By Jo McCulty   Steve Acker is director of Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR), which oversees technology-enhanced learning and distance learning at Ohio State.

Online learning at Ohio State encounters major growth spurt

The offering of more than 116 online courses over the past three years is testament that Ohio State is taking strides toward becoming a leader in technology-enhanced learning and distance learning.

To build on and lead ongoing growth, the University welcomed new Chief Information Officer Ilee Rhimes Jr. to campus in November (see story, next page ), and launched its first fully online degree program -- the Non-Traditional PharmD Program in Pharmacy -- with two more online degrees and a certificate program to follow this calendar year.

This increased interest in on-line learning has led to new programs of faculty support and development. Early in 2000, Ohio State became one of 40 national WebCT Institutes, and in the process greatly expanded its resources to help faculty build Web-enhanced courses with that course management software, said Steve Acker, director of Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR), which oversees technology-enhanced learning and distance learning at Ohio State.

To further support these efforts, Acker said, the University offers three grant programs -- Faculty Innovator, Technology In Instruction and Courseware Development -- with a total of approximately $750,000 available this year to assist faculty in incorporating technology into their teaching. Details can be found on the TELR Web site at http://telr.ohio-state.edu.

But while Ohio State will have three complete degree and certificate of completion programs online by the end of the year, it is not competing with universities that offer a large number of online degree programs targeted to meet the exclusive needs of a large base of nontraditional students. Acker said development of online courses at Ohio State focuses on two strategic areas designed to help both traditional and nontraditional students.

"We continue to put foremost serving our on-campus student body with Web-enhanced courses and Web delivery in the area where closed courses are an issue," Acker said. "From that base, we are moving forward, making the professional development area a high priority so that working adults can increase their education credentials without having to return to the Ohio State campus."

The University's progress over the past three years has been dramatic. Ohio State offered its first online course during spring quarter 1998, "Living in the Information Age," taught by Acker and Cable Green, now director of educational technology for the College of Pharmacy.

"Since that time we can document 116 online courses that have been offered in the (Website Course) Registry, as well as other courses that we can count only anecdotally," he said (see related story, below).

As of Jan. 12, Acker said that there were 10,097 students with active accounts on the central Office of Information Technology WebCT server taking Web-enhanced courses at Ohio State. From conversations with college-based system administrators, it is estimated that an additional 10,000 students may be taking courses that use the Web in instruction, he said.

"That's a pretty significant statement that about two in five students at OSU are taking a course that is using the Web," Acker said.

Added Rhimes, "It's ambitious, but our goal for next year is to bring that number closer to three in five."

To accomplish that, he said, the University needs to provide infrastructure support, such as a larger-capacity server, and to constantly evaluate bandwidth needs for the campus network. To address these needs, the CIO's office is establishing a process that will result in a technology strategic plan within one year, Rhimes said.

Acker added that faculty support, such as grants and training (see related story, below), and more clearly established faculty incentives for participation hold the keys for continued success.

Resources available to help faculty introduce technology into courses

The University offers many types of support for faculty who are interested in introducing technology into their courses. Most can be accessed via the Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR) Web site (telr.ohio-state.edu). Additionally, the Office of Information Technology supports a help desk to field technical questions at 688-HELP (4357) or 8help@osu.edu from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Here is a list of some of the resources available:

Calendar

For a complete listing of technology-related training and events, visit the TELR Events Calendar at http://telr.ohio-state.edu/calendar/01apr.html. Contact TELR if you or your organization wish to publicize a technology-related event on the events calendar.

• Members of the TELR Coordinating Council representing each of the Ohio State colleges also can provide advice on distance education. Visit http://telr.ohio-state.edu/contacts/index.html.

• TELR's streaming media group can help you create QuickTime and RealMedia files (moving sounds and images) for your Web site. Contact 688-HELP (4357) or 8help@osu.edu.

• The TELR internship program provides trained student interns each quarter to help faculty build Web pages, quiz banks, illustrations and course Web sites. Requests for spring quarter work will open in approximately two weeks. Visit http://telr.ohio-state.edu/internships/.

