Collaborative Distance Learning Degrees

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Collaborative Distance LearningDegrees
Certificates as Statewide Strategy

• Coordinators Meeting
• March 29, 2004

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Current situation

• Student demand for online degree and certificate
  programs is big and getting bigger.
• Students find the distance learning degree
  programs they want and enroll in them,
  irrespective of geography.
• With increasing student options, colleges are
  placed in competitive position.

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Alternative Collaboration as a deliberate
strategy

• Home (local) colleges
• Serve actively and selectively as gateways to
  other colleges distance learning programs not
  locally offered (formal articulation agreements)
• Register students for core-courses and some
  electives
• Deliver support services throughout program
• Degree-granting colleges
• Register students for degree-specific courses
• Award degrees after transfer of all courses

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Benefits

• For home colleges without student- desired
  programs
• Students served who would otherwise be missed
• Contact-hour funding preserved by enrolling
  students in degree-required coursesup to 75 of
  credit hours
• Have access to low-enrollment degree programs
  without incurring start-up and operating costs
• Students retained in local community as they
  prepare for local jobs, avoiding risk of their
  leaving and not returning

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Benefits

• For students
• Access to more degree and certificate programs
  that meet their needs without leaving the
  community
• Access to locally delivered support services,
  throughout entire program if appropriate
• Convenience
• For Texas overall
• Increased ROI on states heavy investment in
  established distance learning infrastructure
• Supports Closing the Gaps

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Benefits

• For degree-granting colleges
• Increased enrollments in low-enrollment programs
• Full capacity of degree/certificate programs
  realized
• Students served throughout the state
• For both local and degree-granting colleges
• Appeal to funding sources
• State funding for program development
• Other funding agencies for similar collaborative
  initiatives

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Why timing is right

• Legislative interest and support
• Coordinating Board interest and support
• TACC interest and support
• Proven facilitative capabilities of VCT
• Community College Strategic Planning software
• Opportunity to be a statewide, even national,
  model of higher education collaboration
• Federal governments increased interest in CCs
  role in workforce development

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Precedents for collaborative strategies

• Students start at a college not awarding desired
  degree finish at one that does
• Precedents (interactive video)
• Vernon-TSTC Sweetwater Nursing 98-present
• Amarillo-Vernon Physical Therapy (99-00)
• Tyler-Paris Emergency Medical Services (late
  90s)
• Central Tex.-Temple Child Care (late 90s)
• MCC-Temple Radiological Technology (01-present)

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Precedents for collaborative strategies

• Multiple colleges collaborate in development and
  delivery of degree-specific courses, each
  offering part of curriculum.
• UT/Austin-Tx AM Agriculture Ed. (Ph.D.)
• Each offers courses
• Both names on diploma
• UT Telecampus Educational Technology (M.Ed.)
• Multiple branches authorized to offer degree
• Courses offered by all
• Degree granted by one
• No two-year college precedents found

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Precedents for collaborative strategies

• Multiple colleges collaborate in development of a
  programs courses.
• Each college may use the courses in its own
  individually offered program.
• ACC, Tyler, Del Mar, St. PhilipsMedical Lab
  Technician

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Concept Papers Degree-sharing Models

• One provider
• Dual providers
• Multiple providers
• One provider, onsite program

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Elements common to all models

• Home (local) and degree-granting colleges sign
  MOU that serves as articulation agreement.
• Home college
• Provides core courses, perhaps some electives
• Delivers support services throughout program
• Degree-granting college provides degree-specific
  courses and awards degree
• VCT supports as appropriate