by Margaret Seifert Address, Library Director and Coordinator for Distance Education
Ivy Tech Southeast

Thank you for asking me to keynote today's gathering. It is an honor for me but also so me what intimidating with all the expertise represented in this room. On the other hand one can always fall back on the adage that "you get what you pay for" and my price for speaking is in line with the current State budget. Additionally, if I keel over, at least one of the other experts will certainly jump up and finish for me—because they can, and because they all practice a learner-centered philosophy which says that the learner (you) has priority and must receive the scheduled class in the current time frame. They will deal with the problem of my keeling over after the student need is met. Today's presentation will be practical suggestions and how-tos based on research, but will not spend a lot of time delving into the research.

WHY SHOULD WE BE LEARNER-CENTERED?

The answer is obvious to most people. Competition for students is fierce in this time of tight budgets and smaller pools of traditional-age students. In addition, expanding technologies have provided a means to reach more people in different ways and have also eliminated old boundaries for colleges and universities in marketing, outreach, and service areas. Even if you believe that distance education is an insult and an anathema to everything you ever believed to be important to a good learning environment, it does not change the fact that the customer, in this case the student, is driving the market.

Today's students are looking for educational opportunities that are convenient, meet their perceived needs, and provide good quality at a reasonable cost. Many institutions both in Indiana and outside the state can meet most, if not all, of these criteria. The one thing that can differentiate one course or one institution from another is customer service—or, in today's context, being learner-centered.

When we listen to distance students, we very quickly learn that the decision to register with one institution over another—or to switch institutions—is often based on such things as the easy availability and timeliness of information; how students are treated when first contacting the institution; the attitude of the institution and instructors toward the distance student; the speed and quality of feedback in a course; ease of use, access to, and dependability of the required technology; or the discovery that a course or degree touted as being totally available via distance really isn't. Rarely do we hear the quality of the content, or the amount of work needed for a distance course, listed as reasons for the decisions made or the institutions selected.

Whether you represent the learner's home institution, the provider or originator of the class or learning experience, and/or the learning center itself (either campus or community based), there are five "knows" that are critical to being learner-centered which will affect how you do things. In all cases you need to

1. Know your learners;

2. Know your product;

3. Know your technology;

4. Know your resources; and

5. Know your limits.
   

"KNOW" NUMBER ONE - KNOW YOUR LEARNER

This is the primary "know" for those of us in distance education. Distance education students are:

1. usually beyond traditional college age, particularly at the undergraduate level

2. usually female

3. usually very goal oriented and highly motivated – having a definite reason for taking classes ( i.e. keeping a job, getting a job, getting a different job, getting a promotion, some one or so me agency is requiring it, or completing a degree or program started years ago). Very few students mention taking classes just for the joy of learning or personal enrichment.

4. Distance education students are usually very busy with lots of demands on their time , i.e. the responsibilities of job, family, community, household, and (more recently) military service. It is rare that the distance students' primary job is being a student, which often separates them from the traditional on-campus students.

Finally, distance education students are:

1. so me times technologically challenged or even phobic, and

2. often first-time college students having no idea what is required to become a college student or be a successful college student.

Of course there are also technologically challenged students and first-time students in the traditional classroom; but for distance students, the challenges of either of these two circumstances can, if not dealt with, quickly become paramount and even preclude a successful college experience. The processes, procedures, and systems in place to assist the on-campus student in this category must also be available for the distance student.

Research also tells us that adult learners, whether taking distance or traditional courses, exhibit the following characteristics:

1. They prefer concreteness rather than vagueness—wanting clear directions for what is expected and required, when it should be done, and how it should be done.
2. They want ongoing feedback about how they are doing in a course, and want it fairly soon after completion of a project, test, or assignment.
3. They want content related to their needs and goals—wanting to know how a course fits into a program, and (like all students) would like courses to be useful, active, and interesting.
4. They want as much control as possible over the pace of learning, and so me flexibility with this pace. It may take an older student longer to get so me thing initially, but once we get it we usually retain it.
5. They want ways to easily, quickly, and directly communicate with the instructor, the advisor, and anyone else important to them.
6. They are usually good consumers and will not stick around very long if the learning experience does not provide so me benefit or if so me other institution meets their needs in a better, more efficient manner.

