Present: Marti Ayers, Beth Camp, Ron Sharman, Christina Salter, Ann Smart, Paul Snyder, Peggy Weems, Chuck Wert, Cynthia Yee

Paul Snyder handed out a flyer regarding a conference entitled Distance Education, Designing for Success, May 18-20, in Seattle, Washington. He said Beth Camp, Paul Hagood and Linda Spain were planning on attending.

Delivery/Technology Subcommittee - Paul Snyder

Paul talked about the inservice workshop "Demystifying LBCC's Web Site" given by Joe Sherlock, Bryan Mayjor, Jim Crotts and John Griffith. Jim and Bryan developed templates to be used in making departmental Web Pages. There will be a series of workshops on how to use the LBCC Web templates. They will be held April 29, May 1, May 5, and May 8. People should attend all four sessions. Paul urged everyone to take the time to navigate through the new look of the LBCC Web Page.

Paul gave an update on the ITFS Project. He attended a meeting the previous Friday. The FCC has approved the change in the licenses. He thanked Ann Smart for her help in pulling together the Oregon Congressional delegation to help in securing the FCC licenses. Paul handed out the proposed timelines. It should be operational winter term next year. Construction will begin this summer and there will be testing fall term. This is a low-cost television microwave network we can use to reach our centers, area schools, businesses, and home subscribers. It will eventually convert from analog to digital which will give four times more channel capacity and possibly become two-way video. The college doesn't have to build the system, just what is needed for our site to connect to it. Ed Watson felt the college should begin to make preparations before the fall test of the ITFS. He feels we should contact potential receive sites and see what courses they would be interested in. Ann said Jon Carnahan made a commitment to the high schools in Linn and Benton Counties to have them connected. A receiver costs about $500. Paul and Ann Smart will be working closely with the Oregon WIN Consortium in the planning and marketing.

Paul gave a handout listing telecourses for the 1996-97 year and noted that there are also two Web classes spring term. He passed out a draft of the year-long schedule beginning fall 1997. There will be a combination of live TV, telecourses and Web classes. There is an approximate total of 77 classes or triple this year. Live TV classes are also campus classes so it is certain that these classes will go when the ITFS system is built. Chuck Wert asked if classes could be added and Paul replied that they could. Issues such as workload questions and whether centers may have other classes going at the same time will need to be worked out. When the schedule is firmed up, it will be put on LBCC's Web site and also in a section of the year-long schedule. Marti said it was exciting to see proposals requested, funded and then culminated in classes. Paul said distance learning is growing rapidly, but eventually we will reach the limit of our resources, staffing, and technological capacity.

Chair's Comments - Beth Camp

Beth said she had been concerned about the committee but she sees that all the work done last year is starting to kick in. That is evidenced by tangible projects and classes. She talked about the inservice workshop "Our Diverse Times: Dealing with Non-Stop Change" by Rosemary Bennett and Mark Weiss. We live in a time of constant change. We need to look at different approaches and stop looking back at the way it was done before. The college needs a clear vision of what our future will look like. With a clear picture of what the subcommittees are doing, it is apparent that the subcommittees are beginning to develop policies. She also felt the presentation on LBCC's Web site by Jim Crotts, Bryan Mayjor, and Joe Sherlock at inservice was very good. It helped staff see how much has been done to give us a public appearance on the Web and Web templates.

Curriculum Subcommittee - Ed Watson

The college is beginning an institutional visioning and strategic planning process. This vision will drive not only the DEIT Committee but our larger mission. The Curriculum Subcommittee has not met but there are three times as many classes in next year's schedule. He feels comfortable continuing to meet even with a hazy vision. He said meetings are going on in the statewide planning on distance education. As the plan emerges it will be updated frequently and will be on the Web. The site (http://www.linnbenton.edu/spoccde) was given in the March 6 committee minutes. Ann Smart said the biggest issue facing the statewide committee was how to share the money. Ed said it is important as faculty develop curriculum through professional development that it not just be for students who come to our campus but for distance education as well. Chuck said some faculty are concerned about the integrity of the Web classes, for instance, how to prevent cheating.

Training Subcommittee - Marti Ayers

Marti said the subcommittee has not been meeting. The process is driven by requests people have submitted. The model is the champion model - people working, dong proposals, and taking chances. The funding for training will be the same as last year. Marti will send out an e-mail asking for proposals. Regarding the college strategic planning it will be interesting to see how both faculty and management see where we should be going. Marti noted that last year she funded John Griffith who was reluctant at first to work with the college Web template. He was not going to accept the funding but later changed his mind. It was interesting to see him in the inservice workshop working with the people who developed the template. Paul Snyder said some people have the misconception that the media team who developed the template was trying to dictate to faculty how it should be done. Marti said the three most popular inservice workshops were: Windows 95, Quattro Pro, and Internet for Beginners. Beth asked if a survey of faculty could be done again regarding needs assessment. Marti said it was a good idea, as well as open-ended focus groups to talk about the issues facing faculty.

Marketing Subcommittee - Cynthia Yee and Ted Swigart

Ed Knudson is no longer able to be chair of this committee with his new responsibilities as Faculty Association President. Beth said Cynthia Yee and Ted Swigart have agreed to be co-chairs. She believes they will be able to combine both institutional research and marketing. Cynthia said it will be challenging and she looks forward to learning more about distance learning.

Policy Subcommittee - Beth Camp

Beth reported on the Telecommuting Policy Committee (Laurie Trombley, Julie Walker, Ann Adams and John Berg). John Berg has drafted a new policy which is now about 10 pages long. Beth was brought in as a feedback person to represent the view of faculty. The committee's purpose is to set guidelines so all staff can telecommute within established college guidelines. When the policy is completed it will be presented to College Council. Beth said Peggy Weems, Jorry Rolfe, Paul Snyder, and she are on a committee looking at computer competency/literacy. The shift is from computer competency to literacy. A faculty forum is scheduled to discuss issues.

Student Services Subcommittee - Christina Salter

Christina reported that Diane Watson is also on the state-wide SPOCCDE committee and is drafting a plan on how to deal with issues involving student services. It is proposed that the host institution's (i.e., the school using another college's Web class as their own) procedures and policies will be followed. The student will be the host institution's student. The class will be transcripted at the host institution. The committee will have a final proposal by the end of the school year.

The Student Services Division's original plan to hire out the production of the division's Web Pages has changed to using Bryan Mayjor instead. Different people in the division are doing some planning but it is not being done collectively. Financial Aid Office is looking at such issues as what level presence to have, what increase there will be in workloads if there are lots of links, and what level they could support staff-wise. Ongoing maintenance of their page may be a problem.

Chair

Beth said last year the DEIT Committee made budget recommendations. Should the committee do that again this year? Ann Smart said it was too late for the budget process. She said issues can be discussed during the strategic planning to be done this spring. There will also be work done with a group of citizens this summer and then the budget will follow in November. Ed said there will be a comprehensive introduction to the strategic planning at this week's Academic Affairs Council meeting. Technology is a stand alone piece of that. Ann Smart said students and customers are another piece.

The committee will hold one more meeting this school year. It will be held after the committee has an idea of how the strategic planning is going.

The next meeting has been tentatively set for Wednesday, May 28, 12:05 - 1:00 p.m. in the Willamette Room.