I. The Background and Importance of the Project, or Rationale for its Existence

A. Background of the project

In its 2002 Summer Academy Application, the University of Georgia Teaching Academy proposed the following project title: 'To Extend the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to Off-Campus and Distance Education Programs.' In recent years, the University has begun offering a variety of off-campus education programs which include satellite campuses, study abroad and distance education. As a Research I Institution, these new educational offerings pose special challenges for the University which has traditionally relied on the scholarship of discovery for professional advancement. Specifically, how can the University promote and reward the scholarship of teaching and learning as an integral part of these new learning environments?"

From an initial focus on faculty support and development, the project was expanded to include the quality of educational programs at the extended campuses. The action plans of this project focus primarily on the University's offerings at the Gwinnett Center. However, these plans are designed to serve as a template for establishing other extended campus programs such as the one being considered for the Tifton Campus.

This document summarizes the progress made by the project team during the 2002 Summer Teaching Academy. The University's project team included Bob Boehmer, Joe Broder, Delmer Dunn, Sylvia M. Hutchinson, Patricia Kalivoda, Sachin Varghese and David Williams. Institutional titles of the project team members can be found at the end of this document.

B. Preparation for the project

Prior to the Summer Academy, the project team reviewed the following documents:

• Final Report of the President's Task Force on the Quality of the Undergraduate Experience (1997)
• The Executive Summary of the 1999-2000 University of Georgia Self-Study entitled "Creating a Climate of Inquiry: the Undergraduate Experience at a Public Research University and its Relationship to the University's Mission"
• The University System of Georgia Vision, Mission and Goals Statement
• "Chancellor Outlines System Priorities for First Year of Board's New Strategic Plan," System Supplement (April/May 2002)
• The University of Georgia's Strategic Plan: 2000-2010 (November 200);
• The University of Georgia Fact Book (2001);
• The history of the University of Georgia Teaching Academy
• Broder, Josef, "Extraordinary Teaching and Learning Opportunities for the UGA Teaching Academy" (April 5-6, 2002 remarks at the Academic Affairs Symposium)
• Broder, Josef and Patricia Kalivoda, " Creating a Forum for Interaction Among Teacher Across Disciplines" (Presentation made to WACRA Conference, Lund, Sweden, July 3, 2002)
• Description of the Senior Teaching Fellows Program, the Lilly Teaching Fellows Program, the Governors Teaching Fellows Program and the Teaching Assistant Program at the University of Georgia
• The University of Georgia Guidelines for Appointment, Promotion and Tenure (Revised May 1995)
• Morris, Libby, "Research on Online Teaching" (remarks for July 2002 Web CT conference).
  

C. Key facts about the University of Georgia

The following describes the University of Georgia:

• Approximately 32,000 students
  • 20,000 undergraduates
  • Entering first year students for Fall 2002 are expected to have average SAT scores of 1210 and average high school GPA of 3.
  • Increasing percentage of entering students from Atlanta metropolitan area
• Conferred 4,800 bachelors degrees and 2,000 graduate degrees in 2000-2001
  • About ½ of undergraduate degrees earned by transfer students
  • Approximately 3,000 faculty
  • 1784 in general instruction
• Land and sea grant institution
• Research institution
• Traditionally, the University has been a residential campus located in Athens, Georgia
  • Now a partner in Gwinnett University located between Athens and Atlanta
    
    

In recent years, the University of Georgia has begun offering a variety of off-campus programs which include satellite campuses, study abroad, distance education and an Adult College located in Athens.

The University of Georgia currently has a high retention rate (91% after first year and 69.2% after 6 years). There are a number of factors contributing to this situation. These include:

• HOPE Scholarships haves dramatically increased the applicant pool and admission standards
• Residential college initiatives
• First-Year College program
• Various programs of the Office of Instructional Support and Development
• Various programs of the Division of Academic Enhancement
• Expanded Orientation
• Convocation
• First year seminars
• Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities
• Strategic plan for the first decade of the 21^st century
  • The "new learning environment" is one of three strategic directions
• 1999-2000 UGA Self-Study - Alternative model - "Creating a Climate of Inquiry: the Undergraduate Experience at a Public Research University and its Relationship to the University's Mission"
• Mentoring programs including the honors mentoring program, the mentoring programs for women, and various departmental mentoring programs.
  
