My DLA Forecast for 2009

As we say goodbye to an unforgettable year, here's what I think is in store for 2009, at least in the world of online learning:

• A greater emphasis on the financial benefits of distance learning. Higher ed administrators who were previously lukewarm about DL will work on number crunching to see exactly how online learning lowers the instructional cost per student.



• Organizational structures will continue to evolve with DL departments increasingly aligned with academics rather than IT groups.



• eLearning will make its formal entrance into the mainstream with its appearance on the mission statements of more and more traditional institutions.



• Dramatically increased use of social networking tools (like Facebook) in online learning - for both instruction and support. Facebook will "age" a bit as more and more faculty and over 30 folks hop on for DL purposes and then get a little addicted themselves.



• Less one-on-one support for faculty as resources get further stretched (more courses but little or no new staff). The bad news is we'll see more group training sessions, but the savvy administrators will develop better, easy-to-use (and locate) online tutorials as well as mentoring programs.



• Big emphasis on green. Although gas prices are lower, the Summer of '08 is not forgotten. Online learning provides the obvious answer here. We'll slowly see more telecommuting of DL faculty and staff as well. Lots and lots and lots more online meetings.



• More streamlined approaches to quality, evaluation, and retention. More software entries such as that offered by Starfish Retention Solutions that will help us become accountable in a systematic way.



• Increased development and marketing of online courses and programs to the Hispanic community as well as those who support this population, such as teachers and healthcare providers.

The Most Important DL Course Evaluation

The most important DL course evaluation - the one that ultimately affects many of the others - is the formative evaluation within the course. Yet, it's the one that so many people skip or just don't take very seriously. End-of-course, summative evaluations are swell for proving to department heads and accreditors how good or not-so-good an instructor or course are. But what good does it do for the students in the course? Even in an established course that's been working well, I like to do a very simple formative evaluation a week or so before the course mid-point. Usually, it's just an email or discussion board posting asking students to list three things they like most about the course, three things they like least, and what the instructor could do to improve. I really get some valuable information from these simple questions - but I follow-up with probing questions if any key responses are too vague. Every group of students is different. Students who liked group projects the term before hate them the next. (Okay, I admit most students don't like groupwork at all.) After I get the results, I post them for the students to see, and let them know what course changes I am going to make as a result of their feedback. You can bet that making a few changes, no matter how minor, will make your end-of-course evaluations higher. Not doing a formative evaluation is like serving soup that you didn't taste and season during the cooking (credit Bob Stakes metaphor). Where I need to improve is better record-keeping or logging of these informal, formative assessments.

Avoiding DL Staff Burnout #1

Always in the back of my mind, usually pretty well hidden from the people who work for me, is the big worry that their jobs will get to be just too much for them. There seems to be no stopping the demand for online learning (and the support that goes with it), but funding is at a standstill (or going backwards). So, what we called a full plate three years ago has changed its meaning as we keep stretching and stretching. My first tip (in a random series) for avoiding staff burnout is to simply to hire the right folks to begin with. This is not a laid-back, conflict-free, quiet field. It's not for those who want to work normal hours, know what to expect each day, and have minimal or average interaction with other people. DL support is for people who thrive on change and lots of action. It's for people who loathe boredom and shine with lots of creative energy. Hire these types, and even though they may show that they feel the pressure, they tend to bloom in circumstances where others crack.

Does the Recession Mean More or Less Online Enrollment?

Yesterday, we were told in the US that we are officially in a recession (duh), and have been since last December. So what does this mean for online enrollments? On the one hand, students out of work or consumed by debt may not have enough money to afford classes. Then again, people who have lost their jobs may use the time on their hands to seek new degrees and careers. I think that online programs, particularly affordable ones at public institutions, will see a extra surge in enrollments because of the economy. Why? Online programs allow students to continue their jobs and save money on gas and other costs such as babysitting. Marketwatch reported today that a survey of visitors to the website, eLearning.com, found that 44 percent wanted to take online courses to embark on a new career. On the downside, a third of the respondents were uncertain as to how they would pay for their education.

Four Ways to Get Students to Complete Online Course Evaluations

The primary downfall of online course evaluations is the low completion rate. In the traditional environment, students are more or less held captive while they rate their learning and their instructor on a piece of paper. To raise completion rates to a comparable level, use these ideas.

1. Give students 1 point extra credit for completing the evaluation. Almost all online course evaluation software allows one to see which students completed the survey, while maintaining the anonymity of their responses. This is probably the most important tip, and the one not to skip. I use a grading scale of 1000 (900 is an A) for my courses, so I actually offer 10 extra points, which sounds better but is really equal to 1 point on a 100-point scale.
2. Discuss the importance of completing the evaluation early on in the course - the first week is not too soon. Get it in their mind how important this is to you,
3. Get your institution to agree to delay availability of grades if an evaluation is not completed. The University of Oregon has a policy that withholds grades and transcripts until the Friday after the grading deadline ends for those students who don't complete the evaluations (other students get them as soon as they are turned in).
4. Send lots of reminders in various formats. Use email, the discussion board as well as course announcements.