Knowing the background and learning characteristics of the distance student will provide you so me direction and aid you in becoming more learner-centered.

The home institution needs to provide the distance student with easy access, within a reasonable driving distance or via technology, to all the information, assessments, forms, and processes that are part of becoming and remaining a student—admissions, advising, registration, financial aid, obtaining needed course materials, using the library, etc . Anything that is available to help the on-campus student succeed also needs to be available to the distance student. Information must not be buried or hidden in multiple layers on web pages. Consideration needs to be given to designing these sources to accommodate various disabilities. For example, color-coding of forms or information tabs is useless to one who is color blind. There must also be an easy way for students to return required items to the institution. This transfer of information can be done in a variety or combination of ways including on-line, fax, toll-free phone numbers, snail mail, printed materials available at learning centers, hot-air ballooning, video conferencing, etc. All campuses need to evaluate their procedures, processes and systems to keep them simple, straightforward and relevant for distance education students. Is it really necessary for distance students to have their health forms on file before being allowed to register, or for housing information to be included in the admissions and registration packet?

Be a secret shopper so me time; try to get information about your distance education courses and programs, either by phone or web site. Try to register for a course or buy a book from a distance. Put yourself in the shoes of a first-time college student and see if you can easily get the information or complete the required steps by using the same available tools and resources. So me times this can be an eye-opener.

Examples of the kinds of things that you might discover, which in fact occurred this past week, include: (1) The title and ISBN information for a course text is listed only in the course syllabus, which is only found on Blackboard; but the course is not available through Blackboard until the opening day of class, which makes it a bit difficult to get the book in time for the class, particularly in the short summer session. (2) A faculty member discovered in a video conference class that all the on-campus students had the right text, but none of the distance students did. A new text had been selected, but not posted on the website from which distance students ordered their books—so all the distance students ordered the wrong book, based on incorrect information provided by the originator.

The originator of a course or learning experience needs to be aware of the technology demands of that course and whether this required technology is available to the student. Often what can be created with technology at the campus level cannot be received or opened up at the ho me of the students, especially if the students' access is via dial-up, or if they live in technologically challenged Southeastern Indiana. However there may be a learning center close to the student where the required technology is available and to which the student could be referred. So me thing as simple as listing the technology and/or software required for a course on the course description is often overlooked.

The originating campus has responsibility for training its faculty in:

•  how to use the technologies available and to help them select the technology best suited to each course;

•  how to create learning communities at a distance;

•  how to effectively engage a group of learners who may be much more diverse in age, gender, culture, disabilities, experience, and background than the traditional on-campus class;

•  how to do course and learning assessments at a distance; and

•  how to understand, appreciate, and work with the needs and knowns of the distance education students.

As an example under #4, it is not uncommon for the faculty to set Friday at 5:00 p.m. as the deadline for completion of a test. There is nothing wrong with this, except that it is often accompanied by a direction to have the completed test sent by regular mail and to be in the faculty me mber's hands by noon on Monday. The odds are against this happening. There will be at least one student who will not complete the test until 5:00 on Friday, per the instructions; the test will be put in the learning center's mail, not to be picked up to go to the post office until Monday morning. Another point to consider is that on large campuses, things often take rather longer to get through the campus mailroom (either on the way in or on the way out) than many faculty me mbers realize—which me ans that tests, assign me nts, class handouts, and returned home work may not get to the learning center in a timely fashion.

The originating campus needs to have back-up materials and systems in place in case the primary technology in use fails or is not available. For example, the weather of the past two weeks has played havoc with the technology, and even when it was working the students in so me video conferencing classes were not in class but in tornado shelters.

The originator needs to work towards 24/7 technology support for both faculty and students.

The learning center staff may be viewed as being more learner-centered by:

•  offering short courses in various technologies to increase skills or decrease phobias;

•  providing general orientation to "How To Do College" or "How To Do Distance";

•  offering courses on time-management or study skills;

•  having FAFSA forms on hand and the on-line FAFSA page bookmarked and accessible;

•  holding activities to create local learning communities and support groups;

•  listening to concerns and suggestions and relaying those back to the campuses;

•  serving as an ombudsman, when needed, for the student with the institution, the communities with the institution, and the institution with the student;

•  encouraging students to be assertive and take responsibility for their own learning, helping them understand that the student must contact the instructor or the home institution when questions or concerns arise, rather than expecting the institution to guess what the student needs;

•  interviewing a student who drops courses or drops out about what the real reason for this was, and relaying legitimate concerns back to those who need to know; and

•  working with the student and the institution to resolve any problems, to head off the drops and walk-aways.

