Appendix G

 

The University of North Carolina

Request for Authorization to Establish a New Distance
Education Degree Program

(through which 50% or more of a degree program is provided)

 

INSTRUCTIONS: Please submit three copies of the proposal to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, UNC Office of the President.  The signature of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is required.

 

                                                                                                            Date:  11/5/2008

Constituent Institution:  East Carolina University

CIP Discipline Specialty Title: Business Administration and Management, General

CIP Discipline Specialty Number: 52.0201     Level: B

Exact Title of the Proposed Program:  BSBA in Management

Degree Abbreviation: BSBA   Proposed Date of Initiation:  January 2009

Date at which assessment will be required (at the end of the fourth year or at least two months prior to program expiration, whichever comes sooner):  January 2013

Will this program be completely individual access (e.g., Internet, videocassette)?  Yes      

If “yes,” primary mode of delivery: Internet

 

List any other UNC institution that offers a similar program in the same location (if requesting a site-based program) or a similar program by individual access (if requesting an individual access program):

Institution   UNCP                                                Program title   BSBA Management

Institution   WSSU                                                Program title   BSBA Management

 

Does this program constitute a substantive change as defined by SACS/COC?    No

By what date should SACS be notified of authorization to establish?  January 2009

 

The following items conform to the information required for SACS Substantive Change Procedure One.

 

1.   Abstract (limit to one page or less)

Describe the proposed change; its location; initial date of implementation; projected number of students; description of primary target audience; projected life of the program (single cohort [indicate number of years] or ongoing); and instructional delivery methods.

 

The College of Business proposes to offer the BSBA in Management degree completion program beginning with the spring 2009 semester. The program is offered primarily for working adults who are unable to attend the campus program, initially with a group of 20, and will be ongoing and increase based on demand. The program will be delivered via the Internet utilizing Blackboard as the course management system.

 

2.   Background information

Provide a clear statement of the nature and purpose of the change in the context of the institution’s mission, goals, and strategic plan; evidence of the legal authority for the change (to be provided by UNC Office of the President).

 

For more than sixty years, the mission of East Carolina University (ECU) has included support of courses and degree programs for students located beyond the borders of the campus.   Historically, these off-campus programs were offered at specific sites and outreach centers, often involving the placement of university support staff, teaching faculty, and resources at locations such as military bases and community colleges.  By 1995, with advances associated with rapidly improving technologies, access to the Internet, and faculty experience in utilizing these resources, the university began a migration from site-based instruction and student support services toward electronically supported academic programs.

 

East Carolina University proactively engaged a variety of resources to establish direction, guiding principles, and support systems required to appropriately respond to the state’s commitment to improved access to higher education.  Various campus committees actively pursued establishment of policies, procedures, and practices designed to ensure the development and support of quality programs.

 

Membership of these committees included an appropriate mix of faculty and administrators.  Surveys and reviews were conducted to determine existing best practices as well as to determine demand for critical academic programs.  One obvious influence emerging from the planning and program development process was the recognition of success in courses and programs that increasingly integrated technology to support the educational process.

 

Major strategies emerging from these planning efforts included:

Commitment to focus on delivery of complete degree and/or certificate programs instead of a random selection of courses

Commitment to use regular campus faculty, not adjuncts, to deliver most courses

Investment in critical support services and faculty services to facilitate development and deployment of academic programs

Investment in critical infrastructure, desktop technologies, and support services to support electronically offered courses

Development of a planning process prior to approving programs to be offered in distance education format

Development of a funding model to provide appropriate support for sustaining ongoing programs and resources to invest in expansion initiatives

 

3.   Assessment of need and program planning/approval

Discuss the rationale for the change, including:

·         intended audience and an assessment of need (include results of surveys or special studies);

·         evidence of inclusion of the change in the institution’s ongoing planning and evaluation processes; and

·         documentation that faculty and other groups were involved in the review and approval of the new site or program.

 

The program is offered primarily for working adults who are unable to attend the campus program. We have a number of students who want a more specialized degree than our present online General Business concentration.  The online program is growing by about 20% per year with about 20 new requests for information coming in each week.  About 25% of these requests result in enrollment in the program.  We currently have more than 400 students who will be declaring in some business field in the next two years.  We need additional programs just to manage them. A degree in Management is by far the most sought after degree.  Adding the Management degree will provide our growing online population with more choices and equity with their on campus colleagues.

 

      The genesis of each of the university’s distance education programs begins in the academic department. Faculty members work with staff from the Division of Academic Affairs to begin the planning process. Each program has a coordinator that is a full time faculty member. They develop a program design that includes both the instructional requirements and the academic resources available to meet the needs of a widely dispersed group of students.

 

      They work with the Division of Continuing Studies to insure that prospective students are made aware of the programs available to them and student services to support these programs are incorporated into the planning process. The Office of Institutional Planning, Research, and Effectiveness insures that university surveys are made available to distance education students and that their participation is encouraged. The academic department maintains an assessment record book for each distance education program as a part of the unit’s total assessment program. The department chair and the unit’s curriculum committee review and approve the proposals.

