Education Final 05-15-12 -   1.4 - E-Learning

• In eLearning courses, faculty and students use digital technologies for part or all of the instructional work.
• eLearning courses expand access to more students, save students the cost of gasoline and child care, and allow working and placebound students increased scheduling flexibility.
• Although pace of growth slowed, eLearning continued its growth pattern, increasing by 483 FTES or 1.6 percent.  However, this was markedly less than the 66 percent growth over the previous two years.
• Online instruction, requiring no face-to-face class time, accounted for 35 percent of all eLearning.  Online learning increased by 401 state FTES, or 2 percent over the prior year.
• Hybrid courses combine online with some face-to face coursework.  These courses continued to grow.  In 2011, they increased by 1,067 state FTES or 12 percent.
• eLearning now accounts for 19% of all FTES. The college system has a target level of 85% by 2030.

Action Plan

• SBCTC will invest in centrally-funded system-wide eLearning tools for both faculty and students that will reduce cost and improve access, such as online meeting spaces for sharing audio, video and files.
• SBCTC will train eLearning faculty and fund faculty learning communities to ensure that students receive the highest quality education.
• Gates Foundation funds and a state appropriation will support an Open Course Library project to design 81 high-enrollment, gatekeeper and pre-college courses for face-to-face, hybrid and/or online delivery providing a high-quality, affordable option that will cost no more than $30 for textbooks.  The first 42 courses have been completed, including textbooks, syllabi, course activities, readings, and assessments. The remaining courses are scheduled to be available in spring of 2013.