eLAC
Notes
September  7,  2012
Meeting  Summary
On  Monday,  May  7  the  e-­‐Learning  Advisory  Council  convened  to  begin  to  articulate  the  elements   of  a  shared  vision  for  e-­‐learning  at  Miami  University.    The  questions  addressed  by  the  group   included:  Why  purse  e-­‐learning?    Who  will  be  served?  By  whom?    What  programs/courses  will  be   included?    Meeting  from  9:00  to  11:00,  the  participants’  began  by  reflecting  on  Miami  University’s   articulated  purpose  and  what  the  ideas  therein  indicated  as  priorities  for  e-­‐learning.    Once   grounded  in  a  sense  of  purpose,  the  council  members  explored  external  examples  of  e-­‐learning   with  a  wide  variety  of  objectives  and  purposes  and  considered  what  examples  might  be  instructive   for  creating  the  Miami  e-­‐learning  experience.      The  bulleted  list  in  the  “Meeting  Notes”  section  that   follows  the  “Next  Steps”  section  below,    outlines  the  ideas  resulting  from  the  conversation.
Numbers  in  parenthesis  indicate  the  frequency  with  which  a    given  item  was  repeated  in  the   conversation.
While  there  are  many  questions  to  explore  and  resolve,  the  conversation  and  the  accompanying   notes  suggest    that  council  members  share  a  perspective  that  a  primary  role  for  e-­‐learning  at
Miami  is  to  expand  and  enrich  the  student  learning  experience  by  creating  global  connections  and   increasing  experiential  learning  opportunities.      They  also  share  a  commitment  to  ensuring  that   the  Miami  e-­‐learning  experience  is  personalized  and  relational  and  produces  knowledge   acquisition  that  is  accompanied  by  critical,  reflective,  creative  thinking  with  a  global  and  liberal   arts  perspective.
Next  Steps
To  continue  to  advance  the  work  of  the  Council,  the  next  conversation  would  benefit  from  a  focus   on  the  following:
1.
Further  refine  ideas  for  a  shared  vision,  by  discussing  sample  vision  elements  as  prompts   such  as  those  below.
a.
E-­‐learning  at  Miami  University  will  enhance  the  learning  experience  for  all  students   who  participate  by  supporting  comprehensive,  diverse  and  high  quality  learning,   teaching  and  research.    E-­‐learning  experiences  will  provide  cutting-­‐edge  approaches   that  develop  content  knowledge,  critical  thinking  and  a  liberal  arts  and  global
perspective.     b.
Miami  University  will  be  a  leader  in  attracting  students  to  faculty  directed,  student   centered  e-­‐learning  that  provides  students  with  rich,  personalized,  learning   opportunities  that  don’t  end  when  they  graduate.    Faculty  will  utilize  multiple   modalities,  sophisticated  learning  analytics  and  expert  online  instruction  skills  to
retain  students  and  ensure  their  success.

c.
Miami  University  will  be  recognized  by  top-­‐notch  institutions  for  its  learning-­‐ centered  approach  to  e-­‐learning,  faculty  and  staff  excellence,  and  technological   innovations  that  consistently  produce  graduates  who  excel  after  graduating  and   remain  loyal  and  connected  to  the  University.
2.
Further  examine  the  questions  “Who  will  be  served  by  e-­‐learning?”    and  “Who  will  provide
e-­‐learning?”  and  identify  critical  issues  to  resolve.
3.
Given  the  list  of  critical  issues  to  resolve,  discuss  the  options  (  which  schools?)  for   connecting  with  other  e-­‐learning  providers  and  the  process  for  doing  so  (virtual/in-­‐ person).    I  have  bolded  the  options  that  seem  particularly  useful  in  the  list  below.  Other   possibilities  include  -­‐   Southern  New  Hampshire  Univ  ,  Stanford,  Univ  of  North  Texas  and
Rio  Salado,  Seton  Hill  or  National  University)
West  Virginia  University< http://online.wvu.edu/ >  –  WVU  has  been  effectively  meeting  the  needs   in  the  state,  as  well  as  outside  the  state,  for  a  long  time.  They  are  good  at  the  administrative   structure  side  of  e-­‐learning  needs,  and  the  metrics  for  understanding  the  landscape  of  academic   needs.  They  have  a  financial  model  that  is  working  well  also.  The  lead  for  distance  at  WVU  is  Sue
Day  Perroots,  Dean,  who  also  serves  on  review  teams  for  HLC  accreditation.
Michigan  State  University< http://www.reg.msu.edu/UCC/OnlinePrograms.asp
>  –  Built  online   learning  through  corporate  partnerships  and  applied  graduate  degree  programs;  primarily   regional  application.  If  this  is  a  model  of  interest,  MSU  would  be  the  university  to  visit.  They   continue,  I  believe,  to  operate  in  a  decentralized  model,  but  it  is  effective  from  what  I  have  learned   from  MSU  colleagues.
Oregon  State  University< http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-­‐degrees/ >  –  Well  supported   partnerships  between  faculty  members  and  department  to  produce  individual  online  courses,  and   full  online  degree  programs,  under  a  revenue  sharing  model.
Old  Dominion  University< http://dl.odu.edu/ >  –  They  aren’t  well  known  in  this  area,  but  they   continue  to  surprise  me  with  their  attention  to  student  centered  e-­‐learning:  military,  2+2,   partnerships  with  community  colleges,  etc.  They  are  well  known  in  DE  for  their  ability  to  connect
learning  technologies  with  the  needs  of  students.
University  of  Central  Florida< http://online.ucf.edu/ >  –  Carine  knows  more  about  this  university   than  I,  but  from  my  colleagues  in  distance  ed,  and  through  EAB,  I  am  aware  that  they  are   considered  leaders  in  the  areas  of  strategy,  and  balancing  top  down  goals  with  bottom  up  requests   for  online  learning.  They  pay  attention  to  both  the  needs  of  the  on  campus  student,  and  the  off-­‐
campus  distance  students,  and  they  have  a  reputation  for  doing  it  well.   eCornell< http://www.ecornell.com/ >  –  someone  mentioned  a  for  profit  visit.  Cornell  has  spinned
(have  spun?)  off  their  distance  into  a  for  profit  operation.  This  might  be  a  good  one  to  look  at.  If   there  one  thing  that  we  would  want  to  review  closely  in  for-­‐profits  it  is  the  attention  to  student   needs  and  expectations.  They  excel  at  this  –  it  goes  to  retention.  They  provide  very  good  personal   service  to  students  online.

