VT2020_Planning

Teaching & Learning at
Virginia Tech, 2020:
Some Thoughts about Planning

John T. Harwood
Associate Vice Provost, Information Technology Services
Penn State
University Park, PA 16802

January 14, 2011

Penn State and VT: Siblings
§  We are kindred spirits – large R1s w/significant research
portfolios as well as significant teaching mission
§  Penn State is larger (~95K students, 6K faculty, and 15K
staff) @ 24 campuses ranging from 700 students to 42K
students
§  Highest tuition of any public University (~$13K for in-
state students and double for out-of-state in 2009-10)
§  Both face a challenging fiscal climate (aka hard times
ahead ) that should spur innovation (Math Emporium
2.0?)
§  Both face increased competition from other providers

Goals for Today
§  Ponder the current landscape of higher education
§  Identify key issues, concerns, and options at VT
§  Consider how to move forward – not whether to
move – at VT by addressing such questions as:
§  How is learning planned for at VT?
§  How can VT better leverage CIDR, IDDL, et al. to create
partnerships for learning ?
§  How can VT rethink learning spaces and computer labs
and gather evidence of learning?
§  How can VT support faculty in new models and modes of
teaching?

Goals for Today
§  To document my visionary skills, consider my
history and future of the Web in 30 seconds

Warning: scenarios are subject to change without
notice. Ten years ago who was thinking about
Google (IPO in 2004), YouTube (founded 2005), or
Facebook (founded in~2003)?

2020 seems a long way off, so why worry??

A History & Future of the Web

§  More about Gopher in 1994?
§  Why do faculty talk about the rate of
change?

New Competitors Want to Dine
TODAY on Hokies & Nittany Lions

Outta State U Salish Kootenai College (MT)

Mukogawa Ft. Wright Institute (Japan) Lesley College (MA)
Trajal Hospitality & Tourism College (Japan) Winona State University (MN)
Walden University (MN)
Univ. of Alaska S.E. (AK)

Eastern Oregon Univ. (OR) Univ. of Idaho (ID)
Oregon Inst. of Tech. (OR) Lewis-Clark State College (ID) Southern Illinois Univ. (IL)
Lewis & Clark College (OR)
Portland State Univ. (OR)
Univ. of Portland (OR) ITT Technical Inst. (IN)
Western Seminary (OR) Vincennes Univ. (IN)
George Fox Univ. (OR)
Oregon State Univ. (OR)
Linfield College (OR) Johns Hopkins Univ. (MD)
Western Oregon Univ. (OR)

Chapman Univ. (CA)
Old Dominion Univ. (VA)
Pacific Oaks College (CA)
Center of Innovation in Education (CA)
Pepperdine Univ. (CA)
Golden Gate Baptist Theological Sem. (CA) Webster University (MO)
Golden Gate Univ. (CA) Columbia College (MO)
Embry Riddle Aero. Univ. (FL) Park College (MO)
Nova Southeastern Univ. (FL)
Apollo College (AZ)
Univ. of Phoenix (AZ) Tulane University (LA) Kigezi Int l School of Medicine (Uganda)

Source: University Business

Going to College in Virginia,
2020: What are My Choices?

§  Consider the state of Washington in 2005
§  Question: What will the map of Virginia higher
education look like with this kind of
representation?
§  Question: Where do I find a state university
in 2020? Where does VT play in this mix?

The future (of VT) ain t what it used to be
Yogi Berra
§  Proliferation / consolidation of §  Just-in-time re-tooling of
e-learning courses and curricula
§  Mission deflation or creep §  Mass customization will be a
§  Greater differentiation student expectation (learning
§  Brand at risk styles on steroids)
§  Open University-type teams vs.
§  Top 25 VT courses could be
taught by Megawatt U, which independent contractors as
course developers
has an articulation agreement
with VT and is cheaper for §  So how many competitors will
students VT have in 2020?
§  Campus experience as a
differentiator, but how to
quantify the value?

