S.98-22
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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT, ACADEMIC
MEMORANDUM
To: ?
Senate
From:
?
D. Gagan, Chair
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/44'_-_-
Senate Committee on Academic
1anning
Subject
?
Proposed Non-Credit Certificate Program:
Certificate in Distance Learning
(Reference: SCAP 98-4)
Date:
?
February 10, 1998
Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies and the Senate
Committee on Academic Planning gives rise to the following motion:
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Motion:
"that Senate approve and recommend approval to the Board of
Governors, as set forth in S.98 -
22 ,
the proposed Non-Credit
Certificate Program: Certificate in Distance Learning."
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SCAP 98-4
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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Memorandum ?
c
CEC 19
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01
To: Alison Watt, Secretary
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From:
J.
Cohn Yerbury, Chair
Senate Committee on Academic
?
Senate Committee on
Planning
?
Continuing Studies
Re:
Proposal for Consideration
?
Date: December 17, 1997
by SCAP
Enclosed is a proposal for a Non-Credit Certificate Program:
Certificate in
Distance Learning.
The Senate Committee on Continuing Studies has
recommended that this proposal go forward to SCAP for consideration,
approval and forwarding to Senate. Please place this proposal on the agenda
for the February 4, 1998 meeting of the Senate Committee on Academic
Planning.
As recommended by the SCCS, this proposal has also been sent to the Senate
Committee on International Activities for information.
Senate Committee on Continuing Studies
PROPOSAL FOR
?
A NON-CREDIT CERTIFICATE IN DisTANcE LEARNING
Prepared by
Joan Collinge, Acting Director
?
Centre for Distance Education
?
Office of Continuing Studies
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Simon Fraser University
December 1997
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TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
Purpose..................................................................................................................................
Background...........................................................................................................................
How This Program Differs from Others ...........................................................................
Target Audience ..................
2
Faculty/Instructional. Staff ...........
2
The Curriculum ..........................................................................
3
Instructional Methods ...................................................................
8
Delivery Mode .....................
8
Evaluation.......................................................................................................
8
CredentialGranted ...............................................................................................................8
ProgramLength
....................................................................................................................9
Admissionto the Program ..................................................................................................9
TuitionFees ...........................................................................................................................9
Locationin the University ....................................................................................................10
AdvisoryCommittee
............................................................................................................10
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PROPOSAL FOR
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A NON-CREDIT CERTIFICATE IN DISTANCE LEARNING
PURPOSE
The Non-Credit Certificate in Distance Learning is designed to provide a
theoretical and practical overview of the field. Both traditional and emerging
modes of delivery and their attendant issues will be examined. A set of core
courses coupled with a selection of electives ensure that participants receive not
only a common grounding in distance education but also an opportunity to
examine topics specific to their professional responsibilities.
BACKGROUND
This initiative is a response to frequent requests to SFU to offer internships in
distance education for individuals whose responsibilities include establishing
and operating distance education programs. Typically the requests come from
countries outside Canada, especially from southeast Asia and Africa. The need
appears particularly great for those who are involved in the startup phase of a
distance education program and are developing infrastructure and programs
simultaneously. The Centre for Distance Education's international projects in the
South Pacific, the Philippines, and in Ghana have involved working directly with
organizations that are introducing distance education initiatives within their
respective institutions. Consequently, the Centre's professional staff are familiar
with the issues and challenges these situations present.
How
THIS PROGRAM DIFFERS FROM OTHERS
Several institutions throughout the world offer training programs in distance
education—both face-to-face and online. The proposed program, which builds on
SFU's international reputation as a leader in the field of distance education and
telelearning, differs from other programs in the following ways.
Increasingly programs offered elsewhere cater to those seeking a Master's
Degree. What appears to be missing from the market is a program that
provides a comprehensive overview of distance education theory and
practice without the time and financial constraints associated with a
Master's program.
Many of the individuals who seek to benefit from the Centre's experience in
Distance education already hold graduate degrees, often the doctorate, from
well-reputed institutions. Many of these individuals are Ministry officials or
senior university faculty members and/or administrators. The proposed
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certificate is designed to meet their need for professional knowledge within a
timeframe that is compatible with their institutional responsibilities.
The field of distance education is constantly in
flux.
