A
U N IVE RS ITY Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
ATALBANY
State University of New York
May 16, 2018
Dr. Jinliu (Grace) Wang
Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
State University of New York
State University Plaza
Albany, NY 12246
Dear Dr, Wang:
On behalf of the faculty at the University at Albany, I am pleased to transmit the attached
proposal seeking distance education delivery authorization for our Advanced (Graduate)
Certificate Program in Community College Leadership.
We will be thankful for efforts by your staff in the Office of Program Review for timely
consideration of this proposal and transmittal to NYSED for updated registration. Should
there be any technical questions or the need for additional materials, please have inquiries
directed to Jonathan Bartow, Vice Dean for Graduate Education (jbartow@albany.edu) at
our campus. As always, we thank you for your on-going support.
Sincerely,
es R. Stellar
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Enclosure
c. Dean Kevin Williams
Dean Bangert-Drowns, School of Education
Vice Dean Jon Bartow
University Hall, 308
1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12222
PH: 518-956-8030 Fx: 518-956-8043
wwwalbany.edu
Distance Education Format Proposal
The Stale University For A Proposed or Registered Program
of New York Form 4
When a new or existing program is designed for a distance education format, which enables students to complete
50% or more of the course requirements at a distance, a campus Chief Executive Officer or Chief Academic
Officer should submit a signed cover letter and this completed form to the SUNY Provost at
program.review@suny.edu. According to MSCHE, the 50% standard includes only courses offered in their
entirety via distance education, not courses utilizing mixed delivery methods. Also, MSCHE requires that the
first two programs for which 50% or more is offered through distance education be submitted for Commission
review and prior approval of a substantive change.
e All campuses must complete the following sections: Contact and Program Information, Section 1:
Enrollment, Section 2: Program Information, and Part B: Program Specific Issues.
e Part A must be completed if the proposing campus has not previously submitted this form with a
completed Part A: Institution-wide Issues, or has made significant changes to its institution-wide
distance education operations since last completing Part A. This applies even if the institution has
programs registered to be delivered at a distance.
Contact and Program Information
Institution’s 6-digit SED Code: 210500
Institution Name: University at Albany, SUNY
Institution Address: 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222
NYS Department of Labor/Regents Region: Capital Region
CEO or Designee: James R. Stellar, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Email: jstellar@albany.edu
CEO/Designee Signature: Date:
B) “fis
Chief Executive Of or Designee Approval: Signature affirms that the proposal has met all applicable
campus administ, e and shared governance procedures for consultation, and the institution’s commitment to
support the prefosed program.
Distance Education Contact Person Name and Title: Dr. Jason Lane, Chair, Educational Policy & Leadership
Telephone: 518-320-1448 Email: jlane@albany.edu
Program Title: Community College Leadership SED Program Code (for existing programs): 39203
Degree or Certificate Award: Adv Cert HEGIS Code: 0806.00
Section 1: Enrollment
Anticipated enrollment in distance program:
Initial Year: 15 Maximum by Year 3: 45
[Section 2: Program Information
a) Term length (in weeks) for the distance program: 12-15 weeks (depending on whether course is
during Fall, Spring, or Summer term). b) Is this the same as term length for classroom program? [ ]No
[X] Yes
c) How much "instructional time" is required per week per credit for a distance course in this program?
(Do not include time spent on activities that would be done outside "class time," such as research, writing
assignments, or chat rooms.) NOTE: See SUNY policy on credit/contact hours and SED guidance.
3 hours
d) What proportion or percentage of the program will be offered in Distance Education format? Will
students be able to complete 100 percent of the program online? If not, what proportion will be able to be
completed online?
Three of the four courses (75%) will be available online. Students will be able to complete the remaining
course on the UAlbany campus.
e) What is the maximum number of students who would be enrolled in an online course section?
25
Part A; Institution-wide Issues: Submit Part A only for the first Distance Education program proposed by your
institution using this form, SUNY and the State Education Department will keep this in a master file so that your
institution will not need to resubmit it for each new proposed online program, unless there are significant
changes, such as a new platform.
* The institution has existing distance programs and this program is not the first distance education program.
Jb ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT
a) Describe your institution’s planning process for Distance Education, including how the need for distance
access was identified, the nature and size of the intended audiences, and the provisions for serving those
audiences, including how each student’s identity will be verified.
N/A
b) Describe your institution’s resources for distance learning programs and its student and technical support
services to ensure their effectiveness. What course management system does your institution use?
