Educational Technology Team
Juneau -- 29 March 2006
3 APRIL 2006
Educational Technology Team
1. Future Trends
1. What important trends do you see over the next five years that could require
significant changes to the way UA does business, either to forestall a major
problem or to take advantage of an significant opportunity?
 We will see students come with more tech. prep credits.
 There will be more older (50+) people taking UA classes
 Most high demand jobs will not require a university degree.
 Distance education will blend with classroom education as classroom teachers make more use
of web technology.
 Students will demand to have a podcast available of all lectures
 more competition for students from other educational entities available at a distance
 Students' expectations for the availability of distance offerings will continue to grow significantly.
 We will have to market to students in a whole new way
 Distance enrollments will double in the next five years , agnostic to where the student lives.
 Rural people from the Pacific Rim will enroll in UA classes as part of their own university degree
program.
 High schools graduation rate Alaska will peak by 2007-10, remain flat with slight fluctuations
until 2018. US graduation rates will peak in 2008-09.
 UA will offer at least 25% of its courses as distance within 5 yrs.
More out-of-state and international students
Appeal to a broader age range (more baby boomers, more high school)
Use of a variety of means for delivering the same course (BlackBoard and Elluminate and f2f
and....
 student demands will outpace departments cultural ability to respond and outpace infrastructure
upper limits
 Students will increasingly expect the delivery of a cohesive program of study rather than a
random collection of courses.
 There will be much more competition and UA may not have as many students as they thought
they would
 Growth will occur at all levels but significantly at the bachelors and masters level
 Students of color will predominate in the Western Region (College Board)
 Class sizes will shrink as distance education becomes customized
 There will be an increasing external focus on accountability and transparency in the efficiency
and cost effectiveness of distance delivered activity.
 More students will come to the University with college credits
 Gas pipeline from No. Slope.
 More and more people will migrate from village to urban Alaska. We may see under prepared
students falling through the cracks.
 students will want to complete UA program of study with courses from other institutions or use
UA courses/resources to complete a program from another institution
 Students will continue to expect educational opportunities to be consistent with their current live
situations (jobs, home, family obligations, etc.). This will be reinforced by educational institutions
that compete by responding to these demands.
 UA will have to quickly adapt to new workforce training needs, which may not be short-term
training needs.
 Increasing pressure to deliver more value with fewer resources.
 more courses will be delivered by full-time (regular) faculty who no longer come to campus for
teaching (office space is no longer an issue (HA HA HA)
 State (through ACPE) will invest further in early outreach to encourage families to consider postsecondary opportunities for their children.
 backlash from students and faculty from less technology mediation to more direct human-human
contact
 Health will continue to be a high demand area but with more technological advances, hence
more investments will have to continue.
 Jason gets his stuff posted to this list
 Executive leadership transition at the System level.
 Student services, bookstore, library, advising, etc. will all need to adjust their approach to
meeting student needs
 students will loose tolerance for the three MAU, separately accredited institutions under a UA
system
 Larger distance delivery players (for-profit, etc) will gain market share quickly.
 One university I'm familiar with has all the students' books in their dorm rooms when they show
up - all based on their on-line enrollment. Can you even fathom how far away we are from being
able to do that? (guess that's an aside. Disregard)
 Increased connectivity will create demand/opportunity for delivery of programs outside Alaska. In
some cases this will reflect students who start here and relocate outside...in other cases, it will be
students outside who find their way (virtually) to UA and its offerings.
 increased competition from outside UA and USA, creating a buyer's market; pressure is on for
UA to become internally less competitive and more cooperative to survive
 More than half of the increase in distance enrollment will come from Anchorage bowl
 faculty promotion and tenure requirements reviewed and changed to reflect new realities of
teaching and research environment
 Students will shop around for best deals for courses because we haven't resolved the fee issues
yet
 to survive, must UA must become more client-centered
 Change in text acquisition and supply process.
 Increase in number of cross MAU academic programs (ala PhD in Psychology; Geography pending...)
