CCFIT > Calendar & Minutes > 1998-2003 Minutes > May 20, 2002 AC4 Minutes

Agenda

1. Approval of Minutes
2. Consideration of the Report From the Educational Subcommittee on Course Management Systems
3. Consideration of the Request for Continuing Support for Mediaworks
4. Review of ITF Budget

Minutes

Excused: Barry Klein, Harry Matthews, Pat Turner, and Neal Van Alfen.

Absent: James Case, Angela Cheer, Cristina Gonzalez, Kathi Sylva, and Pam Thomas.

Guests: Tor Cross, Pat Kava.

Staff to the Councils: Julie Saylor and Babette Schmitt.

I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – CHAIR PLANT

Council members approved the April 15th meeting minutes as submitted.

Matt Bishop, chair of the AC4 Educational Technology Subcommittee, noted that at the last meeting Council discussed the findings and recommendations of the subcommittee but neglected to take a vote and formulate an official recommendation to the Information Technology Policy Board. Bishop summarized the recommendations of the subcommittee, noting that the group recommends that UC Davis support MyUCDavis as the preferred course management system for the campus. The subcommittee also recommends that:

1. The Teaching Resources Center (TRC) and Information and Educational Technology (IET) create a plan to transition WebCT pilot participants to MyUCDavis, and to maintain the WebCT server during the transition.
2. Support for MyUCDavis be expanded so the portal can effectively handle expected increases in student and faculty usage and so new course management features and services (including those offered by WebCT) can be integrated into MyUCDavis.
3. Departments and colleges should be permitted to run WebCT at their discretion, with the understanding that the campus would not provide centralized support for this product.

One Council member asked whether the selection of MyUCDavis as the course management system for the campus is likely to translate into a surge in requests for support. Victoria Cross, from the Teaching Resources Center, indicated that her department has already seen an increase in the number of calls. Aram Yengoyan, TRC Director, added that there needs to be a better mechanism for funneling requests and inquiries to the appropriate group(s). Andy Jones noted that documentation should be developed and made available, especially in print, to all instructors. He suggested that instructors might be willing to purchase help materials at the UC Davis Bookstore for a small fee.

Chair Plant asked for a motion to approve the subcommittee's recommendations. Council members agreed with the recommendations and voted in support of the subcommittee's findings.

Vice Provost Bruno distributed hard copies of the memo he wrote to Chair Plant seeking the Council's support and input regarding Mediaworks' priorities and strategic approaches as well as the development of a sustaining core budget for Mediaworks. Dr. Bruno reminded Council members that at the May meeting, Director Harry Matthews provided a comprehensive overview of Mediaworks' history, formation and activities, and outlined the adjustments made to enhance service delivery and strengthen support of instructional technology (see April 2002 minutes).

Dr. Bruno summarized the discussion points presented in the memo as well as the unit's principal achievements. He then presented the request for support to keep Mediaworks functioning at its current level. Highlights from this presentation follow:

• Mediaworks' origin is a result of the Administrative Unit Review for the Division of Information Technology, and the Learning Environment Architecture Development (LEAD) project
• AC4 recommended a 2-year development period (through end of FY 01-02). In January 2000, Provost Grey approved the formation of Mediaworks and committed $500,000 in instructional technology one-time funds for 2 years. Over the same period of time, the Office of the Vice Provost-IET contributed approximately $1.1M in one-time funds.
• Mediaworks' priorities reflect a campus commitment to use educational technology to simplify and/or reduce faculty workload. A new educational technology group has been established to help Mediaworks fulfill its primary mission, and programs such as Meet the Experts, ET Partners, and ET Grants are now offered to all faculty interested in integrating technology into their teaching. In addition, fourteen hybrid online courses were developed in the first two years, with the ongoing capacity to produce three new hybrid courses per quarter. The Virtual Chemistry Lab developed in partnership with the College of Letters and Science has already proved successful.

Dr. Bruno reminded Council that Mediaworks is approaching the end of the 2-year pilot phase. A permanent augmentation of $600,000 is needed to continue Mediaworks activities beyond the launch phase ending June 30, 2002. Bruno noted that a permanent commitment to Mediaworks is essential although short-term funding strategies could include a combination of permanent and one-time funds.

Council discussion focused on the following areas:

• Hybrid online courses. Council members asked what is needed for the development, use, and maintenance of these new types of courses. Dr. Bruno explained that what distinguishes these courses is that they are not offered exclusively online. They combine some traditional methods with online and multimedia technology. When they are well established, these courses should translate into savings for the campus and should help accommodate space issues as high-demand courses are offered to more students outside of the classroom. Jack Farrell, University Registrar, noted that his department will review the 14 hybrid online courses to determine if scheduling adjustments need to be made. Council members then briefly discussed distance learning offerings, noting that the campus should continue to explore ways in which this technology can be leveraged.
• Initial one-time funds. A Council member asked if IET would request reimbursement for the $1.1M in one-time funds spent on Mediaworks for the first two years. Vice Provost Bruno replied that IET's commitment to this program and more generally to supporting faculty is very strong. The funding proposal does not cover those funds and IET does not intend to make such a request.

Chair Plant asked Council for their recommendation regarding the request for permanent funding to the Information Technology Policy Board. Dean Rock noted that Mediaworks has been offering quality courses and will contribute cost-savings to the campus in the long run. Members discussed possible alternatives to Mediaworks, noting that Mediaworks' disappearance would greatly impact instructors.

Council expressed strong support for Mediaworks and voted to recommend the request for permanent funding to the Information Technology Policy Board.

Chair Plant asked Julie Saylor, Resource Management and Planning, to provide an update on Instructional Technology Funds (ITF) allocations and availability to date. Saylor distributed copies of a handout already shared and discussed with the Administrative Computing Coordinating Council (AdC3) on May 6th. Saylor reminded Council members that the campus receives $3.9M annually in ITF funds. Of that amount, close to $3.3M was permanently committed to deans and vice chancellors, and a little over $600,000 is available centrally. Saylor summarized the various projects for which ITF funds have been, or are likely to be, requested. These include upgrades in general classrooms, instructional equipment replacement, operational budget for the MyUCDavis portal, support for the campus modem pools, permanent funding for Mediaworks, and small Undergraduate Studies technology grants. Chair Plant proposed that Council members make no funding decisions given the current campus budget situation. Members discussed the fact that projects and requests should be evaluated on the basis of their merit rather than on the availability of ITF funds.