A quality learning
experience, therefore, demands that topics, learning materials, and
approaches to delivery be current. The proposed program is committed to
currency of content and delivery modes.
TARGET AUDIENCE
The program has been developed to meet the needs of participants who have:
leadership responsibilities to develop, implement, and sustain a distance
education infrastructure in a tertiary educational setting where none
currently exists.
• management responsibilities to oversee the development and delivery
of
course materials and services to students.
It is anticipated that participants will, for the most part, be sponsored by
their employer, a government agency, or by an international agency.
It is anticipated that the program will appeal predominantly to an inter-
national audience. This, however, does not preclude the participation of others.
It is expected that a group of participants from one context would
follow
the
program as a cohort. Once mounted, however, the program will be sufficiently
flexible to allow individuals to pursue the Certificate with guidance from the
faculty members noted within this document and the Centre for Distance
Education's professional staff.
FACULTY/INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF
The program will draw on the expertise of faculty members from the School of
Communication (Faculty of Applied Sciences) and the Faculty of Education and
the professional staff of the Centre for Distance Education. The program will also
establish
instructional
liaisons with scholars and practitioners at other
institutions known to have expertise in areas pertinent to the program. The list of
those who have expressed an interest in contributing to the development and
delivery of this program include, but is not limited to:
Faculty of Education:
• ?
Dr. Peter Coleman
• Dr. Tom O'Shea
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School of Communication:
• ?
Dr. Linda Harasim
•
?
Dr. Brian Lewis
Office of Continuing Studies
Dr. Colin Yerbury, Acting Dean
Centre J or Distance Education
Dr. Joan Coilinge
Dr. Jane Cowan
Dr. Laura Millar
•
Dr. Vivian Rossner
•
Dr. Ludo Teles
Dr. John Whatley
All faculty members and the professional staff noted above have experience
working with overseas colleagues. Program participants will also benefit from
working with support staff from the Centre for Distance Education
(administrators, desktop publishers, graphic artists, technology specialists),
many of whom also have international experience.
THE CURRICULUM
Participants will complete a minimum of 120 contact hours. This requirement
will be met by combining core courses with a range of options suited to the
participants' professional development needs. Participants may choose eledive
courses from any area of specialization to complement their program. The three
areas of specialization are: management and leadership; the development and
delivery of print-based learning materials; and the development and delivery of
online courses.
Wherever possible, the program will form partnerships with the Faculties of
Education and Applied Sciences as well as other units within the Office of
Continuing Studies to:
benefit from existing courses (e.g., courses offered through Continuing
Studies' Writing and Publishing Program. Courses that appear with an
asterisk, for instance, draw heavily from courses presently on offer).
develop new courses that are of
mutual benefit to
the Certificate's and the
academic unit's programming initiatives (e.g., the Faculty of Education's
PBD and Non-credit Certificate Program in Teaching and Learning in an
Information Technology Environment).
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Core Courses
All participants will take the core courses described here. Whether an individual
is responsible for the overall operation of a distance education unit or a smaller
unit of function within such an operation, it is important to place the activities
within a larger context. The core courses provide that context.
Introductory Course: An Overview of Distance Education
Duration: 20 hours
Topics covered in this course include: a background and history of distance
education; visions of the future; the needs addressed by distance education; and
the basic components of a distance education unit. The course also provides a
brief overview of administrative issues in distance education.
Models of
Distance Education
Duration. 10 hours
This course presents different models of distance education and examines their
relative strengths and limitations. Participants will be encouraged to reflect upon
their own experiences and to identify an appropriate model for the context in
which they operate.
Current Issues in Distance Education
Duration. 10 hours
This course will introduce participants to current issues in distance education
such as: the convergence of distance and conventional education; the
implications of the increased use of technology; managing change, and faculty
resistance to change.
The course will be sufficiently flexible to allow inclusion of
topics of specific interest to each cohort group (for instance, the global marketing
of distance education materials).
Program Evaluation
Duration: 20 hours
Topics covered include: the rationale for evaluation in distance education; factors
affecting the need for evaluation in distance education; building evaluation plans
into program planning; typical evaluation process for each aspect of distance
education, assessing evaluation outcomes.
