VCT Orientation

History 1996: Conception (TACC) : Detailing and Planning (DLAC) : Putting it into practice: Implementation (everyone) : VCT meets SACS present: Post-SACS respite Future: ?????????

VCT = Member Colleges Voluntary Collaborative

Mission Statement: To enhance access to higher education by sharing distance learning resources among member colleges. Courses Student Services Faculty Technology Admin Support RESOURCES:

Member Colleges TACC DL Advisory Committee Structure & Governance VCT Coordinators Executive Director Telecomm. Committee General Membership Texas Association of Community Colleges

TACC Regions West South Central Gulf Coast East North

The VCT Office does NOT Make Policies or Regulations Make decisions regarding its role or scope Referee Among Institutions

PROVIDER: Instruction HOST: Student Services How VCT Works: Host-Provider Model

HOST (local) College Responsibilities Enrolls students Collects tuition & fees Receives contact-hour funding Provides student services Administers tests Awards course credit & transcripts courses Pays instruction fee to provider Meets SACS requirements

HOST (local) College Responsibilities Course Content, Quality, and Effectiveness o Local process for getting faculty approval of all hosted courses, including syllabi review regarding learning outcomes & indicators of quality. o VCT support: online syllabi Describe any other local actions taken. Faculty Qualifications o Confirms instructor qualifications o VCT Support: Online Faculty Rosters, full credentials in electronic document system

HOST (local) College Responsibilities Inst. Effectiveness plan (include VCT Evaluation of Instruction & Services) o As a component of your college’s overall process o As an activity in which VCT is considered as a program or service “unit”

PROVIDER (remote) College: Instruction Instructors o Define course content and instructional methodologies o Direct class activities, including assignments and tests o Award grades Establishes academic calendar Invoices host colleges for instructional services

Courses that Can Be Hosted/Provided Anything in ACGM WECM courses— o If course can be counted as credit in a local degree or certificate program, at least as elective Comply with local policy

Instruction Fee For each student enrolled on the Host college’s day of record, the host pays the Provider a per-student instructional fee set by the Provider. $$ HOSTPROVIDER

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Host-Provider Model –Common Course Numbers –Common Accrediting Agency for All Member Institutions (SACS)* Critical Factors

TACC eLearning Committee Works closely with VCT Director Resolves or makes recommendations regarding statewide VCT issues Advises TACC on distance learning issues and new initiatives Critical to VCT Operations

VCT Coordinators— Serve as first point of contact for: o VCT staff o Host & provider colleges Responsible for census rosters, grade reports, invoices, testing Deal directly with students Solve problems, resolve inter- institutional issues, do whatever is necessary VCT Coordinators VCT Coordinators

Ron Thomson Director Valerie Tsou Assistant to Director Website Manager VCT Staff

VCT Host and Provider Responsi- bilities VCT Operations Manual VCT MOU Foundation Documents SACS Compliance Certification SACS Review Committee’s Report

Affirms: College’s participation in VCT Application of same due diligence and standards for hosted courses as for local courses College follows provisions of VCT H&P Practices & Responsibilities as well as Operations manual Complies with standards & requirements of SACS, CB, professional associations, and other accrediting bodies VCT MOU

Details Host and Provider practices, processes, responsibilities Specifies host and provider responsibilities and actions Specifies critical practices required for compliance with SACS standards Gives instructions on major website applications, e.g., Online Schedule and the Reservation System VCT Operations Manual Being updated with new SACS practices

Coord. Board Reports-Host Refer to: Reporting and Procedures Manual for Texas Community, Technical, and State Colleges Special section on reporting VCT classes Applies to CBM001 and CBM 004

Reporting “Classes Offered in Conjunction With the Virtual College of Texas” Guidelines apply to any telecomm- delivered class where the instructor is employed by another Texas institution. Class must be active on institution’s course inventory or one of the statewide course inventories.

THECB Reporting and Procedures Manual Student Report - CBM001(or CBM 00A) Host reports its students, with contact hours reported in items #24 or #25, NOT items #10 or #11. Class Report - CBM004 (or CBM 00C) Use special coding indicated o Item 9, Location Code: code ‘6’ (inter-institution). o Item 12 B: Blank o Item 13, SSN: instructor’s name (1 st letters of last name) o Item 19: FICE code of providing institution

THECB Reporting and Procedures Manual CBM008- Faculty Report Host (receiving institution) should not include a record for the instructor.

CBM008- Faculty Report The Faculty Report (CBM008) for the Host (receiving institution) should not include a record for the instructor.

