Standard VI -

Draft -6/2/97

6.1 Division of Continuing Education

A. Academic Credit Courses and Programs

1. Independent Study by Correspondence Course

2. Summer School

3. Program for Adult College Education

B. Promotional Materials

C. Record Keeping

D. Faculty

E. Students

F. Advisement and Assessment

G. Budget

H. Long-Term Planning

6.2 Nevada Cooperative Extension

6.3 Study Abroad

6.4 Judicial Continuing Education

6.5 Professional Development, Certification, and Licensure Programs

6.6 Issues for Further Discussion

A. Electronic Distance Education

B. Faculty Support for Continuing Education and Special Instructional Activities

C. Outreach

6.7 Recommendations

STANDARD VI

Continuing Education and Special Instructional Activities are primarily the responsibility of the University's Division of Continuing Education (DCE). Many such educational and outreach activities at the University, however, are not part of DCE, or are primarily housed elsewhere, including Nevada Cooperative Extension; study and travel abroad programs; professional development, certification, and licensure programs; judicial continuing education; and the performing arts series.

The mission of DCE is to develop lifelong learning opportunities for students of all ages whose educational needs and goals extend beyond the traditional university curriculum and whose classrooms often lie outside the bounds of a traditional campus setting. This supports the University's mission to "provide community and public service programs through continuing education and cooperative extension." DCE advances the land-grant mission of the University by supporting outreach teaching to accommodate students who cannot or choose not to participate in the regularly scheduled offerings on campus.

In 1978, DCE was created from Extended Programs and Continuing Education, and since 1981 has reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Division administers many University continuing education activities including both credit and non-credit courses (for administrative structure, see Appendix VI-A). Within the non-credit arena, DCE administers a variety of programs including professional development, performing arts, summer children's activities, and ElderCollege (which is affiliated with the Elderhostel Institute Network).

DCE planning is done in partnership with academic departments on campus and with agencies and organizations in the community. DCE has anticipated one of the major thrusts of UNR's recent academic master plan, Approaching the Twenty-First Century, which is the building of community partnerships. Advisory committees with membership drawn from the community assist with certificate programs. DCE has thirty community coordinators throughout the State who provide feedback to the Division on the needs of current and prospective students.

The Division of Continuing Education is market-driven in its course planning. DCE listens to its various advisory committees, who suggest course topics and identify potential faculty to teach suggested courses. This includes the Outreach and Summer Session Advisory Committees, as well as committees for the various certificate programs. They also respond to suggestions from students, community coordinators, school administrators, and faculty working with students in a community. Class offerings reflect student demand and departmental interest. If a department is unable to demonstrate a need, DCE staff will work with it to assess the need before a course is offered.

The University offers many kinds of academic credit courses through DCE. These are listed in the Continuing Education catalog, which comes out every fall and spring. Credit offerings are divided into:

-- Off-campus courses at Carson City and Elko

-- PACE courses

-- Internet training courses

-- Electronic distance education

-- High school electronic distance education

The course number along with a brief description is included in the catalog for each academic credit course offered. The catalogs will be available to Accreditation Team members along with other documentation.

The content and the instructor for an academic course administered through DCE are approved by the academic department each time the course is offered. DCE's role is to administer and coordinate, while the responsibility for content and instruction rests with the academic departments. Continuing education courses must meet all requirements for a University course including contact hours, expectations for graduate work, and approval by appropriate curriculum committees. While creativity is encouraged in schedules and meeting times within the bounds of minimum contact hour requirements, no more than one credit can be earned within a one week period, and three credit courses that meet on weekends must meet at least four weekends during the semester. Due to fiscal constraints, DCE often requires a minimum enrollment for courses of seven graduate students, twelve undergraduates, or ten mixed.

In addition to traditional off-campus, on-site courses, DCE administers academic credit courses through electronic distance education and independent study by correspondence. DCE also administers on-campus academic credit for the University summer session and the Program for Adult College Education (PACE). Electronic Distance Education is discussed in a separate section below.

