Proposed Reorganization

For purposes of this report, we offer the following definitions to distinguish traditional from nontraditional instruction. "Traditional instruction" refers to activities that generally include face-to-face exchanges of knowledge and ideas between the instructors and students, all of whom meet at the same time and place. These meetings can occur on or off-campus, in classrooms, laboratories, clinics, worksites, etc. Technologies are occasionally used that allow for real-time exchanges while the instructor and the students are physically separated and videotape replays on television are commonly used in several disciplines. Tuition is fixed by the BOR and it is paid to the office of Financial Services. Students are enrolled in credit courses leading to a degree.
"Nontraditional instruction" refers to a wide array of educational experiences that differ from traditional instruction in at least one of the following ways:

Students are enrolled in an educational enterprise for purposes other than obtaining a degree.
Technologies (television, computers, telephone, CD-ROM, web-based materials, videotape, two-way video, etc.) are used to facilitate communication and/or delivery of instructional materials to faculty and students not joined in time and place.
Payment for the educational content including workshop registration, fixed rate per credit (or course or program) that is different than the tuition set by the BOR.
The educational product is not funded with state money.

One major consideration when discussing either "traditional" or "nontraditional" education is the role that the state of Florida has in providing financial support for the program. Throughout this report, "off-book" refers to individual courses or a specified sequence of courses for which no state funds are provided. The program may or may not culminate in the awarding of a degree. The payment is set by the program and goes through DOCE or other approved "banking" services (e.g. IFAS). Off-book students are included in the UF official headcount but they are not considered in the calculation of state-funded FTE. "On-book" students register for credit courses taken on- or off-campus. They pay tuition that is set by the Legislature. These students contribute to both the headcount and the funded FTE of the university. The state provides funding for on-book students. Additional definitions that are used throughout this report can be found in Appendix C.

CONTENT AND DELIVERY PLATFORMS

The analysis undertaken by the DCE review committee indicates a need for a more integrated organizational structure, one designed to coordinate and oversee all DCE education activities at UF. Such a structure would maximize college-level productivity, assure availability of the infrastructure necessary to delivering the educational content and provide for faculty training and reward structure.

The central element in the proposed organizational model is the college/department. Proposals for nontraditional courses or programs normally will come from individual faculty members. The faculty understands the breadth of knowledge in their respective disciplines and they are the root source of academic standards of the university. Faculty members therefore should develop and design content so that academic courses or degrees as well as noncredit activities (workshops, certificate programs, etc.) provide critical knowledge and skills that conform to the general standards of the institution.

In practice, this means that the impetus for nearly all nontraditional programs should come from the faculty of a college. All new programs (whether generated from external demand or internal mission) must have a college "home." Thus, the DCE review committee envisions that all proposals for nontraditional courses and programs normally would flow "up" from a college and its faculty, just as do proposals for traditional courses and programs. If someone not in a college proposes a nontraditional course or program, final approval should rest with the college offering the program or course. If the nontraditional course or program is interdisciplinary in nature, two or more colleges should agree to share the responsibilities for oversight. In interdisciplinary programs, an advisory board should be formed that includes representatives from each college/department involved to provide recommendations for appropriate coordination.

The university is occasionally approached by outside constituents interested in a certain body of knowledge or skills. Responsiveness to these requests is an important part of the mission of the university. When such requests are made, the appropriate faculty (department and college) should work with the requestor to assure appropriate content and delivery methods. This may result in distance learning programs offered during weekends on-campus, or classes or workshops delivered at sites remote from campus. Whatever the case, the faculty needs to have the necessary support in place to meet demand that is mission critical and economically sound.

Ultimately, issues of academic quality in nontraditional courses and programs, just as in traditional curriculum, are the responsibility of the college. The dean, as the chief academic officer of the college, has oversight responsibility, for managing the educational process. The dean provides strategic direction to the faculty and administers educational programs in a manner consistent with the objectives of the college and the broader mission of the university.

The following organizational chart (Figure 1) summarizes our recommendations for restructuring central DCE education services. Two parallel processes are described, the educational content and delivery platforms. Also indicated are the on-campus services necessary to assure that non-traditional education is fully integrated into the mission of the university.

Figure 1: Recommendations for restructuring central DCE education services

The overarching philosophy presented in this document is that DCE education activities should have clear and direct college oversight as well as a central administrative coordination and support to ensure quality and adherence to university policies and standards. Faculty should be encouraged and rewarded for participating in DCE education related activities either by way of substitution for regular course assignments or through additional compensation when they are added to normal teaching loads. The appropriate infrastructure also needs to be put in place (in terms of software, hardware, and services) to facilitate an educational experience for all students that meet the standards of a research extensive and land grant university. Finally, it is essential that administrative procedures be implemented to ensure adequate institutional planning, resolution of intellectual property issues, and the development of new course evaluation instruments for use in DCE education.