  

We recognize that the situation may be different at our new off-campus site, the Gwinnett University Center. However, students admitted to this site are upper-division students and graduate students and this will likely make retention less of a problem.

II. A Summary of Project Goals

A. Project vision:

The University of Georgia seeks to dramatically extend the opportunity for access to University of Georgia academic programs beyond the traditional residential experience.

B. Project mission:

The University of Georgia seeks to better serve the citizens of Georgia by increasing access to University of Georgia academic programs.

C. Project goals:

The purpose of this project is to extend access to University of Georgia academic programs beyond the bounds of UGA's traditional residential programs. Accordingly, student learning and development is enhanced by creating academic opportunities for students who would not otherwise have access to participating in the academic programs offered by a major research university.

• To promote a university culture which values the efforts to extend access to University of Georgia academic programs;
• To clearly articulate and communicate the institutional rationale for extending University of Georgia academic programs;
• To assure direct involvement of the faculty, deans and unit heads in the planning and implementation of extended academic programs;
• To collaborate with Division of Public Service and Outreach in evaluating market opportunities and utilizing non-traditional delivery mechanisms;
• To assign administrative responsibility with responsibility for facilitating these extended academic programs to a senior administrator;
• To recognize and reward faculty members for this activity in annual reviews, the promotion and tenure process and the post-tenure review process;
• To provide access to student services appropriate to the academic program and the needs of the individual student; and to ensure high academic standards;
• To accomplish the above while preserving the traditional quality of residential campus programs in Athens.

III. A Substantive Description of the Project

A. At this Summer Academy, the following action has been taken by the project team:

• Clarified and articulated our vision
• Identified the challenges faced by University of Georgia in implementing this policy
• Drafted a proposed policy regarding extended education programs - Some key elements include:

1. Rationale for engaging in extended education:

a. The responsibility of a land-grant university;

• Taking advantage of the financial, teaching, research and services opportunities presented by these programs;
• Maintaining traditionally high level of support of the University of Georgia by its citizens, legislature and the Board of Regents.

2. In general, extended education at the University of Georgia should emphasize:

a. Upper-division undergraduate (degree completion); and

b. Graduate.

3. This extended education may lead to:

a. Undergraduate degrees;

b. Graduate degrees;

c. Certificates;

d. Students taking courses to fulfill personal goals.

4. Courses and degrees (which will be UGA degrees) will be equal in quality to those offered on the Athens campus. Units offering courses/degrees will specify how quality will be assured.

5. These courses/degrees can be delivered

a. At satellite locations in face-to-face instructions;

• Hybrid on-line - on-line instruction combined with a number of face-to-face meetings between the instructor and students.

Over the next year, the project team hopes to accomplish the following:

• Engage faculty and administrators and students in a robust conversation about these issues:
  • The Teaching Academy will facilitate this conversation;
• Formalize the existing Gwinnett University Center ad hoc policy advisory committee as a formal policy advisory committee to provide oversight and guidance of these extended education programs;
• Take this proposed policy, as revised through campus conversations, through the faculty governance process for approval;
• Establish appropriate administrative lines of oversight for extended education programs;
• Currently, the University of Georgia has an office of Institutional Research and Planning with a staff of approximately 20. The experience and resources of this office are major resource of the University of Georgia. However, the mission of IRP needs to be updated and refined to meet the emerging needs of the University of Georgia, including the needs of these extended education programs.

IV. A Summary of the Key Enablers and Impediments to the Project's Success

A. Cultural factors likely to be impediments to the success of our project team

• There is a concern about "brand name" protection - i.e., that an off-campus degree (a UGA degree) will be lower quality ("UGA lite") and will dilute the brand name;
• There is a certain "elitism" among faculty (put another way, there is a desire for a "culture of excellence"). It has been a long, hard fight for UGA faculty to have a highly selective student body. There is a strong faculty desire for students with high SAT scores and high GPAs. This potentially clashes with the mission of a land-grant institution (i.e., the responsibility to increase access to UGA academic programs);
• Faculty feel that, in recent years, research expectations have increased dramatically; that the expectations upon faculty in the area of student engagement have increased (e.g., participating in undergraduate research, freshmen seminars, faculty mentoring of students, freshman college, residential teaching, etc.); and that teaching standards have increased. Now, faculty are being asked to take on the increased burdens of teaching at an off-campus site without a commensurate increase in resources or reward
• Faculty have operated in a relatively protected environment for many years. Specifically, UGA has prospered without participation in these extended education programs. We have had the luxury of not having to worry excessively about enrollment and funding problems. As a result, faculty have not considered participation in extended education to be an important element of their job.
• There is an ill-defined administrative structure in the area of extended education. Specifically, the Office of the Vice President for Instruction, the Office of the Vice-President for Public Service and Outreach and the Office of the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness each have significant responsibilities in this arena. The lack of clarity about the administrative structure creates concerns about the University's long-term ownership of these programs.