The Division of Continuing Education publishes three course schedules/catalogs each year and an Independent Study catalog every other year. Supplemental promotional materials--brochures, flyers, news releases, newspaper and journal ads--are also used to advertise and communicate with students about programs. Information regarding course descriptions comes directly from the University catalog or is either written or reviewed by the faculty member teaching the course; DCE makes every effort to ensure that all advertising and promotional materials are accurate. Samples of promotional materials are on file for the accreditation team , along with schedules of courses and programs for the last three years.

The Admissions and Records office of the University maintains records for all courses which grant academic credit. Admissions criteria for students in all credit programs, including those administered by DCE, are the same. DCE has an individual file for each course that contains all pertinent enrollment and fiscal data; enrollment data are also kept in the University's SIS database. Records are kept on credit students for five years after the class information is entered in the University's system. DCE does not presently track completion rates for its courses.

Faculty for DCE courses are selected in consultation with and approved by departmental chairs from regular faculty who signify interest; also, departmental chairs may suggest faculty members. DCE staff routinely consult with departmental chairs if a non-university instructor is contemplated. All proposed faculty members are approved by the department chair and dean of the appropriate college (and the graduate school when applicable) before each class is scheduled. In the non-credit area, faculty are identified by advisory committees based on their expertise in a given area. If they are regular faculty, their department chair and dean approve their involvement in non-credit course offerings as well. A listing of all faculty members with appropriate approvals, vitae if not regular faculty, and course syllabi, are on file in the DCE office.

Pay for credit classes is by rank; an exception is the PACE program, for which Ph.D. faculty are paid $2500 per course and others $2000 per course. Regular faculty usually teach a PACE course on top of their regular load. Off-campus teaching for DCE can't be counted as part of the faculty load; it is an overload, and faculty are financially compensated. Instructors for noncredit courses are paid $500 for 6 hours of teaching. Promotion and tenure decisions are the responsibility of the department, and the process varies somewhat by department and college. Therefore, the value or weight given to teaching a continuing education course varies.

The following chart indicates the number of participants--formal enrollments or attendees--in each of the various kinds of programs administered by the Division of Continuing Education.

Table VI-1 Enrollment Statistics for Continuing Education Courses and Programs

* University Recruitment includes all classes held for children not yet of enrollment age including summer academic and sports programs.** Special Programs includes attendees at conferences, musical and arts performances. ***Numbers reflect total participants. Thus, for example, a person who enrolled in one academic credit course and one professional development workshop and attended two concerts would account for four Aenrollments@.

DCE provides limited academic advisement, with some advisement at locations where degree programs are available. For example, the Assistant Dean of the College of Business Administration travels to Elko twice a year to join an on-site member of the DCE staff in advising students enrolled in the business program there. All DCE courses are evaluated by students at the completion of class. Also, DCE staff are evaluated by faculty members who are given an evaluation form to complete at the end of each continuing education course taught. Follow-up studies of students are conducted through regular academic programs, and additional information is gathered through exit interviews of graduating seniors.

Approximately 5% of courses offered by the Division are state-funded; this includes only academic credit courses taught during the academic year off campus or via electronic distance education. Everything else, including summer school, must be self-supporting. In 1995 DCE income amounted to $5,181,769. Of that amount 87% ($4,515,391) came from student fees, 10% ($504,230) was allocated by the State of Nevada based on formula funding, and 3% ($162,148) came from grants. It should be noted that student tuition for continuing education courses taken for credit during the academic year is not part of DCE income, but is deposited to the university's general account.

In recent years DCE has often had a surplus (though one is not anticipated for 1997 due to the changes in summer school enrollment policies noted above). Any surplus is spent in a variety of ways - student scholarships, faculty development/enhancement grants, equipment for Student Services, support for Student Services' bridge program, academic department operating funds, and support for departmental teaching assistants. As a self-supporting entity, DCE is required to maintain salaries in advance of payment, so some surplus is used for this purpose. Continuing Education also provides the "risk capital" necessary to begin new programs which require time to become successful. All surplus funds are allocated according to University policy, with the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Board of Regents.