Boston  area  –  possible  to  kill  more  than  one  bird  with  a  single  stone?
Harvard  Extension< http://www.extension.harvard.edu/distance-­‐education >  –  from  my   perspective,  although  Harvard  is  private,  with  extensive  resources,  they  have  done  seamlessly   embedded  online  education  into  a  traditional  university  and  they  understand  the  mission  and   vision  that  works  for  them.  They  have  taken  what  is  working  in  distance  and  used  it  to  enhance   their  traditional  on  campus  learning,  and  I  believe  that  is  something  we  can  learn  from  at  Miami  .  I   think  there  are  many  learning  opportunities  for  the  eLac  team  to  be  found  in  a  visit  with  the
Harvard  University  Extension.
If  the  team  would  visit  Harvard,  it  would  definitely  be  worth  at  least  one  or  two  members  meeting   with  MIT< http://www.mitx.mit.edu/mitx-­‐overview.html
>  to  understand  the  development  of  the   open  course  model  and  their  online  initiatives.  Although  others  may  not  completely  agree,  I  see  a   need  at  Miami  to  not  follow  the  pack,  rather,  to  be  able  to  look  into  the  future,  and  MIT  clearly   does  that.  While  we  might  not  ever  do  open  courses  or  anything  close  to  this  model,  it  would  be   useful  to  understand  how  they  have  been  to  stay  on  the  cutting  edge.
There  is  one  more  contender  in  the  Boston  area.  It  would  be  valuable  to  go  to  Northeastern
Univ< http://www.cps.neu.edu/ >  to  meet  with  John  LaBrie’s  team  to  review  the  growth  they  have   experienced  in  online  and  how  they  are  embedding  themselves  nationally  and  internationally  in
online  learning.  Particularly  in  the  international  realm,  they  are  doing  some  interesting  work.
As  I  worked  through  this  exercise,  I  realized,  that  there  many,  many  universities  out  there  doing   this,  and  all  doing  it  well,  but  within  their  own  culture  and  niche.  It’s  hard  to  choose  just  a  few.  I
could  have  probably  developed  rationale  for:
University  of  Illinois  Online< http://www.online.uillinois.edu/ >
Johns  Hopkins< http://ep.jhu.edu/online-­‐degrees >
University  of  Wisconsin  Milwaukee< http://www4.uwm.edu/future_students/online/ >
(considered  the  leader  in  hybrid  instructional  design)
Washington  State  University< http://online.wsu.edu/ >
Meeting  Notes
Why ?
•
No  a  platform  for  distribution  but  a  tool  for  learning
•
Sophisticated  learning  analytics  to  encourage  retention  (This  will  be  challenging  at  Miami   because  retention  is  high  already)
•
Expand  service  learning  opportunities  to  promote  the  outcome  of  engaged  citizens
•
Expanding  place-­‐based  instruction  –  simulations  and  more.
•
Support  our  priority  for  global  citizenship  and  a  global  future  (3)
•
Must  enhance  the  residential  experience
•
Provide  accommodations  for  scheduling  and  graduation  requirements