B. How will we overcome those impediments to facilitate the success of our project?

• Curriculum at off-campus sites and in the area of distance learning will be controlled by the existing academic units.
• The degrees granted will be the same degrees as granted at the residential campus in Athens (i.e., not "University of Georgia at Gwinnett" degrees).
• Faculty will be hired, evaluated and promoted/tenured by the existing academic units. Faculty support and development services will be provided by Office of Instructional Support and Development and other existing support units.
• Communication strategies will be developed to convey the rationale for these programs to the University community; and to establish institutional ownership of these extended programs. There must be a perception that this is not imposed from the top. It must be perceived that this is owned by the university community.
• There should be a greater involvement by deans and academic unit heads in the planning and implementation.
• Student services (student life, advising, library, financial aid, bursar, registrar, etc.) will be provided at the off campus locations as appropriate to meet student needs.
• Administrative support for off-campus programs will be provided on-site.

C. Cultural factors likely to be enhance the success of our project team?

• The extended campus is consistent with the land-grant mission of the University of Georgia (the notion that the entire state is our campus);
• The recent economic downturn and resulting budget cuts has made the campus community more receptive to the need to be responsive to meeting the needs of the State of Georgia;
• The University of Georgia is a comprehensive university offering an extremely broad range of academic programs. We have the capacity to develop and offer programs in response to a broad range of needs. Also, we have a great deal of expertise and experience in public service and outreach;
• We have developed a channel of communication with the "transfer institutions" (i.e, the institutions which are most likely to be the source of our transfer students). Workshops, an ombudsman at each transfer institution, list serves and other communication techniques have already been developed with these other institutions. These should be utilized to better prepare students for the upper-division experience at extended campus sites;
• The Office of Instructional Support and Development is highly respected on the UGA campus and beyond. Also, it has a history of providing support to faculty in innovative efforts. Accordingly, it has the potential for being a forum for communication about these extended programs and for providing support to the faculty teaching in these programs.
  

D. How will we use the suggestions as levers to facilitate the success of our project?

1. Forums for discussion will be created that include these groups:

Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Office of the Vice-President for Instruction
Office of the Vice-President for Public Service and Outreach
Office of the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness
Office of Instructional Support and Development
Student Government Association
Teaching Academy

There will be forums to facilitate the direct involvement in the planning and implementation by deans and academic unit heads.

V. A Summary of Project Performance Measures

A. Quantifiable measures to determine success of project:

In addition to aggregate data for all of UGA's extended education programs, the following data will be collected on a site/program specific basis so that the "results" for particular programs (e.g., Gwinnett University Center, Adult College, etc.) can be separated for purposes of analysis. The specific measures include:

• Qualifications of faculty teaching in the extended education programs with qualifications of faculty teaching in traditional residential programs.
• Student evaluations of teaching in the extended education programs with the evaluations in classes in traditional residential programs.
• NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) data for extended education programs with NSSE data for traditional residential programs
• Publications, presentations and other scholarly activities of faculty teaching in these extended education programs.
• Numbers of students served as classified by geographic region, age, gender, race, ethnic background and socio-economic categories.
• Needs of the state for particular types of degrees with the type of degrees awarded in these extended education programs.
• Number of presentations, workshops, seminars and publications by faculty teaching in these extended education programs which are devoted to the scholarship of teaching and learning.
• Faculty efforts (by faculty teaching in these extended education programs) to establish communities of practice and assessment for teaching and learning (such as peer collaboration, teaching circles, teaching portfolios, reflective memoranda and posting course syllabi on line);
• Percentage of full-time tenure track faculty teaching in these extended education programs as compared with faculty teaching in traditional residential programs.
• Salary of faculty teaching in these extended education programs as compared with faculty teaching in traditional residential programs.
• Method of delivery of courses in these extended education programs (i.e., traditional face-to-face; on-line; hybrid courses; GSAMS; etc.) as compared with delivery mechanisms being used in traditional residential programs.
• Cost per credit hour of the extended education programs as compared with traditional residential programs
• Persistence rate for students (and faculty) engaged in extended education programs as compared with persistence rates for students (and faculty) at similar levels in traditional residential programs
• Numbers of students taught (credit hours) in these extended programs; and number and type of certificates and degrees awarded.

