These three business objectives were focused on process improvements to bring high-demand and innovative credentials to market quickly. This set of objectives was PARTIALLY MET.

• Objective 1: Set consistent policies and processes for approval of online certificates, credentials and programs that allow faster-to-market initiatives within the regulatory parameters of UTA.
  
  
• Objective 2: Provide an accessible platform with information on policies and processes for all colleges/schools for creating new credentials, certificates and online programs.
  
  
• Objective 6: Develop processes for embedding certificates in degree programs, for the development of stackable certificate options, as well as consider other innovative e-learning credentials.

The Office of the Provost—Academic Planning and Policy developed and launched a single proposal form and review process for all new academic programs—degrees, certificates and minors. The form collects the minimum necessary information for each program and the review process is designed to maximize efficiency for programs that require only internal review or those eligible for expedited external review. The form and process were put into effect in Fall 2021 with electronic workflow (through the university’s curriculum management system) slated for 2023 implementation. The Office of the Registrar developed a mid-year catalog addendum to allow off-cycle, newly approved programs to be included in the academic catalog for mid-year offering and conferral. Objective 1 was partially met.

The Graduate Assembly passed policy allowing UTA’s certificate programs to stack into degree programs and Undergraduate Assembly passed the creation of two new stand-alone, pre-baccalaureate certificate programs, which are eligible for conferral to non-degree seeking students. With the completion of these activities, Objective 6 was met.

The Office of the Provost—Academic Planning and Policy updated academic program proposal documents and processes on its web page, however the planned Canvas course with information on policies and processes for creating new credentials was not completed. This was delayed due to a delay in the integration of the program proposal form into UTA’s curriculum management system. When electronic workflow is successfully implemented, the development of the accessible platform can resume. Objective 2 was partially met.

Project Designed for Empowering Faculty: Propose and Approve

Academic Program Approval Processes project was developed to meet this set of three objectives. The Academic Program Approval Processes project aimed to clarify and streamline the process of proposing a new academic program by providing faculty with the information needed to launch high-demand programs efficiently with transparency throughout the review and approval processes.

 

These two business objectives were focused on taking academic program proposals from idea to reality—ensuring high-quality standards and infusing innovation through curriculum, course design and teaching. This set of objectives was MET.

• Objective 3: Develop online certificates, credentials and programs that support the upskilling or reskilling of current students and alumni.
  
  
• Objective 4: Create high quality, innovative and flexible online and digitally-based course content.

Four post-baccalaureate (graduate) and two pre-baccalaureate (undergraduate) academic certificates were proposed, approved, developed and launched across five colleges. As of December 2022, all students who enrolled in the certificate programs were degree-seeking UTA students; the certificates have not yet enrolled non-degree seeking students.

Four post-baccalaureate (graduate) and two pre-baccalaureate (undergraduate) academic certificates were proposed, approved, developed and launched across five colleges. As of December 2022, all students who enrolled in the certificate programs were degree-seeking UTA students; the certificates have not yet enrolled non-degree seeking students.

To develop the six academic programs, faculty worked with instructional designers in UTA’s Center for Distance Education on course and program design and with faculty leaders in UTA’s Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence on online teaching development. All courses in each program met CDE’s course design rubric which closely maps onto the Quality Matters™ rubric and a newly developed CRTLE rubric that includes a focus on culturally-responsive pedagogy and student engagement. Examples of innovation and flexibility include utilizing demographically diverse voiceover talent in course content (Social Work), working with industry professionals as adjunct faculty on course content development (Engineering), and converting 16-week courses to 8-weeks (Business and Engineering). Objective 4 was met.

Projects Designed for Empowering Faculty: Develop and Launch

The following 10 projects, organized by strategic and operational function, were developed to meet the two objectives above. 

Strategic Projects

Digital Course Production Studio: The Digital Course Production Studio project designed and equipped a state-of-the-art production studio in Trinity Hall 119 to produce recorded and live video content with faculty. Benefits of the Digital Course Production Studio include flexible production with synchronous and asynchronous delivery options for high-quality course component productions that are increasingly expected by today’s learners in online environments.

Online Program Course Development: The Online Program Course Development project focused on creating high-quality, innovative and flexible online and digitally based course content that supports the upskilling or reskilling of current students, alumni and new learners. The Center for Distance Education’s instructional design team partners with faculty to build courses and academic programs that reflect Quality Matters (QM) standards and provides high-quality, engaging learning experiences to online learners.

Faculty Online Teaching Development: The Faculty Online Teaching Development project focuses on preparing and educating faculty on sound educational techniques in online teaching and learning. Faculty engaged in the project design and create innovative, well-organized, humanizing and engaging course content to promote students’ learning success.

Online Course Peer Review: The Online Course Peer Review project, part of the eLearning TM program, developed a framework for a faculty community of scholars invested in online teaching and evaluation while empowering faculty to provide flexible courses that champion best practices in online pedagogy and course design.

Operational Projects

Undergraduate Certificate: Managing Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations: The Managing Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations Undergraduate Certificate provides students with an in-depth look at diversity in such areas as race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, disability, and family status among individuals, organizations and society from a business perspective. The certificate equips students with the knowledge and skills related to developing and managing relationships with diverse applicants, employees, customers, and constituents, responding to growing demand for such knowledge and skills, and is available to both business and non-business majors.