 Faculty will shop around for best deals for teaching courses because we haven't resolved the
IPR and enrollment cap issues yet
 opportunity to attract more students from outside Alaska via online
 Focus on expanding UA distance degree programs to students outside AK - needs strong
distance advising system.
 Ability to telecommute may change the faculty employment environment.
 different (expanded) role for community campuses is possible if true course sharing is achieved
 MAUs will need to do a better job of creating articulation agreements so courses can move
across campuses
1.1. More older (50+) and younger students (16-24)
 More high school students are taking college credits
1.2. More students of color
1.3. More demand for occupational certificates training for jobs that are
traditionally filled by males (e.g. process tech, resource extraction)
1.4. Increasing competition from other institutions as Students will behave
as consumer
1.5. Faculty will be able to teach at out-of-location institutions.
1.6. Big increase in demand for distance education
1.7. Out of state demand will grow
1.8. More credit hours will be offered by distance education, both by
conversion of existing courses and by new offerings
1.9. People will make a comeback (backlash against impersonal
instructional designs)
1.10. More students will enter college with college credit.
1.11. Increasing demand for continuing education by distance
1.12. Increasing need to do science classes on line
1.13. Need to deliver more value in the face of declining resources
1.14. Increased mobility, embedded, interactive, higher bandwidth, faster
technology. Technically savvy students will expect savvy use of
technology in learning experiences and services (which will be more
expensive)
 It used to be that we told students the technology they would use. In the future they will tell
us the technology they are willing to use.
1.15. Increasing challenge to faculty to stay current with technology
2. Proactive Action
1. Given these trends, what Distance Education actions could the university
undertake over the next year to forestall problems or leverage opportunities?
 There should be cooperative marketing of UA courses to combat outside competition.
 Invest in faculty development
 To serve students of color (specifically the growth in Hispanic/Latino in the west) web sites
available in Spanish (or other languages).
 Use some of the pool of funds to provide incentives for faculty utilizing creative teaching
methodologies.
 More outreach to Alaska's schools at an earlier age to get them engaged with the university.
 Hire 6th graders as adjuncts for faculty development seminars
 inter-campus coordination to better serve students, to better compete
 complete and publish and direct resources as needed to correct deficits at all campuses and
learning centers for minimum set of student support services
 Incent student centric policies and procedures
 use project funds to encourage faculty support at all campuses.
 Clearly identify and track "distance" courses, activities and expenditures in order to accurately
assess impact of actions. There may be several different meaningful definitions of distance for
this purpose.
 Create a few basic SW policies that deal with intellectual property rights & course postings;
establishment of fees; guidelines for how courses count in load ( 1.5:1 ratio for distance:f2f);
enrollment caps (or at least recommendations)
 incentivize faculty ($, promotion, training) to consider distance ed, or to respect those who do
distance ed
 create clear credible metrics to measure distance education
 Work with labor relations to come up with workloads that recognize course development and
delivery.
 continue work on provision of student services
 promote /recognize faculty and programs that are best practice in distance education
 Create a mechanism (metric?) for recognizing campuses that provide service to students who
aren't enrolled in courses or programs at that campus.
 Make access accommodations for students aged 50+ (visual; audio)
 Start up a way for any person to get direct help with their distance education question. This
could be an 800 number or an online chat access.
 direct completion of clarified, agreed upon new funding/resource sharing model for distance
delivery and implement and track for at least 1 FY to assess effectiveness
 use campus and UA system academic planning to guide investments in enhancing distance
programs, technologies and services
 have campuses examine how IT and design personnel are assigned to the units
 Use distance courses/programs to support increased enrollment in High Demand Job Area
degree programs/occupational certificates.
 Invest in new teaching methodologies and pilot, pilot, pilot
 involve the Board of Regents; a subcommittee on "future ed"
 Find a way for faculty to invite other faculty "into" their distance class to see how it is done.