Training

• The Ohio State WebCT Team offers training on the use of WebCT software for Web-based learning in weekly "tool talks." In addition, walk-in faculty consultations are available from 1 to 4 p.m. on the second and fourth Friday of each month in the Learning Technologies Center, 060 Denney Hall. For details, contact webct@osu.edu or visit http://telr.ohio-state.edu/webct/training/.

• Online Pedagogy is a series of workshops created by TELR and TELR Partners that covers basics of designing and teaching online courses. Contact Steve Acker at acker.1@osu.edu.

• The Web Accessibility Center analyzes Web pages for their accessibility to people with disabilities. Contact 292-1760, webac@osu.edu or visit www.wac.ohio-state.edu.

• OIT Computing Short Courses are offered quarterly by the Office of Information Technology. Topics include Creating Basic Web Pages, HTML for the World Wide Web and Creating Accessible Online Courses for Students with Disabilities. To register, contact 688-HELP (4357) or 8help@osu.edu, or visit www.oit.ohio-state.edu/compcourses.html, preferably during the first two weeks of the quarter.

Conferences

• TELR sponsors a number of awareness events, including its third annual Learning Technologies Conference, scheduled for Nov. 1-4. Last year's "Kick IT Up A Notch" conference proceedings are available at http://telr.ohio-state.edu/conferences/kickitup/.

Grants

The offices of Academic Affairs and Information Technology sponsor four programs to enrich teaching, learning and research with technology at Ohio State. The grant programs offered include:

• Courseware Development Grants -- Used for developing projects central to Ohio State's mission for distance education and/or important to outside opportunities. (RFP currently under development.)

• Faculty Innovator Grants -- Quarterly awards of up to $1,000 each, designed to foster the use of instructional technology in courses at Ohio State. (Now open; closing date is Jan. 30.)

• Technology in Instruction Grant Programs -- Intended for providing new initiatives relating to technology or for sustaining existing uses of technology. (Now open; closing date is Jan. 30.)

• External Grants -- TELR is happy to partner with academic units in seeking external grants that feature a technology-based component.

-- Information supplied by TELR

Officials say accurate count of Web-based courses has implications in obtaining technology funding

An accurate count of Web-based courses at Ohio State is hard to come by, and officials are seeking the best method to collect information in a comprehensive way without making excess demands on colleges and faculty engaged in building and delivering the courses.

While there are 22 distance education courses online for winter quarter and an additional 15 registered for spring quarter, there probably are numerous others being offered that are not being counted because they have not been entered in the Class Website Registry, said Steve Acker, director of Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR).

The registry is a database of Ohio State courses offered at a distance (Web-delivered courses) and those on-campus courses that use the Web in instruction (Web-enhanced courses). The goal is to enter into the registry all Ohio State courses that use the Web, Acker said.

The University needs to be able to present this information in a systematic, organized manner, Acker said, but is having difficulty making the procedures known and simple for academic units.

"To show you the scope of the underreporting, we have 52 Web-enhanced and Web-delivered courses described in the registry for winter 2001. At the same time, our system administrators at OIT (Office of Information Technology) are supporting more than 170 courses using the Web."

He said it is a problem shared by all because the course registry data could affect Ohio State's competitiveness for external grants in the technology area and the Board of Regents has requested accurate data from all campuses as they review funding for technology and subsidy re-calculation initiatives. The more technology Ohio State can demonstrate, Acker said, the better the case the University can make for additional funding needs.

Other implications include:

• Students and counselors need the information for curriculum planning purposes and to identify technology-enriched courses.

• Registration helps the Web Accessibility Center assess course Web sites for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements that Web-based materials be universally accessible.

• Faculty need a convenient repository for work they are doing on the Web for reporting purposes and to share with the administration to document their Web-related work.

Individual faculty teaching courses or authorized department administrative personnel may add courses to the registry on the Web at http://telr.ohio-state/ClassWebSites/intro.html. Registration takes about 10 minutes.

For additional information, contact Acker at acker.1@osu.edu.

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