Utilizing Shared Resources to Increase
Access and Decrease Costs: Leveraging
the Benefits of a System in Georgia
Sandra Stone, VPAA
Andy Meyer, Assistant VPAA
Dalton State College
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eCore
Electronic Core Curriculum
University System of Georgia
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What is eCore?
• eCore offers the opportunity for any USG
student to complete his/her core curriculum
online – began in fall 2000
• Courses taught by faculty from across the
35 unit system – 25 courses available
• Program is completely financially selfsustaining – receives no state appropriations
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Benefits to Students
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Courses are transferrable
Low tuition - $189/credit hour
Accredited by SACS
Convenient/flexible
Highly qualified faculty
ADA compliant
Student support services
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Benefits to Institutions
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Centralized administration
Centralized registration - INGRESS
No faculty or course development cost
Cost sharing (40% to program
administration, 40% to site providing
faculty – pay faculty $3,600 and keep the
rest, 20% to home site for student – must be
an affiliate)
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Benefits to Institution (con’t)
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Course revisions and instructional design
Marketing
Faculty training and mentors
Student support
Evaluation
Proctored test coordination
Affiliate tech support
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Increases Student Success
• Retention for FY10 – 82%
• Gated registration – requires assessment
prior to registration
• Identification of at-risk students and
intensive follow-up
• Faculty training re: student success
• Student-friendly navigation within courses
• Ongoing evaluation of student withdrawals
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eCore Retention Rates
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Student Information
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Average age = 26
About 70% white, 20% Black, rest mixed
About 2/3rds are female
About 2/3rds are Freshmen or Sophomores
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Program Information
• Grade comparisons vary across courses and
institutions – passing with a C or better
ranges from a low of 62% (English) to a
high of 93% (Integrated Science); GPA of
eCore vs traditional classroom varies as
well
• Withdrawals – 19% class related; 16% lack
of preparation; 43% personal; 21% other
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Faculty Information
• In FY10, 84% had taught an eCore course
before
• 70% were full-time at their institution; 24%
part-time; 6% retired
• 84% of students rated the instructor as an
effective teacher (55% strongly agree, 29%
agree)
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Assessment
• Overall student satisfaction 4.2 on 5 pt.
scale
• Most successful area for completion is
social sciences (64%); least is essential
skills (Eng and Math) (53%)
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Assessment (con’t)
• eCore common outcomes and successful
student achievement for FY07 – FY10
(grade of A, B, or C):
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Communications – 74%
Quantitative – 67%
Cultural – 74%
Scientific – 67%
Aesthetic – 73%
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For more information:
• https://ecore.usg.edu
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GA College 411
Shared information site for the
University System of Georgia
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GA College 411
• Began in 2005
• Information for career planning, high school
planning, college planning, financial aid
• Common admissions application
• Common financial aid application
• Common transcripts (high school and
college)
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GA College 411
• College Access Challenge Grant – 2009 –
funding to add content for middle school
and adults and to increase career
information
• GA Apply to College Week – was one week
in Nov., has been so successful it will be
extended to the month of Nov. in 2011
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GA College 411
• BRIDGE Law – passed in GA General
Assembly in 2010 – Building Resourceful
Individuals to Develop GA’s Economy
• Requires students be provided with
advisement, counseling, career awareness,
and career inventories; requires students to
create an individual graduation plan
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GA College 411
• FY11 – 931,494 individual accounts
created, 2 times the number in FY10
• 218,114 admissions applications submitted,
11% increase from FY10
• About 90,000 transcripts sent, 26% increase
from FY10
• More than 3.8 million site visits (10 min +)
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More Information
• www.gacollege411.org
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Additional Online Shared Resources
University System of Georgia
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Georgia On My Line
• Complete list of online courses
• Complete list of online degree programs
• Complete list of institutions providing
online instruction
• Cross institution registration available
• www.georgiaonmyline.org
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Public and USG Libraries
• Administered by the University System of
GA
• GALILEO – GA Library Learning Online
• GIL – GALILEO Interconnected Libraries
• OLLC – Online Library Learning Center
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Collaborations
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WebMBA – five schools
WebBSIT – five schools
Independent online learning – UGA
Online Education certificates, endorsements
www.usg.edu
– Academic programs
– Distance education
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The Adult Learning Consortium
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College Access Challenge
Grant
• Goal:
o Increase the college degree attainment of:
o low-income adults
o who have some college credit
o but have not been enrolled in the past year
o and have not attained a degree.
