Kansas Board of Regents Distance Education plan
Summary and Recommendation
K.S.A. 74-3202c(b)(9) directs the Kansas Board of Regents to “develop and implement
a comprehensive plan for the utilization of distance learning technologies.” The attached
document represents a revision of the original plan approved by the Board in January
2006. Staff recommends acceptance of the plan and the attendant revision of the definition
of a distance education program. (08/31/10)
Background
SB 345 requires the Kansas Board of Regents to develop a comprehensive plan for distance
education technology in Kansas. The current plan was developed in consultation with
the System Council of Chief Academic Officers and was accepted by the System Council
of Presidents in January 2006.
In addition, Board policy on Academic Extension states that “the Vice President for
Academic Affairs of the Board shall be responsible for the development, implementation
and coordination of policies and procedures that will serve to achieve an effective
and efficient system of credit and noncredit academic extension instruction including
distance education and off-campus face-to-face courses and programs” (Ch. II.D.6.a.).
In Fall 2009, the Board Academic Affairs Standing Committee (BAASC) was charged to
revise the existing plan. To fulfill that charge, Board staff reviewed other state
plans, consulted with the Council of Chief Academic Officers (COCAO), the System Council
of Chief Academic Officers (SCOCAO), and campus-based distance education experts.
In addition, multiple drafts of the plan were discussed with BAASC.
Proposed Distance Education Plan
The final draft of the proposed plan was shared with the full Board at its August
2010 retreat. Board members emphasized the importance of distance learning, in particular
its critical role in helping provide Kansas students with greater access to higher
education.
The proposed Distance Education Plan is guided by three core values: innovation,
collaboration, and quality. Universities are encouraged to implement distance education
technologies in innovative and effective ways that are congruent with their mission
and resources. In addition, they are urged to find appropriate ways to collaborate
in the use of distance education to serve the needs of their students. And, at base,
all distance learning applications must maintain or enhance the quality of the institution's
educational mission. As with all teaching applications, the ultimate goal is student
success.
The proposed plan incorporates the core principles of the original document, but
adds elements that enable the Board to monitor campus activity in the area of distance
education. Specifically, the plan:
• Requires that each campus develop a distance education plan, to be approved by
the Board
• Requires annual report to the Board that will provide an inventory of distance
education activity across the system
• Encourages collaboration among system institutions in the development of distance
education programs
• Establishes responsibilities for both the Board and universities.
Distance Education Program
The proposed plan defines distance education as “any program in which the proportion
of content delivered via distance learning is fifty percent or more.” In order to
maintain consistency in Board policy, it is requested that the current definition
of distance education in Appendix F, Section 3 of the Policy and Procedures Manual
be revised:
g. A Distance education program is a curriculum comprised entirely of distance education
courses one in which the proportion of content delivered via distance learning is
fifty percent or more.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the proposed Distance Education Plan and attendant revision
of the definition of a distance education program.
KANSAS BOARD OF REGENTS DISTANCE EDUCATION PLAN
August 2010
Background
Distance Education is critical to the Kansas Board of Regents' goal of increasing
access to postsecondary education for the citizens of Kansas, and it is the Board's
expectation that the state's public colleges and universities provide students with
quality distance learning options. In support of this goal, Kansas statutes stipulate
that the Kansas Board of Regents will “develop and implement a comprehensive plan
for the utilization of distance learning technologies” [74-3202c(b)(9)].
Distance education technologies are dramatically changing the higher education landscape
in the nation and state. In order for Kansas' colleges and universities to continue
offering high quality educational opportunities that promote student success in a
global and knowledge-based society, it is imperative that these new technologies be
creatively employed where feasible and appropriate. To serve that end, this Distance
Education Plan is guided by three core values:
1. Innovation in the use of distance education technologies is vital, since the technologies
for mediated instruction and distance delivery remain very fluid. Understanding the
effective use of these technologies in ways that improve learning and enhance teaching
is increasing, but much remains to be learned. Kansas' public colleges and universities
are encouraged to find the most effective ways to implement those technologies that
are congruent with their respective missions and resources.
2. Collaboration is implicit in the very nature of these technologies. Distance education
eliminates traditional boundaries and demands that institutions find ways to collaborate
in serving the needs of their students. Kansas institutions are asked to develop collaborations
using distance education that are consistent with their nature and mission.
3. Quality is the fundamental goal of all academic programs offered by Kansas' public
colleges and universities. Any introduction of distance learning technology must contribute
to the quality of the program in question and, ultimately, to the success of those
students who participate in it. In both Kansas and the nation as a whole, colleges
and universities are being asked to demonstrate the quality of their programs by demonstrating
that their graduates have mastered the materials taught in their academic programs.
Kansas' public institutions report on the quality of their programs through the KBOR
program review process. In addition, Foresight 2020, the strategic vision for Kansas'
college and university system, is intended to provide a mechanism for monitoring the
quality of that system, including distance education.