•
Improved  financials  for  both  are  critical
•
This  isn’t  just  about  e-­‐learning.    This  is  about  education  innovation.
•
E-­‐learning  can  serve  a  role  in  supporting  lifelong  learning.
•
Opportunity  to  leverage  faculty  strengths
•
Firm  foundation  for  the  university  by  leveraging  resources  (1)
•
Online  may  allow  for  improved  loyalty
•
Online  allows  for  a  mastery  approach
•
Personalization  (3)  Diversify  and  differentiate
•
Opportunity  for  scholarship
•
Potential  for  exposure  to  new  perspectives
•
Great  way  to  leverage  resources
For  Whom?
•
Expanded  audience  –  not  typical  oxford  audience  in  online  classes
•
Does  it  have  to  work  for  residential  students?  They  are  being  closed  out  right  now.
•
We  can’t  forget  our  graduate  students,  especially  field-­‐based
•
Are  we  aiming  for  the  middle  or  the  periphery.    Sometimes  we  build  policy  that  focuses  on   the  fringe.
•
Is  it  for  internal  or  external.  Must  be  defined.
•
Do  we  need  qualifiers  to  online  course  access    (to  ensure  they  are  ready)
•
Must  be  accessible  –  people  with  disabilities  and  bridge  the  digital  divide
•
Is  it  our  current  population  or  growing  new  and  differing  populations?
•
Must  consider  the  relationship  with  regionals
•
Could  be  tool  for  alumni  loyalty    -­‐-­‐  new  and  current
•
Can’t  forget  about  students  who  want  face  to  face  courses
By  Whom?
•
If  its  co-­‐curricular  must  involve  student  life  people
•
Do  we  borrow?    Do  we  use  third  party?
•
Might  be  a  way  for  recent  grads  to  have  ongoing  participation
•
Faculty  who  can  mentor  scholarship  in  online  environment
•
High  quality  faculty  who  can  deliver  personalized  and  discovery-­‐oriented  learning  online
•
Faculty  with  scholars  contributing
•
Faculty  to  share  knowledge  more  broadly  (1)
•
Can  our  faculty  be  expert  online  teachers?
Programs/Content
•
Must  include  a  co-­‐curricular  element  (2)
•
Can  there  be  a  co-­‐curricular  element?  (1)
•
Cultivate  respected  environment  for  all
•
Liberal  arts  for  all
•
Rigor  and  depth  need  to  be  maintained  and  enhances  online

•
Online  courses  must  enhance  critical  thinking,  writing,  research
•
Global  engagement,  new  possibilities
•
Can’t  be  vocational.  Must  help  people  think  flexibly  and  critically
•
Will  there  be  courses  or  programs  that  are  only  available  online?
•
Must  be  personalized  (1)
•
Personalized  attention  from  top  faculty  online
•
2  year  agreements  with  foreign  institutions
•
Experience  must  be  interactive,  engaging  ,  personalized,  integrated.
•
Must  have  intellectual  depth,  curiosity  and  critical  thinking.
•
Global  learning,  service  learning  engagement
•
Must  instill  the  values  of  curiosity  and  character.  How  do  we  do  this  online?
•
We  want  people  to  have  a  MIAMI  experience.  We  want  them  to  be  proud  alumni.  Learning   for  its  own  sake,  not  just  checking  the  boxes.
•
E-­‐learning  that  is  grounded  in  the  real  world
•
Can  we  think  of  this  as  portfolio  of  options  for  students?
Other
•
Our  mission  speaks  to  Miami  for  the  last  200  years.
•
Employers  are  impressed  by  Miami  the  well-­‐rounded,  liberal  education  that  graduates   possess.
•
Relationship  between  Oxford  and  regional  campuses
•
Our  product  is  a  finishing  experience,  how  do  we  maintain  that?
•
What  about  cannibalization  of  place-­‐based  courses?
•
Research  discovery,  augmented  realities
•
What  will  we  want  the  online  grad  to  say?  Would  they  want  to  come  to  Oxford  or  wear  the   logo?
Questions
•
How  do  we  make  it  very  personalized?
•
How  do  we  combine  residential  and  online  experiences?  (3)
•
How  are  looking  at  alternative  credentials  from  other  institutions?
Synthesis
•
Interactive,  not  isolated
•
Relational,  not  just  personalized  –  not  a  number,  part  of  something
•
Customized  –  part  of  a  portfolio  of  opportunities  –  unbundled?
•
We  need  to  think  about  the  buzz  factor  for  attracting  students,  too.
•
Want  students  to  think  “that  exceeded  my  expectations”  in  terms  of  education,  technology,   service
•
Taught  by  and  engaged  by  faculty
•
Liberal  arts  focus  remains
•
Flexible  creative  critical  thinking
•
Engaged  with  community  of  learners

•
Experiential