 Hire open faculty lines with those that have experience with distance ed techniques
 complete at least two case studies of successful UA programs delivered in part or in whole at a
distance and generate b
 Building on #77: UA of the future - similar to what Alaska Airlines did in the late 90's - led to
industry firsts: on-line ticketing and kiosks.
 Make UA and MAUs seamless from a student perspective - in other words, align semester
schedules, course transferability, etc
 when you Google UA distance have all UA distance offerings be the first item on the list.
 resolve the conflict between distance ed teachers vs. those opposed; need respect on both
sides
 1-800-UADISTED
 Identify cost and investment in Distance Delivery
 Update service components at the MAU's and really have student services be truly seamless,
registration, course recognition, etc.
 Work on building a content management system for broadcast, webcast and podcast.
 Encourage more entrepreneurial opportunities so units can meet needs of non-degree seeking
students (business, health care, education communities, etc....)
 Recognize learning styles of students and design courses to reflect that.
2. What should the ETT do this year?
2.1. Derive clear, credible metrics for inputs and outputs of Distance Ed
 Identify input and output variables for distance ed activities and desired outcomes.
2.2. Define the scope of need for faculty development and propose a
response to the need in order to improve distance delivery quality. Pay
particular attention to education, engineering, health, and languages.
 Write a plan for faculty development in DE
 Determine a means for supporting and rewarding distance ed development
 Peg this to a specific need within a program to model capacity building
 There must be a carrot at the end of this for those involved.
2.3. Select at least two case studies of DE programs and create a bestpractices document for DE. Be sure to study driving forces behind
successful programs.
2.4. Propose an implementation of a state-wide 24/7 DE student advising
desk 1-800-UADistEd. This will require the creation of a knowledge
database that operators could access. Much knowledge sharing would
be required of the MAUs to pull this off.
 Could you automate the sending of an e-mail to the program advisor of the person who
calls.
 integrated, shared database of student info and call tracking
 Expand the use of EMASPro (CRM sw) used by all MAUs and the telecounseling ctr to be
used as the 800UADISTED repository.
 We need a Switzerland of advising for a 24/7 hotline - probably someone hired by SW
instead of one of the MAUs.
 Student services, It and distance ed should form a team to scope out the project.
 train advisors in all campuses to be able to deal with students requests for information for
programs that are not delivered from the advisor's own campus.
 Define what a "general information" menu should include
 Out source all dist ed to UPhoenix
 key people to involve: student services, academic advising, faculty, business office, IT
 The student services group or the registrar group from CRCD could be a good place to tap.
 we cant be the only university that has this problem...what other solutions could we get off
the shelf?
 Needs offices of academic affairs, well informed as to distance programs and courses
available
 fund a portion of an existing advisor at each MAU to staff the phone line or chat session a
part of each week.
 and involve students for focus on what they see as important for this service
 How do you get the campuses to play if they fear that people will recommend away from
their campus
 RE: 95;To ensure neutrality, you could take a "visitor center" approach -- funded by
members, but independent of all members
 Ask Pres. Hamilton to allow a team from UA to visit Alaska Airline Technology Group and
ask how they do business (i.e. how they integrate technologies in their business strategies.)
 Clearly define the difference between "informational advising" (prospective students or
general information) and "academic advising."
 Needs deans offices/school and college advisors in areas in which distance programs
and/or courses are offered.
 build a knowledge tree - top level, what anyone answering phone should know; next level
down, phone numbers leading to what program people should know...
 Generate a FAQ for advisors as a way to get consistent information out to students
 Needs student services professionals to inform on best structure, student needs.
 This committee could provide the charge and oversight of a group that will work on these
issues (the UA advising)
 Building on #107: use some of the existing 90K to fund site visits (real not virtual) of
exemplary dist ed schools.
 Ensure that all students who already have an advisor can get their questions answered by
that person.
 model on other successful call services -- Phoeanix , Alaska Air, Geico
 use caht function
 The website will hopefully (eventually) have a UA url instead of UAF, as that could be
confusing.
 use chat function too
 part of all inquiries is a reference to OUR website so that callers can help themselves
through OUR website; as callers ask for information, this goes to CDE to refine what OUR
website offers...