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Elective Courses: Management and Leadership
Leadership in Distance Education Management
Duration: 20 hours
Topics covered include: the contexts of leadership (starting new programs,
operating existing programs, retooling existing programs); leadership tasks
(building support for distance education both within and beyond the institution,
developing systems and linking them to existing systems, staff planning; staff
development; assessing and using technology in distance education; financial
planning and planning for
cost effectiveness.
Administration in Distance Education
Duration: 20 hours
Topics covered include: establishing systems for course development and
delivery, student recruitment, student support, learner assessment, student
record keeping; financial management and budgeting; establishing adminis-
trative linkages with other parts of the institutions and modelling working
relationships.
Managing
Duration: 10
Technology
hours
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This course will prepare participants: to analyze their program's technology
needs; to select and allocate these resources based on budget, scheduling, time
management, and considerations It will also examine technology's impact on
leadership and management.
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Elective Courses: The Development and Delivery
of Learning Materials
The courses listed under this heading focus on the development of print-based
materials. However, some courses would be of interest to participants focusing
on online teaching strategies.
Instructional Design for Distance Education
Duration: 20 hours
This course introduces participants to different theories and models of
instructional design and examines their application to the development of
distance education learning materials. Participants will also study the major
design features and procedures for developing and maintaining a typical
distance education course package for academic courses. There will be a balance
between theory and praxis. The participant will be asked to study and
conceptualize sample distance education materials and, on the basis of this
study, to develop courses or parts of courses of their own.
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Writing, Editing, and Producing
Educational Materials: An Editor's Perspective
Duration: 15 hours
This course covers the following topics: the role of the editor, evaluating
materials available for use or adaptation, improving existing materials; print and
electronic publishing; preparing and editing graphic material; scheduling, the
production process, and maintaining quality.
Copy
Editing: An Introduction*
Duration: 15
hours
Topics covered include: using editing marks, watching for mistakes in spelling
and punctuation, striving for consistency, and preparing style sheets.
Substantive Editing*
Duration: 15 hours
Topics covered include: identifying structural problems, reorganizing, reworking
and rewriting manuscripts; communicating with authors; considering the needs
of the reader; and dealing with issues such as sexism and stereotyping.
Basic Proofreading*
Duration: 5 hours
Topics covered include: the proofreading process; the difference between copy
editing and proofreading, how to make copy
for correction, and when to hire a
professional.
Copyright
Duration: 5 hours
An introduction to copyright issues for both print-based and online learning
materials.
Publication Design and Print Production*
Duration: 10 hours
Topics covered include: the principles of design, the process of design, the
effective use of illustrations and photographs, working with a printer, and how°
to formulate a budget
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Introduction to Computer-based Graphic Design
Duration: 15 hours
This course is designed to provide an introduction to the use of computers for
graphic design. It is intended for individuals who are familiar with traditional
graphic design methods. The course will introduce participants
to
the main
computer applications and hardware used for graphic design and explore how
graphic design differs for print, multimedia, and the World Wide Web. Depend-
ing on the interest of the group, the assignment for this course could be designed
for print or for on-line presentation.
Elective Courses: The Development
and Delivery
of
Online Learning Experiences
Overview
of
Educational Technology
Duration: 5 hours
This course introduces participants to the various technological tools available to
support teaching and learning.
Instructional Technology: An Introduction to the
Literature
Duration: 10 hours
This course introduces participants to current literature in the field, both
theoretical and empirical.
Critical Issues in Online Learning
Duration: 10 hours
The move to electronic means of distributed teaching and learning presents
organizations with important new challenges not necessarily encountered when
delivering courses in traditional formats. These issues include how to implement
these technologies within the organization (or, "how to do things right"), but
include as well questions about the nature and purpose of education, the role of
professors/ trainers, and the goals of business-education partnerships (or, "doing
the right things"). This course will survey some of the more important new
administrative and policy issues surrounding the implementation of telelearning
technologies.
Teaching Online: Theories and Models for
Instructional Design and Strategic Learning
Duration: 20 hours.
This course examines selected theories and models of teaching and learning in
order to extract from them features adaptable to asynchronous and synchronous
instructional design. It also examines ways to integrate learning strategies as key
features of instructional design practices.