N/A
c) Describe how the institution trains faculty and supports them in developing and teaching online courses,
including the pedagogical and communication strategies to function effectively. Describe the
qualifications of those who train and/or assist faculty, or are otherwise responsible for online education.
N/A
d) If your institution uses courses or academic support services from another provider, describe the process
used (with faculty participation) to evaluate their quality, academic rigor, and suitability for the award of
college credit and a degree or certificate.
N/A
e) Does your institution have a clear policy on ownership of course materials developed for its distance
education courses? How is this policy shared with faculty and staff? NOTE: You may refer to SUNY's
statement on copyright and faculty ownership of instructional content, and/or faculty contract provisions.
N/A
Il. LEARNER SUPPORT
a) Describe how your institution provides distance students with clear information on:
+ Program completion requirements
* The nature of the learning experience
+ Any specific student background, knowledge, or technical skills needed
+ Expectations of student participation and learning
+ The nature of interactions among faculty and students in the courses.
+ Any technical equipment or software required or recommended.
N/A
b) Describe how your institution provides distance learners with adequate academic and administrative
support, including academic advisement, technical support, library and information services, and other
student support services normally available on campus. Do program materials clearly define how students
can access these support services?
N/A
¢) What orientation opportunities and resources are available for students of distance learning?
N/A
Part B: Program-Specific Issues: Submit Part B for each new request to add Distance Education Format to a
proposed or registered program.
Ill.
LEARNING DESIGN
a)
b)
°)
a)
How does your institution ensure that the same academic standards and requirements are applied to the
program on campus and through distance learning? If the curriculum in the Distance Education program
differs from that of the on-ground program, please identify the differences.
All course offerings and overall program plans for degrees or certificates come under governance and
academic review and approval. In the first instance, faculty in the department offering the program are
responsible both for developing program aims and associated depth and level of student learning
outcomes and for maintaining and ensuring that the organization and content of courses and assessments
correspond with program aims. All programs, and associated courses, are reviewed through academic
governance at college and campus level. All programs and courses come under further external program
review procedures. On all of these grounds, the curriculum in the distance education program is the same
as in the on-ground program.
Are the courses that make up the distance learning program offered in a sequence or configuration that
allows timely completion of requirements?
Yes. These courses are offered on a regular semester-based calendar and students are able to complete the
distance education program within as few as 4 to 5 semesters. A limited number of courses will be
offered in the summer for increased student flexibility.
How do faculty and others ensure that the technological tools used in the program are appropriate for the
content and intended learning outcomes?
All program faculty already use some elements of a technology-supported distance learning approach in
existing on-ground courses (e.g. Blackboard, submission of assignments, blogging, discussions and
feedback, and synchronous means, such as Skype or equivalent).The proposed program director and two
additional faculty members have completed the UAlbany “Online Course Development Program”, and
are already teaching three of the courses fully online. Additional courses are currently being converted. A
coordinated approach to online format and user experience is being pursued. Courses are being developed
around a pedagogical model that promotes student-faculty, student-student and student content
interaction. All development work is being done in consultation with ITS, ITLAL and related supports.
Students are expected to have access to a computer and the Internet. Through registration in the program,
all have access to UAlbany’s electronic holdings of journals and reference materials.
How does the program provide for appropriate and flexible interaction between faculty and students, and
among students?
Interaction between faculty and students, and among students will be organized online by instructors.
Program faculty have been, or will be, prepared through ITS and ITLAL training on how to provide
appropriate and timely interaction and feedback to students. Through training, faculty will be assisted in
4
e)
the (re-) design of courses around a pedagogical model that promotes student-faculty, student-student and
student content interaction.
In addition, the program will develop a “Program Community Commons” to foster interaction among the
various cohorts, faculty, outside experts and alumni, outside of the online interactions built into each
course. It is anticipated that this will evolve into a community of practice which connects program alumni
to UAlbany for the forseeable future.
How do faculty teaching online courses verify that the student who registers in a distance education
course or program is the same student who participates in and completes the course or program and
receives the academic credit?
The University at Albany utilizes two layers of authorization and authentication for students who
participate in online learning. Students are required to establish an account and to log in to the University
password protected domain using the NETID protocol and must also log into the BLS Learning
Management System using their university credentials. Blackboard also uses Safe Assign as a tool to
monitor the completion of certain tasks within the LMS environment.
IV. OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT
a)
b)
Distance learning programs are expected to produce the same learning outcomes as comparable
classroom-based programs. How are these learning outcomes identified — in terms of knowledge, skills, or
credentials — in course and program materials?
