Dr. Robert Roehrich

Martha, Thank you for your posting to this Forum. It appears that your policy focus is narrowly concentrated on the "mechanics" of student participation in online instruction. I suggest you consider exploring broader applications of policy, for example: academic issues, e.g. quality, integrity, curriculum development and compatibility, standardization of syllabi, advisory board input, transfer-ability, instructional outcomes and assessment, credit matching, tutoring, advisement, transcript processes, etc. Additional policy areas that should be included and reviewed for compatibility to on-ground/face-to-face instruction are: admissions; faculty (identification, training, pedagogy, workload, development., evaluation, etc.) fiscal and budget; governance; security; student support; technology (infrastructure, LMS/CMS interfaces,… >>>

Hi Martha, Thank you for your post to the Forum. I trust this course will be valuable,provide additional insight, and perhaps, ways to enhance your distance delivery programs. As you may have noted in earlier postings, acknowledging the characteristics of your student population and their unique learning needs is the first step. To offer effective quality online courses, multiple factors need to be considered and monitored. But most importantly, a distance education strategy must be developed that aligns with the mission and vision of the institution that has the fiscal support to insure its integrity and continuation. I'm looking forward… >>>

Adena, Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed reply. I greatly appreciate your expression of how you came to the course and I hope I can add something to your already broad knowledge base of distance education. Ironically, you and I are DeVry Alums, I was VP & Chief Academic Officer for DeVry Inc. for 14 years. During my tenure there, I was pushing for entry into distance education, but my vision and that of some executives didn't match; things are quite different now. I'll look forward to assisting you in any way I can as you move through the… >>>

Adena, Thank you for your response and while I fundamentally agree with you, please consider the following. Reacting to the competitive environment requires serious introspection on the part of the institution’s leadership. Generally, this starts with reviewing the mission, vision and goals for the institution, followed by a strategic planning process initiated with a S.W.O.T. analysis (i.e. assessing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). The S.W.O.T. analysis guides the identification of positives and negatives inside the institution that will help determine its capabilities and resources for conducting a quality online education program. Without this process, deciding to offer online programs in… >>>