Credit class fees, including Summer Session, are set by the Board of Regents. In the non-credit area, professional development programs are approximately $23 per hour. National and international executive development programs are between $250-500 per day, including room, board, and course materials.

DCE recently completed a program plan to take it into the next century. The major issue facing the University is to attract, retain and provide a high quality education to Nevada students with increasing competition from public and private institutions. Within this overall competitive context, there are a number of specific issues:

As part of its land grant institution mission, the University of Nevada, Reno is home to Nevada Cooperative Extension. Faculty members in the Colleges of Agriculture and Human and Community Sciences often hold appointments funded jointly by the University and Cooperative Extension. Nevada Cooperative Extension maintains a network of 16 offices throughout Nevada. These offices serve as local campuses for the university and often facilitate other university activities in the community. Extension provides a wide range of non-credit educational programs including 4-H, programs for at-risk youth and families, nutrition and health, water use, environmental issues, horticulture, and agriculture. The Extension programs are supported by funds from the federal, state, and county government as well as private foundations.

The University of Nevada, Reno is one of ten U.S. and ten foreign universities that participate in the programs of the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC). This provides UNR students with the opportunity to study abroad in semester and year long programs in Australia, Chile, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and Thailand. Students must have an overall GPA of 2.5 or better to qualify for admission into the program. Each USAC course meets or exceeds the standard of fifteen fifty-minute contact hours per credit. Depending upon the course, students may receive credit from UNR or transfer credit from the program university abroad. The USAC office operates out of UNR, where the Director is assisted by four full-time staff. Each U.S. university participating in the consortium has a designated program representative, and the foreign universities have on-site program directors. USAC publishes separate catalogs for semester and summer programs. A Web site is also maintained to provide information to prospective students.

The program started with two U.S. universities in 1982, and now has grown to ten, with an average of 850 students enrolled in USAC programs each year. Students receive a series of six mailings providing information on the programs. UNR students attend an orientation on campus prior to departure, followed by a two-day orientation at the foreign site. The curriculum vitae for faculty plus all course syllabi are reviewed by USAC directors and departmental chairs on the U.S. member campuses for every course taught through the program. At UNR final sign off is by the dean of the appropriate college and the dean of Continuing Education. Students have an opportunity to evaluate the program in general and every class in which they enroll, plus housing at the foreign site. Over 90% of students report that they would recommend the program to their peers. Site visits by administrators from the 10 participating universities are encouraged; both the UNR President and Vice President for Academic Affairs have visited the campuses of some of the participating institutions. Portions of the program are periodically reviewed by national accrediting agencies. For example, in the spring of 1995 representatives of the Association of American Programs in Spain were on campus and gave the program an excellent review.

The number of University of Nevada, Reno students participating in the USAC programs is small but shows a generally consistent pattern of growth over the last six years:

1991/92 - 38

1992/93 - 41

1993/94 - 29

1994/95 - 53

1995/96 - 68

1996/97 - 76

The University of Nevada, Reno is home for the National judicial College and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. While both organizations are located on-campus, they are autonomous non-profit organizations and their programs are separate from the university. Each of these organizations offers extensive judicial education both in Reno and across the country. Annually, over 2,500 judges and other court personnel participate in training offered through The National Judicial College. Since 1969, more than 200,000 judges and professionals in juvenile and family law have participated in the continuing education programs of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. While the programs are separate, both organizations and their faculty do participate in the Master of Judicial Studies program offered through the university and administered through the Division of Continuing Education. This program--for sitting judges only--has awarded 58 degrees since its inception in 1986; 7 degrees were awarded in 1996.

DCE offers a variety of workshops, conferences, and other educational opportunities for professional development, certification, and licensure. The division will work with a specific professional licensing body if continuing education units (CEUs) are needed. The standard of one CEU for every 10 contact hours is followed. In addition to the DCE activities, a number of externally funded programs provide professional development opportunities in specific areas as part of the project requirement. Examples include the Small Business Development Center, Nevada Cooperative Extension programs, Transportation Technology Transfer (T²) Center, Area Health Education Center, the Addiction Technology Transfer Center, and the Nevada University Affiliated Program in Developmental Disabilities. Typically, these professional development activities are offered primarily for CEUs, but participants are frequently offered the option of enrolling for an academic credit course (usually one credit) through DCE. Those who enroll for credit must complete and submit additional assignments beyond their participation in the workshop or conference. As with all other courses, the credit course and the faculty must be approved by the academic department.

