Objective 1.5 and 1.6 History and Context
Objective 1.5: Increase UMA's involvement and effectiveness in teaching and supporting non residential students at a distance.
And
Objective 1.6: Optimize the use of technology to enhance the teaching/learning experience.
Distance Delivery at UMA from the Beginning:
In 1971, when UMA became a separate, autonomous campus of the University of Maine System, it was given responsibility for outreach to Lewiston - Auburn, 35 miles to the southwest. Most of that was accomplished early on with itinerant faculty members traveling to teach in L-A. At that time UMA offered mostly associate degrees with two professional baccalaureates. In 1985, the University of Maine System (UMS) Board of Trustees designated UMA as the System's statewide "community college" as well as a regional university – and asked it to especially focus on part-time adult education students who were beyond traveling distances to regional UMS campuses. Maine had about 1.1 million residents within its 32,000 square miles at that point in its history. UMA fulfilled its new statewide responsibility by expanding educational opportunities using interactive television (ITV- a closed circuit microwave system) funded with a multi-million dollar federal grant – allowing UMA to deliver its programming and support services to a network of 100 Maine educational centers. Even though the ITV operation was administratively separated from UMA in 1994 to become a UMS service, UMA remains to this day the major provider of ITV programming in the state. Also in 1994, University College of Bangor (UCB), with its own faculty and programs and located 75 miles north of Augusta, was separated from UM (Orono) and designated a campus of UMA. In 1998, UMA was absolved of its exclusive community college responsibility and allowed to add numerous baccalaureate degrees while still remaining true to its access mission. UMA continues to expand distance delivery options, and sees service to these students as a major component of its mission.
Transition to the Future:
Today, many UMA faculty and staff continue to be leaders in their fields as distance education instructors and student service providers, but much has changed with almost every school in the state offering online distance education. The new technology in the form of the commercial Blackboard Course Management system supported (and funded) by UMS, in addition to the "competition" from other providers has resulted in many UMA faculty transitioning from ITV to online courses, and/or supplementing ITV and traditional classroom courses with Blackboard's many support functions. Students have responded well and continue to ask for more DE options. UMA offered the first complete online degree in the state and is poised to launch two more.
In academic year 2005-06, UMA generated 6,919 online credits, 19,589 credits via ITV courses and 8,248 credit hours at University Centers of our total 90,091 credit hours for the year. This total of 34,746 represents 39% of UMAs total credit hour generation for the year falls within the common understanding of what we consider distance learning.
Since the late 1990's, UMA has struggled with how best to coordinate all of its distance education functions. A Distance Learning Council has been in place since that time and has operated sporadically – given the competing pressures of limited staffing, mission changes, merger proposals, and leadership changes. After coming through the 2004 proposal to merge UMA with USM for greater efficiencies with UMA retaining its autonomy, all agree it is time to nail down coordination of UMA's distance education operation. The 2007-2011 Strategic Plan includes major components supporting the increased and improved delivery of education and services to UMA's non-resident students at a distance and is expected to be the watershed moment for UMA's future success in distance education.
Key Points of UMA's Distance Education Plan: (See Objectives 1.5 and 1.6)
- New Dean's role as leader for UMA distance education
- Re-activated UMA Distance Learning Council
- Active involvement in the UMS Distance Learning Council
- Centralize all UMA DE planning, programming, budgeting, scheduling and support
- Coordinate the development of clear and effective standards for teaching with technology
- Assist academic units with development of new DE programs
- Support the development of hybrid and other innovative delivery methods
- Coordinate the study of DE and teaching technology best practices
- Collect and evaluate resource requirements for DE and teaching with technology
- Continue to evaluate and partner with other institutions for DE delivery
- Support professional development needs of DE faculty
- Support the development of the UMS Center for Teaching Excellence in DE
- Keep up to date and support practical and cost effective teaching technologies in conjunction with UMA's IT staff and UNET.
- Study retention rates for DE students and support improvements