"Know" number two is: KNOW YOUR PRODUCT

Both the home campus and the originating institution need to

•  Be aware of what is available to the potential student via distance, both from your campus and other sources.

•  Determine if what you are offering is what the student needs or wants or if there is so me need that isn't being met. Should you really offer another section of freshman English when no one is offering the required course that must be taken next?

•  Review your course and degree offerings for marketing accuracy; e.g. does a course requiring five visits to campus, or using reading materials available only at the on-campus reserve desk, truly fit the description of a course or program totally available by distance?

•  Evaluate distance courses to see if they have migrated well from the traditional classroom to the distance mode.

•  Provide information and/or training to all persons on your campus who may co me in contact with distance students—it is not uncommon for a potential student to call one of our campuses only to be told by the college operator or the admissions office that the institution does not offer distance courses or internet courses, or that "I think that we do that but I have no information about it and don't know who does." Knowledge often disappears when an employee departs or is transferred.

•  Look at your printed material. Is it directed toward an on-campus student or a distance student? Are the websites and toll-free numbers obvious?

•  If you want feedback about your product or services, survey the users. Evaluation of distance education courses is often left undone.

•  If you want to know what courses to add or what distance students are looking for, ask the learning center staff who are a part of their communities, know their learners, and field the requests and phone calls on a daily basis.

The learning center staff is often the first point of contact for the potential distance education student. This potential student sees the local person as a source of information about what is available. Things change rapidly in distance education, and options appear and disappear on a regular basis. The learning center staff is the local broker for education. Some things that will help the learning center staff be more responsive to the learner's questions about educational options are:

•  Bookmark the ICN web pages for easy access for you and the student.

•  Become familiar with all the information available on the ICN web pages.

•  Bookmark or have available an up-to-date list of the web pages of all the Indiana providers of distance education, and selected out-of-state providers.

•  Attend, if possible, every training opportunity provided by the institutions.

•  Request such training if it hasn't been offered recently.

•  Ask to be put on a mailing list for updates on distance opportunities offered by the colleges and universities and for receiving new printed materials about their offerings.

•  Provide course and degree materials for pick-up by students.

•  Have available, if not memorized, the number of the ICN student services center.

•  Sign on to the coordinate list if you aren't on now. Updates often appear there and you can always send out a request for information.

"KNOW" NUMBER THREE: KNOW YOUR TECHNOLOGY

Originators and ho me institutions need to:

•  Know what technologies are available, and which ones are best for your purpose, be it classes, registration, marketing, student services, or course delivery.

•  Know what technologies are available to your students either at ho me , work, or local learning center—a survey of your students may be needed

•  Know about learning centers, their locations, and what technologies and services are available. This information is available from your local campus coordinators, the ICN web site, and the IHETS web site.

•  Be aware that the learning center coordinators are often called upon to assist your students in interpreting technology instructions, in getting on your institutional platforms, in accessing your library resources, or how to use e-mail including adding attachments. Knowing this, you may want to provide the learning center coordinators with the same technology information that you provide students. Institutions may want to consider providing a generic account and sign-on for coordinators, so they can actually use your systems and get familiar with them to better help your students.

•  Offer training and updates on an ongoing basis for your faculty, support staff, and learning center staff.

Learning center staff need to:

•  Learn the basics of the various technologies which the students in your learning center will be using.

•  Know the technical support staff and contact information at the various institutions and IHETS who can assist you and the learners in your center with trouble-shooting technology problems.

•  Take advantage of any available training opportunity and request that training be provided by the originators, IHETS, or ICN.

"KNOW" number four: KNOW YOUR RESOURCES

Resources come in paper, on-line, and people forms. Examples of useful paper resources, such as books and reports, can be found on the display table.

