If there is a "standing-room-only" topic at distance learning conferences, cost is it. Colleges and universities understandably want to compare the costs of online and "face to face" instruction, but they may not know all the real costs of either.
In the same way that developing and teaching courses online requires new paradigms and new methods, "costing" methodology for online courses also requires new approaches. However, if institutions do not have substantial experience in online instruction, they may not understand:
- how to calculate "fixed" and "variable" costs
- ways to reduce fixed costs the impact of "unbundling" instructor functions
- the importance of scalability, and
- ways the "learning curve" in converting traditional courses to an online format can be a cost factor
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Whether your institution is new to online courses, wants more accurate financial data for the online courses it already offers, or needs tips on how to spend its distance education dollars more effectively, this teleconference will help you discover and understand the real costs, and make more informed decisions.
Panelists
Katherine Cobb, JD is President of the Brevard Community College Virtual Campus in Cocoa, FL, where her responsibilities include overseeing the creation and implementation of over 300 online courses enrolling over 9,000 students each year. A licensed attorney, she knows the faculty perspective firsthand from having been an assistant professor, curriculum coordinator and department chair in Brevard’s Legal Assistance Program. Her previous experience in distance learning includes assignments as dean and associate vice president of the BCC Virtual Campus. It is a full service campus providing students with distance learning opportunities including AA and AS degree programs, as well as online admissions and registration, testing, advising, mentoring, financial aid information and learning resources.
Brian Finnegan, PhD plays a key role in evaluating, budgeting for and recommending instructional technologies to be used in courses, including online courses, for the 2- and 4-year institutions in the University System of Georgia. As Director of Emerging Instructional Technologies, which is part of USG’s Advanced Learning Technologies division, he oversees the implementation of the GeorgiaVIEW project. It supports the use of WebCT online services for faculty, staff and students at all 34 public colleges and universities in the state. He was also instrumental in the development of USG’s eCore™ initiative, offering the core curriculum for the first two years of college fully online. Another ALT project EIT supports is MERLOT, a free collection of peer reviewed online modules and resources for faculty. He also manages research and development, including costs, in emerging technologies.
Dennis Jones played a major role in the development of the Technology Costing Method, which is widely recognized as the most authoritative approach to establishing and analyzing the costs of distance education courses. The TCM was created for the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE.) He is President of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), a nonprofit research and development center founded to improve strategic decision-making in institutions and agencies of higher education. In addition to writing frequently and presenting at numerous conferences, he has consulted with hundreds of institutions and state higher education agencies.