2.5. Propose an implementation of a statewide 24/7 technical help desk for
UA distance ed students.
2.6. Put the minimum standards for DE student services across all campus
or learning centers into University Regulations. Then identify resources
needed to remediate the shortfalls.
 include registration
 Include library
2.7. Mount a study team that will visit very savvy places.
 University of central Florida
 SUNY
 U MASS
 Athabasca University
 NJIT
 Begin with literature review and conference visits
 Invite savvy people up
 For profit
3. Strategic actions for Near-Term Execution
1. Propose an implementation of a state-wide 24/7 DE student advising desk 1800-UADistEd. This will require the creation of a knowledge database that
operators could access. Much knowledge sharing would be required of the
MAUs to pull this off.
 A single point of contact will reduce student confusion as the university expands its resources.
 #1 - good customer service; should lead to greater retention; greater persistence and student
success
 The help desk would be a huge investment that will pay big dividends.
 #8 - avoid reinventing the wheel; contrary to popular belief we do not know it all - learn from
those who have gone down the path we are on
 Better for students, increase enrollment
 make sure that there is both a telephone and an online access point to get connected to the
advisor
 Treats students with respect; mirrors expectations they have when trying to obtain any service...
 If we don't do this, and treat students with as clients, they will go someplace that does...this is a
matter of marketplace survival...
 This (and the next point) could serve as a means of gently forcing the MAUs to collaborate
better on program info.
 would force UA to operate more as a unified service from the student perspective
 The need for knowledge sharing will make statewide advising quite difficult to implement; doing
this kind of thing is difficult even when it is just a question of advising outside of the department.
 a barrier will be the rampant distrust among campuses; we operate on the "static pie" theory, so
that if one campus gets something, another won't; it will take an effort to convince everyone that
all boats rise with this approach
 A problem with this is that advising prospective students is far different than academic advising
for program students. The "one size fits all" approach to academic advising can result in crossed
signals, inaccurate information, and frustrated students and faculty.
 We need to be clear that academic advising still remains within the departments; this 800
number would be used primarily to get new comers into the university and oriented to where to
go next...
 Facilitate student success for students getting the support services they need
 A solution to the problem in #875 is that the advisors would be trained to always send students
to their declared major department
 be very clear about
 Defining needs can validate funding requests to the Provost
 We need to be clear that academic advising still remains within the departments; this 800
number would be used primarily to get new comers into the university and oriented to where to
go next...
1.1. Pros
 improved customer service; greater retention; more tuition t revenue (!)
 more immediate follow-up and resolution and tracking
 A single point of contact will reduce student confusion as the university expands its
resources.
1.1.1. #1 - good customer service; should lead to greater retention;
greater persistence and student success
1.1.1.1. A single point of contact will reduce student confusion as the
university expands its resources.
1.1.1.1.1. Better for students, increase enrollment
1.1.1.1.1.1. Treats students with respect; mirrors expectations they
have when trying to obtain any service...
1.1.1.1.1.2. If we don't do this, and treat students with as clients,
they will go someplace that does...this is a matter of
marketplace survival...
1.1.1.1.1.2.1. This (and the next point) could serve as a means
of gently forcing the MAUs to collaborate better on
program info.
1.1.1.1.1.2.1.1. would force UA to operate more as a unified
service from the student perspective
1.1.1.1.1.2.1.2. Facilitate student success for students
getting the support services they need
1.2. Cons
 Institutional inertia to change
 This is not available for non-disted students - if we do go through with this we should look to
offering this service to ANY student...
1.2.1. The need for knowledge sharing will make statewide advising quite
difficult to implement; doing this kind of thing is difficult even when it
is just a question of advising outside of the department.
