Overview

 Updates from March 18th meeting--from Vi-- are in red. These are not minutes, but rather extensions, explanations etc of what was originally written in this document, inserted where I thought appropriate. Please add your thoughts and make changes where you see appropriate. Please check the resources link regularly for new resources.
 * A Vision and Plan for Distance Education at the **** University **** of **** Regina **

Elita made a record of the dialogue at the meeting and has sent this information by email attachment to the committee. The same record has now been posted to T drive -- DE Task Force 2009. Each time we hold a meeting we will either capture the essence of the meeting by incorporating it directly into the wiki or we will post the record to the DE folder in T drive. Please check this record each time to ensure that we have all captured the ideas presented at the meetings.  The U of R needs to develop a vision for Distance Education (DE), develop a plan that will capture the essence of a variety of Distance Education delivery initiatives (e.g., online, video conferencing, televised, blended), and provide a DE pathway along which we can move forward as an institution.
 * __ Preamble __**

The plan should take stock of what we are currently doing re. DE: the number of DE courses we are presently offering, the number of students enrolled in these courses, and the number and demographics of students that we may be losing (e.g., to Athabasca) because we are not offering sufficient or the appropriate courses at appropriate times in their program.

We will organize some data in the resources section of this wiki--under U of R Course Information. DLD keeps course delivery, student enrollment information. Darrel can post this to the wiki. Darrel will also post a link to an electronic version of his dissertation on retention in online course. He says that Regina on-campus students also like the flexibility of DE in their program. Darrel also mentioned today how close we are to certificate completion, first and almost second year completion through DE. Can this information be posted please? Harvey mentioned that U of S can offer a 3-year Sociology degree. How close are we to being able to do that? Vi will post the 2008 TEL Report to AEEL. Cara can post relevant distance ed material to the wiki. There was talk at the meeting on March 18th of a position paper. If we post the above do we still need such a paper, and, if we do, who will write it? For any DE vision/plan to be effective there must be ‘buy-in’ from the U of R, from the senior admin of the U of R—this must be seen and actualized as a vision for the university. DE must be seen as a major goal of this university and be reflected as such in the U of R strategic plan. At present a separate task force will be exploring a DE vision and plan, but this task force must liaise with the overall U of R Strategic visioning and planning process. Tom Chase must be kept informed regarding the evolution of this DE vision and plan and must be consulted with from time to time regarding the direction of the U of R strategic plan. **Any DE vision and plan must emerge from an overall U of R strategic plan**.   1. **We need to clarify the mandate**. Are we moving forward considering all possible aspects of Distance Education (e. g., televised, online, video conferencing, web conferencing, Regional College face-to-face) or are we focusing only on online education? There is a difference and we must be clear regarding what we will be doing.
 * __ Moving Forward—what we need to do __**

Harvey, Darrel and Vi met with Gary Boire—the VP Academic—and he suggests we explore all aspects. He also suggested laddering in projects such as 2 + 2 from SIAST and from other programs, the concept of PLAR accounting for acceptable credits towards a degree, and co-op programs where students could obtain credits for work experience.

Harold mentioned that KHS offers summer programs and has scheduled online/televised courses in with regular program offerings and advertised this etc. This is an example of a very thorough well-thought out programmatic approach. He reported that KHS has now created a culture of expectations for this kind of flexible programming--we can't go back.

2. **Create a task force to study DE** and make recommendations on DE vision and future planning for the U of R. Who should be on this task force?