Chunking Student Support Information

I'm amazed when I see DL students getting multi-page, ultra-wordy documents that provide important DL information - such as how to order books, how to use the CMS, where to get tutoring, etc. When we develop our courses (or train others to do so), we know that the best way to present online content is in chunks - or little bits of information at a time. So why don't we apply the same principles to our student support materials? General DL information should be provided in well-organized snippets, and should be redundant (mailing, emails, announcements within the course). Taking this one step alone pays big benefits in less student frustration, less helpcalls, and higher retention.

Should DL Pay for the Lights?

There are some clear costs associated with distance and online programs; administrative staff, faculty, course development and redevelopment, and technology are examples. However, in a model in which DL is a self-supporting cost center, hidden institutional costs should be considered. These include office space for administrative staff and utilities. Even though DL may bring much difficult-to-quantify benefit to an institution through increased enrollments and savings in classroom space, a true cost model will include some overhead for the institution. Such costs should perhaps not be assessed until the program is meeting its other costs, but should be considered in long-term planning.

No More Boring eLearning

After several days of insane, non-stop work on a crazy DL deadline - and subsequently being a miserable failure as a late-nite blogger, I happened upon an incredible, don't-miss instructional design-ish blog. Now that I've found Cathy Moore's blog, I will never be the same (how did I function without this? how did I miss this?) First stop is her Drop the Drone:Easier Steps to Lively Courses. Now, we finally have permission to take some risks, drop the filler verbiage, and truly make online courses exciting. In this presentation, she also provides compelling guidance on how to actually cut, chop and edit our online landfills of useless, meaningless words.

Facebook for Online Student Recruitment

Are the days of billboards, radio, and direct mail over for higher education recruitment? I don't think so, but we can't afford to dismiss the burgeoning opportunities for Web 2.0 marketing. In the past year, there has been an increased entry of universities on Facebook. In many cases, it appears that these sites are university-sponsored, but benefit from unedited postings by students. Many are using their Facebook sites to include RSS feeds of campus news and events. While they may appear to serve as a retention and community-building tool for present students, the use of Facebook is also a recruitment tool when used properly - such as appropriate inbound links. Clearly, the appearance of the site is critical, particularly for online programs where the student may never actually see the campus. Another use of Facebook (and similar social networking sites) for university recruitment is for advertising. Facebook allows for easy creation of ads (though it requires pre-payment by credit card rather than invoicing), and allows the option of pricing per click. It would seem that the use of Facebook as a recruitment tool would be even more useful for online programs as it so directly targets potential students who seem to enjoy spending time online.

Bridge to Hawaii

This has been such a serious week that I decided to lighten up a bit and adapt the old "Bridge to Hawaii" joke. Here's my version for DLA folks...just a joke, of course.....A DL Director was biking to her job at a California university, when all of the sudden she heard a big, booming voice from above. The Voice said, "You have done such a wonderful job as a DL Director and have helped to bring education to many people who previously did not have such opportunities. For your hard work, I will grant you one wish." The DL Director stopped her bike and pondered for a moment. Then she responded, "I would like for you to build a bridge to Hawaii so that I can ride my bike there any time I want." The Voice responded, "I need you to think more carefully. Your request is extremely difficult and would waste most of the natural resources that you have helped to save through your work in distance learning. You are asking for concrete and steel that will stretch thousands of miles long and hundreds of miles deep. Surely, you can think of something that is more in line with your true purpose." The DL Director thought for a long time, then finally responded. "I would like to be able to better understand and reach faculty. No matter what we do, they never seem completely satisfied. So what I want is for faculty to be happy." The Voice responded: "Do you want two lanes or four lanes on that bridge?"

Test Proctoring: Time to Ditch the Paper and the Pencils

Amazingly, a very significant portion of proctored testing of online students is still conducted via paper and pencil. Not only is this a less secure way of test delivery, but is enormously expensive in terms of mailing and labor to and from the testing sites and instructors. For years, we've had built-in testing tools in our CMSs, including Blackboard and WebCT. These tools also allow us to lock the test, enabling only the proctor to open it with a provided password. I think that there are two main reasons why some of us are stuck. First of all, many university testing centers simply don't have enough computers (in their testing centers) to test dozens of students at one time (such as during midterms). Another reason - plain old resistance to change. The entire process of testing and mailing is historically so cumbersome that once we have a system underway (even a greatly flawed one), any attempt to suggest obvious and available improvements is met with fear and panic. For those still wondering if the change is worth the initial invesment, let's review the benefits of using online testing in the proctored environment:

• no mailing costs


• significantly lower labor costs


• no printing costs


• instant grading (for objective tests)


• earth-friendly


• ability to randomize questions through test bank

Five Ways to Make Virtual Adjuncts Feel Connected to the University

One common concern regarding the use of adjunct and part-time faculty is that they are not integrated into the life of the university. Here are five simple ways to create a more inclusionary environment:

1. Initial training should include not just expectations about online teaching expectations, but also detailed information about the institution itself.


