SREB Regional Compact

and “Sloan Semester”

(What the heck does this have

to do with data?)

2006 SHEEO/NCES Network Conference and

IPEDS WorkshopMay 9, 2006

Your luncheon bromide…

And a respite from data discussions…

Remarks Today A bit about SREB Electronic Campus

Online learning – a path to expanding access to higher education

“VESA”

“Sloan Semester” Your questions…

Southern Regional Education Board U.S.’s first interstate compact (one

of four) 16 member states Governor and four legislative and

educational leaders serve on the Board• “Connection” to Policymakers• Pre-k – 16, 20 or 21 (take your pick)

Initiatives designed to share resources and increase access to higher education

Promote educational standards and the economic growth of the region

Policy, Standards and Data

SREB States16 member states

Electronic CampusBasic Concept

Utilize the “connectedness” of SREB and the existing and developing strengths of our region’s colleges and universities to: Establish a regional

“marketplace” Create opportunities Reduce barriers to learning

(policy barriers—DLPL) Increase access

Electronic CampusToday

Some 300 colleges and universities from all 16 SREB states (public and private)

More than 15,000 credit courses

Nearly 600 degree programs Specialized Programs

including ACM/EC Nursing Educator Project

Creating a full-service regional learning portal (a work in

progress)

The Electronic Campus Creating…

A regional lifelong learning portal An integrated suite of hosted

Internet-based services that provide

real-time information about & direct access to learning opportunities from colleges & universities

a full array of online learner services A full-service “portal” focused on

the adult learner and e-learner, with specialized services not readily available or accessible (value-added proposition)

“Learning Passport”

Agreement among participating institutions to establish criteria & protocol for enrollment without formal admission

online alternative to admission process & application

streamlines “back office” operations for institutions

provides “rapid enrollment,” especially for e-learning

“VESA” (Visiting Electronic Student Authorization) launched in Fall, 2005 and used in Sloan Semester

Visiting Electronic Student Authorization“VESA” Used (successfully) in Sloan

Semester Students completed it online

•Auto-populated from student data•Students requested courses from

catalog •SREB received VESA then pushed it to

institutions where student record was established and student registered

Why not other student populations?

•Teachers, other credentialed individuals seeking “just-in-time” learning

Putting It All Together: Demonstrating that e-Learning Can Really Deliver on the Promise…

Sloan Foundation funding Donation of $1.1M to provide online

education for students impacted by Katrina and Rita

Stipends paid to institutions ($2500 max) Courses free to students

Sloan Semester Courses Must start on or after October 10 and

conclude by first week of January Must accept Visiting Electronic Student

Authorization (VESA) application

First and foremost, this is for students

make process as easy as possible if we err, it will be on the side of the

student Creating a “bridge” for students from

their home institution back to their home institution for the spring term

While there are difficult provisions that will require suspension of normal operating procedures, these are part of the “donation” to make this happen

August 29 – Katrina Hits Gulf Coast August 30 – Levees fail in New Orleans August 31 – Sloan Semester evolves

7:31a – e-mail from Burks Oakley, Sloan C desire to respond using e-learning

8:45a – conference call with Sloan C defines basic concept of “bridge”

10:02a– draft proposal to Sloan Foundation September 1 – email invitation to Sloan C and

SREB Electronic Campus institutions to gauge interest in “Sloan Semester”

September 2 10:00a – SloanSemester.org site is activated 3:45p – “Green light” that Sloan Foundation

Executive Committee approves proposal Provider listserv created

September 3 “Rules” for participation defined Site goes live 60 institutions express interest in joining 3 students register on site

September 9 – Ceased allowing new providers to join; over 200 providers have signed up

September 11 – Providers begin entering courses in website

September 12 – Academic Advisor Coordinator hired

September 13 – Financial aid consultants on-board (Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation) 800+ students have signed up on website, 380+

courses in database September 15 – Catalog goes live with 1000+

courses September 19 – Students begin registering

2121 days after Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, an entire online “institution” had been established with a full complement of courses, online application and registration services, advising for courses and financial aid and students were registering for classes…through Sloan-C and SREB

www.SloanSemester.org

Courses hosted on the SREB Electronic Campus site in a special section for Sloan Semester. 

Institutions used a "back office" interface to input their course information

VESA application auto-populated from student profile information.  It includes information institutions need to create a student file in SIS.

SREB worked directly with states and institutions to verify the student is from an impacted institution.

Students indicated the courses of interest on the VESA and requests were forwarded to the institutions offering the courses.  Institutions then registered the students.

1,322 courses from 158 1,322 courses from 158 institutions in 38 statesinstitutions in 38 states

1,736 VESA applications processed1,736 VESA applications processed 4,256 course “seat” requests4,256 course “seat” requests 2,900 enrollments at census2,900 enrollments at census

5,400 enrollments by “native” 5,400 enrollments by “native” studentsstudents

$750k in Stipends =$750k in Stipends =

$3.1m Tuition and $3.1m Tuition and FeesFees

(non-monetary considerations may (non-monetary considerations may be even more valuable)be even more valuable)

Communications!!!Communications!!! Institutional (impacted) buy-inInstitutional (impacted) buy-in Cover book costs—a few hundred Cover book costs—a few hundred

dollars could have made a dollars could have made a difference difference

Students are students, they Students are students, they registered, dropped and added, registered, dropped and added, and dropped and added…and dropped and added…

Student loads were too heavyStudent loads were too heavy

We have a compassionate, concerned We have a compassionate, concerned and caring academic communityand caring academic community

When we want to get something When we want to get something done, we can…and quicklydone, we can…and quickly

Many barriers can be removed when Many barriers can be removed when there is a will (can we make this there is a will (can we make this happen without a crisis?)happen without a crisis?)

Online learning works!!! (But we Online learning works!!! (But we knew this already…at least some of knew this already…at least some of us did)us did)

We must develop academic We must develop academic emergency plans, not just facility emergency plans, not just facility plansplans Re-establishing institutional web site is Re-establishing institutional web site is

critical—have a back-up plancritical—have a back-up plan Student continuation plans—online Student continuation plans—online

learning should be a key componentlearning should be a key component Policies should be “accommodating”Policies should be “accommodating”

Tuition and feesTuition and fees Credit transfer/recognitionCredit transfer/recognition

“It is hard for me to imagine what some of them are coping with, having nothing left except the clothes on their backs and what little they could take with them when the waters rose to devastate everything in their environment. I have great respect for each and every one of them, and for those who are pitching in to make their lives a little better.”

Commenting on his “Katrina Students”Jim GustafsonProfessor of PhilosophyMass Colleges Online

SHEEO and state/system offices for SHEEO and state/system offices for their support and participationtheir support and participation

Participating colleges and universities Participating colleges and universities who made this happenwho made this happen

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Sloan ConsortiumSloan Consortium

Leadership & institutions in AL, LA, MSLeadership & institutions in AL, LA, MS Students and their parentsStudents and their parents