Report+Introduction+Ideas


 * T****his report is all about increasing student access, student learning outcomes, and student success in Washington higher education institutions.**


 * We seek to answer the question: "What is best for student learning?" **
 * "How do we increase student access to higher education (increase participation rates) and how do we increase student success (course completion rates, students getting to degree, finding jobs, etc.)?"


 * We will ** recommend, in the report, that this K-20 eLearning group continue beyond the report?

Delivering the benefits of higher education to broad segments of our population should recognize the immense power of technology.
 * Good teaching and good instructional design is such in-person, online or in a mixed hybrid / blended learning environment. The use of digital technologies does not make the educational experience better or worse.
 * eLearning and online student services need to be seen as core to higher education. They are no longer fringe elements of colleges and universities - they have become mainstream and should be absorbed and woven through mainstream higher education activities (accreditation, curriculum development, data collection, funding, strategic planning, professional development, job descriptions, etc.) As such, it is a mistake to segregate eLearning activities from the rest of the College / University.
 * As eLearning activities continue to grow, resources will need to flow to support that growth.
 * Engaging broad segments of our population in higher education requires we collectively recognize and utilize the immense power of technology.
 * Washington higher education eLearning, student services and OER solutions should be aligned and funded to meet the learning and service needs of all students and faculty at all Washington public and private colleges and universities.
 * Higher education should work to integrate our information technology efforts with our partners in public K-12 schools in order to create a seamless P-20 online learning environment for students and services that promote seamless transitions between institutions.
 * We must provide comprehensive professional development for students, faculty and staff in the use of evolving technologies. Students, faculty and staff will be involved in directing these efforts.
 * We will cultivate the culture and practice of using and contributing to open educational resources such as free digital textbooks and open courseware.
 * World is changing: networked, digital, changes macroeconomic rules (Long Tail), all services moving online (including higher education), students choosing online and hybrid courses in large numbers, products are born digital, amount of open information is exploding, everyone can participate (though still digital divide issues) and cloud computing and $200 netbooks allow us to bring a base level of common, commodity services to an ever growing population.

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 * Use technology, collaboration and innovation to meet the demands of the economy and improve student success.** (from **DRAFT ** CTC Mission Study TF)======
 * **Web and mobile technologies.** To meet student expectations a predominant means of delivering education will increasingly shift to web and mobile technology, including students who do their learning on campuses. Even if current eLearning growth rates slow down, by 2020 all students will be taking courses that are supported by digital technologies, and all students will be interacting with college student services online.
 * **Faculty development.** 21st Century education is increasingly focused on problem-solving over knowledge acquisition. The skills needed by faculty will include greater knowledge integration across disciplines and data sources, and a larger role as learning facilitators over content providers.
 * **Digital, online content is expanding exponentially,** enabling faculty to borrow, remix and share curricula, and students to access free textbooks and learning resources from around the world. Significant increases in professional development will be required to take advantage of the technology changes and to meet changing student expectations.
 * ** Recommendations: **
 * Accelerate adoption of web and mobile technologies for eLearning and self-service student services. Provide system wide eLearning tools and support services so that all colleges have the capacity to offer eLearning and online student services to their students, through system level purchases of software licenses, and centralized, outsourced hosting and help desk services. Develop strategies to ensure that all students, especially low income students, have access to technology supported courses and services, and to ensure that all college facilities support wireless technology.
 * Provide opportunities for all colleges to participate in redesigning instruction for open courseware and open textbooks, and create an online repository for digital content that can be shared by all colleges and all faculty.
 * Invest in college faculty and staff by offering additional professional development opportunities focused on using emerging web and mobile technologies and on effective strategies to increase student achievement, especially for underserved populations.

Weave in JW's good thinking: "thinking about pedagogy, freed from the constraints of a tome-like textbook and a few limited hours in class." Cable's add: The real promise of online and open educational resources is being freed to think about learning in new ways with new tech and content tools.