2. Require participation in at least one traditional faculty activity, such as committee involvement (virtually)


3. Sign them up for all electronic communications (daily bulletins, announcements) sent to on-campus faculty and staff.


4. Foster an administrative DL structure that provides the same level of support and respect afforded to on-campus instructors teaching DL courses. Record, digitize and post on the web all f2f training sessions for on-campus online instructors.


5. Send them a t-shirt with the university mascot when they first sign on.

Undergrad Degrees of DL Administrators

Though it's a dream job, becoming a DL administrator wasn't my dream. That's no surprise, since the field scarcely existed 20 years ago (except on a very limited basis). I took a few minutes to do some highly informal research to find out the educational origin of 25 randomly-selected DL adminers. In perusing the vitae of 25 individuals in charge of DL programs (directors, deans, assistant and associates deans and directors), I found that there was no most common bachelor's degree among them. In fact, out of the 25, there were 17 different degrees. These were:

• Political Science (2)
• Math (3)
• Psychology (4)
• Education (4)
• Journalism (1 - that's me)
• English (2)
• Engineering (1)
• Biblical Studies (1)
• Spanish (1)
• History (1)
• Oceanography (1)
• Sociology (2)
• Nursing (1)
• Music (1)

There were no business majors, nor computer-science, IT-related majors. Keep in mind this was by no means a scientific sample, but interesting nevertheless, I believe.

Evaluation: Why Student Satisfaction Matters

I was recently part of discussion regarding the importance, or lack of, student satisfaction as a measure of the success of a DL course or program. Clearly, it is student "learning" where we focus the brunt of our evaluation efforts - and must do so lest we wish to face the woeful proposition of being admonished by our accreditors. But student satisfaction measures are not fluff. They can be clear indicators of whether or not an online class needs a major fix, and whether of not our training programs for online instructors need to be realigned. Through student satisfaction measures, we can learn much - such as whether or not an online instructor is communicating on a timely basis, whether or not appropriate support systems are in place for online students, and whether or not we may hope to retain the student as a consumer of our online programs. Student satisfaction has a dramatic impact on our marketing, our enrollment, our retention, and even our course quality - if we utilize the data to thoughtfully make course, program, and administrative improvements.

DLA Word of the Week: Academic Analytics

This one is closely related to my posting Wednesday about data mining and new products such as Starfish. Academic Analytics is an emerging field that allows us to take ginormous amounts existing data (presently sitting quietly and often unused on our IT servers), and make it incredibly useful to us in decision making. Decision making might include predicting which students are most likely to succeed, what next fall's enrollment is going to be, or in the case of online learning, which students presently need or will need (predictive) certain types of support. Educause Review had a pretty good introductory article on the topic last year. I've posted some fun weekly words on this blog, but this is one you need to remember. I'm thinking this is going to be the new super hot conference topic for 2009, particularly when we're thinking about retention and online education.

Data Mining for Online Student Retention

At the top of my DLA Christmas Wish List would be a tool that automatically notifies DL support staff when a student is exhibiting at-risk behaviors in an online course (not logging in, not completing assignments, poor grades, etc.). The support person could then immediately contact the student and assist them or refer them to other services if needed (tutoring, counseling, etc.). I only recently learned that Blackboard has an integrated tool called Early Warning System that operates along these lines, and allows an instructor to set certain minimum standards. When students do not meet these standards, the instructor (and an "observer" if the instructor chooses) can pull this information up in a report. Another product, which I just discovered, called Starfish Solutions Early Alert appears to go a step further by not only identifying concerns, but tracking and facilitating interventions. I am not sure why I have not seen more discussion or excitement about these possibilities, since they have the potential to provide dramatically scale DLA student support services and create immediate improvements in retention.

Online Due Dates: An Argument for Leniency

Should online instructors have fast-and-firm rules about online deadlines? In other words, if a student forgets to turn in their discussion posting or do their quiz by the Thursday midnight deadline, should they get another chance? I think that the answer lies in what is best for the student. For me, that means some flexibility. Now, from experience, I see that many instructors disagree with me. Many students that I have supported or advised as an administrator have had disappointing grades not because they did not learn the material, but because they missed the deadline for turning in an assignment or quiz. Many faculty believe that we are doing students a disservice if we are too flexible - that they need to learn responsibility. However, when we have students with five online classes, it is easy to overook a deadline (I sometimes can't even remember five things I need to pick up at the grocery store). The result for the student is a zero, no exceptions, and this leads the student to not only have a lower GPA but also have great disdain for online learning. Yes, I clearly realize what a pain it is to go back and re-grade late assignments (as an instructor). For this reason, I try to build in several extra credit opportunities to make up for these lapses. In addition, I am often open to letting a student complete a limited number of assignments late, with some reduction in grade. Isn't our real purpose to give them opportunities to learn and succeed?

The Aging of DL Adminers

It has just occured to me this week in certain discussions with my staff (most who have been around for the long-haul with me), that we are significantly older than we were when we started our journey into online education and its support and administration. For some reason, this is a field people seem to stay in (that's good). Then I think about my many wonderful friends and colleagues over the world in DL Admin, and realize that they, too, have matured and even grayed a bit. Many of us were in our 20s and 30s when we somehow fell into this field, often by accident, and now we are middle-aged, over-the-hill (or fast approaching), and actually paying attention to phrases like "retirement planning." We are, as a rule, a few pounds heavier (I'm still working on this one) and a little less energetic (they say our lung capacity diminishes). On the bright side, we have experience, wisdom, and respect. But are we losing our spunk, our willingness to take chances, and our shine? I hope not! As we have reached a new lifestage, so have our maturing programs. As we aging DL Adminers work to find new meaning in our personal lives as the years flash by, we must also strive to keep our programs fresh and shiny.

