Grantee: Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
At a Glance:
Targeted Degree Program: Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a Civic Leadership focus
Organizations: The University System of Georgia and Columbus State University
Opening Date: Fall 2013
First-Year Enrollment: 500
Anticipated Students Served in First Five Years: 5,000
Geographies Served: Georgia
Targeted Students: low-income students, the young adult military population, and those whom higher education has not traditionally served well in terms of race and ethnicity
Dig Deeper:
The University System of Georgia (USG) and an institution in the system, Columbus State University, will develop and implement a new model for an accessible bachelor’s degree with a high completion rate. The program, which is delivered 90% on-line and punctuated at key risk points with in-person credit-bearing service learning experiences, seeks to develop leaders in community development, regional economic development, and public-private partnerships.
The program is structured to provide intermediary markers of achievement, awarding the student a certificate credential within the first year, awarding an associate’s degree before the end of year two, and awarding the bachelor’s degree upon completion. This staged method reinforces motivation to progress, increases marketability should a student leave, and increases ease of return and timely graduation should a stop-out occur. The learning experiences are designed to match this staged approach: first build knowledge, then integrate knowledge from various fields, then apply that knowledge through real-world experiences, and finally teach and lead others.
Three learning modalities are employed to balance cost and to support and retain the target student population:
- asynchronous short-session on-line courses,
- face-to-face service learning experiences punctuated at key risk points, and
- self-paced on-line modules and portfolio opportunities to provide individualized student learning.
Through a partnership between the University System of Georgia and Desire2Learn (a learning management system provider), instructors will be able to use advanced learning analytics to support students in real-time. Student support team members (instructors, advisors, and support staff) will be responsible for monitoring and supporting 400 students through these learning analytics. This high ratio is afforded by the automated capabilities of Design2Learn and builds on the existing success of University System of Georgia's electronic core curriculum (eCore), which allows students to compete their first two years in an online environment.
In order to ensure a streamlined transition between high school and college, students may earn credit through dual enrollment. Up to 30 hours of credit will be available for award through competency based formats including outcomes based modules, in-house prior learning assessment, portfolio options tied to service learning, as well as nationally recognized assessments from external organizations etc. Students can transfer the core curriculum across Georgia’s network of institutions.
The University System of Georgia will implement a cross-institution sustainable open resource development model intended to allow half of the courses in the core curriculum to utilize primarily open educational resources. This cost-saving model engages faculty and reflects students’ current methods of learning. For further support of this predominantly on-line program focused on low income young adults, Columbus State University will loan technology including notebooks to students in order for them to be able to access courses and supplementary materials at no cost.
Grantee Resources:
- Profile: This at-a-glance document summarizes the key features of this grantee’s breakthrough model through graphics and quick facts. It offers important information about the instructional and financial models, student demographics, hardware and software choices, and contact info. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NG1223.pdf
- Application Deck: This video offers a snapshot of this grantee’s breakthrough model in its early planning stages outlining the goals, learning environments, and business model. It was originally created as a narrated PowerPoint deck included in their application to the NGLC Breakthrough Models grant competition.
For More Information:
Institution URL: http://www.usg.edu
Contact: Art Seavey, Art.Seavey@usg.edu