Since 1980, the University of Nevada, Reno has offered academic courses through electronic distance education (EDE) to provide educational opportunities to Nevadans who are otherwise unable to attend the University. This purpose is consistent with the University=s land-grant mission to provide outreach educational programs.

Only courses that are already in the University catalog for on-campus instruction may be approved for EDE, and the approval process for EDE offerings is the same as for comparable courses taught at off-campus locations. Some years ago the University wrote policies governing the offering of off-campus courses. These policies provide a detailed methodology covering academic standards, admissions, accreditation, and other issues. These policies apply to all courses taught through EDE (See Appendix VI-B). At a March, 1997 meeting the Nevada Board of Regents approved the APrinciples of Good Practice for Electronically Offered Academic Degree and Certificate Programs@ developed by the WICHE Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, higher education institutions, and the regional accrediting community (See Appendix VI-C). The principles provide students who enroll in distance education courses with an assurance that certain standards will be met in the areas of curriculum and instruction, evaluation, assessment, and institutional commitment.

Long-term planning for distance education is coordinated through the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who determines the allocation of resources. DCE provides electronic distance education courses, with technical support from Instructional Resources and Technology (IRT). In addition to providing the technology, IRT offers training to faculty in how to use technology to enhance their teaching, and assists in developing instructional materials and syllabi. The University Libraries provide information support for EDE students. The various components involved raise issues about where control and planning for distance education should lie (See also Standard IV).

The University employs various forms of technology to meet the demand for electronic distance education. The major technologies used at this time are instructional television fixed microwave systems (ITFS) and compressed video systems. The ITFS systems are used for compressed video technology, which allows for communication throughout the state. Both systems supply two-way audio and one-way video from the originating site. As of December 1996, there are seven origination sites on campus, with other sites in Carson City (2), Elko (2), Ely (1), Fallon (6), Fernley (2), Las Vegas (3), Lovelock (1), and Winnemucca (2). Other technologies such as standard phone systems, Internet applications, and audiographics have also been used.

The University and Community College System of Nevada is one of the participants in a project currently being developed by the Western Governors' Association called the Western Governors University (WGU). The purpose of WGU is to broaden access to higher education by using advanced technologies. Access efforts will be directed primarily toward unserved and under-served populations in areas distant from universities and community colleges. WGU seeks to provide mechanisms for the formal recognition or certification of learning achieved through its distance education programs, regardless of source, and will focus on assessment, competency-based training, and certification. To date, however, there has been no input or involvement in this effort on the part of UNR faculty; it is strictly at the System level.

A statewide network to support electronic distance courses and was created in the 1995/97 biennium by a legislative initiative, Senate Bill 204 (SB 204). SB 204 provides $6 million for the State to help create the infrastructure for electronic distance education. This includes Internet access and interactive video for K-12 and for general system use. UNR's share of this appropriation is $900,000. Since the University had already made a sizable investment in equipment, much of the money is being used for programs, such as teacher training, high school, and Internet classes.

During the past several years, the university has invested considerable time, energy, and funds into an infrastructure for electronic distance education. As part of this effort, an increasing array of electronic distance education coursework is being offered. However, the fall 1996 faculty survey raised concerns that the increase in distance education courses is limiting the number of on-site traditional continuing education courses. This issue requires further discussion in the context of a university-wide investigation of the cost, funding, coordination, feasivbility, and desirebility of EDE activities.

It is further recommended that the 1995/96 task force created by the former Vice President for Academic Affairs to review distance education issues be reconstituted and undertake this charge

As part of the self-study activities, a fall 1996 faculty survey asked about the importance of continuing and distance education. The result showed wide differences of opinion regarding the importance of each for the university.