DLA Weekly Word: Leaky Reply

This could be (or maybe has been) your worse nightmare. A Leaky Reply occurs when you hit "reply all" and send your electronic message to a bunch of people (like your boss, your students, or an entire listserv) and you only meant to send it to one. The term implies that the content of your email had some sort of embarrassing content which will cause you to panic and wish to disappear into your dark virtual cave. This certainly doesn't just apply to DL Adminers, but might be a cool term to use in student orientations or faculty training. Sally meant to tell only her online instructor about her embarrassing medical problem which would prevent her from completing her quiz on time, but was mortified when she inadvertently had a leaky reply to the entire class.

Kudos to Clear DL Policies

One of my favorite DL colleagues in the whole world, Debi Moon, developed some DL policies at Georgia Perimeter that I think serve as an outstanding beginning for anyone looking to develop or revise their own policies. She clearly put much effort into these, they are concise yet thorough, and wonderfully clear rather than full of legalese (and Debi happens to be a lawyer!). I know that it took some work to get all of these approved by faculty, and I know many of us DL Adminers are jealous of this feat. Among the topics covered in GPC's Policies for Distance Learning are course standards, faculty responsibilities, class sizes, student expectations, and faculty support.

DL Courses Consume 90% Less Energy

I remember years ago when most DL programs were mere infants, talking about how much gas and miles were saved by students/instructors not having to drive to class. Back in the glory days of the late 90s, this notion was interesting but was only seen as a little extra bonus. Of course, these days everybody is good bit more serious about gas prices and energy than they were 10 or 12 years ago. Today Business Wire India reports that online education is perhaps the "most effective way an institution can reduce its carbon footprint." They site a UK Open University study that found that DL courses consume 90% less energy and 85% less CO2 than do traditional courses. I truly think we'll see a greater emphasis on the green element of online learning - from conference presentations to more research to inclusion in marketing materials.

DLA Word of the Week: Lagfest

When you are using your course management system to input grades, copy courses, upload files, or whatever, and everything starts going very, very slowly, you are in a lagfest. Simply put, a lagfest is that ridiculously long time that you spend waiting for something online to process. Often a lagfest is applied to computer gaming, but I think that DLA administrators may spend even more time in the lagfest zone.

DLA2009 Call for Proposals

I am thrilled to announce that we have just opened up the Call for Proposals for our 10th Annual DLA Conference, to be held June 21-24, 2009 at the King & Prince Resort at St. Simons Island, Georgia. There are so many people who attend this conference year after year who tell me that it is their very favorite DL conference - so much discussion, learning, yummy food and fun. Though this conference is specifically for those administering DL programs (directors, deans, support staff, etc.), we usually have a fair number of online faculty who present related research. Our proceedings are bound and printed, rather than just being on a CD. Among the conference strands are: managing growth in DL; training and support; budget; marketing; ethics and copyright; quality assurance; and organizational issues. I would love to see some proposals this year about the potential impact of the Higher Education Act on DL, as well as issues related to the economy. The proposal process is simple and will take you just a few minutes.

Job Challenge Plus Fluid Environment Equals Incredible Support Staff

Basically, this is my simple take on continuous process improvement. As a organizational unit, we really never arrive. We must always, constantly, every day look for ways to do what we are doing better. Our rules and our roles are fluid. We will not maintain excellence if we rest on the laurels of yesterday and today. Every day I must make decisions, but rarely are these set in stone. Circumstances, opportunities, threats, and our own perceptions may change. Staff should not expect that what they are doing today is what they will be doing this time next year (or maybe even two months from now). Every year, I like to work with my own staff to re-evaluate their primary job responsibilities and shift these around a bit. In doing so, we consider how our organizational needs have changed, what areas need new blood or ideas, and what are the interests of each staff member. On a day-to-day basis, we are in constant learning mode, and never in a climate that sits by quietly focusing on the pre-determined tasks, but rather constantly challenging ourselves and one another, and listening very, very carefully to those faculty and students with whom we come in contact - for they are not necessarily saying the same things that they did last year. Sounds tiring? Well, not really. What is tiring is boredom and complacency.

Yep, Students are Customers

I'm really not sure why there continues to be any question about whether or not our students are customers. Hello - stocks are falling, banks are failing, budgets are being cut on a regular basis, and face it, we are in competition with one another for the tuition dollars of students. While our main purpose in offering DL programs is for the good of society (most of us want smart people around us) and to create some equity in educational opportunities, sometimes DL programs are actually developed in response to market demands (gasp!). And, I see marketing and promotion as becoming a more significant line in a DL budget. Of course it all begins with recruitment. For our DL programs we not only want to get the message out that they are available, but that our school is the best available brand for a particular group of target students. Beyond that, our job as DL Admins is to try to keep these students in our virtual doors once they enroll. This is where we get back to the tried-and-true customer service principles. Treat every customer (student) the way you expect to be treated. Quickly and effectively resolve the student's problem. Go the extra mile.... Some critics of the student-as-customer concept argue that all of this somehow diminishes the quality of education. I disagree. Part of the customer orientation is the delivery of a good product - in education this certainly includes challenge.

