Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 14:32:34 -0500 From: Paul Meske Subject: Distance Education Plan X-Sender: meske@madison.tec.wi.us To: levine@maricopa.edu MIME-version: 1.0 I received the following request and am forwarding the Distance Education Plan for the Madison Area Technical College. I hope that it is of help. It is long on vision, and vague on the technical aspects of how it will happen. >Please help us by sending directly to me copies of planning documents from your own institution; or send me the URLs for such documents. We are especially interested in plans that are publicly available from the Web and/or in print. Of course, working drafts and more finished versions of institutional plans that include discussion of educational uses of information technology will be appreciated; but so will descriptions of planning PROCESSES that you have found effective.< Madison Area Technical College Distance Education Plan Introduction This document describes an initiative to create a network to serve the distance education efforts of the Madison Area Technical College. It has involved the efforts of the MATC Telecommunications Steering Committee and the Dane/Jefferson County CESA 2 Distance Education Consortium. Mission Statement The mission of distance education at MATC is to expand educational opportunities and provide more equitable access to education by optimizing the use of human resources and capital through the best use of technology, and to work cooperatively with other agencies as appropriate. Assumptions This initiative is predicated on the following assumptions: * Planning for this initiative is being done in consultation with the ECB and DETIC to insure appropriate coordination between state and regional levels. * Distance education systems should be shared by all educational institutions/agencies within their service area, and should accommodate business training, community education and state agency uses to whatever extent possible and practical. * Technical standards for voice, video, and data transmission should be established, based on industry and state standards, to insure that all existing and future distance education systems can be interconnected. * The specific design and technologies used within distance education systems should be determined by users based on identified needs. * Costs of establishing and maintaining a system will be shared among users. Vision Statement * Every resident of the MATC district will have access to all MATC's instructional programs within their community. * All MATC district residents will have equal access to K-12, Tech Prep, Post Secondary Options, and Youth Apprenticeship programming at their school. * MATC will be interconnected to all the other Technical Colleges and Universities in the State of Wisconsin to run high cost interdistrict programs,(such as Dental Technician) and staff development courses. * Ultimately, all Distance Education systems in the state will be interconnected electronically with the ability to dial up the amount of bandwidth required for specific audio, video, or data applications. * There should be a seamless migration from existing technology and systems to the newer technologies. Current District Environment * Distance Education initiatives in the state have been decentralized and often splintered. * The availability and use of Distance Education in the region varies widely and is growing. * Awareness of Distance Education programming and supporting technologies varies widely and is frequently non-existent. * State funding for Distance Education technologies and programming is limited. * The State of Wisconsin lags behind many other states in the development of a comprehensive telecommunications infrastructure and use of Distance Education technologies to respond to the educational needs of its residents. * Experience in other states has demonstrated that Distance Education programs have been effective in providing educational services to those who would otherwise be unserved. * There is merit in developing an MATC telecommunications infrastructure to serve the Distance Education needs of learners. * K-12 systems look to MATC to be a leader in Distance Education and see our partnership as essential in the formation of distance education Consortium. Goals * To establish a multi-channel regional network capable of transporting video, data, and voice that interconnects existing and planned networks, thus enabling persons in one location to selectively reach learners in any part of the district for purposes of training, credit courses, staff development or meetings. * To coordinate the development of cost effective Distance Education technologies and programming among the K-12, Wisconsin Technical College System, University of Wisconsin, and business and industry education providers of the District. * To enhance economic development of the District by providing businesses access to the system for educational purposes. * To foster the cooperative development of a telecommunication infrastructure to serve the needs of education within the District. * To serve as a model for other groups in the state that desire to develop a regional infrastructure. Strategies * Phased implementation to spread the cost and allow development of necessary institutional mechanisms to properly use the system. * Formation of K-12 Consortium which MATC will be a part of. Approved January 25, 1994, by the Telecommunications Steering Committee ------------------------------------------ Paul Meske, Instructional Media Specialist Madison Area Technical College 3550 Anderson St. Madison, WI 53704 meske@madison.tec.wi.us http://www.madison.tec.wi.us Voice: (608) 246-6050 Fax: (608) 246-6287