New Task Forces Succeed DELT to Address Distance Learning

The pace and scope of change across all levels of the DCCCD has accelerated, even as we respond to events and circumstances that are outside of our control. Over the past few years, the District has increasingly taken a strategic approach to Distance Learning, as various stakeholders have negotiated differences in philosophy and practice. Among the positive changes has been Chancellor May and Chief Innovation Officer Tim Marshall developing a model where users – faculty and colleges – are empowered at the strategic level, and entities such as District IT and LeCroy Center evolve to support student learning regardless of modality. As part of this ongoing evolution, the Faculty Council engaged with instructional leaders from all seven colleges and with the LeCroy Center on a Quality Scorecard initiative, which identified areas of good practice as well as areas where improvement is needed, in distance learning.

Among the recommendations to arise from this ongoing conversation was the decision to sunset the Distance Education and Learning Technologies committee (DELT). Because of its composition and the fact that it had been commissioned by the Vice Presidents Council, DELT focused on a wide variety of issues related to technology and learning, but tended to focus its reporting upward, and often to LeCroy Center. Over time, DELT was not able to devote necessary attention to certain vital operational issues, and in those cases where solutions were developed, they were not sufficiently or equitably communicated to faculty at the colleges. In addition, strategic issues often were not addressed, and thus strategic decisions were made by LeCroy Center leadership without significant or broad faculty input. In short, the all-encompassing increase in Distance Learning, and the use of DL technologies in campus-based instruction, proved too massive for DELT alone comprehensively to address.

In response, the Quality Scorecard project recommended that a Quality Scorecard Steering Committee be constituted, to include representation from faculty, instructional leaders, student services, IT, and LeCroy leadership, specifically to address improvement in a wide variety of areas related to distance learning and the use of DL technologies for campus-based instruction, at the strategic level. Among the types of issues to be addressed by this group would be identifying and promulgating best practices in course navigation, online orientation, training, and success measures.

Meanwhile, to address the user-level issues, the Quality Scorecard project recommended, and the Faculty Council and Academic Vice Presidents also endorsed, creating the Information Technology Users Group (ITUC). This group has two charges:

1.       To advocate for the users of instructional technology;

2.       To reconcile the suggestions/needs of various stakeholders including instructional leadership (including faculty), technology leadership, and those helping to advance the outcomes of the Quality Scorecard project.

Among other stakeholders, ITUC will include a faculty member from each college. ITUC also will communicate consistent messages regarding learning technology to stakeholders, including and especially faculty, at each college. Among the types of issues for ITUC to address are how to use specific technologies to solve specific problems, such as when a feature in Blackboard isn’t working properly, or identifying building block solutions that might help numerous users.

Having played a role in the process that created both the Quality Scorecard Steering Team, and ITUC, the Faculty Council is hopeful that both groups will be of benefit to faculty as we continue to improve how we serve our students.