1.2.1.1. A problem with this is that advising prospective students is far
different than academic advising for program students. The "one
size fits all" approach to academic advising can result in crossed
signals, inaccurate information, and frustrated students and
faculty.
1.3. Options
 shared information system and access
 Expand use of EMASPro software now available at the MAUs - this is a CRM that can be
leveraged with disted prospects (currently used for all other prospects)
1.3.1. make sure that there is both a telephone and an online access point
to get connected to the advisor
2. Propose an implementation of a statewide 24/7 technical help desk for UA
distance ed students.
 Provides a "lifeline" for students whose academic performance depends on technical issues.
 Students should have good experiences as paying customers
 This is the primary reason we exist
 Could this be an expansion of an existing help desk?
 Great idea...but cost to do it right would be high. Doing it "halfway" could be disastrous in terms
of customer satisfaction.
 If we are really serious about addressing the implications of distance education, we must do this.
Not doing it is like telling students how much we value the non-traditional, working student, and
then closing all our campus offices at 5 p.m. Also, doing this will take us into the future.
 Facilitate student success of using technology for their university experience
 How would that become a part of the help desk. That's a number most students try to avoid
2.1. Pros Provides a "lifeline" for students whose academic performance
depends on technical issues. Students should have good experiences
as paying customers If we are really serious about addressing the
implications of distance education, we must do this. Not doing it is like
telling students how much we value the non-traditional, working
student, and then closing all our campus offices at 5 p.m. Also, doing
this will take us into the future. Facilitate student success of using
technology for their university experience
 great service for students...
 Reduce obstacles to students caused by technology.
2.2. Cons Great idea...but cost to do it right would be high. Doing it
"halfway" could be disastrous in terms of customer satisfaction.
 requires adopting shared standards and some will have to change. Compromise is hard.
2.3. Options Could this be an expansion of an existing help desk?
 Expand use of EMASPro software now available at the MAUs - this is a CRM that can be
leveraged with disted prospects (currently used for all other prospects)
3. Select at least two case studies of DE programs and create a best-practices
document for DE. Be sure to study driving forces behind successful
programs.
 Helps us to better understand reasons that things happen the way that they do.
 Sharing and spreading the knowledge already gained throughout the UA system
 A case study brings the emotional and qualitative dimension to light
 Practical and cost effective
 MAU's should already be doing this. It should be a part of program assessment.
 - this is an afternoon project for some one - shouldn't be a major goal of this group.
3.1. Pros
3.1.1. creates a ready source of success stories, that the public and others
like to know about...
3.1.2. Sharing and spreading the knowledge already gained throughout
the UA system
3.1.3. Practical and cost effective
3.2. Cons
3.3. Options
4. Put the minimum standards for DE student services across all campus or
learning centers into University Regulations. Then identify resources needed
to remediate the shortfalls.
 Meets students' consumer needs and prevents loosing them to competition.
 There is a good prospect of persuading campuses to put some of their own resources into
improving some services
 just get it done
 This covers the most basic services for students to have success. If our focus is on being
student centric, this is where we should start.
 this is a good marketing device to let a distance student know that they will get access to a full
service university no matter how small their learning center is
 Important for leadership to understand and feel distance education is accountable
 negative - I’ve never understood why this is a big deal (agreement on services) so i have a hard
time being passionate about support.
 Create the conditions for meeting student needs across the system
 There may be turf issues - as usual
4.1. Pros
 consistency from the student perspective
4.1.1. Meets students' consumer needs and prevents loosing them to
competition.
4.1.2. This covers the most basic services for students to have success. If
our focus is on being student centric, this is where we should start.
4.1.3. this is a good marketing device to let a distance student know that
they will get access to a full service university no matter how small
their learning center is
4.1.4. Important for leadership to understand and feel distance education
is accountable
4.1.5. Create the conditions for meeting student needs across the system
4.2. Cons
4.2.1. negative - I’ve never understood why this is a big deal (agreement
on services) so i have a hard time being passionate about support.