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Web Designs for Knowledge Building
Duration: 20 hours
This course introduces students to module and course designs in support of
knowledge building strategies for online environments. Theoretical foundations
of network
learning
and distributed cognition will be introduced. Online models
combining information access, individualized learning, and group tasks for
effective
teaching
practices will be presented. Participants will learn how to use
pedagogical models appropriate for multimedia Web content and Delivery.
INSTRUCTIONAL
METHODS
Learning opportunities will blend
individual and group work in the form of face-
to-face and online instruction, lectures, small group discussion, demonstrations,
field visits, and workshops. The combination of approaches adopted for any
given cohort group will take into account cultural factors and participant
learning objectives.
DELIVERY MODE
•
Initially, the proposed program will be offered to overseas educators at the
Burnaby
Campus of Simon Fraser University. The program, however, is intended
to be sufficiently flexible to permit a variety of delivery options in the future.
EVALUATION
A
variety of assessment techniques will be used to assess the extent to which
participants have mastered program objectives (for example, projects,
,
case
studies, essays). Assessment procedures will be negotiated for each cohort group
and will take into account cultural considerations and participant learning
objectives. Wherever possible, material produced for evaluative purposes will be
linked to the participants' professional responsibilities.
A pass/fail system will
be used to grade assignments and to ensure university standards are maintained.
The program itself will be evaluated after each offering through student
evaluations and through contact with sponsoring
institutions
to measure the
extent to which the program met institutional needs.
CREDENTIAL GRANTED
Successful completion of this program leads to a Non-credit Certificate in
• Distance Learning granted by Simon Fraser University—an institution with an
international reputation for its innovative approaches to teaching and learning
and its Centre for Distance Education.
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PROGRAM LENGTH
It is anticipated that a four week program would be manageable for overseas
visitors. It would provide sufficient time for participants to be acclimatized to
their new surroundings and for them to complete the requisite number of contact
hours. Four weeks, however, is not so long as to be a major interference to work-
related responsibilities at home.
Most holiday periods in the education sector are at least three to four week's
in duration. Programs could be scheduled to coincide with the holiday period
between terms.
ADMISSION
To
THE PROGRAM
Educational/Experiential Background
An undergraduate degree is a recommended
prerequisite, as is familiarity with a
post-secondary education system (or experience within the professional context
to which distance education is to be introduced). No
previous experience in
distance education is necessary.
English Language
The language of instruction and assessment is English. Participants, therefore,
must be sufficiently familiar with both written and spoken forms of academic'
English to satisfy program requirements.
In addition to satisfying the above requirements, applicants will be asked to
provide:
• a memorandum intended to facilitate the Canadian partner's understanding
of the social, economic, demographic, and cultural background of the
participant's country and its requirements, so as to encourage cross-cultural
exchanges
• ?
a description of local resources currently available for the development and
delivery of learning opportunities via distance education.
TUITION
FEES
The program will operate on a cost recovery basis. Fees will vary according
circumstances such as, but not limited to, the following: travel costs, housing
needs, field trips, course materials (textbooks, study guides), instructional
resource persons required for on- or off-campus delivery.
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LOCATION
IN THE UNIVERSITY
The proposed program will be housed within the Centre for Distance Education,
which will assume responsibility for its administration. Working in partnership
with the Centre, faculty members from the Faculties of Education and Applied
Sciences will oversee the development of the proposed program through
representation on the certificate program's Advisory Committee.
ADVISORY
COMMrrTEE.
The Advisory Committee is comprised of the following individuals.
Dr. Ian Andrews
Director, International Education
Faculty of Education
Dr. Peter Coleman
Professor
Faculty of Education
Dr. Joan Collinge
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Acting Director
Centre for Distance Education
Office of Continuing Studies:
Dr. Linda Harasim
Professor
School of
Communication
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-•.
Faculty of Applied Sciences
Dr. Brian Lewis
Director, School of Communication
Faculty of Applied Sciences
Dr. Tom O'Shea
Associate Professor
Director, Field Relations and Teacher Inservice
Faculty of Education
Dr. Lucio Teles
Co-director, Lohn Lab for Online Teaching
Centre for Distance Education
Dr. Cohn Yerbury
Acting Dean, Office of Continuing Studies
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