Web resources which I have found useful and recommend are:

•  national and Indiana ACCESSIT, which provide information for serving persons with disabilities;

http://www.washington.edu/accessit/

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/cedir/accessit

•  ICN (Indiana College Network), which lists the available distance education degrees, programs, courses, continuing education options, certificates and endorse me nts; learning center locations with contact numbers, na me s, and addresses; campus coordinators, librarians to contact for distance assistance, test centers, and proctors;

http://www.icn.org

•  IHETS (Indiana Higher Education Telecommunications System) which lists learning center information, technology availability, technology guidelines, training information, distance education news, distance policies, contact information for support personnel, coordinators handbooks listing job responsibilities;

http://www.ihets.org

•  ICPAC (Indiana Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center) will provide your students with information about the educational requirements for various jobs and careers;

http://www.icpac.indiana.edu

•  ADEC (American Distance Education Consortium) which provides information on all aspects of distance education for all persons involved at any point;

http://www.adec.edu

•  Distance Education Clearing House from the University of Wisconsin-also provides information in all areas of distance education;

http://www.uwex.edu/disted/highered

•  Learner-Centered Education from the Arizona University System;

http://www.abor.asu.edu4_special_programs/Ice

•  Distance-Educator.com - general information page covering all aspects ;

http://www.distance-educator.com

•  FAFSA site; www.fafsa.gov and

•  individual institutions' distance education pages.

Samples of these can also be found on the display table.

A primary phone resource for students for program and degree information is the ICN student services center hotline which will have a new number soon.

People Resources

•  Campus Coordinators-can give you specific information about their institution's course and program offerings, costs, student advising, answers to registration questions, and so forth.

•  Learning Center Coordinators-serve as education brokers, representing all the colleges and universities to the citizens and potential students of their communities-provide support for both the faculty and students. Learning Center personnel also can serve as test proctors for your students. They are also conduits, and maybe the only human connections, between the students and faculty and the students and the technology or electronic world.

•  For many students, the college or university's face is that of the coordinator or other learning center staff member. It is to the institution's advantage to see that they are well trained and well-informed.

•  Technology support personnel are listed on the institutional, IHETS, and learning center websites.

•  Experienced distance education faculty who can consistently receive positive evaluations need to be included in training for new distance faculty.

I'm going to have each of these five groups represented here stand up, so that you can see who does what. You'll notice that so me people never sit down.

Things we all need to do to take advantage of the resources available to us:

•  Attend the regular meetings for the campus coordinators and the learning center coordinators.

•  Join the coordinate list.

•  Take advantage of the conferences, workshop, and training such as today's which occur each year.

•  Find a mentor or mentors that you can contact for answers, suggestions, referrals, or commiseration. Who else can understand your frustrations or appreciate the absurdities better than those who share them? There is a lot of expertise in Indiana and a lot in this room. Would Charles Greenwood, Camilla Lawson, Joetta Burrows, Beth Dewees, Susan Scott, Ann Holcomb, Vern Houchins and anyone else who has been involved with distance education for at least 20 years, please stand up.

Look around you. The survival/reality shows on television could learn so me lessons from these people.

"KNOW" number five: KNOW YOUR LIMITS

All players in distance education have specific roles and responsibilities. Know what your job is. (Job descriptions can be found on the IHETS web pages.) Know the responsibilities of the others and how they fit together with your own. We are all part of a learner-centered team. Do your job well, and don't do what you are not qualified, trained, or have the authority to do. For example, learning center staff do not advise about specific program or degree requirements, but do offer suggestions, information, and assistance in a variety of areas. Above all else, each of us must appreciate and learn from the other members of the learner-centered team.

According to Brown and Duguid, "Without more thought to learners and their practical needs, we fear that not only will technologies be under-exploited, but they may well reinforce the current limitations of our higher education system." And Chere Gibson tells us that "we, as distance educators, need to be learner-centered reflective practitioners." (Both of these are found in Gibson, Chere Campbell (Ed.). (1998). Distance Learners in Higher Education. Madison , Wisconsin: Atwood Publishing)

Address given by Margaret Seifert, Library Director and Coordinator for Distance Education, Ivy Tech Southeast, at the 2004 ICN Coordinators Conference, June 4, 2004.