Lessons Learned about Learning
1.0 @ PSU

Learning 1.0 at PSU
§  Old Main and two wise CIOs have invested heavily in
learning – and we have results to show for it
§  ANGEL (course management system)
§  Computing labs, classrooms, and learning spaces
§  E-Library services + new Knowledge Commons
§  Course redesign efforts (Pew, NCAT, Sloan) have led
us to self-fund and go hybrid, so we need a repository
§  Infrastructure (wireless, Shib, friction reducers )
§  World Campus (75,000 enrollments this year; focus on
adult learners) = $18M+ in revenue for colleges
§  High-stakes Testing Center and other innovations

What Penn State Students Expect
§  An increasing emphasis on relevance
§  An increasing effort to personalize learning
§  More active engagement with course
content, peers, and faculty
§  More effective feedback on learning
§  No increase in effort!
§  Besides, wired is cool (wireless, gadgets,
e-everything)

How One Redesign Spawned 30

§  Stat 200 (NCAT), 1999-2001
§  Biology 110 (Mellon Foundation), 2000
§  Spanish 1-3 (Textbook publisher), 2002
§  So why not fund the redesigns ourselves —
the PSU Blended Learning Initiative
§  ~30 undergraduate courses

Stat 200, Then and Now
§  Traditional design = 3 lectures and 1
recitation section
§  New model (2001) = 1-2 lectures + readiness
assessment tests (RATS) and online activities
§  Newer model (2007) = 2 lectures and 2 labs
§  Newest model (2009) is completely online
§  Same course, same standards, similar results

Stat 200, Then and Now
§  Stat 200 continues to innovate
§  Efficient use of ANGEL quizzes
§  High-stakes testing = more time for teaching
§  Clickers provide additional feedback
§  Huge classes seem small
§  Stat 200 now has an online version – same
results
§  Cost savings remain about $150K per year
(reduction in # of TA s)

The Landscape for Learning at
VT: Ten Questions

Ten Questions about the VT
Landscape for Learning
§  Who is in control if the drivers of change are external, not
internal to VT?
§  Are social media, consumer devices, and constant
connectivity more important than backpacks and books?
§  What will textbooks be in 2020? Will any be printed? Will we
need a book store?
§  Will Wikipedia, Youtube, and Google kill the university
library?
§  If online universities are so successful, do we still need
campuses?
§  If VT students can succeed in online classes, do we need
classrooms?

Some Questions (cont)
§  Where in the curriculum will all VT undergraduates
acquire the IT skills and attitudes they will need as
employees and citizens?
§  How should VT assess its success in identifying and
measuring those skills?
§  What are the best models for helping faculty
incorporate discipline-appropriate best practices in
teaching and learning?
§  Which of the many possible innovations make most
sense in 2011-14? And how will we sustain them?

Issues and Policies for Today and 2020

§  Sustaining quality, mission, and market position
§  Finance and economics (the business case)
§  Faculty development and governance issues
§  Intellectual property, licensing, and Not-Invented-Here
§  Equity and access issues
§  Student services

Avoid PARALYSIS THROUGH ANALYSIS – good policies can
be developed and implemented
§  In the words of Bob Heterick: seek Access, Quality, and
Cost

Magnetics Lab, 1894 – not a computer in sight!

The View from 5,000
Feet

We Know Too Little About
§  Curricular and instructional design questions
§  Optimal pedagogies for different disciplines
§  Best fit between kinds of students and kinds of
technology
§  Optimal class size for on-line classes and right
rhythm for hybrid courses
§  Metrics for assessing outcomes
§  Smarter ways to promote engagement, socialization,
and mentoring of faculty AND students
§  Impact of Learning 2.0 on faculty development,
rewards, and careers
§  Accreditation and institutional quality

Summary
§  The map of higher education is changing rapidly
§  There is no single right way to do learning 2.0 – we
struggled for centuries with 1.0!
§  VT will be its own best lab for producing best practices
§  Now is the right time to move forward – don t wait for the
technology to become perfect
§  Support your faculty, support your faculty, support your
faculty
§  Ditto for students
§  Focus on producing evidence-based arguments about
learning
§  Embrace your partners in higher education

A Word from JoePa about Learning:
Keep on Plugging Away!
§  Our football coach is our biggest support
of our University Library

VT2020_Planning

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