In applying the growing array of distance learning technologies, it is important to recognize two competing fiscal realities: (1) quality distance learning can be a source of both revenue and savings, as new student populations are served via distance course offerings and more students are served more efficiently through the general use of education technologies; and (2) the introduction of educational technology in general, and distance education options, in particular, can be costly, given the need for hardware, software, and support for students engaged in distance learning. Given these fiscal realities, wisdom would indicate that flexibility is imperative to enable institutions to effectively and efficiently use these technologies in ways that conform to their resources and mission.
Distance Education
Distance education is defined as either an asynchronous or synchronous instructional
delivery system in which faculty and students are physically separated in place or
time. Teaching and learning are supported by a wide spectrum of existing and evolving
media.
For purposes of reporting, any program in which the proportion of content delivered
via distance learning is 50 % or more will be considered as a distance education program.
These offerings will include those offered wholly online and blended or hybrid programs
in which a substantial proportion of the content is delivered through mediated delivery
technology to facilitate such activities as online discussions, interactive television,
and limited numbers of face-to-face meetings.
Board Activity
To promote effective collaboration and strengthen awareness of distance learning
opportunities in the state, the Board will do the following:
• Promote innovation in the development of distance education by system institutions.
• Require each institution to develop a distance education plan by January 2011,
to be approved by the Board. Following initial Board approval, these plans will be
reviewed biennially by Board staff and updated as appropriate.
• Ensure statewide awareness of distance learning opportunities available through
governed, coordinated institutions, and regional organizations, e.g., Colleague-to-Colleague
(C-2-C) and Summer Institute of Distance Learning and Instructional Technology (SIDLIT).
• Encourage institutions to collaborate in the delivery of distance education where
such collaboration is appropriate.
• Maintain a webpage on the new KBOR website that includes links to Kansas university
and college distance learning opportunities, financial information, adult learning
opportunities, and best practices in distance education.
Institutional Activity
Each institution will create a Distance Education plan that is consistent with the
guidelines and best practices provided by the Higher Learning Commission of the North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools. These plans, which will cover current
and future projections, serve as the core of the Kansas Board of Regents' Distance
Education Plan. The institution's plan will specify its responsibility in each of
the following categories, drawing on some or all of the criteria in each category
as is appropriate to its resources and mission (adapted from Handbook of Distance
Education, ed. M.G. Moore, 2007):
1. Academic. Each institution will indicate how it maintains the academic quality
of its offerings, including such areas as: maintenance and documentation of academic
calendars, program accreditation, licensing where required, course quality, course
and program evaluation, Carnegie units, grading, admission, curriculum review, and
approval processes for distance education offerings.
2. Fiscal, Governance. Each institution will clarify its responsibilities in such
areas as the following: tuition rates, special fees, full-time equivalencies, state-mandated
regulations related to funding, consortia agreements, contracts with collaborating
organizations, board oversight, administration cost, and tuition disbursement.
3. Faculty. Each institution will make clear its responsibilities in such key areas
as: compensation and workloads, design and development incentives, staff development
incentives, staff development, faculty support, faculty evaluation, intellectual freedom,
and union contracts.
4. Legal. The institution will make clear its role in such areas as: intellectual
property agreements, copyright, and faculty/student/institutional liability.
5. Student. The institution will demonstrate its responsibility for supporting student
learning at a distance in such areas as: academic advising, counseling, library services,
financial aid, testing and assessment, access to resources, equipment requirements,
and privacy. Other areas to consider may include: students with disabilities, expanding
online offerings to more high schools, promotion, increasing graduation/completion
rates, and exploring adult education options.
6. Technical. Each institution will demonstrate that it has sufficient technical
resources to support its distance education activity in such areas as: system reliability,
connectivity, technical support, instructional design support, hardware/software,
and access.
Approval and Review
Campus plans will be brought to the Board for approval in spring 2011. Once approved,
they will be subject to biennial review, beginning in spring 2013.
Timeline for Biennial Review
1. In the fall of the review year, KBOR staff will notify institutions that distance
education plans are due for review.
2. Institutions provide plans for review no later than February 1.
3. KBOR staff reviews plans, consults with institutions and develops a report to
be reviewed by the Board Academic Affairs Standing Committee and presented to the
full Board at its May meeting.
Annual Report
In order to demonstrate institutional activity in providing distance education, Board
staff will prepare an annual report, to be presented to the Board in January, based
on information drawn from the Kansas Higher Education Data System (KSPSD; Program
Inventory) and/or institutions, as appropriate. This report will include the following
information:
• Number and names of programs delivered via distance education.
• Aggregate number of programs offered in individual subject matter categories, e.g.,
social sciences, humanities, science, math, etc.
• Number of new distance education enrollments.
• Mechanisms used to deliver the programs or sections.
• Examples of innovative strategies in the use of distance learning technologies.
• Examples of collaboration in providing distance education programs.