B. What data are currently available to support the above measures?

Currently, the University of Georgia has an office of Institutional Research and Planning with a staff of approximately 20. The experience and resources of this office are major resource of the University of Georgia. However, the mission of IRP needs to be updated and refined to meet the emerging needs of the University of Georgia, including the needs of these extended education programs. Key elements of updating the mission include:

Assure involvement of faculty and administrators in defining the type of data that needs to be collected and the type of data analysis that needs to be conducted;

Assure that there is a greater focus on anticipating future needs in determining the type of data to be conducted.

The University of Georgia currently has an extensive Program Review process (applicable to all academic units). Each unit conducts and extensive self-study and undergoes a program review every seven years.

C. What new or refined data need to be collected?

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey should include students engaged in extended education programs and this data should be linked with individual student data as it is now on the main campus.

The existing program reviews of academic units should include a review of any extended education programs being conducted by those units.

Develop a post doctoral fellow position (ongoing) with the responsibility to conduct a qualitative field study of the extended education experience. This would be repeated in successive years.

There needs to be coordination with Student Government Association. Student access to significant parts of this data would greatly assist students in making wise educational choices.

D. Who should be responsible for data collection and management?

• Institutional Research and Planning (IRP)
• Faculty teaching in these extended education programs
• The Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness
• Office of Instructional Support and Development
• Program directors for the various extended education programs
• The Deans and department heads who are responsible for the particular academic programs

E. How frequently should the data be collected?

The current culture of the campus is to collect data as needed to respond to particular deadlines for data publication (e.g., regional accreditations; specialized accreditations; Board of Regent requests; etc.). This culture will need to be changed: anticipate future data needs; make continual data collection and analysis and assessment part of the campus culture.

F. What are the challenges to collecting this data?

IRP's organizational structure will need to be revamped to accommodate these data needs.

The responsibility for these extended education programs is decentralized. In other words, the individual academic units are responsible for the extended academic programs. This makes centralized analysis of data and maintenance of the brand name a challenge.

G. How could the data be used on campus for decision-making, action planning and organizational improvement?

• Quality assurance
• Faculty development
• Central administration of extended education to assure consistency among the various extended education programs
  

VI. Summary of your progress made against the project's mission and goals

The Summer Academy shaped the work of your team as follows:

1. Facilitated the identification of questions and challenges inherent in implementation of these extended programs;
2. Given the team members a new level of appreciation the strong and broad base of support for teaching and learning which we enjoy at the University of Georgia; for the expertise of colleagues; and for the resources available at the University of Georgia available to address these emerging issues
3. Provided time for highly-motivated colleagues to work together in a focused setting on solving a difficult problem.

VII. A list of next steps and action items

Over the next year, the project team hopes to accomplish the following:

1. Engage faculty, administrators and students in conversations about these issues:
   • The Teaching Academy will facilitate this conversation;
2. Formalize the existing Gwinnett University Center ad hoc policy advisory committee as a formal policy advisory committee to provide oversight and guidance of these extended education programs;
3. Take this proposed policy, as revised through campus conversation, through the faculty governance process for approval;
4. Establish appropriate administrative lines of oversight for extended education programs;
5. Expand the mission of the University's Office of Institutional Research and Planning to better monitor the quality of teaching and learning at the extended campuses.
   

VIII. A List of Team Members and Their Titles

Robert Boehmer, Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness

Josef Broder, (Chair) Assistant Dean, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and Executive Committee Chair of the UGA Teaching Academy

Delmer Dunn, Vice President for Instruction and Associate Provost

Sylvia Hutchinson, Institute of Higher Education, Professor of Higher Education and Coordinator of the University's Post Doctoral Teaching Fellows Program

Patricia Kalivoda, Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs

Sachin Varghese, President, UGA Student Government Association

David Williams, Head, Department of Religion