There will continue to be problems as is the case with any system conversion, but it is highly probable that those difficulties will disappear in time. At this time it is not prudent to incur the significant costs that would be necessary to acquire a replacement for WebCT. WebCT Vista should be evaluated in two years to determine its usefulness.
FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources and avoids the significant costs of another system installation.
FINDING 5-2
Although A&M has been proactive in recent years in the area of distance education, faculty
promotion and salary structures do not reward distance education innovations. The establishment of the Office of Distance Education in 1998 is one indication of the institution’s early efforts in this area. As shown in Exhibits 5–5 and 5–6, there has been a steady growth in the number of semester credit hours delivered via distance education over the last seven years, and distance education is not just confined to one or two colleges. At least six colleges offer online programs. Exhibit 5–8 lists the degrees and graduate certificates that are offered via distance education.
Exhibit 5–8
Degrees and Graduate Certificates Offered through Distance Education
College Degree or Certificate
Liberal Arts Ph.D. – Hispanic Studies, a collaborative doctorate Science M.S. – Mathematics, with a teaching option Dwight Look College of
Engineering
M.S. – Engineering Systems Management Master of Engineering – Industrial Engineering Master of Engineering – Petroleum Engineering Master of Industrial Distribution
Education M.Ed. or M.S. – Educational Administration
M.Ed. or M.S. – Educational Psychology with Bilingual Education emphasis
M.Ed. – Education Technology
M.Ed. – Education Human Resource Development Agriculture and Life Science Master in Agriculture – Agricultural Development
Master in Agriculture – Plant Sciences
Master in Agriculture – Natural Resource Development Master in Agriculture – Poultry Science
Ed.D. – Agricultural Education (Doc@Distance) George Bush School Certificate in Advanced International Affairs
Interdisciplinary Certificate Program for Mathematics and Science Teachers Source: A&M Colleges, July 2004.
Although several individuals and colleges have initiated some innovative distance education programs, there is more that can and should be done; additional courses and programs should be offered. According to a survey of recently-graduated alumni conducted by the review team, almost one-fifth of those responding indicated that the reason for their dissatisfaction with instructional technology at A&M was that there was not enough distance or web-based learning opportunities. Moreover, there are additional courses or programs that could be offered if there were instructors available to teach courses. As reported earlier, those responsible for the Math Department’s Masters in Mathematics program believe another 100–200 students would enroll if instructors were available to teach the courses. Other interviewees indicated that similar situations existed in their colleges. The review team found innovative uses of technology in several colleges. However, most faculty members still do not use technology effectively. Some use technology only for electronic mail and word processing. When faculty actively using technology in instruction were asked why many of their colleagues were slow to adopt technology in their teaching, they indicated that the university offers no incentives to faculty for implementing technology in their courses or developing new distance education degree programs. Younger faculty members who have yet to achieve tenure must pursue their profession to get tenured; therefore, they are unlikely to devote time to anything that does not help them reach that goal. As a result, most distance education professors are older faculty members who have reached a point in their career where they feel they have the freedom to develop and teach online courses without a negative impact on their careers.
Also, online courses are enormously “expensive” in terms of faculty time and commitment, much more so than in-class instruction. Thus, there is a large amount of additional responsibility in developing distance education or technology-enhanced courses.
Faculty who were interviewed indicated that although the university speaks loudly about wanting to be a model for technology use among higher education institutions, little is actually done to make that a reality. The executive vice president and provost appointed a Distance Education Review
Committee to assess where the university currently is and where it should go with respect to distance education and classroom technology use. While that committee’s report was not completed by the time the review team finished its study, it is probable that at least some of the recommendations from that committee will move the university forward in its use of technology.
Several faculty indicated that it is going to be necessary for A&M to make changes in the faculty reward system if the university is to significantly expand distance education. As long as faculty members are not rewarded for teaching distance education courses, it is unlikely distance education course offerings will proliferate. Faculty hopes that the Distance Education Review Committee will recommend the faculty reward system be modified to encourage involvement in distance education. Other universities have approached this dilemma by modifying their reward structures to include credit toward tenure for Internet or web-based course development and teaching. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Maryland-College Park provide release time to faculty to develop distance education courses. Course materials developed online may be considered publications for purposes of promotion and tenure.