4.2.2. There may be turf issues - as usual
4.3. Options
4.3.1. Meets students' consumer needs and prevents loosing them to
competition.
4.3.2. just get it done
5. Define the scope of need for faculty development and propose a response to
the need in order to improve distance delivery quality. Pay particular attention
to education, engineering, health, and languages.
 Let the local programs, departments, and deans survey their own faculty to determine the
degree of interest and need for distance delivery training
 Faculty are critical in creating a positive environment for students and they should be provided
with tools to help them be more effective
 Using immediate needs in specific programs, provide a framework for developing faculty
capacity to deliver programs and courses that may use technology for part of all of that delivery
 Most deans and dept's don't have extra funds to provide for faculty development. The Provost
usually helps in this arena, but only to a limited extent.
5.1. Pros
5.1.1. Local departments determine their needs through a self-survey
5.1.2. Faculty development is crucial to effective teaching
5.1.3. Surveyed needs can validate funding requests to the Provost
5.2. Cons
5.3. Options
5.3.1. shape the faculty development to needs of specific programs
6. Derive clear, credible metrics for inputs and outputs of Distance Ed
 Allows consistent evaluation of program performance.,
 These provide a mechanism to incent and reward behaviors that support the other items listed
here.
 We should focus on the things that will have immediate pay-offs, this one won't necessarily have
quick payoffs.
 #5 - credible metrics can help us make our case for distance ed; why investment here can
provide benefits to the U
 Establish baselines for internal and external tracking an validation
 #3 - standardize services student can expect to receive
 A barrier is that the character of distance education is changing so rapidly that metrics will be
difficult to compare year to year. For instance, this year a distance student is one with no contact
in a classroom, but next year a distance student might be in a classroom 25% of the time.
 A barrier is the mix of technology that is associated with "distance". Is podcasting every lecture
enough to make every student in that course a distance student? Is it enough to associate the
costs of podcasting to distance costs?
 does the payoff occur only when this is channeled into institutional practice, such as workload
and compensation?
 There are faculty issues here
6.1. Pros
6.1.1. Allows consistent evaluation of program performance.,
6.1.2. #5 - credible metrics can help us make our case for distance ed;
why investment here can provide benefits to the U
6.1.3. These provide a mechanism to incent and reward behaviors that
support the other items listed here.
6.1.4. Establish baselines for internal and external tracking an validation
6.1.5. #3 - standardize services student can expect to receive
6.2. Cons
6.2.1. We should focus on the things that will have immediate pay-offs,
this one won't necessarily have quick payoffs.
6.2.2. A barrier is that the character of distance education is changing so
rapidly that metrics will be difficult to compare year to year. For
instance, this year a distance student is one with no contact in a
classroom, but next year a distance student might be in a classroom
25% of the time.
6.2.3. A barrier is the mix of technology that is associated with "distance".
Is podcasting every lecture enough to make every student in that
course a distance student? Is it enough to associate the costs of
podcasting to distance costs?
6.2.4. does the payoff occur only when this is channeled into institutional
practice, such as workload and compensation?
6.3. Options
7. Support initiatives to provide more bandwidth and education technology to
students and faculty and staff
 Insuring that the technical infrastructure capacity can current and future program demands.
 Bandwidth is crucial, but I'm not sure this is an effective course of action
 there are initiatives underway that will potentially improve our technologic capacity. We should
work to make them happen and promote them.
 numerous challenges ...from money to turf.
 UA should keep up with the latest and greatest technology to be competitive with other
institutions students may otherwise go to.
 there are no downsides, just hard work and finding enough time in the day
7.1. Pros
7.1.1. Insuring that the technical infrastructure capacity can current and
future program demands.
7.1.2. there are initiatives underway that will potentially improve our
technologic capacity. We should work to make them happen and
promote them.
7.1.3. UA should keep up with the latest and greatest technology to be
competitive with other institutions students may otherwise go to.
7.1.4. there are no downsides, just hard work and finding enough time in
the day
7.2. Cons
7.2.1. Bandwidth is crucial, but I'm not sure this is an effective course of
action
7.2.2. numerous challenges ...from money to turf.
