Learning technology incorporated into classes

By SHANNON WINGARD, Media Relations

History professor Timothy Gregory has taught Columbus-based students his classical anthropology course from Sydney, Australia, and from excavation sites in Greece. This teaching style is possible because Ohio State offers resources that make distance learning possible.

Ilee Rhimes, chief information officer, told the Board of Trustees Oct. 3 that Ohio State's technology strategic planning process and its development of e-learning and distance learning strategies are important steps toward achieving the university's vision outlined in the Academic Plan.

"Threaded throughout the Academic Plan are repeated references to the critical role that technology will play in the fulfillment of the vision," Rhimes said. "The plan's vision statement urges improved opportunities for students to learn, faculty to teach and staff to develop through the use of innovative technology."

Rhimes said the planning process, scheduled for completion in February 2004, consists of: assessing the current state of information technology; creating an information technology vision; identifying the needs to achieve that vision; and developing an implementation strategy. He said engaging the leadership at Ohio State, providing seamless and secure access, and fostering a collaborative environment are among the critical factors identified for success.

"The analysis and planning effort incorporates input and consensus from primary stakeholders; builds on previous studies and current strengths; promotes broad commitment and ownership; and identifies critical success factors," Rhimes said. "As usual, the planning process is proving to be as important as the plan itself, because it has fostered and established a context for ongoing communication and collaboration."

Rhimes also discussed the university's strategy and plan for e-learning, which is the integration of educational technology within the teaching and learning environment on campus and at a distance. The e-learning strategy and plan incorporates feedback from the university community and builds on recommendations of the Distance Education Committee, which was chaired by Bobby Moser, vice president for outreach.

"The major goals are to build and maintain the e-learning foundation and infrastructure, expand the breadth of e-learning in the academy through increased and more sophisticated use of technology, and extend the reach of e-learning via distance education networks," Rhimes said.

Susan Metros, deputy chief information officer, said e-learning can be supplemental, using educational technologies to complement traditional learning experiences; blended or hybrid, combining one-on-one instruction with technologies; or distance learning, which exists predominately or fully online.

Metros said the five e-learning critical success factors are: a cohesive vision and services across campuses to support e-learning; funding for and investments to support programmatic change; policies and procedures conducive to offering e-learning; student access to e-learning resources, support and offerings; and technology infrastructure to support a mission critical to e-learning.

Metros said the next step is the creation of learner-centered and interactive learning experiences.

"Currently, the majority of faculty are transferring what they do in the traditional classroom to an online environment," Metros said. "We are helping faculty take the next step to transform learning by incorporating more active and engaging activities. Technology affords us unlimited possibilities to explore new frontiers."

South Campus Gateway to host kickoff celebration

Courtesy of Campus Partners Barnes & Noble College Bookstores will operate a full-service bookstore that will occupy the first two floors of the building on the southeast corner of East 11th Avenue and High Street.

Construction set to begin on buildings

By RANDY GAMMAGE, onCAMPUS staff

South Campus Gateway, the signature project in Campus Partners' drive to revitalize High Street and the neighborhoods surrounding the university, is moving closer to reality.

An Oct. 18 public celebration coinciding with Homecoming weekend will signal the start of construction on the buildings. A pre-game football rally with cheerleaders and members of the marching band will be followed by addresses by President Karen Holbrook and Mayor Michael Coleman and a three-dimensional video tour of the project. The one-hour program will begin at 10:30 a.m. on the Gateway site on the west side of High Street at 11th Avenue, and will be followed by music and tailgate food until approximately 1:30 p.m.

Construction on the Gateway project is expected to be completed by late 2005. It is a planned mixed-use development that will include approximately 250,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space, 82,000 square feet of office space, 190 apartments and a parking garage that will add approximately 1,200 parking spaces to the area.

Gateway is expected to attract an estimated 350 to 700 new jobs.

Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment, the university-community redevelopment group coordinating the project, was established in 1995 by Ohio State and the city of Columbus to spearhead improvements to the quality of life in the University District. It has initiated a number of revitalizing projects in the area, including a home ownership incentive program for university employees, the University Area Safety Committee and efforts to create a special improvement district.

The Gateway redevelopment effort already is producing a ripple effect as numerous properties along High Street are being transformed with either extensive renovation or new businesses -- or both, said Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners.

"The plan all along has been to remove the barriers that are keeping private developers away from the area and to encourage business owners to become involved in the safety and cleanliness of the area," Foegler said.

Business and property owners in the area are teaming up to create a special improvement district -- the University Uptown Special Improvement District (SID) -- similar to one that has helped revive the Short North. Foegler said property owners are signing a petition to create the SID and to assess themselves to provide supplemental services such as daily pickup of litter, removal of graffiti and illegally posted handbills, and improved maintenance of streetscapes in conjunction with the city of Columbus. In return, property owners in the area expect to benefit from increased property values.

The SID also will be expanding the role of the community crime patrol; its current 9 p.m.-3 a.m. presence will be extended to include daytime and evening hours.

Features

A unique element to the Gateway plan is the inclusion of an outdoor plaza and a brick, tree-lined pedestrian walkway area, stretching from High Street to Pearl Alley across from West 10th Avenue. The plaza will be surrounded by restaurants and entertainment facilities, and would accommodate outdoor dining and special events, said Steve Sterrett, community relations director for Campus Partners.

Plans call for retail space to be located on the first floors of the four main buildings, with office space on the upper floors of one building and entertainment uses on the second floor of a second building. More than 175 residential units are planned with young faculty, graduate and professional students, and visiting faculty in mind. A combination of studio, one- and two-bedroom and loft-style apartments will be located on the upper floors of two buildings, with a series of townhouses to flank a 1,200 space Gateway parking garage, to be located one block east of High Street.

Plans also call for Gateway to include a seven-screen arts cinema, full service bank, apparel and sporting goods shops, a laundry/dry cleaner, and various specialty shops.

Elkus/Manfredi Architects of Boston leads the architectural team; Moody/Nolan, Ltd. of Columbus is the associated architect.

Tenants

A leasing team led by Jones Lang LaSalle, the project's development manager and retail-leasing consultant, is closing in on critical prospects for the project, including a grocer to operate a 10,000 square foot market. Foegler said the grocery, cinema and a full-service bookstore will anchor the project. Barnes and Noble College Bookstores has already signed a multi-year lease to operate a 50,000 square foot bookstore at the corner of North High Street and East 11th Avenue, complete with a full range of book selections and a coffee shop.

Of the 40 commercial, retail and entertainment tenants expected to be signed, 10-12 could be restaurant, sports bar or entertainment related, Foegler said.

The diverse tenants will give people many reasons to come down to High Street.

"Gateway is designed to appeal to faculty, staff and students of the university, but also is anticipated to be a destination for the larger community, which is a part of our marketing strategy," Foegler said.

Funding

While the total cost is estimated between $100 and $125 million, the project is expected to attract $50 million to $70 million in private investment, Foegler said. The University Board of Trustees set aside $25 million in university endowment funds during the creation of Campus Partners for real estate and related investments. The city of Columbus has authorized $5 million to be used for public infrastructure in the redevelopment area, which would be used for water, sewers, wider brick sidewalks, roadway improvements and burial of overhead power lines.

For further details, visit the Web at www.osu.edu/CampusPartners/.

Faculty work/life survey results released

By SUSAN WITTSTOCK, onCAMPUS staff

Ohio State has released the findings of a survey measuring the work/life satisfaction of faculty. The Web survey, conducted in February 2003, was co-sponsored by the offices of Academic Affairs and Human Resources.

"If Ohio State is to continue to move forward with the goals expressed in the Academic and Diversity plans, we need to address work/life issues for our faculty," said President Karen Holbrook. "In order to build and support a world-class faculty, quality structures for providing a positive work/life balance need to be in place. It's not just a nicety, it's a requirement for competing in today's intense job market."

