Date:
August 21, 2013
To:
Rev. Kail Ellis, OSA, Ph.D
Vice President for Academic Affairs
From:
Task Force on the Online Undergraduate Degree for Adult Part-Time
Students
Subject:
Final Report
In Spring Semester 2013, Fr. Peter Donohue approved the offering of an online degree
for part-time adult students.
I. Creation of Task Force
In response to faculty and student concerns, Fr. Ellis created the Task Force on the
Online Undergraduate Degree for Adult Part-Time Students with the following voting
members:
Two co-Chairs appointed by Fr. Ellis
 Dr. Craig Wheeland, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
 Dr. Louise Russo, Associate Professor of Biology and Chair of the Academic
Policy Committee
A College representative appointed by each Dean
 Dr. Randy Weinstein, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of
Chemical Engineering
 Dr. Lesley Perry, Associate Dean and Professor of Nursing
 Dr. Evan Radcliffe, Chair of the Department of English and Associate Professor
of English
 Dr. Matthew Liberatore, John F. Connelly Chair in Management Professor and
Director of the Center for Business Analytics
Three faculty chosen by Faculty Congress
 Dr. Mary Ann Cantrell, Professor of Nursing
 Ms. Sandra Kearney, Adjunct Faculty in Computing Sciences
 Dr. Christopher Kilby, Associate Professor of Economics
Three CLAS faculty chosen by the co-Chairs from a list of volunteers
 Dr. Michael Posner, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
 Dr. Emory Woodard, Associate Professor of Communication
 Dr. Deanna Zubris, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Two students chosen by co-Chairs
 Ms. Candace Carmick, Part-Time Student, Senior, BIS Degree (General Studies)
 Mr. Michael F. O’Neill, Full-time Student, Senior, Major in Accounting/Finance
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Three non-voting members of the Task Force attended to provide information:
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Dr. Robert Stokes, Assistant Vice President for Part-Time and Continuing Studies
Ms. Mary Bustamante, Director of the Office of Part-Time Studies and Summer
Sessions
Dr. Jim Trainer, Associate Vice President and Executive Director Office of
Planning & Institutional Research
II. Meetings and Agenda
The Task Force began meeting in June to review the Office of Part-Time Studies’
proposal to offer an online BA degree with a revised core (see Appendix A) and two
majors: Leadership and Media & Technology. Both majors are currently offered oncampus as part of the BIS degree, which is a degree available only to adult students.
The Task Force met eight times during the summer 2013. The Task Force examined the
following general topics:
1. Overview of Part-Time Studies at Villanova
2. Marketing Research on Part-Time Studies at Villanova
3. Villanova’s BIS degree Compared to other Universities (e.g., admission criteria,
degree name, diploma, transcript, etc.)
4. The Proposed Core Curriculum in the online BA for Adult Students
5. The Proposed Majors in the Online Program
6. University Alliance as an Example of a Vendor
7. Intellectual Property Law and Villanova’s Intellectual Property Policy
8. Assessment of Learning and Organizational Structure
III. Formal Presentations
The Task Force heard formal presentations by
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Dr. Robert Stokes, Assistant Vice President for Part-Time and Continuing Studies
Ms. Mary Bustamante, Director of the Office of Part-Time Studies and Summer
Sessions
Dr. Christine Palus, Chair of the Department of Public Administration
Ms. Debra Fickler, Vice President and General Counsel
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IV. List of Sources Consulted
The Task Force reviewed the following peer-reviewed articles, reports, documents and
PowerPoints:
Peer-Reviewed Articles
C. Hart. 2012 (Spring). Factors Associated With Student Persistence in an Online
Program of Study: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Interactive Online Learning
Volume 11 (1), 19-42.
B. Means, Y. Toyama, R. Murphy, and M. Baki. 2013. The Effectiveness of Online and
Blended Learning: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature. Teachers College
Record Volume 115, 030303, March, 47 pages.
C. Shivetts. 2011. E-Learning and Blended Learning: The Importance of the Learner: A
Research Literature Review. International Journal on E-Learning 10 (3), 331-337.
Villanova Documents
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CLAS E-Learning Task Force Final Report. 2012
The Villanova E-Learning Brand Criteria. 2013
Intellectual Property Policy. 2003.
Villanova Memo on Compliance with Middle States Commission on Higher
Education Guidelines. 2010.
CATS Form for Online MPA with University Alliance. 2012.
Education Dynamics. 2012. Undergraduate Adult Student Market Analysis.
Foundation, University & Government Reports

Committee on Institutional Cooperation. 2013. CIC Online Learning
Collaboration: A Vision and Framework. (CIC is consortium of research
universities primarily in the Midwest)

Education Advisory Board, 2012 (November). Development of Vendor
Partnerships to Support Online Programs.
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Education Advisory Board. 2011. Developing Online Science Laboratories.
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Education Advisory Board. 2013. Online Undergraduate Degree Benchmarking.
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I. Elaine Allen and J. Seaman. 2013. Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking
Online Education in the United States. Babson Survey Research Group (for
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation).
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S. Jaggars and T. Bailey. 2010 (July). Effectiveness of Fully Online Courses for
College Students: A Response to a Department of Education Meta-Analysis.
Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.
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R. Litan. 2013. Rise of Online Courses Promises to Reshape U.S. Higher
Education. Bloomberg Government Study.
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U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy
Development, 2009. Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning:
A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies, Washington, D.C.
PowerPoints
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Overview of Part-Time Studies at Villanova
Enrollment Statistics in Part-Time Studies
Part-Time Studies Proposed online BA degree
College Comparisons: Adult Education Programs, Online Classes and Online
Programs.
Other Sources
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BISK Education (University Alliance) Information in Response to New
Undergraduate Program Opportunity
Penn State Commission for Adult Learners (Definition of Adult Learner)
V. Resolutions
The Task Force voted on the resolutions listed below.
