Ocotillo Chairs readings... These articles and other materials have been shared with the Ocotillo chairs. Paper copies will be sent via campus mail, and should you need another copy, send an email request to Tracy Price or call MCLI at 1-8300.

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Ocotillo Chairs Readings

"Creating a Cost Framework for Instructional Technology" by Alron L. Taylor and Frank A. Scmidtien, The Technology Source, November/December 2000, on-line : http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/

'Common assumptions about using instructional technologies appear in the higher education literature... A major assumption of those promoting the rapid use of instructional technology is that these tools will lead to substantial productivity increases... A major assumption of those promoting the rapid use of instructional technology is that these tools will lead to substantial productivity increases. However, at least until quite recently, "only limited direct evidence exist[ed] in government data to prove that investments in information technology have substantially raised productivity in many non-information technology industries" (Berry, 1998, p. E1).'

'Much of the research on the uses and costs of instructional technology by colleges and universities has been anecdotal and has not focused on the full range of costs, although more significant cost studies are now being proposed (Lawrence, Dey, & Heller, 1999; Leach & Smallen, 1998; and Milam, 1999). Cost assessments typically have been limited case studies of one component of the instructional technology system. Past studies frequently have ignored the costs of infrastructure, technical support, training, and related activities.'
http://horizon.unc.edu/TS/commentary/2000-11a.asp

"Struggling with IT Staffing and Support" Campus Computing Project, 2000 National Survey of Information Technology in Higher Education

'This year's survey again confirms that the key IT challenges in higher education involve people, not products... User support ratios - the number of technology users to technology support personnel - remain two to five times the level found in comparable corporate environments.'

'Not surprisingly, the 2000 survey reveals that more college courses are using more technology resources. Three-fifths (59.3 percent) of all college courses now utilize electronic mail, up from 54.0 percent last year, 44.0 percent in 1998 and 20.1 percent in 1995. Similarly, two-fifths (42.7 percent) of college courses now use Web resources as a component of the syllabus, up from 10.9 in 1995, 33.1 percent in 1998 and 38.9 percent in 1999. Almost a third (30.7 percent) of all college courses have a Web page, compared to 28.1 percent last year, 22.5 percent in 1998 and 9.2 percent in 1996.'
http://www.campuscomputing.net/

Higher Education Cost Measurement: Public Policy Issues, Options, and Strategies April 2000 Prepared for the New Millennium Project on Higher Education Costs, Pricing, and Productivity a report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy

"Questions concerning the appropriate unit of activity for measuring higher education costs (by student? by faculty? by degree?), the allocation of indirect costs, and the distinctions between operating and capital resources have consumed analysts for decades. To help advance this discussion, The Institute and TIAA-CREF Institute hosted a one-day invitational seminar in Washington, DC, in August of 1999 that brought together individuals who are knowledgeable about cost measurement with institutional leaders and policy experts. Background papers on different aspects of cost measurement were commissioned to help serve as the starting point of the discussion."
http://www.ihep.com/CostMeas.pdf
http://www.ihep.com/

Quality On the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education, March, 2000 a report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy

"With the rapid growth worldwide of teaching and learning on the Internet, more and more attention is being paid to the nature and quality of online higher education. This report, commissioned by the National Education Association, the nation's largest professional association of higher education faculty, and Blackboard Inc., a leading Internet education company, examines case studies of six colleges and universities that provide Internet-based degree programs. The case studies were designed to ascertain the degree to which various measures of quality identified in previous studies are actually being incorporated into the policies, procedures, and practices of institutions that are distance education leaders. The final outcome is a list of 24 benchmarks that are essential to ensure quality in Internet-based distance education. These benchmarks may assist policymakers, faculty, students, and others in making reasonable and informed judgments with regard to the quality of Internet-based distance education."
http://www.ihep.com/quality.pdf

Developing a Distance Education Policy for 21st Century Learning a report from the American Council on Education

"is a primer on the issues an institution will confront as it plans to integrate, implement, and harmonize distance education into its existing policies. A core policy that must be examined is the institution's intellectual property policy. Thereafter, principal issues to be addressed include: intellectual property policies with respect to ownership of a distance education course; institutional and faculty rights and responsibilities after a course is created; faculty compensation, teaching-load and acceptance; student access and privacy; potential liabilities associated with distance education courses (including copyright infringement liability); and accreditation and approvals beyond state and national borders. "
http://www.acenet.edu/washington/distance_ed/2000/
03march/distance_ed.html