IHETS e-learning services work plan study and the Home Institution Model   

April 2 , 2007
Contact: communications@ihets.org

Greetings!  As we move into the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year, work began earlier by the committee members and staff is wrapping up and progress continues to be made to improve the IHETS consortium’s organization and its service offerings.

The review of the e-learning services work plan study that has been under way since October is expected to be completed by the end of April.

Currently the IPSE Committee is concentrating on the results of a survey of representatives at all member campuses using the consortium's e-learning services.   They were surveyed regarding their priorities for each current or possible new service, and the IPSE has carefully reviewed the resulting data.

Once its review is completed, the committee will make recommendations to the board of directors, including recommendations on e-learning services that should continue to be offered to consortium members.  The IPSE will then turn to establishment of performance goals and metrics for each service retained, along with identifying marketing strategies to broaden awareness among members and other stakeholders about what the services are and how to participate.

On another note, as a follow up to the former Partnership for Statewide Education Committee, the current committee has been studying various revisions to the Home Institutional Model, designed to facilitate inter-institutional registration for learners without jeopardizing their financial-aid status and with assurance of course transfer applicability.  The model identifies roles and responsibilities for Home Institutions (the campus at which the learner is pursuing a degree or other program) and Originating Institutions (the campus offering a particular class at a distance). Among other things, the model specifies how one member institution will pay another for distance education courses depending upon whether an institution is the course originating institution or the course receiving (home) institution.  The current model has been in place since 1994 when it was developed by the Partnership Committee. 

Following the restructuring of IHETS’ governing committees, the current Partnership Committee was reconstituted and the membership revised in May 2006, about the time when the former committee would have been expected to finally conclude its deliberations and move the matter forward to the Board of Directors. One piece of business that has not been finally settled is the matter of the previous Partnership Committee requesting the chief academic officers of the member institutions to sign off on the revisions to the model.  Since some have not yet responded, it is unclear as to how the nature of the responses would or should have impacted the Committee’s decision on the revisions.  The Partnership Committee believes it is important to finish the task of hearing from the academic officers of our member institutions before seeking formal Board action.

On March 19, 2007 the chief academic officers of the member institutions were again invited to provide any comments, concerns, or questions they might have regarding the proposed revisions to the model and were asked to return any comments to the Partnership Committee by April 10. 

The Partnership Committee will review the work that had been completed by its predecessor committee and any additional information that might bear on this matter including any comments that the chief academic officers make.  The Committee also directed the IHETS staff to convene a meeting of the two member institutions who are the major course originators and the institution who is the major course receiver to provide an opportunity for their views to be heard.

In the next issue of this newsletter, we will continue to keep you informed about the latest developments related to these and other matters.

Dr. Rebecca Nickoli (Co-chair)
Assistant vice-president of institutional effectiveness and grants administration
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Dr. Bradley C. Wheeler (Co-chair)
Chief information officer &
Dean of information technology
Indiana University Bloomington