Nicenet Still Free and Easy

When we were first looking into purchasing WebCT or some other CMS 10 years ago, we discovered a simple, free tool called Nicenet Internet Classroom Assistant - brand new at that time. Clean and simple, Nicenet allows you to set up a quick online class in about 10 minutes. Features include a forum, a calendar, link sharing, document sharing and a list of class members. We used it for our very first online course, and with its lack of integration with dozens of other tools and cumbersome administrative side, I'm glad to see it's still available, still used, still free, and very much like it was 10 years ago. With a name like Nicenet, how can it not be friendly?

DLA Word (phrase) of the Week: Mouse Potato

This one is almost self-explanatory, and I think anybody involved in any way in online learning, teaching, or administration is in grave danger of becoming a mouse potato. If almost all of your waking life is spent with a mouse within a close proximity of your hand, then you are a mouse potato. A true mouse potato tends to work, play, shop, and communicate on the computer, often in blocks of five or more hours. Is this better than being a couch potato? I think so...I hope so.

Quiet but Big Worries about the Higher Education Act

A colleague from another state called me today to ask my opinion of the Higher Education Act (2008) reauthorized in August. Buried in this mongo, 1200-page bill (full text) is a line that says that accreditors must require institutions to ensure that any student enrolled in a distance course is truly the one doing the work. Specifically it states: "the agency or association requires an institution that offers distance education or correspondence education to have processes through which the institution establishes that the student who registers in a distance education or correspondence education course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the program and receives the academic credit" So far, there are some questions and speculation but not a lot of answers. What exactly does this mean? Some, particularly companies who sell identification software (such as biometric or cameras) are interpreting it to mean that we must prove the identity of a student taking an online exam. But does this also apply to homework, discussion boards, papers, etc.? How can we prove that an online student who writes a term paper is truly that student unless they are actually proctored while writing the paper? This would be an impossible standard that could mean the demise of all online learning? Traditional courses are not held to such a standard, nor should they be. If it is only referring to proctored examinations, I can only imagine how instructors and institutions may respond. Yes, some will invest (or have their students invest) in online proctoring devices or face-to-face proctors. But I think that others would reduce or eliminate testing all together, relying only on discussion boards, papers, projects, etc. I am worried about this, and am anxious to hear how other institutions are responding, and what accreditors are interpreting this to mean.

Don't Cross the Ivory Line

As DL adminers, we are privy to the best and worst of online courses. If not careful, we can get lost in our best practices mindset, and start to believe that we are the utmost authority on online course design, online teaching, and everything in between. We start to think that we could save all students from those occasional yucky online courses if every instructor would just develop their course just exactly like we would. The problem? Well, there's just oodles of them. First of all, it's just not our place to cross that ivory line and get into the business of telling faculty how to teach. Train them, lead them, inspire them - yes; but remember that they are the true artists who must be allowed to sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly create their own masterpieces. I'm also one who, in spite of the scalability it may provide, who is not in favor of a cookie-cutter approach to online classes. I treasured the geniune and spontaneous character of f2f courses I took long ago, and think we move into dangerous territory when we attempt to rob online courses of the same. Finally, we begin to lose respect when our egos get in the way and we forget that we are administrators in a support role.

What I Love (and don't) about Hybrid Teaching

Okay, let's get the bad out of the way first. I am constantly trying to get faculty to bump their courses up to be fully online so that we can reach potential students who live far, far, far away and couldn't possibly commute to campus, even once per week. I am certainly grateful that I was able to earn my own Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by taking only fully online courses (Lincoln is a long drive from Georgia). With that said, I absolutely love teaching 1/2 online. Five reasons:

1. Students who seem terrified of saying anything out loud in the f2f portion really get involved in the online discussions.
2. I am able to quickly and clearly clarify course issues (grades, assignments, etc.) in the f2f meeting. No matter how many times I tell them something online, some of them just don't seem to get it unless they hear me say it.
3. I am able to have highly-participatory, fun, engaging activities on the f2f day, since students are responsible for reading the text and taking a weekly quiz. We spend very little time going over what is in the text in the f2f portion, and instead do quick debates, lots of questions and hand-raising polls, and looking at news and YouTube materials regarding the upcoming presidential election (the class is American Government).
4. Since this is a freshman class, this is a great, but less risky way, for these new students to become good online learners.
5. My ego enjoys it. Yep, I am guilty. I like hearing myself talk and the instant gratification I get from seeing the faces and reactions of students who are listening and thinking.