7.3. Options
8. Establish a mechanism to learn the best practices of other institutions and
programs.
 Building on what others have learned
 This seems passive; if we are going to be "world class" in distance we need to look at our
unique situations and the use of technology and educational innovations that are possible
 I'm not convinced that no one at UA has this knowledge. Professional literature?
 This would be helpful to be aware of and to see what areas of DE needs further development
 #8 - avoid reinventing the wheel; contrary to popular belief we do not know it all - learn from
those who have gone down the path we are on
 if we're dealing with distance ed, can't we just do this by visiting websites & not going anywhere?
8.1. Pros
 We don't need to reinvent the wheel. Taking advantage of what others have done and their
experience is just plain smart. It will save years of time and will give whatever the strategy is
enhanced credibility.
8.1.1. Building on what others have learned
8.1.2. This would be helpful to be aware of and to see what areas of DE
needs further development
8.1.3. #8 - avoid reinventing the wheel; contrary to popular belief we do
not know it all - learn from those who have gone down the path we
are on
8.2. Cons
8.2.1. This seems passive; if we are going to be "world class" in distance
we need to look at our unique situations and the use of technology
and educational innovations that are possible
8.3. Options
8.3.1. I'm not convinced that no one at UA has this knowledge.
Professional literature?
8.3.2. if we're dealing with distance ed, can't we just do this by visiting
websites & not going anywhere?
Evaluate Strategic Goals
Ballot Items
1. Derive clear, credible metrics for inputs and outputs of Distance Ed
 Identify input and output variables for distance ed activities and desired outcomes.
2. Define the scope of need for faculty development and propose a response to the
need in order to improve distance delivery quality. Pay particular attention to education,
engineering, health, and languages.
 Write a plan for faculty development in DE
 Determine a means for supporting and rewarding distance ed development
 Peg this to a specific need within a program to model capacity building
 There must be a carrot at the end of this for those involved.
3. Select at least two case studies of DE programs and create a best-practices
document for DE. Be sure to study driving forces behind successful programs.
4. Propose an implementation of a state-wide 24/7 DE student advising desk 1-800UADistEd. This will require the creation of a knowledge database that operators could
access. Much knowledge sharing would be required of the MAUs to pull this off.
 Could you automate the sending of an e-mail to the program advisor of the person who calls.
 integrated, shared database of student info and call tracking
 Expand the use of EMASPro (CRM sw) used by all MAUs and the telecounseling ctr to be used as the
800UADISTED repository.
 We need a Switzerland of advising for a 24/7 hotline - probably someone hired by SW instead of one of
the MAUs.
 Student services, It and distance ed should form a team to scope out the project.
 train advisors in all campuses to be able to deal with students requests for information for programs that
are not delivered from the advisor's own campus.
 Define what a "general information" menu should include
 Out source all dist ed to UPhoenix
 key people to involve: student services, academic advising, faculty, business office, IT
 The student services group or the registrar group from CRCD could be a good place to tap.
 we cant be the only university that has this problem...what other solutions could we get off the shelf?
 Needs offices of academic affairs, well informed as to distance programs and courses available
 fund a portion of an existing advisor at each MAU to staff the phone line or chat session a part of each
week.
 and involve students for focus on what they see as important for this service
 How do you get the campuses to play if they fear that people will recommend away from their campus
 RE: 95;To ensure neutrality, you could take a "visitor center" approach -- funded by members, but
independent of all members
 Ask Pres. Hamilton to allow a team from UA to visit Alaska Airline Technology Group and ask how they
do business (i.e. how they integrate technologies in their business strategies.)
 Clearly define the difference between "informational advising" (prospective students or general
information) and "academic advising."
 Needs deans offices/school and college advisors in areas in which distance programs and/or courses are
offered.
 build a knowledge tree - top level, what anyone answering phone should know; next level down, phone
numbers leading to what program people should know...
