Lessons Learned in Developing and Growing Empire’s on-line Emergency Management and Fire Services

Administration Programs

Presented at the 14th EMI Higher Education Conference by Jim Savitt, Ph.D, Associate Professor

8 June 2011

Empire State College Center for Distance Learning (CDL)

Distance Learning Since the 1980s for Fire Services,

Since 2003 for Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Evolution of Course / Program Delivery: Short Version

• Flexible “classroom”, but rigid timing.– More synchronous than not:

• Snail mail to instructor and one-on-one telephone discussions.• Snail mail to instructor and conference calling with classmates.

• Timing becomes less rigid.– Less synchronous, but some rigidity:

• E-mail to instructor and conference calling with classmates.• E-mail to instructor and fellow students.

• Flexible timing within the term structure.– Asynchronous, non-linear:

• Threaded discussions.• Individualized learning opportunities.

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Issues in Design, Delivery, and Structure

• Design– Conversion from face-to-face classroom requires thought and effort.

• Forty lectures five or six modules means a reexamination of chunks.

• Discussions and spontaneous questions take on a different shape.

• Delivery– Synchronous, asynchronous, or a blend.

• The classroom is always open.

• Discussions take weeks rather than minutes.

– Learning Management System replaces classroom.• Instructional designer as a partner.

• Structure– Lectures and homework problems readings, discussion, reflection.

• Students are more active, and they interact with each other.

• The instructor becomes a guide, and learning is student-centered.

Program Growth and Market DevelopmentThe Audience for Distance Learning Programs

Understanding Our Markets: Wide-Ranging Yet Constrained

– CDL reaches out across the country and internationally, YET..........................

– We position ourselves as the college for working adults, YET..........................

– We are a comprehensive college offering Associates Bachelors and Masters degrees, YET..................

– We have been a leader in distance learning, YET.......

As part of SUNY, our primary focus is New York State.

The community colleges are a rich source of potential students.

The Fire Services and Emergency Management programs are directed at upper-level undergraduates.

We are working to transform some distance-based fire courses into blended learning offerings.

Marketing Efforts: Lessons Learned, and Not Learned

• The Early Days– The college advertised in newspapers and put fliers on bulletin boards.

• The focus was on designing your own degree.

• Almost no program-specific marketing.

• Almost no geographic-specific marketing.

• Word-of-mouth in the firehouses, especially FDNY.

– Alumni outreach efforts were haphazard.

• After Y2K– The centers, including CDL, started to develop their own identities.

• More efforts on regional outreach.

• Still heavy on print – newspapers, fliers, billboards.

• Recognition of the need for program-specific efforts.– Fire Services: Civilian firefighters and military personnel.

– Emergency Management: Emergency managers, police, and military personnel.

Marketing Efforts: Lessons Learned, and Not Learned

• The Good– Renewed outreach to community colleges.

– Complementarity of Fire Service, EM, and HS offerings: Leadership.

– Presence at some trade shows and conferences.

– Utilization of growing alumni network.

• The Bad– Still much reliance on print: newspapers, trade press, fliers.

– Little use of other media, including social networks.

– Students connect only in courses; few opportunities elsewhere.

• The Ugly– Website is very generic and crowded.

– No obvious way to get FS / EM / HS information quickly.

– Search engine is antiquated.