Out-of-Gas Instructors Turn to Online Teaching

The other day my daughter told me that one of her f2f courses was cancelled and that they would do their coursework online for the next week. The reason? The instructor, who had a 30-mile commute to campus, was uncertain whether or not she'd be able to find gas. Just last Friday, I traveled to teach the f2f portion of my hybrid course at one of our branch campuses, 45 minutes away. I was low on gas, but figured I would just fill up after class. Wrong! After finding six gas stations completely out, I gambled and drove the rural road to the next tiny town along my way back. The first three stations had none. I called my husband and put him on stand-by to pick me up as the needle fell below empty. Finally, the last station in town had gas, and about four cars in line. It was one of those old-timey stations, and they didn't take debit or credit cards. I managed to find a couple of dollars plus some change in the bottom of my purse, and got enough gas to get back home. I heard some reports of one of more community colleges cancelling classes altogether (why didn't they go online?), and one oil distributor even suggested that the Georgia-Alabama game be postponed or cancelled (what - never!). Unfortunately, the Georgia team, embarrased by their unexpected 41-30 brusing by the Crimson Tide, won't be able to blame the gas shortage on this one.

Babies at Work?

Recently, a faculty member complained about another faculty member who kept bringing their child to work - not everyday, but frequently. She wanted a policy created that allowed for no children on campus at all. I know that there are some institutions that have such a policy, but I strongly believe that "no children" is too prohibitive. In these days of budget cuts and having to take on increased workloads with little or no salary increases, we have to be more family-friendly than ever. When my staff had little tiny ones (it was in our water for a while), I tried to be as flexible as possible, letting them bring their newborns to work for a short period of time or working from home when practical. Any disruptions are minimal and are offset by the job satisfaction of that employee and their retention as an employee. I would argue for policies that allow for greater work flexibility for working parents. One negative would be the potential risk to the institution (if the child were hurt), but several institutional policies simply state that the parent assumes such risk. There are lots of variables - what type of work the employee does, their proximity to other employees, etc. - and this is why policies should be flexible enough to allow for supervisors to take these variables into account when setting departmental policies.

Do We Coddle Our DL Students?

Recently, I was in a meeting where another assistant/associate dean suggested that we must consider taking the tough-love approach on our students (not specifically online ones), lest those in the workplace felt that we had coddled them too much, making them ill-prepared for the real world. As heads around the room nodded in agreement, I shuddered, knowing this was quite contrary to everything I had done to make our DL programs successful in terms of student success and retention. While real challenge is integral to teaching and learning, it must be accompanied by an unwavering commitment to helping students and guiding them the sometimes confusing path of online learning. I have trained my staff to refrain from being annoyed by difficult online students, who call often asking question after question about passwords, where to get their books, when to sign up for their test, and other questions that are often found in their syllabus. Instead, I argue, these are the students that we must help the most. This is where we can make a real difference. I can't tell you the number of students I've known personally - students who were on the verge of dropping out of college - who have gone on to graduate and become outstanding members of society and the workforce because we went that extra mile.

DLA Weekly Word: Unconference

An unconference is a relatively new concept that we can apply not only to professional conferences, but also to training sessions. An unconference is different in that the topics and discussions develop during the conference, and are produced by the attendees rather than the organizers. Generally, unconferences do focus on a particular theme. Kaliya Hamlin has an entire blog devoted to the topic on unconferences. What I like about using these for training sessions is that the discussions and learning are rarely stale, and tend to address the most timely, burning issues. In my 4-month Distance Education Certified Trainer Program, we have an unweek, where activities and discussions are extremely unplanned. It's the ultimate in peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.

A Crowded Office

When my staff first moved into part of an old house on our campus, there were just two of us. We steadily grew to six full-time employees, and more than a dozen part-timers or student assistants. Our offices look more like little bedrooms or living rooms than regular offices, so there is a built-in coziness and comfort. On the other hand, we are squeezed in pretty tightly. Everyone shares their space with at least one other person, and no one is really more than 10-20 steps away. Yet, even when given the chance to move to a spacious, modern building, we've hung on to our arrangement. Being this close has its advantages. First of all, we really have an understanding of what one another does, and are able to provide instant advice and immediate support to one another. So, if one person is taking a helpcall and is uncertain about the best answer, there is always another person nearby who can assist. This means a much faster response time for students and faculty - there's almost never a "let me find out and call you back." The proximity also means that we are unusually close and bonded - not that we don't get snippy and catty - but we're very much like siblings. At left is a picture of our team.

Branding Your CMS

Ever since Blackboard took over WebCT, universities have been a bit perplexed about what to name their CMS. Is it WebCT Vista or Blackboard or WebCT View or what? Just when we've got students used to one name, it seems it's time to change again. I'm seeing more and more institutions picking their own names, ones that aren't tied to any specific product. Here are some examples for inspiration:

• Georgia State University - ULearn


• Columbus State University - CougarView


• Sacremento State - SacCT


• University of Minnesota - WebVista


• Simmons College - Simmons eLearning


• University of Sheffield - MOLE (My On Line Learning)


• Valdosta State University - BlazeView


• University of Connecticut - HuskyCT


• University of Tasmania - MyLO

Miracle Grow for Your Online Programs

• This list may seem a bit elementary, but amazingly, one or more is often overlooked or disregarded. Here are five ways to jumpstart your stabilized growth.

