APC Bulletin #56

1. Emerging Technologies in Support of Instruction

Following on presentations at recent meetings about UCTV (http://www.ucop.edu/planning/apcfiles/apc54.html) and the Language Learning and Teaching Consortium (http://www.ucop.edu/planning/apcfiles/apc55.html) the Academic Planning Council heard presentations and discussed a variety of topics related to the uses of technology in UC instruction.

Paula Murphy, Managing Editor of the UC Teaching, Learning and technology Center (TLtC) Webzine & Online Forum (www.uctltc.org) described the intent and demonstrated some of the major features of the Center’s new web-based monthly publication. The purpose of TLtC is to provide information about what UC faculty are involved in with respect to technology use, and to create connections between individual faculty who have interest in expanding or improving their use of technology in teaching.

The webzine features a different in-depth topic each month (e.g., Digital Arts). It provides an organizational linking structure that allows the reader to review information by discipline, provides access to tools and techniques, and directs readers to campus resources, including a database of information about how the UC community uses technology. The site includes interactive areas for faculty discussion.

TLtC also provides grants to UC faculty for supporting teaching innovations. The grants program is designed to build intercampus collaborations and spread effective uses of technology to enhance pedagogy from one campus to a number of campuses.

One particular challenge has been finding ways to inform and involve faculty. The March edition of Notice (http://www.ucop.edu/senate/notice/welcome.html) carries an article describing both the intent of the webzine and the grant program available to UC faculty. APC members suggested that information could also be provided at new faculty orientation meetings, to campus committees on courses, and at campus workshops.

Gary Matkin, Dean of Continuing Education at Irvine, advised campuses to consider logical, strategic applications of technology. For example, by offering online instruction, University Extension can reach audiences that face both “time and place” challenges. As another example, the School of Social Ecology at UC Irvine will be offering UC’s first online degree, the Master of Advanced Study in Criminology Law and Society. It is expected that students who will enroll in this degree program will be working adults from around the state (or nation) who cannot afford to leave their homes or employment to pursue an advanced degree. Other possible areas where online education may be appropriate are summer courses, courses for (or offered by) the UCDC program, and courses for EAP students that will allow them to go abroad but also take some required campus classes.

Dean Matkin described different ways of presenting courses. Currently most online UNEX courses use software, such as Blackboard, to produce a course. The less-used and considerably more expensive approach is the “intellectual property model” in which the faculty member creates the overall instructional design, which may include videos and other computer-based features, and that can be transported to other settings. Within the residential, fulltime student environment of UC, the best uses of technology may be in putting part of a course on line, such as providing access to chemistry or biology applications or to remedial information and exercises to correct deficiencies.

Vice Provost Julius Zelmanowitz described other areas where technology is or might beneficially play a role. For example, in the Ed.D. programs being developed with CSU, there may be value in campuses sharing some courses that would be too difficult or expensive to provide at individual campuses because of lack of faculty expertise or low enrollments. Furthermore, many Ed.D. students will live at a distance from a UC or CSU campus, and would welcome a chance to take at least some coursework online.

Another example where technology has played a role is in the UC College Prep Initiative – or online AP courses. First offered in spring 1999 with 44 students, approximately 2,900 students enrolled in fall 2001; 7,500 could accommodated on the current budget. Participation includes 223 schools in 56 counties. The first courses offered were “off-the-shelf” programs. UC is now producing its own courses, with new courses in Biology and Environmental Science already completed, and Calculus and Physics next in line. Experience has shown that students are most successful when there is a teacher-mentor available. A new and very popular feature of the program is the AP Review, which allows students to review information and take sample tests.

2. UC Press

Lynne Withey, Acting Director of the UC Press, informed the APC about financial challenges being faced by university presses, including UC Press, due largely to changes in the external book sales environment. Large providers, such as Barnes and Noble, have overexpanded, ordering large quantities of books in order to stock shelves, and then returning unsold stock. Their practice of ordering large quantities and returning many of them puts university presses at more financial risk. Changes in this external environment resulted in losses at most university presses last year.

The Press is considering recommendations made by McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm, to cut costs and increase revenues in order to offset the Press’s current deficit. The review noted that the Press’s costs are somewhat higher than those of its peers, while its average prices are somewhat lower. In addition to making several business-related recommendations, McKinsey recommended some changes to the mix and scope of publications, such as focusing on fewer fields, as MIT has done successfully, and increasing the proportion of general interest scholarly publications that generate more revenue.

APC members raised concerns about the potential impacts of editorial changes, noting that it would be particularly detrimental to junior faculty if they are not able to publish because of costs being too high. In response, it was noted that specialization of all university presses will help ensure that faculty will have a publisher available to them. It was also suggested that the Press might hold workshops at campuses to provide advice on ways to broaden the appeal of faculty writing. However, Acting Director Withey pointed out that it will always be the case that scholarly publications lose money for university presses. The challenge for the Press is to determine the best balance of basic scholarly publications and the general interest scholarly publications as it pursues its mission of promoting and disseminating scholarship throughout the world.

Acting Director Withey also described recent collaborations with the California Digital Library. For example, they have a grant to add 1,500 titles to the 60 titles currently on line with CDL. She noted also that the Press’s journal sales are strong, although there are concerns about the long-term health of journal publication.

3. Freshmen Seminars

Senior Vice President and Provost Jud King noted that there has been widespread university consultation on the subject of a proposal by the Council of Chancellors to expand the availability of freshmen seminars at all campuses. Universitywide consultation has revealed widespread agreement that there is potentially high pedagogic value for freshmen to have this type of small, one-unit class interaction with regular rank faculty. There are, however, many perspectives on how to proceed: whether to establish universitywide standards and requirements, whether to guarantee all freshmen could be accommodated, and how to provide faculty incentives.

Members noted that several campuses already have freshmen seminar programs in place or in the planning stages, pointing out that these classes work well for recruiting students into majors that may have been unfamiliar to them. The experience of at least one campus has been that while all freshmen may enroll in seminars, in fact, about a half of them do. There was also the observation that funding for incentives (e.g., stipends of $1500-$2000 for research) must necessarily be taken away from other activities.

The President expects a full-scale program at all campuses to be in place by 2003-04.