 Generate a FAQ for advisors as a way to get consistent information out to students
 Needs student services professionals to inform on best structure, student needs.
 This committee could provide the charge and oversight of a group that will work on these issues (the UA
advising)
 Building on #107: use some of the existing 90K to fund site visits (real not virtual) of exemplary dist ed
schools.
 Ensure that all students who already have an advisor can get their questions answered by that person.
 model on other successful call services -- Phoeanix , Alaska Air, Geico
 use caht function
 The website will hopefully (eventually) have a UA url instead of UAF, as that could be confusing.
 use chat function too
 part of all inquiries is a reference to OUR website so that callers can help themselves through OUR
website; as callers ask for information, this goes to CDE to refine what OUR website offers...
 Must have a component for prospective students and for existing students
5. Propose an implementation of a statewide 24/7 technical help desk for UA distance
ed students.
6. Put the minimum standards for DE student services across all campus or learning
centers into University Regulations. Then identify resources needed to remediate the
shortfalls.
 include registration
 Include library
7. Establish a mechanism to learn the best practices of other institutions and programs.
 University of central Florida
 SUNY
 U MASS
 Athabasca University
 NJIT
 Begin with literature review and conference visits
 Invite savvy people up
 For profit
8. Support initiatives to provide more bandwidth and education technology to students
and faculty and staff
Polling Results Table
Cell Statistic: mean
Criteria
Ballot Items
Impact
Polling Method: 1-7 Numeric Scale
Allow Bypass:Yes
Derive clear, credible metrics for inputs and outputs of Distance Ed
Define the scope of need for faculty development and propose a response to
the need in order to improve distance delivery quality. Pay particular attention
to education, engineering, health, and languages.
Select at least two case studies of DE programs and create a best-practices
document for DE. Be sure to study driving forces behind successful programs.
Propose an implementation of a state-wide 24/7 DE student advising desk 1800-UADistEd. This will require the creation of a knowledge database that
operators could access. Much knowledge sharing would be required of the
MAUs to pull this off.
Propose an implementation of a statewide 24/7 technical help desk for UA
distance ed students.
Put the minimum standards for DE student services across all campus or
learning centers into University Regulations. Then identify resources needed
to remediate the shortfalls.
Establish a mechanism to learn the best practices of other institutions and
programs.
Support initiatives to provide more bandwidth and education technology to
students and faculty and staff
4.600000
5.100000
3.900000
5.700000
5.636364
5.200000
3.900000
4.400000
Vote Spreads
Column: Impact
Polling Method: Numeric Scale
Allow Bypass: Yes
People who polled each value
Ballot Items
Derive clear, credible metrics for inputs and
outputs of Distance Ed
Define the scope of need for faculty
development and propose a response to the
need in order to improve distance delivery
quality. Pay particular attention to education,
engineering, health, and languages.
Select at least two case studies of DE programs
and create a best-practices document for DE.
Be sure to study driving forces behind
successful programs.
Propose an implementation of a state-wide 24/7
DE student advising desk 1-800-UADistEd. This
will require the creation of a knowledge
database that operators could access. Much
knowledge sharing would be required of the
MAUs to pull this off.
Propose an implementation of a statewide 24/7
technical help desk for UA distance ed
students.
Put the minimum standards for DE student
services across all campus or learning centers
into University Regulations. Then identify
resources needed to remediate the shortfalls.
Establish a mechanism to learn the best
practices of other institutions and programs.
Support initiatives to provide more bandwidth
and education technology to students and
faculty and staff
5
6
mean
1
2
3
4
7
0
0
4
1 1 3 1
4.600000
0
1
2
0 2 2 3
5.100000
2
0
0
3 5 0 0
3.900000
1
0
0
1 1 2 5
5.700000
0
0
2
1 2 0 6
5.636364
1
1
0
1 1 2 4
5.200000
0
1
2
4 3 0 0
3.900000
1
0
2
2 2 2 1
4.400000