1. Only hire faculty (and chairs and deans) who are willing and eager to teach online.

2. Make online learning growth part of the university strategic plan (money and resources should follow).

3. Focus on degree programs, not individual courses.

4. Include credit for online teaching in the tenure and promotion process.

5. Develop a planning committee made up of high-level players - deans, associate deans, directors.
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DLA Weekly Word: Technoplegic

I just adore new words, and I think they can come in handy for anyone looking for a new and interesting way to impart DL (or other) wisdom or opinions. This week's work is technoloplegic. Closely related to the more-oft used word technophobic, a technoplegic is a person who seems to be well below average in their ability to use technology, perhaps because of fear or unwillingness (there can be other reasons). Most recently in the news, we've heard stories of John McCain's self professed internet illiteracy, which probably makes him the most likely of the presidential/vice-presidential candidates to be technoloplegic. Note: Whether or not I believe that technoplegia is a hamper to being president is outside the scope of this blog!... And, of course, in our daily work, we deal with would-be outstanding online faculty who never venture out of the comfort of the face-to-face classroom because of their technoloplegia. Hmmm....this is giving me an idea for a workshop....Online Teaching for Technoplegics.

DLA Myth #1: Undergrads Can't Succeed Online

As a DL Admin guy or gal helping to strategically plan new DL programs, you may hear the same mantra that I do: "Online courses should really only be for graduate students." Yes, I know there have studies that shine favorably on the performance of online grad students over undergrads. Hey, but isn't the average grad student GPA higher than the average undergrad one? I know that it was for me. Undergrad student success in an online course is not just a function of maturity, but of the level of support available to the student. Spend a lot of time on orientations, easy-to-get support, and redundant emails (you can't tell them just once), and you're on your way to higher undergrad success. I also believe that once they have succeeded at one online course, the rest are far easier. I have an undergraduate daughter as well as several student assistants who take online courses. Their primary problem is usually just forgetfulness - they are taking five courses (not two or three like the grad student), and forget that the online quiz is due Friday at Noon. There are some great ways of addressing this, and I'll get into that on another day.

Financial Incentives for Online Instructors?

I have argued for years that online teaching should be motivated by intrinsic rewards, rather than extrinsic ones. There are so many, many documented advantages of teaching online, including the flexibility to conduct class in your underwear in the middle of the night if you so choose. And I've actually known quite a few instructors whose long, monotone lectures in the classroom mercilessly bored their students - but when they entered the online class, they were far more interesting and focused. I often re-tell the old story of the old man who was bothered by the noise of boys playing basketball outside his apartment window. He finally approached offered to pay them 50 cents each for every day they showed up to play. While they were initially thrilled with the notion, after several days their numbers dwindled until none of them showed up. Their play had become work. With this in mind, I do believe that online instructors need resources to enable them to do their jobs well - technical support, instructional design support, and teaching assistants (for large online courses). They also need some sort of release time or stipend for the initial development of any course. But teaching online should not command any significantly different pay structure than face-to-face teaching.

Distance Learning is NOT Technology

Let me make this clear - I feel pretty strongly about this next statement. When we are talking about earth-shattering matters such as where distance learning fits into an organizational structure, we must stop thinking in terms of technology. Distance learning is not about technology; it only uses technology. The typical DL director is no more of a technology guru than is the campus football coach or the registrar. Distance learning relies heavily on technologies, such as Blackboard and the internet, but does not necessarily require technology to function (correspondence courses for example). Yes, providing support to faculty and student who use distance learning technologies is typically a priority function among DL departments. However, so are advising, tutoring and evaluation of courses and programs - all academic functions. A big problem I've seen when DL is part of the campus technology umbrella, aside from programs and courses driven primarily by technology, is that DL administrators become more disconnected from the academic perspective, including the long-held higher education traditions and mores that quietly yet perpetually flow beneath the ivory towers. An effective DL administrator must not only know about these waters, but be willing to swim in them as well. A technology-based program tends to take us too far from this stream.

Seven Great Interview Questions for Hiring DL Staff

Let's move beyond the regular, the tried, and the true. Let's weed out those who really understand DL issues from those who have great scripted answers. Here's some good questions I like to use.

1. Do you believe that online degrees are equivalent in quality to campus-based degrees? Explain your answer.


2. What is the best way to evaluate the quality of a distance learning course or program?


3. What are the top three reasons that you believe that some faculty feel threatened by distance learning? What would you say to alleviate these fears?


4. Describe your experience taking an online course. What did you like and dislike? What would you have done differently if you were the instructor. These days, having taken an online course is usually a requirement for getting a job in my office.


5. What would you have liked to change about your previous employer? Be specific. Very revealing question for any job. I don't like it if they say, "Nothing. He/she was perfect."


6. Next, I give them 20 minutes to complete an essay on a question such as, "Our Online Psychology Program is experiencing disappointing retention, with many students dropping out of the courses or the program. What can we do in our office to address this and improve retention? This also gives me a good sense of their ability to work under pressure as well as their writing ability.