a. Harvey King, Brian Campbell (participating virtually for now), Darrel Lawlor, Vi Maeers b. Institutional stakeholders [e.g., Archer Library rep.—Carol Hixson and Cara Bradley (they will both attend the first face-to-face meeting, but may not both be involved in the Task Force); Academic Faculty rep. (Arts—Thomas Bredohl); Dean/Associate Dean (Harold Reimer); an Instructional Design rep.—Willadell Garreck (DLD); a Graphic Design rep.—Trevor Cunningham (CAT); IS rep.—Art Exner; student rep.—Mandy Duncan; co-op student-- Teneille Dzuba ] (11 people physically at our first meeting and Mandy on the phone)  c. External stakeholders (e.g., Campus Saskatchewan, U of S, AEEL, Regional Colleges, First Nations University) Once the task force has been established, it will meet to design major issues related to DE, questions to ask, and the general focus of the conversations and inquiry. What is it we need to know, how do we solicit the information we need, who do we talk to, where, when and for how long. The first full task force meeting is scheduled for Wednesday March 18th at noon in the University Club.  Everyone came physically, or by phoning in, to this first meeting. Thank you everyone. It will be difficult to schedule a lot of full committee f2f meetings. We will try to keep such meetings to a minimum and use 'flexible' options where appropriate. **// The over-arching focus of the DE taskforce is to develop a vision for Distance Education at the //****// University //****// of //****// Regina //****//. //** We should proceed on the understanding from senior admin that we are the 'body' best positioned to advocate for DE at the U of R and that our position and recommendations will be seriously considered. We will liaise with the Strategic Planning Committee and advocate strongly for a vision and recommended actions for DE. The specific **areas of focus** will most likely be related to the following: Bettty Mitchell recently published a paper based on her dissertation, which addressed the topic regarding the critical importance of faculty acceptance:
 * 3. Process **
 * // examining // current **U of R policies/processes** related to DE, for example:
 * 2005-2009 TEL Strategic Plan
 * how DE courses are determined (at what level; can anyone who wants to teach via DE be ‘allowed’ or ‘enabled’ to do so)
 * how to create long-term DE opportunities to enable students to select a DE option at different stages of their program
 * rewarding of teaching via DE—revisiting URFA Collective Agreement Article 30
 * the provincial TEL initiative (from the RFP from AEEL to the letter of congratulations for receiving a TEL grant—including the TEL competition and submission processes)
 * // examining //** funding ** for DE (current and future possibilities)
 * the current structure of Campus Saskatchewan and the provincial TEL envelope (note that this is ‘soft’ money and not secure and we have been told that critical functions of the university should not be funded in this way)
 * alternative funding sources—internal, base budget allocations for DE
 * internal competition for this funding? Should determination of DE courses be made at a VP Academic or Dean level—in a strategic manner based on program completion goals and student need.
 * // examining // the **infrastructure** to support DE—this refers to the physical and technical infrastructure
 * what is the current DE physical/technical infrastructure?
 * can this current infrastructure support a future DE landscape?
 * if not, what is needed to create a robust infrastructure to support (progressive) DE initiatives?
 * how would this increased physical/technical infrastructure be funded, staffed and supported?
 * // examining // the **human resources** needed to support DE
 * what is the required HR capacity to support (evolving) DE at the U of R and how should this HR capacity be distributed, where should it be located, how should it be funded?
 * are the current HR at CAT and DLD, with extra support from IS, sufficient to maintain and GROW our DE offerings?
 * what more and/or different HR are required?
 * what about the current responsibilities of CAT/DLD/IS—is there overlap/duplication or unnecessary separation of duties?
 * what about a combined unit comprising TDC, CAT and DLD so that most of the HR supports are in one place?
 * what role does Extension or Continuing Education have in DE? What is CAT’s role? What is DLD’s role? What is TDC’s role? What is IS’s role? What role does the registrar’s office have in DE?
 * // examining // the **attitudes** of faculty and admin towards DE

"This paper proposes that faculty acceptance of OL is influenced by attitudes related to four variables that affect practice change: **intellectual reluctance, support, change and cost-benefit.** Inherently, these attitudes translate into behaviours that influence the level of resistance toward OLI."

The Journal of Distance Education / Revue de l'Éducation à Distance, Vol 23, No 1 (2009)

Betty Mitchell, Iris Geva-May, Attitudes Affecting Online learning Implementation in Higher Education, __ http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde __ The task force will consult internally (e.g., Faculty meetings, Deans’ Council), and externally (e.g., Campus Sask, U of S, First Nations Univ. AEEL). These consultations could be group-related face-to-face conversations, video conference calls, Sasktel conference calls or they could be individual. There may also be surveys distributed.
 * what are faculty/instructor perceptions around DE? We may want to explore the above four areas-- **intellectual reluctance, support, change and cost-benefit.**
 * __ Consultation __**

The U of R Strategic Planning team would like to meet with (some of) us before the end of March so that they can hear from us and us them.