As described under III a), all course offerings and overall program plans for degrees or certificates come
under governance and academic review and approval. In the first instance, faculty in the department
offering the program are responsible both for developing program aims and associated depth and level of
student learning outcomes and for maintaining and ensuring that the organization and content of courses
and assessments correspond with SLOs and program aims. For existing courses being re-designed for the
online format, syllabi already vetted for regular degree programs outline the expectations of students and
anticipated knowledge and skills acquired through the courses.
Describe how the means chosen for assessing student learning in this program are appropriate to the
content, learning design, technologies, and characteristics of the learners.
All course activities can be successfully carried out within the online format, and student demonstration
of mastery of knowledge and use of knowledge already is suitable for online courses. Assessments
typically rely on written work, in various forms and with formative and summative feedback, provided by
the instructor. The assessments are compatible with asynchronous online pedagogy adopted for the
program. All program faculty are familiar with such means of assessment, and such means are judged
appropriate for post-bachelor’s learning in this field and, specifically, for the online certificate program.
Vv.
PROGRAM EVALUATION
a)
What process is in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of this particular distance education
program on a regular basis?
This program will be evaluated alongside the Department’s Master’s programs. Parallel evaluation of the
online modality, technology approaches, etc. will be ongoing, and will include participation by the
various instructional design units available through the University.
Surveys at point of program application, enrollment, course completion and graduation are among some
of the modes of evaluation. We also plan to follow up with program completers after some lapse of time
on both perceptions of the value and use of knowledge and capacities acquired through the program and
post-completion job and career mobility in the field.
Student/program completer perceptions and information will be complemented by information obtained directly
from the field, through faculty engagement in professional and scholarly venues and direct communication with
professionals on-the-ground (at international office, campus, agency, or national policy levels, domestic and
international).
b)
°
How will the evaluation results will be used for continuous program improvement?
As at present with all department courses in all degree programs, contemporaneous student evaluations
(e.g. SIRF) will be shared with each course instructor and the department chair. Ratings and commentary
will be examined separately, and responses for students in the online certificate program will be compared
with those from students in any of the other degree programs in the department. Further, student
evaluations for all courses coming under the certificate program will be provided to the program
coordinator, to identify course specific or program wide matters for attention.
Survey information obtained at each stage — from application to registration to completion — will be used
to inform decisions on policies, communications, and management of the on-line program.
Survey information on post-completion perceptions about the value and use of knowledge acquired in the
program and job/career trajectories will be used to consider modifications in content and learning
activities within and across courses.
All evaluation information comes under routine course and program evaluation, not least program review
within university-wide accreditation processes.
How will the evaluation process assure that the program results in learning outcomes appropriate to the
rigor and breadth of the college degree or certificate awarded?
Curriculum mapping, as part of the regular self-study program review process, assures the alignment of
course contents and methods to SLOs and the extent to which students realize the objectives set down for
courses and the program as a whole.
As described under III a) and IV a), all course offerings and overall program plans for degrees or
certificates come under governance and academic review and approval. In the first instance, faculty in the
department offering the program are responsible both for developing program aims and associated depth
and level of student learning outcomes and for maintaining and ensuring that the organization and content
of courses and assessments correspond with SLOs and program aims.
For specific knowledge to be acquired in courses coming under the on-line program, faculty will review
and update contents and methods as is currently the case, drawing on their own engagement in research
and as described above, connections to relevant practice, complemented by engagement in professional
and scholarly venues.
VI. STUDENTS RESIDING OUTSIDE NEW YORK STATE
SUNY programs must comply with all "authorization to operate" regulations that are in place in other U.S. states
where the institution has enrolled students or is otherwise active, based on each state’s definitions.
a) What processes are in place to monitor the U.S. state of residency of students enrolled in any distance
education course in this program while residing in their home state?
Students in this program will be labeled as such in our integrated administrative system. This information
can be queried allowing for identification of those residing outside of New York. A University committee
for State Authorization issues and concerns has recently been formed. This committee is led by our
Director of Enrollment Management with representation from the Office of the Registrar and other related
units.
b) Federal regulations require institutions delivering courses by distance education to provide students or
prospective students with contact information for filing complaints with the state approval or licensing
entity in the student’s state of residency and any other relevant state official or agency that would
appropriately handle a student's complaint. What is the URL on your institution’s website where contact
information for filing complaints for students in this program is posted? NOTE: Links to information
for other states can be found at http://www.suny.edu/provost/dlo/dl_outofstate.cfm.
https://www.albany.edu/graduatebulletin/requirements_student_complaints.htm
Version 2013-10-15