1. The Task Force endorses the creation of a sustainable part-time, adult, on-line
undergraduate degree program that preserves the Villanova experience for residential and
online students.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 1 Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 2
A. Name of Degree
A.1. The Task Force recommends offering a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree online to parttime, adult students with the core defined in resolutions B.1 to B.4.
Vote: Yes: 7, No: 6, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 1
A.2. Instead of offering a BA degree, the Task Force recommends offering the current
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree online to part-time, adult students.
Vote: Yes: 1, No: 11, Abstained: 0; Not Voting 2
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A.3. Instead of offering a BA or BIS degree, the Task Force recommends offering a
degree named Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies or Bachelor of Arts in
Interdisciplinary Studies with the revised core in the original Part-Time Studies proposal.
Vote: Yes: 0, No: 11, Abstained: 1; Not Voting: 2
A.4. Instead of offering a BA or BIS degree, the Task Force recommends offering a
degree named Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies or Bachelor of Arts in
Interdisciplinary Studies with the core defined in resolutions B.1 to B.4.
Vote: Yes: 4, No: 8, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 2
A.5. If resolution A.1 is not adopted, the Task Force recommends offering a degree
named Bachelor of Arts in Professional Studies or Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary
Studies online to part-time, adult students with the core defined in resolutions B.1 to B.4.
Vote: Yes: 9, No: 1, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 4
B. Core Curriculum for BA degree
B.1. The Task Force recommends the Part-Time Adult Online Program’s core curriculum
require a lab for both required science courses. These required labs could be taken online
or off-campus.
(During discussion of the motion, it was agreed that current transfer policies and practices
would remain in place.)
Vote: Yes: 14, No: 0, Abstained: 0
B.2. The Task Force recommends the Part-Time Adult Online Program’s core curriculum
requirement for math follow the current CLAS core curriculum math requirement. The
most appropriate course for this requirement is MAT 1230; however, each major may
recommend a specific math course for that major.
Vote: Yes: 14. No: 0, Abstained: 0
B.3. If the Part Time Adult Online Program is approved as a Bachelor of Arts degree, the
Task Force recommends requiring ACS 1001 and removing COM1100/COM1101 from
the core curriculum.
(During discussion of the motion, it was agreed that current transfer policies and practices
would remain in place.)
Vote: Yes: 12, No: 1, Abstained: 1
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B.4. If the Part Time Adult Online Program is approved as a Bachelor of Arts degree, the
Task Force recommends requiring a Foreign Language to include two semesters of
Intermediate Language which can be replaced with two approved cultural course
substitutions.
Vote: Yes: 10, No: 3, Abstained: 1
B.5. In keeping with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences policy, the language
requirement may also be met at the introductory level in specific languages which
currently are Arabic, Chinese, Irish, Japanese, Russian, or ancient Greek.
Vote: Yes: 13, No: 0, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 1
C. Majors
C.1. The Task Force recommends any major offered in the online program have an
appropriate academic department or program designated to determine and oversee the
curriculum.
Vote: Yes: 12, No: 0, Abstained: 1; Not Voting: 1
D. Operations
The Task Force firmly believes that the online degree program requires the commitment
of substantial resources from the university.
D.1. The Task Force recommends the university provide appropriate staffing, training,
and services in offices serving students, such as the Writing Center, Falvey Library, the
Mathematics Learning and Resource Center, and Career Services, in order to support
online students.
Vote: Yes: 13, No: 0, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 1
D.2. The Task Force recommends hiring additional full-time faculty to support the online
degree program in order to address departmental or program instructional needs.
Vote: Yes: 13, No: 0, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 1
D.3. The Task Force recommends the Part-Time Studies Director provide assistance as
needed to Department Chairs when the Chairs are hiring adjunct faculty to teach in the
online program.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 0, Abstained: 2; Not Voting: 1
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D.4. The Task Force recommends allowing full-time faculty to teach in the program
during the summer with the Department Chair’s permission.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 0, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 3
D.5. The Task Force recommends allowing full-time faculty to teach in the program as
part of their regular academic year teaching load with the Department Chair’s and Dean’s
permission.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 0 , Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 3
D.6. The Task Force recommends that faculty who design courses for the online program
always be informed in advance of the reuse of that material.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 0, Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 3
D.7. If a vendor is used, the Task Force recommends securing an agreement that insures
the design faculty member has the right to use the academic content of the online course
in his/her on-campus courses.
Vote: Yes: 12, No: 1, Abstained: 0; Not Voting 1
D.8. The Task Force recommends providing instructional design staff support to the
faculty designing courses for the online degree programs either by partnering with a
vendor or hiring instructional design staff at Villanova.
Vote: Yes: 13 , No: 0 Abstained: 0; Not Voting: 1
D.9. The Task Force recommends that faculty participation in the online degree program
be voluntary.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 1 , Abstained: 1; Not Voting: 1
D. 10. If any kind of online BA degree is offered, the Task Force recommends
administration of the online BA program follow academic practices established by the
Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Vote: Yes: 8, No: 2, Abstained: 0; Not Voting 4
D.11. If the BIS, or a BA in Professional Studies, or a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies is
offered online, the Task Force recommends exploring the creation of a College or School
of Professional Studies or Continuing Studies.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 2, Abstained: 0; Not Voting 1
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D.12. The Task Force recommends using the current format of the official university
transcript and diploma for the online degree.
Vote: Yes: 11, No: 1, Abstained: 1; Not Voting 1
VI. Appendix A: Comparison of Proposed Core in online BA for Adult Students
with on-campus BA; This document is derived from the Office of Part-Time
Studies’ proposal to offer an online BA degree with a revised core (Spring 2013)
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