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College Access Challenge
Grant
• Strategies:
o Expand postsecondary program options which
 meet the needs of adult students and
 are aligned with State’s workforce development
plan,
o improve services for adult and military students,
o conduct an outreach campaign to low-income adults
who have “dropped out” or “stopped out” of
postsecondary education.
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USG Adult Learning
Consortium 1.0
Atlanta Metropolitan College
Fort Valley State University
Georgia Southwestern State University
Bainbridge College
Valdosta State University
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USG Adult Learning
Consortium 2.0
• Atlanta Metropolitan
College
• Bainbridge College
• Fort Valley State
University
• Georgia Southwestern
University
• Valdosta State
University
• Columbus State
University
• Dalton State College
• Gainesville State
College
• Southern Polytechnic
University
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Adult Learning Consortium
Growing exponentially
Year 2: Nine+ campuses
Adult Learning Consortium
Year 1: Five campuses
V
aldosta
S U
tate
niversity
pilot
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USG Adult Learning Consortium
• Administer ALFI Toolkit (ISAS and ALI)
• Develop/Expand Prior Learning
Assessment (PLA) options
• Develop “crosswalk” programs aligned with
state economic/workforce priorities
• Conduct public awareness campaign
• Collect data to evaluate progress
• Develop best practices and resources
that can be shared System-wide
Institutions will become members of the
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOCS)
http://www.soc.aascu.org/
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The ALFI Toolkit
• Institutional Self-Assessment Survey (ISAS): A team of school
administrators, faculty and staff evaluate the effectiveness of programs
and services that serve adult learners
• The Adult Learner Inventory (ALI): Administered to students 25 and
older to measure students perceptions of programs and services that
attempt to meet their needs
• The results of these two assessments are then integrated and
benchmarked nationally. Together the ISAS and ALI “provide a
framework of policies and practices to make educational programs
more attractive and accessible to adult learners”
• http://www.cael.org/alfi/tools
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PLA Options:
Tools in our bag
Advanced Placement
International Baccalaureate
College Level Examination Program ACE Guides
DSST Credit by Exam
1. Departmental Challenge Exams
2. Experiential Learning Assessments (individualized student
portfolios)
Evaluation of Local Training
Excelsior College Examination Program
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Target Crosswalk Programs
• Begin with Professional and/or
Industry Standards
– Certification and Credentials
• Align with common courses and
course credit
– Lower … and upper division
• Identify appropriate CLEP, DSST,
and other nationally recognized
assessments
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Public Awareness
• All 9 institutions have their web pages up
and available
(www.daltonstate.edu/adultlearner,
http://www.bainbridge.edu/adultlearners)
• Billboard and media campaigns are ready to
be launched
• www.georgiaonmyline.org/adultlearner
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Billboards
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Television and Web video
• http://www.georgiaonmyline.org/adultlearner
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Data Collection
Institutions will contribute to data collection and
sharing for the purposes of program evaluation,
accountability, continuous improvement, and
market research. Participant databases will be
used for administration of surveys to assess and
improve effectiveness of services, provide
feedback for program improvement, and provide
data for reporting progress on proposed outcomes
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Current Situation / New
Developments
• Learning Counts – CAEL, ACE, College
Board – created online PLA Center & ALC
Institutions are pilot project members
• Developing Faculty Assessors Network –
establishing online evaluations through
GeorgiaVIEW
• Planning eMajor – Collaborative Online
Programs – focused on adult learners
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eMajor Planning
• First program launches in August 2011 –
Bachelor of Science in Organizational
Leadership (ORGL) – as VSU degree
• Submit substantive change notification to
SACS & BOR to establish collaborative
program
• Other institutions can submit substantive
change and offer ORGL degree – Sp 2012?
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More on ORGL
• Interdisciplinary Degree – short sessions, flexible
schedules (full-time, part-time, no cohort)
• Concentrations:
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Law Enforcement Administration
Legal Office Administration
Office Administration & Technology
Public Service Administration
Communication Arts
More to come soon!
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Questions?
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