CHHS Online Class Expansion
Overview and Rationale
The College of Health and Human Sciences provides rigorous programs that prepare graduates for careers in high demand professions. Enrollment in the college has grown over 45% in the last five years and this growth will need to continue to provide the region, state, and nation with sufficient numbers of health and human sciences professionals. This demand for health and human science graduates challenges our capacity and requires increased faculty, programs, and other resources. The college intends to be a leader in not only outstanding programs but in attracting diverse, high quality faculty and students desiring to excel in life-long learning, research, and community service.
The CHHS strategic plan identifies four goals. Goal Two proposes CHHS as the regional leader in pre-professional and professional learning in the health and human sciences.
CHHS needs to offer more online classes that can be available to both on-campus and off-campus students. This will increase our efficiency in being able to combine on- and off-campus sections. These courses may also position the college to offer continuing education and bridge programs to students from other disciplines who want to prepare for graduate study in health and human sciences fields. Courses would be proposed by faculty or programs following a process similar to that used by Outreach and selected based on a process used by the Illinois Innovative Delivery of Education Alliance in Homeland Security. We propose to work with eLearning to transform existing courses. Funding is needed for faculty course stipends for course development and technical support from eLearning.
Strategy 1 รข€“
Maintain and develop degree and certificate programs in the health and human sciences that respond to societal needs. As technology improves, students develop an interest in online learning. This is particularly true for place-bound students. Other economic forces such as rising gas prices and unemployment also build an increased need for online courses. Online courses are working well in the college for degree completion programs and can be expanded to on campus students. These additional offerings will allow greater student access to courses and will continue to build the stock of CHHS courses.
Action Plan
Increase the number of online courses offered within CHHS by 10 percent in FY10 and three subsequent years
Deliverables
Five CHHS courses converted to online format in FY09 and subsequent years.
Timeline
FY09:
- Identify five courses that are needed and are appropriate for online delivery
- Identify appropriate faculty members
- Faculty members submit application form and obtain approval from the school chair and associate
- Faculty members begin development of online courses with the aid of an instructional designer from eLearning.
FY10:
- Identify five courses that are needed and are appropriate for online delivery
- Identify appropriate faculty members
- Faculty members submit application form and obtain approval from the school chair and associate
- Faculty members begin development of online courses with the aid of an instructional designer from eLearning.
- Evaluate effectiveness of new online courses and student learning
- Monitor demand for new online courses
FY11:
- Identify five courses that are needed and are appropriate for online delivery
- Identify appropriate faculty members
- Faculty members submit application form and obtain approval from the school chair and associate
- Faculty members begin development of online courses with the aid of an instructional designer from eLearning.
- Evaluate effectiveness of new online courses and student learning
- Monitor demand for new online courses
Impact
Available funding allowed for development of five additional online courses during FY09. Courses and faculty developers were identified. The faculty members submitted a proposal for the course that was patterned after the eLearning format used for HECA funded courses. The proposals were approved by the school and college and forwarded to eLearning. Instructional designers have been assigned to each course. Funding has been put in place for faculty stipends and payment to eLearning. The school chair and associate dean will receive monthly reports on the progress of course development from March through June 2009. The online courses will be offered for the first time in spring 2009 (development concurrent with teaching as a hybrid course), fall 2009 or spring 2010.