7. Finally, I put them on the phone and call them (from another phone) with a made-up question about our course management system (ex: how do I add a total grade column in the WebCT gradebook?). I can see how knowledgeable they are as well as how friendly and helpful they are in a support role.

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Is Low-Attended Group Training a Waste?

One major problem in preparing instructors to teach online is the scalability of our training programs. While the very nature of training support often requires one-on-one, just-in-time assistance, many areas lend themselves to a group training session. The primary advantage of the group training is that it lends itself to scalability - you can simply reach more people at once. The problem? I hear it all the time (and studied it when doing my dissertation). Often, only a handful of people show up! No matter how engaging the topic, faculty are simply too busy or lack the incentive to set aside time for group training. At one point, we actually decreased our own group training sessions because of the low attendance. And the, in the course of my research, the light turned on. These sessions were not a waste of time. Why? Because these five or six people who attended were going out and informally sharing what they had learned with other faculty! So, when you think you are reaching just a handful, there is a huge ripple effect, and you may actually be reaching 100 or more. Don't toss out the group training.

Five Essential Pieces of DL Admin Data

I have to admit - collecting data or even analyzing data is not my favorite part of my job. I have our data collection split up among various staff members, and in theory, we try to keep these updated weekly so that we don't have to scramble when asked for information. If you don't keep up with anything else, there are five pieces of data you really need to have for a DL program. These will help you with strategic planning, accreditation reports, justifying new resources, and more.

1. Number of students enrolled in distance and online courses per semester. We define distance courses as those offered more than 50 percent online; and online courses as those offered more than 95 percent online.
2. Student retention in distance and online courses. What overall percentage completed these courses? How does this compare to your traditional courses? Are you improving in this area? Related to this is data comparing passing and fail rates.
3. Student satisfaction with online courses. Usually obtained from course surveys. We also use annual telephone surveys and focus groups.
4. Faculty and student satisfaction with support services. We track all email, telephone, and f2f requests for assistance in Remedy software. Each caller is sent, by email, a brief evaluation of the services they received.
5. Faculty course improvements based on evaluation results. Each faculty member completes a brief form summarizing their evaluation results, and how they will use this information to make course improvements. We keep the individual ones on file; and compile a summary which can be used to also make adjustments to our training programs. This makes accreditors happy.

Ingredients of The Amazing Faculty Lunch

People from all over our campus often ask me how we manage to have what may be the most popular faculty lunch on campus. Beyond the effort we put into our Evites, a creative menu and monthly theme (with recorded music, decorations, hats) each month, we have also made it fast-paced and a pretty enjoyable learning experience. Now, this is a far cry from the regular old brown-bag lunch. This is a regular monthly meeting attended by 50 or more faculty who teach online courses from various departments all across campus. If it weren't for this lunch, many of these people would never know one another at all. We include menu cards that have monthly issues meant to prompt informal lunch discussions, and set up in a horsehoe arrangement that encourages conversations. The big highlight is the Seven-Minute Sizzle. This is a seven-minute presentation, delivered by one of the faculty member, about something interesting they are doing in their online courses. We usually wrap up with a drawing for some small prizes (decor such as a plant or books about online teaching). Although it would be challenging to measure, my sense is that a great deal of informal but critical learning about online teaching goes on during these meetings.

A Complaint-Free Staff

Every year at our annual Distance Learning Administration conference, people comment with awe on the friendliness and cheerfulness of my distance learning staff. We are very bonded, and most of us have been in the department for ten years or more. However, we have had our moments and our tears. Back in the spring, I noticed that there was an unusual amount of cattiness and moodiness permeating our normally fresh air. I was pondering how to address it when I happened to hear about a "miracle" book. For our summer planning retreat, the staff (myself included) read and discussed The Complaint Free World. In this book, the author challenges the reader to go 20 days without complaining, criticizing or gossiping. He also describes how toxic these speech patterns are both to ourselves and those around us. We started the program, and the results have been amazing. Although none of us has actually made it a full 20 days (it is truly difficult!), we have all realized how, almost unconsciously, we were complaining, and it is at a far, far lower level now. I know that this book doesn't just apply to distance learning administration - it could be for any office, family, or organization - but it is at the top of my read list.

Distance Learning Administrators: A Unique Blend of Skills

I am often asked if I think that Distance Learning Administration is really a field, or if it just relies on general management principles. I would like to answer this from my own personal experience. When I first was hired at the University of West Georgia (as distance learning coordinator) in 1996, there was a fair amount of literature about online teaching, but almost nil about managing distance programs. To learn about how to be most effective in my new role, I found that my past experiences and education were only of moderate help - that the role of distance learning administrator was comprised of a unique blend of skills, insight, and forces. I learned as much as I could by interviewing and borrowing from the experiences of others, and through trial-and-error. To address this lacuna, I started the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The wealth of articles and interested generated from colleagues from all over the planet are evidence to me that this is indeed a field that deserves its own research and dialogue. Among the ingredients in the special mix that make up successful DL Admins are an understanding of: management, technology (though not tech guru level), faculty governance, historical principles in higher education, student support, retention, recruitment, faculty training, change leadership, evaluation, advisement, academic quality and accreditation, marketing, among others. Can you think of others?