Elita has scheduled a meeting with the Strategic Planning team for April 2nd, 2009 at 9 a.m. at CAT (Ed 614).

TLt (Teaching and Learning to the power of Technology—a Campus Saskatchewan provincial conference—is occurring April 26-29 at the Regina Inn—a good opportunity to meet and interview (hold focus groups with) people from other institutions.

Vi is co-chair of TLt and may be able to arrange for meetings with people from other institutions. For example, on Tuesday April 28th (12:45-2:00) there will be a Leaders' Panel comprising Brab Bremner (SIAST), Herman Michell (First Nations), Ernie Barber (U of S) and Gary Boire (U of R). These leaders will be talking about institutional visions for DE and addressing questions such as:

1. How is technology enhanced learning integrated into the fabric of teaching and learning at your institution? 2. Are there barriers/challenges at your institution to using technology in appropriate ways in regular face-to-face teaching environments? 3. How is the use of technology in teaching and learning rewarded at your institution? 4. What is your institution’s future vision regarding teaching and learning with technology?

We can call an open meeting comprising people who have taught online and via TV over the past year (or two years). We have their contact information. At the TEL Showcase on March 19th from 3:00-5:30 at CAT (ED 614) we can inform the current group we are celebrating (everyone who has taught online or via TV from May 2008-April 2009) of our desire to meet with them in a more focused way. We can also invite previous groups of instructors who have taught online/TV.

It was brought up at the meeting that we should be talking with faculty who have not taught online/televised or through any other DE option.

SCN or the new L.I.V.E. (Live Interactive Video Education) group would like to meet with us to demonstrate/explain the rolling out of L.I.V.E. and the new increased bandwidth in SK. Cyril Scheske, the President of SRnet, would also be a good person to speak with. An understanding of CNnet and SRnet and L.I.V.E. may help us develop a more robust understanding of the future possibilities of the DE landscape.

The L.I.V.E. group will be coming to campus at the beginning of May to talk with CTL staff. I will ensure you know date/time/place and you are welcome to join us. Do we want to have a survey? Who do we want to complete the survey? What questions do we want to ask? Who will prepare and post the survey?

It was decided to create a survey--one for students and one for faculty. Both surveys should be for those who have taken DE courses or taught through DE and those who have not. Vi will create a section on this wiki especially for survey questions. Please contribute with questions that you think are appropriate. Do we want a better understanding of DE at other institutions—regarding where DE is positioned in the institution, strategic vision and actions around DE, DE funding and protocols related to funding (competition—internally or inter-institutionally), and the whole process of decision-making around DE courses? What are some of these best DE practices? Who will do this scan for us?

Harvey is going to discuss some ideas for the above scan with his co-op student (Teneille Dzuba). A Business/Strategic Plan (based on a DE vision) for moving forward. Ultimate Goal __**
 * __ Outcomes __**
 * We need to identify a minimum NEED list—what we absolutely cannot live without
 * We need to identify a maximum WISH list—what we would love to have, would greatly benefit from, and would serve us well
 * __

We would like to be able to offer a coherent complete program (taking into consideration PLAR, co-op programs, 2 +2) in a variety of major study areas, in collaboration with U of S and other institutions, available in multiple formats, to meet students’ lifestyle and learning needs, which could be marketed provincially, and accessed through DE options.

Can we create a joint DE (U of R/U of S and ???) degree program such as a BA in Prairie Studies, a BA in Integrated Studies, a common first year for all students, a degree in Nursing (which is now distributed throughout U of R, U of S and SIAST)? Some parts of these programs may require regional face-to-face contact with an instructor.

Note: the U of S has just struck a similar committee with Ernie Barber, Jim Greer, Bob Cram. and Rick Schwier and there may be advantages in meeting with them virtually.