From Policy to Practice: Using Research to Impact Practice

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From Policy to Practice Using Research to
Impact Practice

• Holly Zanville
• Oregon University System
• Holly_Zanville_at_ous.edu

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Policy Context

• Oregons move from 1st generation (video) to 2nd
  generation (online) required a new look at
  policies practices
• LAAP grant (1999 present) has assisted with
  this transformation

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Some Context

• Enrollments in Distance Education
• 1991 1,114 start of video
• 1998 10,188 start of online
  
• 2001 22,058 mix of modes

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Key Policy Perspectives

• focus on student needs (access)
• priority on degree programs vs. courses
• priority on upper division graduate level
  community colleges to serve lower division
• conduct intersector/statewide planning
  contracting for infrastructure but encourage
  campus-based programmatic growth
• build sustain 3-way policy environment to
  support practice campuses, System, State

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Why Research?

• identify what our policies are
• determine if our policies are barriers to
  growth in distance education
• learn from others who are further along

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Areas for Research

• enrollments in distance education courses
  degree programs
• student evaluations in courses
• faculty evaluations of technology infrastructure
• policies at the campus, System State level in
  Oregon, elsewhere

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Policies in Historical Context

• significant policy work began mid-1990s in the
  video environment
• 1995 Policy Guidelines issued by the Board of
  Higher Education
• these worked until late onset of 2nd generation
  (online)
• work began again 1999

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Approach to Revising Policies

• interinstitutional committees reviewed 1995
  policy guidelines in context of changing
  environment
• reviewed trends in technology
• reviewed enrollment statistics
• reviewed policies practices in other states

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53 Policies in Categories (5/01)

• Planning, Quality Programs/Courses
• Student Services
• Faculty Issues
• Tuition/Fees and Enrollments
• Technical Standards/Infrastructure
• ___________
• stayed with categories from 1995 Guidelines for
  continuity reasons

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Policies Sorted by Category

• Board policy
• Delegated Authority
• Good Practices Principles

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Board Policy

• An existing policy of the Board, an Oregon
  Administrative Rule ,an Internal Management
  Directive, or other actions taken by the Board.
  Or the guideline falls into an area in which new
  policy or revisions of current policy should be
  considered.
• 10 in this category (e.g., accreditation,
  tuition, statewide planning, articulation/transfer
  , program review approval)

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Delegated Authority

• Delegated authority from the Board to either the
  Chancellor's Office, the institutions, or both.
  In some cases, this is an area of delegated
  authority that is dictated by state or federal
  regulations.
• 20 in this category (e.g., program scheduling
  priority, system data collection/analysis,
  faculty compensation/recognition, faculty roles,
  delivery cost fees, security)

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Good Practices Principles

• Principle of good practice recommended by
  professional associations, the research
  literature, accreditation bodies, OUS
  interinstitutional groups, etc.
• 23 fell into this category (e.g., quality
  criteria, student services, library, financial
  aid, technical standards for reliability/consisten
  cy, transcription, academic advising)

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Researched Other Policies

• Surveyed others Systems to identify their
  policies in these areas and identified them in
  the Guidelines
• Searched for policies in key areas we had not yet
  identified (were we missing important areas?)

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Research on Virtual Entities

• Surveyed 62 virtual entities -- What range of
  services are being offered online (2001), in
  one-stop services?
• 100 provide course info, 71 provide program
  info, 79 provide student services, 44 provide
  faculty/staff services, 37 provide info on
  policies

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From All This?

• We determined that our policy work would stand us
  in good stead for the time being (knowing
  technology would continue to change around us).
  
• We established a one stop for faculty online
  training/services at the Oregon Network for
  Education.
• We moved our attention to next stage of
  development leveraging resources to expand
  access.

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Key Systemwide e-volutions from our policy work

• Extend the university and community college
  partnership in the state to encompass K-12
  (Oregon Network for Education)
• Encourage interinstitutional collaborations where
  single campuses cannot meet demand (e.g., joint
  online graduate program in reading for teachers
  minors in criminology, business, other fields)
• Beginning trend work anew . . . Round 3?

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Why Work on Policy?

• Clarifies the rules for all concerned . . .
• Can help create an environment for growth in
  distance education (flexible policies, permissive
  policies)
• Can bring and keep the parties together to plan,
  build on, leverage resources (campuses, System
  offices, other sectors)

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Key Web Addresses

• http//www.ous.edu/dist-learn/DEguidelines2001.htm
  (Distance Education Guidelines)
• http//OregonONE.org/virtualUsurvey.htm (Survey
  of Virtual Entities)
• http//oregonone.org/ (Oregon ONE)
• http//www.ous.edu/dist_ed_home.html (System
  Distance Education Homepage)