Assessing Ohio State's current strengths and weaknesses was a primary goal of the survey, said Barbara Synder, interim executive vice president and provost. "We made strong progress in obtaining data when we conducted the staff survey two years ago, and knew we wanted to build on that knowledge by gaining faculty input. It makes sense to take the time to evaluate what works and doesn't work before attempting to move forward with policy changes that will affect both faculty and staff," Snyder said.

The staff survey, conducted in the fall of 2001, found that work/life issues are of high importance to staff, and have as strong of an impact on retention as salary and benefits. Both the faculty and the staff surveys were conducted by WFD Consulting, a national consulting firm. All 3,199 regular faculty at Ohio State's campuses were invited to participate in the faculty survey; 1,282 responded.

"It's time for cultural progress at the university," said Larry Lewellen, associate vice president for human resources. "We would like to see Ohio State become a leader in innovative work/life practices. The data we gathered shows an extremely strong correlation between a supportive environment and the level of commitment to OSU -- and we have a number of gaps to address.

"Deans Joe Alutto and Karen Bell, and Susan Fisher, Sally Rudmann and Judy Fountain were instrumental in guiding the project to ensure we would have valid results and actionable data."

Survey results

The survey's questions asked for faculty input on a wide spectrum of issues, including questions regarding: why they came to Ohio State and why they stay; what factors influence their commitment and connection to the university; what enhances or inhibits their ability to succeed in scholarly and personal goals; and what actions would improve their quality of life at the university.

One of the survey's major findings was that chairs and directors have a very important role when it comes to the quality of work/life integration for individual faculty.

More than 50 percent of the faculty respondents reported that their chair or directors and colleagues are supportive of family responsibilities. The survey found that faculty who are satisfied with the quality of work/life integration are twice as likely as others to have a chair or director whom they see as supportive of personal and family responsibilities and that the highest rated professional development resource was the assistance of a chair or director in ensuring the success of work.

All faculty, regardless of rank, reported concerns with work/life issues, high levels of stress and burnout, and difficulty integrating their work and personal life. Women and faculty with dependent care responsibilities tended to report more difficulties, while male full professors tended to be most satisfied with their positions and their ability to integrate work/life. Three in five faculty reported feeling satisfied with their positions and fully engaged with the university; two in five were not.

In terms of professional development, one of the most valued benefits is the ability to take an academic quarter with no teaching responsibilities to focus on research. However, three-fifths of the faculty surveyed said they had not taken the professional leave they were eligible for.

Faculty cited a number of reasons, including loss of income, dependent care issues and the fact that they didn't want to increase the workload of already overworked colleagues.

Some of the other most valued work/life benefits and programs include: partner/spouse employment assistance; phased in retirement; domestic partner benefits; paid maternity/parental leave; emergency back-up child care; child/elder care referral; and reduction of hours and salary in exchange for more personal time.

Follow-up actions

This November, the offices of Academic Affairs and Human Resources will be holding workshops for deans and chairs to share the survey results and begin formulating next steps. The workshops will include discussions about best practices and will share the resources available to help academic leaders learn how they and the institution can move forward.

A nine-member Faculty Work/Life Advisory Group has been formed, and will evaluate the work/life survey results and make recommendations for an action plan to the university's senior leadership by January. The group also is taking into account the staff work/life survey results, as well as the data from the SRI Report on the Retention of Women and Minority Faculty and the Commission on Faculty Development and Careers.

Shari Mickey-Boggs, currently director of consulting services and employee relations, will step into the position of program director for work/life by winter quarter. The university also recently approved the addition of a part-time position to strengthen efforts in this area.

The survey results suggest a number of areas for potential policies, including: a paid parental leave policy; increased options for back-up child care; establishing supports for people with elder care responsibilities; providing resources for spouse and partner employment; domestic partner benefits; and phased-in retirement.

For details regarding survey findings (including a summary of results for gender and rank groups) and priority actions, the survey's executive summary is posted at www.hr.osu.edu.