Present: Ann Adams, Lynn Bain, Jim Bell, Rich Bergeman, Sue Boyanovsky, Beth Camp, Russ Gregory, John Griffith, Mike Holland, Susan Knights, Phil Krolick, Elizabeth Lundy, Marlene Propst, Gary Ruppert, Evonne Rutherford, Carol Schaafsma, Ann Smart, Sharyn Smith, Paul Snyder, Diane Watson, Ed Watson, Peggy Weems, Chuck Wert, Steve West

Mike Holland handed out the agenda for the meeting. The committee agreed to develop a work plan and two or three basic goals. During the meeting the members brainstormed to create a menu that could be condensed into three or four projects/goals to be accomplished during the next two or three years. The next step will be deciding on steps to deliver them. Beth said last year's subcommittee structure has served the committee well.

Subcommittee Reports:

1. Student Support - Diane Watson

Three years ago Student Services began a comprehensive plan and the last pieces are now being completed. Projects accomplished included: Web registration, advising online, and orientation online. Assessment is now testing people from all over the world. One area to work on is tutorial and minicourses. Web registration has worked well but some tweaking still needs to be done. Donna James will be helping with online orientations. Diane said there is a lot of enthusiasm for Web registration, and she feels someday all credit students will be using it. Ann mentioned that students can now pay with credit cards and the Library project is almost online.

2. Marketing & Web Presence - Marlene Propst

The committee has some new members. Marlene reviewed some changes made to LBCC's Web site. They included: online maps with written directions for each (Benton Center and main campus completed but East Linn needs to be done); frequently asked questions for Dual Enrollment; Arts and Communication Web page completed, other divisions to follow; procedures to put the class schedule online has been streamlined so it now takes 8 hours; promotion of summer classes; Security Office site up, including safety report and downloadable appeals form; redid RSVP and Student Life and Leadership Web pages; worked with committee to get Student Right To Know information on Web site to satisfy new federal regulation; and new student orientation Web pages.

3. Assessment and Curriculum - Sue Boyanovsky

Sue gave out a handout that reviewed the committee's 1999-2000 goal, activities, and future plans. Among the future plans were: collect data from "Are Distance Education Courses for Me?" and determine if the tool is being used by students and if it is useful; form a new subcommittee to work on distance education workload issues; identify non- completer triggers and continue to improve intervention strategies; pilot post survey of distance learning faculty; and during fall term refine its curriculum goals. Beth felt the committee had some fascinating discussions.

4. Technical Delivery - Paul Snyder

Paul went over a handout giving the technology fee expenditures for 2000-01. There has been changes in the Media Department due to staff turnover and reorganization. The committee can spend one-third of the anticipated revenue at a time. All projects are on track.

Beth handed out an article, "Quality Online: Maintaining Standards in the Distance Education Course."

5. Training & Summer Institute - Marti Ayers

No report given.

There was a discussion about the possibility of LBCC partnering with OSU so students can get a reduced price for Internet access, especially for students in the Dual Enrollment program. Beth commented that the actual cost for Internet access is low enough that most students are not experiencing problems. They also have alternatives such as libraries, labs, etc.

6. Brainstorming Session:

More - telecourses, ITFS

 Moving toward mastery learning

 Short term training (WEB, video)

 Not forgetting "IT" in DEIT

 Less provincial systems

 More diversity in type of courses

 Integrate/conversion to ColdFusion

 Don't substitute quantity for quality

 Important non-LBCC classes

 Partnerships with others

 Departmental buy-in for on-line advising

 Better incentives for faculty

 Workload/barriers

 More use of on-line assessments for high school students

 Improve instructional efficiency

 Increase innovation infections

 ITFS - 2 way video

Some committee members worked on clustering the above items into four main groups:

I. Faculty

1) Identify/address barriers to faculty participation

2) Provide training and support to improve instructional efficiency

3) Advertise services available

II. Quality

1) Quality of product

2) Efficiency issues (balance quality and efficiency)

3) Participation/expectations

III. Systems

1) Identify/strengthen our technical systems (2 way ITFS and ColdFusion) and student support systems (advising, admissions, Financial Aid, placement) to encourage, improve and increase distributed education

2) Work with our larger educational system to do the same

IV. Curriculum

1) Expand ways students can be served through distributive learning

A) Integrate

Mastery learning through such devices as online testing

2) Improve program/course diversity and access

A) More short-term training (Web, video)

B) Diversity in types of courses

C) Import non-LBCC classes

D) Online assessments for high school seniors

Mike Holland will write up declarative statements to go with the four main areas and will send it to the committee.

Russ suggested putting improving student retention under Systems. Diane said this is important because currently about 50% of distance education students drop out.

Beth thought there should be a program evaluation at the end of each year--a formal evaluation of distributed learning at LBCC. Ann said the DEIT Committee has been issuing a report every two years. Two reports have been completed but the third one still needs to be done.

Mike asked the committee if there was too much on the plate or was it manageable. Lynn felt all items will require attention. Gary felt the issue was which ones will get the focus this year. Beth was concerned that some issues will float to the bottom and never get fixed. Elizabeth suggested the committee look at the brainstormed items and step back, look at the underlying assumptions, and see which have to be addressed. Beth, working with others, will be prepared to lead a discussion of underlying assumptions as the first order of business at the next DEIT meeting.

The next full committee meeting will be Friday, October 6, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. in SC-111.

Attachment: Mike Holland's memo regarding DEIT's three year goals.

September 14, 2000

MEMO

TO: DEIT Committee

FROM: Mike Holland

SUBJECT: 3 year goals

__________________

First of all, permit me to thank-you for your active participation in our recent meeting. I was very pleased with the energy level in the room, and it is clear to me that DEIT's history of good work will continue.

Evonne has reserved SC 111 for our next meeting. The meeting has been scheduled for Friday, October 6th from 2pm to 4pm.

What follows are the declarative goal statements that I promised to produce. We will do a final group edit of these at our October 6th meeting. In the meantime, please review these tentative statements carefully, and begin to compile your own list of possible actions that would advance them over the next three years. We will share our lists on October 6th and begin to narrow the possibilities down to a digestible size for a work plan. (Our "sharing and narrowing" work will start after Beth's group leads us through the values exercise we discussed at the end of our meeting).

1. LBCC needs to strengthen the technical and student support systems that surround its distributed learning efforts. In regard to technical systems, special attention must be paid to fully developing the potential of the ITFS system, and to incorporating the ColdFusion tool into instructional delivery systems. In regard to student support systems, special attention must be paid to developing even more sophisticated on-line advising, admissions, financial aid, and career placement tools. Student success, student recruitment, and student retention must remain paramount goals in our quest to develop better technical and student support systems.

2. LBCC must remain committed at all times to the delivery of high quality educational programming. We believe that the quality of a student's educational experience in a distributed learning environment is enhanced by clear and measurable performance and participation expectations. Further, we believe that distributed learning environments require students to assume significant independent responsibility for their learning.

3. LBCC must identify and address barriers that limit faculty participation in distributed learning programs and courses. At a minimum, better incentives, training, and technical support are needed to increase participation levels. Once in place, the enhanced incentives, training opportunities, and technical support systems must be effectively marketed to the faculty.

4. LBCC must develop curricular offerings that fully complement the needs of learners who operate comfortably in distributed learning environments. On-line testing, on-line assessments for high school students, rigorous mastery learning systems, additional on-line short term training courses, imported classes from non-LBCC providers are but a few of the expanded offerings that should become available.

Again...we will do a group edit at our October 6 meeting. I look forward to the word-smithing, but anticipate even more seeing your lists of suggested activities.