Site Team Report

13. Distance Education

Michigan Tech has developed limited capacity to deliver selected programs and courses to its corporate partners and one subset professional group. The programs include: (1) the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree with a concentration in Mechanical Design; (2) the Bachelor of Science in Surveying (BSS); and (3) a Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics. The audience for these programs include employees of Ford, General Motors, and professionals interested in surveying. These individuals have full time and demanding work schedules and require flexible learning environments which are served by distance learning modes of delivery. [Commendation 8]

The University's programs employ primarily asynchronous delivery methods including faculty prepared videotaped classes which are taped live on-campus and viewed by students in remote locations. Students interact with faculty and other students by phone, fax, and e-mail. The University is currently planning for increased use of the Internet and world wide web for course delivery.

The efforts of faculty in the distance education program are supported by professionals in a variety of campus offices including the Library, Admissions, Information Technology, and Financial Aid. The Extended University Programs Division assumes administrative responsibility for distance education programming and the coordination of the delivery of distance education. EUP also assists corporate partners with internal marketing of the programs within each individual partner's network to potential students.

The University has an adequate infrastructure to support the limited applications of the current thrust in distance education programming. Education Technology Services on campus manages the production and videotaping of classes and lectures. Site Coordinators are employed by the corporate partners interact closely with the on-campus EUP Student Services Coordinator. Site coordinators perform daily and quarterly administrative chores such as distributing video tapes and printed course materials, collecting and forwarding student homework and projects, proctoring exams, returning exams, returning videotapes, and making special arrangements for individual student problems.

The University, the College of Engineering, and the School of Technology have assured the integrity and quality of the current program offerings. Admissions standards, course content, access to learning resources, and adherence to relevant university policies are equivalent for distance learning students and residential students.

In many cases access to laboratories and learning resources at corporate sites could be considered superior to that available on campus. While residency requirements for the doctorate have been waived by the Dean of the Graduate School, the equivalent balance for this waiver involves the faculty mentor staying on site with students for an entire academic quarter. The cost for this stay is borne by the corporate sponsor.

While it is clear that faculty are deeply involved in the development and implementation of each of the programs offered by distance education, the University needs to pay attention to the development of protocols which insure that each new site or program receives appropriate internal peer review and approval by the appropriate academic council(s). [Concern 8]

While the Schools involved have assessment processes in place for on-campus programs, attention needs to be given to assure that appropriate methodologies are applied to the assessment of student learning in the distance education delivery modes. The University plans to partner with corporate sponsors to evaluate student progress and assess program strengths and weaknesses appears workable.

The current programs offered by distance education are designed to be self-supporting and are offered on a contract for service basis to corporate sponsors. The surveying program involves individual consumer contributions, but it also is self-supporting. Budgeting for distance learning is through the Extended University Programs division. EUP is also responsible for the planning, needs assessments, and feasibility analyses which precede distance education course and/or program offerings. Since 1995-96 programs have generated revenue adequate to retire costs.

The University has adequate physical resources to offer the current type and level of distance education opportunities. A studio classroom with a capacity of 50 is equipped with an instructor's console with program monitors, TelePrompTer, computer and graphics support. In addition the university has a satellite earth station, compressed video delivery system using T-1 transmission and video duplications services. Any expansion beyond the current mode of asynchronous delivery would require a considerably greater investment in physical resources.

The team recommends no prior Commission approval required to offer degree programs throughout Michigan, and no prior Commission approval required to offer campus-approved courses and degree programs to regional companies and their subsidiaries at remote sites. Michigan Tech has an established record in delivering educational programs to industrial sites of Michigan companies, and to individuals seeking training in surveying. The change of status allows the University to expand its activities in an orderly way to regional companies, and to their subsidiaries world-wide. While the team's recommendation is more restricted than the institution's request, conversations with the administration confirmed that the new status will allow Michigan Tech to grow in the way it anticipates.

While the team feels that the University has planned well for its distance education programming, a progress report to the Commission is appropriate to insure adherence to Commission policies and to encourage continued refinement of what is a very new and important addition to the ability of the University to fulfill its instructional mission. The team does not wish to limit the University's growth of distance education programing in the direction currently anticipated, but it does feel that a report allows the University to inform the North Central Association of any changes in goals. If the goals expend beyond current plans, a focused visit might be appropriate.

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