Undergraduate Certificate: Telehealth and Health Informatics: Telehealth has become an increasingly important aspect in the delivery of healthcare. With the implementation of the CARES Act, the regulatory barriers that prevented the widespread use of telehealth were lowered, and now those changes are gradually becoming permanent. The full impact of the integration of telemedicine evaluation and diagnostic capability and reach to remote patients and healthcare sites are finally being realized with robust acceptance. The Telehealth and Health Informatics Certificate prepares health care professionals and para healthcare workers with the core skills needed for telehealth administration.

Graduate Certificate: Instructional and Learning Design Technology: The Instructional and Learning Design Technology Certificate is intended for educators in the K-12, Higher Education, and Workplace Training sectors, and will provide both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the design, development, and integration of education programs supported by technology. Students learn how to create engaging, differentiated, inclusive, and culturally responsive online and hybrid learning solutions that are contextual and customizable for a variety of student populations.

Graduate Certificate: Logistics for Engineering Professionals: The graduate certificate in Logistics for Engineering professionals is an online, compressed program for working professionals who wish to gain an understanding of logistics tools and techniques from an engineering perspective that can be applied in industry and service industries. The certificate promotes increased access to higher education by being structured and delivered to working professionals who may not have direct access to campus or the time to currently commit to a full graduate degree program.

Graduate Certificates: Military Social Work Certificate & Military, Veteran and Family Care Certificate: The Military Social Work Graduate Certificate prepares students to work with military service members, veterans and their families in clinical social work settings. The Military Social Work Graduate Certificate for MSW Direct Practice students will enhance their ability to assume advanced evidence-based practice roles in working with individuals and families. The Military, Veteran, and Family Care Graduate Certificate prepares students to work with military service members, veterans and their families across settings. The Military, Veteran and Family Care Graduate Certificate will be open to any graduate student at UTA and will focus on military, military connected and veteran culture toward effectively serving these populations in non-clinical settings.

This business objective was focused on examining and developing UTA’s infrastructure to successfully support a robust online portfolio without OPM support. This objective was PARTIALLY MET. 

• Objective 5: Repurpose existing resources or supplement with external resources/skills to strategically grow UTA’s eLearning infrastructure, including recruitment, enrollment, marketing, instructional design, faculty and student support and program evaluation.

The three projects designed to meet this objective were developed as part of phase 2 of the eLearning TM program. Most of UTA’s online academic programs are offered in partnership with online program management vendors (OPMs). While these partnerships allowed UTA’s online programs to flourish, the partnership also meant that the university’s infrastructure was not developed to support online academic programs independently. Early conversations with the colleges pointed us to the need for marketing and recruitment support; through an RFP we secured EAB’s Adult Learning Recruitment services to develop marketing plans and prospective student personals for all programs in the eLearning portfolio and execute marketing/recruitment campaigns for a subset. Continuing the student journey, we realized incoming online students need a robust orientation experience that reflects their expectations and needs. As part of the newly developed Mavs Online Orientation, we created and launched an instrument to assess students’ readiness for online and an accompanying academic resource support course.

The phase 2 projects address many of the infrastructure areas outlined in the objective: recruitment, enrollment, marketing, and student support. However, several infrastructure issues were not addressed through these projects: instructional design, faculty support, and program evaluation. Assessments completed outside of project work point to opportunities to further develop in these areas. Objective 5 was partially met.  

Projects Designed for Reaching the Learner: Enhance and Coordinate

The following three projects were developed to meet this objective.  

eLearning Portfolio Marketing: The eLearning Portfolio Marketing project will benefit the university by achieving a documented increase in program interest, prospective student inquires and admission applications to online academic programs. UTA continues to innovate and expand its footprint in the digital and online space by procuring the services of a marketing firm to conduct audience (prospective student) research and prepare audience profiles for approximately twenty online academic programs (excluding Online Program Management and continuing education programs); the firm will also execute a strategic advertising and marketing campaign for a subset of this portfolio. 

Mavs Online Orientation: The Online Student Orientation project developed and launched a UTA online orientation experience for students enrolled in fully online academic programs (degree-seeking or certificate-seeking). Online students will benefit from an engaging delivery of a university-level welcome through an online orientation experience, including connection to UTA resources and development of a sense of belonging.  

Online Readiness Student Success Assessment: The Online Readiness Student Success Assessment (ORSSA) project focuses on the preparedness of students who apply to UTA to earn an online certificate. The assessment will query levels of technical access and readiness, cognitive skills, learning styles and personal organization. The ORSSA will benefit students by providing transparency of online learning expectations, availability of academic support resources and tools that empower students for success in their online learning journeys. 

In addition to the projects above, a parallel project launched in January 2022—Conference Room and Classroom Technology Modernization program. The original aim of the program was to upgrade technology in teaching and meeting spaces across campus to allow for hybrid and flexible teaching, learning and collaboration spaces. While the program maintains this goal, bringing teaching spaces up to a minimum of functionality is the first priority of the project. Two-thirds of teaching spaces across campus are coordinated, supported and maintained locally (by colleges and departments), and many do not have updated technology to meet the teaching and learning needs of students and faculty. This project will work to establish a basic technology package standard, assess all teaching spaces against this standard, place necessary equipment orders with vendors, install equipment in teaching spaces, recommend a technology support model for academic spaces, assess key conference room spaces for hybrid meeting functionality, place necessary equipment orders with vendors, develop training materials for technology use and support, train technology users and supporters.