Provider College & CB Reports For Providers, no special reporting concerns regarding VCT. Providers DO NOT report VCT-enrolled students

Instructor Issues Hosts’ students not on local rosters Multiple institutions to deal with o DOR rosters: verify, sign & return o Grade reports: enter grades (on paper & return) or online (learn different systems) Logistics of testing at multiple colleges Attaching syllabi to courses in course schedule (not an instructor responsibility at some colleges) Other?

Grades: Occasional Problem Host’s policy applies regarding withdrawals and incompletes

Interactive Video Classes: System compatibility Connectivity Appropriate support technologies (e.g. phone, fax) Scheduling Number of sites (provider) Technical assistance On-site facilitator (host)

Foundation of SACS Approval of VCT Host colleges award course credit and transcripts courses transparently as their own. SACS Standard 3.4.4: “The institution assumes responsibility for the academic quality of any course work of credit recorded on the institutions’ transcript.” VCT MOU: “Host colleges apply the same due diligence and standards to administer and support hosted courses that they apply to locally taught courses.”

HOST (local) College Responsibilities Course Content, Quality, and Effectiveness Local process for getting faculty approval of all hosted courses, including syllabi review regarding learning outcomes & indicators of quality. VCT Support: online syllabi Faculty Qualifications Confirms instructor qualifications VCT Support: Online SACS faculty rosters, full credentials in electronic document system Course Evaluation VCT Support: VCT Evaluation of Instruction and Services

Custom Website Applications Key Applications Online Schedule (with syllabi) Reservation System Class Rosters Faculty Rosters (Qualifications) DOR Rosters (Registrars & Instructors) Final Grade Reports (Registrars & Instructors) Invoices

Custom Website Applications Contact Information o Key personnel at each college Student Administration o Record of basic information for each student enrolling in VCT course(s) o Record of courses taken by each student Security System (passwords/access levels) VCT Information

Collaborative Degrees and Certificates Basic Strategy Students— Take core courses and electives, to extent possible, at home colleges. Transfer to other colleges to complete degrees not offered by home colleges.

VCT Operations Manual Explanation of Host-Provider Model VCT Memorandum of Understanding Host and Provider Practices and Responsibilities Procedural checklists for VCT Coordinators, Business Office, Counselors and Advisors, Instructors, Registrars

VCT Coordinators - Host Mode DURING REGISTRATION Support enrollment processes: use reservation system Respond to ad hoc calls from students. Respond to issues, situation, problems as appropriate

VCT Coordinators - Host Mode DURING COURSE Administer VCT Evaluation of Instruction and Services Monitor, trouble shoot, assist: o Student issues as they arise, e.g., technical assistance, accessing instructor’s orientation o Testing o Keep online rosters current /accurate o CB reports: CBM001 and CBM004 for credit (CBM00A and 00C for Continuing Ed) o Signing of DOR Rosters o Paying invoices of provider colleges (preferably using online invoices)

VCT Coordinators - Host Mode END OF COURSE Monitor, troubleshoot, assist: Grades” o Ensure final grade reports are disseminated to instructors (preferably online). o Ensure instructors enter grades and submit final grade reports.. Instructional Fee Payments o Ensure invoices are paid

Registrars - Host Mode DURING COURSE Release online DOR rosters to instructors. Monitor signing by instructors. Withdraw students when they drop. Submit CBM 001 and CBM 004 reports to CB. (00A and 00C for Cont. Ed.) END OF COURSE Release online Grade Reports to Providers. Monitor instructor’s assignment of grades.

Business Office - Host Mode Pay Provider colleges’ invoices. Ensure all providers have been paid. Automated online invoices preferred

Human Resources – Host Mode Prepare or support preparation of Instructor Qualifications, as appropriate

VCT Coordinators - Provider Mode BEFORE COURSE ID courses for VCT online catalog and enter them, including VCT spaces, fee. Also include: o Syllabus for each course o Faculty Roster info (summary of qualifications) Brief faculty on VCT responsibilities Prepare VCT student orientation info

VCT Coordinators - Provider Mode DURING REGISTRATION Monitor availability of classes in schedule. Inform hosts of canceled classes. Provide students VCT orientation info. Respond to student ad hoc calls.

VCT Coordinators - Provider Mode DURING COURSE Monitor signing of Day of Record rosters. Facilitate testing logistics, as appropriate. Address ad hoc issues as they arise. Invoices: monitor release and payment of invoices. END OF COURSE Monitor instructors’ assignment of final grades. Ensure all instructional fees are received.

Business Office - Provider Mode DURING COURSE Release invoices to Host colleges. END OF COURSE Ensure payments are received from Host colleges.

Thank you