When asked about the role and importance of off-campus courses through continuing education, 47% of the 150 responding felt that this was an important and valuable role for the University. Respondents indicated that they felt it is critical for the University to reach out to the rural parts of the state because it is part of the land grant mission, involves the University in local communities, and helps the University in public relations. Seventeen percent (17%) indicated that off-campus courses through continuing education were not a critical role for the university. This group of respondents indicated that off-campus offerings were minimally important and should be addressed only if they did not interfere with or diminish on-campus activities. Eleven percent did not consider continuing education to be a role for the university or viewed it negatively. Twenty-five percent had no opinion or did not answer the question.

When asked to assess the role of electronic distance education in the mission of the University and the importance of that role, over half of those responding or 56% supported distance education. Comments focused on Nevada's diverse population and large rural areas, the need to remain competitive, and UNR's land grant mission. "Distance education will reshape higher education in the next ten years," said one respondent, "and is increasingly important for undergraduate education." However, some faculty who support distance education do so with reservations: they urge a cost-benefits analysis; they worry about the preservation of quality and standards; and they express concern about the competition for resources with other programs. Those who oppose the University's emphasis on distance education (28%) were also concerned about cost and possible decrease in the quality of programs offered. One respondent noted that we assume great demand but with little evidence. Finally, 16% said they had no opinion or did not comment.

This survey reveals significant support for the role of continuing education in the mission of the University. However, a substantial number of faculty are not supportive. There are several potential reasons for this division. Many faculty participate in programs that have not had any involvement in continuing education, thus they have no experience upon which to draw. Others see off-campus courses as competing for on-campus resources in a time of increasingly tight budgets. It is recommended that a campus-wide discussion occur on the role of continuing education and distance education in the overall mission of the university.

The 1993 Interim Evaluation report notes, "There is a strong support on campus for a recommitment to UNR's land-grant heritage" (p. 5). The 1995 Academic Master Plan also speaks to this support in its discussion of UNR's outreach mission. Other land-grant institutions have begun to explore administrative models to enhance outreach activities and consequently the University's connections with the community at large. Michigan State is among the leaders in this arena.

Currently, outreach activities are decentralized across campus, housed both in separate entities--the Division of Continuing Education and Nevada Cooperative Extension--as well as within specific programs in colleges and schools, as is the case in Business, Engineering, and Human and Community Sciences. Often, these activities relate directly to faculty teaching and research on campus (See Standard VII). They also sometimes form a part of students' academic programs. In the College of Human and Community Sciences, for example, all undergraduate majors are required to participate in forty-five hours of community service activities prior to graduation. Given the breadth of outreach activities and the potential benefits to be derived from these community-based efforts, the University should explore an administrative model that can help identify, coordinate, implement, evaluate, and enhance these programs.

The University community must engage in a dialogue on the role of continuing education in the University. This discussion should consider the relationship between the university's academic programs and its continuing education programs, and should examine the relative priority of off-campus courses, electronic distance education, and traditional on-site courses. It must also consider how central different kinds of distance education may or may not be in meeting the university's long-term goals.

If distance education is to become an integral part of the university's regular academic programs, then it is appropriate to assess whether such programs would best be administered through a central administrative structure or through departments and colleges, as other academic courses are. Discussion of distance education should also include representatives from the system level, since System Computing Services controls the network, for its delivery.

Specific Recommendations

• Explore alternate funding for Summer School, in order toincorporate it more effectively into the year-round educational cycle increasingly required by graduate and non-traditional students.
• Coordinate campus-wide the process for collecting information and reporting on education for professional development.
• Develope a campus-wide task force to consider the needs and the purposes of non-traditional students, and determine how they may best be met in a manner consistent with the mission and objectives of the University. This discussion should include serious consideration of whether the purposes presently addressed through the PACE program and BGS might eventually bemet through other flexible academic programs (See Standards I, V, and IX) .
• Review and revive the VPAA task force to study distance education issues, and insure that it is broadly representitive of all campus constituencies, not simply the traditional participants in EDE activities. This task force should explicitly address cost and funding, and set priorites for EDE activities within a context of general university needs and resources (See Standard I)..