Faculty Council participates in Distance Learning Compression Planning Meeting

The Faculty Council on Sept. 18 participated in a compression planning meeting with numerous stakeholders to identify areas of emphasis for the ongoing success of distance learning in the DCCCD.

The meeting concluded with a decision that LeCroy Center Provost Pam Quinn and Faculty Council President Fred Newbury would lead a task force to develop a vision, philosophy and strategic plan for distance learning.

The compression planning meeting was scheduled at the request of the college presidents in the aftermath of concern about the marketing of the “Ready2Go degree plan.” In the interim, however, LeCroy Center leadership on May 27 agreed to make the “Ready2Go” courses available to all of the colleges to use within their own programs. Consequently, the compression planning meeting focused on more strategic issues, such as:

1.       To identify the key components of a high quality online course;

2.       To identify faculty support needs in the development of high quality online courses;

3.       To identify faculty support needs in the delivery of online courses in which students succeed;

4.       To generate 3-5 ways to support and retain students via our online courses;

5.       To determine the key roles the LeCroy Center plays in the development and delivery of our online courses.

The Council is encouraged to have an ongoing crucial role in helping to identify answers to these questions, and moreover an opportunity to provide faculty leadership in developing the District’s long-term vision, philosophy and strategic plan for distance learning.