surveyed all DE programs. In the past five years, there has been a 15% enrollment growth in distance education compared
to 1% enrollment growth in traditional on-campus courses. Forty percent of colleges are offering degrees and certificates
completely through distance education.
2
Allen, I. & Seaman, J. (2010). Class Differences. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/class_differences
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