Distance Education Steering Board
Terms of Reference
UA Goal:
Significantly broadening the academic degree and workforce training
opportunities we offer to our Alaskan students by enabling our students at any
location, to be served the best the University has to offer, from any location.
UA Strategies:
 Maximize effective use of modern educational technology to improve faculty
productivity, course quality and ensure cost-effective educational opportunities
are made available to the largest number of students throughout the state.
 Align business processes, information technology developments, and student
services in ways that are fundamentally student-centric.
Purpose of the Distance Education Steering Board
To ensure that UA fully implements these strategies to meet its goal, President Hamilton
chartered the Distance Education Steering Board (DESB). The DESB is charged with:
 Providing a conduit for two way communication between UA administration
and local campus concerns
 Contribute functional level perspectives from faculty and staff
DESB Membership:
The Director of the Center for Distance Education has been designated the Chair
the DESB by the VP for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The DESB will include
representatives from each of the campuses in the UA system to be appointed by
the respective Chancellors and a representative of the Cooperative Extension
Service.
DESB Chair Responsibilities:
The Chair will convene one face-to-face meeting of the Steering Board in the fall
and one joint ETT-DESB Summit in the spring annually. The Chair will manage
90-day and other short term working groups as needed. The Chair will make
Draft prepared for Summit 2006
Juneau
March 30, 2006
Page 1 of 2
quarterly reports to the ETT at their regular meetings. The Chair will collaborate
with the ETT Chair to produce an annual Status of Distance Education report for
general consumption. The Chair will direct distance education functional staff to
carry out work plans formulated by the ETT.
DESB Responsibilities:
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Respond to specified academic priority areas created by the ETT
Participate in two face-to-face meetings annually.
Participate in 90-day and other short term work groups as needed.
Contribute local campus perspective on issues related to distance education.
Promote effective communication strategies on representatives local campus
related to distance education efforts.
 Produce a semi-annual report for the local campus director to be shared with the
MAU Chancellor regarding distance education efforts relevant to the local
campus.
 Promote best practices for the administration, design and delivery of distance
education on the local campus.
 Participate in reporting appropriate metrics related to distance education on the
local campus.
DESB Implementation:
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Meet semi-annually face-to-face.
Staff 90-day work groups as needed.
Keep and distribute written records of meeting proceedings.
Implement the annual work plan as specified by the ETT.
Provide semi-annual reports to local campus directors through the campus
representatives.
 Make regular fiscal reports in accordance with the annual budget.
 Collaborate writing an annual report on the status and impacts of educational
technology within the UA System.
Draft prepared for Summit 2006
Juneau
March 30, 2006
Page 2 of 2