 

      Following the Dean’s approval these proposals are referred to the Academic Program Development working group which consists of members representing the Office of Academic Affairs, Institutional Planning, Research and Effectiveness, the Graduate School, the Division of Continuing Studies, the Division of Research and Graduate Studies, the Division of Health Sciences as well as the Faculty Senate Chair. The groups charge is to advise departments planning new degree programs and make a recommendation to the Provost regarding the approval of program requests. The proposal is then reviewed by the Educational Policies and Planning Committee, a standing committee of the faculty senate and then referred to the academic council.

 

      Provide projected annual enrollment:

      Individual access:            Years   1) 20   2) 30   3) 40   4) 50   5) 60

 

      Projected total SCHs (all sites):

Year 1

Student Credit Hours

Program Category

UG

Masters

Doctoral

Category I

 

 

 

Category II

360

 

 

Category III

 

 

 

Category IV

 

 

 

 

Year 2

Student Credit Hours

Program Category

UG

Masters

Doctoral

Category I

 

 

 

Category II

540

 

 

Category III

 

 

 

Category IV

 

 

 

 


 

Year 3

Student Credit Hours

Program Category

UG

Masters

Doctoral

Category I

 

 

 

Category II

720

 

 

Category III

 

 

 

Category IV

 

 

 

 

Year 4

Student Credit Hours

Program Category

UG

Masters

Doctoral

Category I

 

 

 

Category II

900

 

 

Category III

 

 

 

Category IV

 

 

 

 

 

4.   Description of the change

      Provide a description of the proposed change, including

·         description of the proposed program;

·         specific outcomes and learning objectives;

·         curriculum and schedule of proposed course offering.

 

The Management concentration is the practical application of solid management theory in a variety of settings: banking, manufacturing, financial services, retailing, and government service. Management faculty stress the practical side by fostering student involvement both inside and outside the classroom. Course work often focuses on role-playing, group simulations, or hands-on problem-solving. The Management concentration stresses the importance interpersonal skills play in the achievement of organization objectives. Successful management requires a mix of negotiating, leadership, development and communication skills along with an ability to recruit and retain competent employees.

 

Management Major Program Objectives:
The Management major focuses on learning principles and theories that effect the management of individuals, groups, and organizations. It emphasizes bringing together newly emerging concepts in business under the framework of real world issues. The goal of the program is to prepare students for positions as managers and future executives in business and other organizations. 
Students completing the management major should be able to:
• Understand the managerial function of planning, organizing, directing, staffing, and            controlling.
• Recognize major managerial issues: international business, management of diversity, and ethics.
• Understand the organizational and environmental context in which human resource managers function.
• Understand factors that influence behavior and use this knowledge to improve job performance.
• Develop managerial skills in the following: teamwork, motivation, decision making, negotiation, conflict resolution, leadership, and management of change.
• Recognize and access the impact of environmental factors in decision making, as well as develop conceptual skills.
• Improve both written and oral communication skills.

 

ACCT 2401 Financial Accounting (3) (F,S,SS)

ACCT 2521 Managerial Accounting (3) (F,S,SS)

FINA 2244 Legal Environment of Business (3) (F,S,SS)

FINA 3724 Financial Management (3) (F,S,SS)

MGMT 3302 Management of Organizations (3) (F,S,SS)

MGMT 4842 Strategic Management (3) (F,S,SS)

MIS 2223 Introduction to Computers (3) (F,S,SS)

MIS 3063 Introduction to Management Information Systems (3) (F,S,SS)

MKTG 3832 Marketing Management (3) (F,S,SS)

OMGT 3123 Operations and Supply Chain Management (3) (F,S,SS)

OMGT 3223 Business Decision Modeling (3) (F,S,SS)

MGMT 3352 International Business (3) (F,S,SS)

 

            The Management Concentration consists of 6 courses:

MGMT 4242 Organizational Behavior (3) (F,S)

MGMT 4482 Managerial Negotiation (3) (F,S)

MGMT 4252 Entrepreneurship (3) (F)

MGMT 4342 Organizational Change and Development (3) (F,S)

MGMT 4343 Organizational Leaders and Leadership (3) (F,S)

MGMT 4402 Human Resource Management (3) (F,S)

 

 

Organization Behavior (Mgmt 4242): the goal of this course is to introduce students to the various concepts related to Organizational Behavior and to help them understand the human aspect of managing modern organizations.

Course objectives:

Students who successfully complete the course will gain knowledge of fundamental concepts including such topics as:

Theories related to perception, motivation, leadership and job design

Theories related to personality, emotional intelligence and general mental ability   

Methods of motivating and rewarding individuals and groups

Individual, group, and organizational level concepts related to the human side of organizations

Effective teamwork behaviors    

 

Managerial Negotiations (Mgmt 4482): the goal of the course is to educate future knowledge workers and business leaders as to how to most effectively deal with situations that involve the desires and wishes of others who may have different outcome goals. the course deals with how a leader must understand what interests are important and the methods necessary to achieve desired outcomes in the most efficient and effective way.

Course objectives:

Students who successfully complete the course will gain knowledge of fundamental concepts of

negotiations and decision making under conditions of conflict, including defining the problem, deciding on appropriate methods, identifying interests, inventing options for mutual gain, determining objective criteria, recognizing “dirty tricks,” and analyzing outcomes.

 

Entrepreneurship (Mgmt 4252): the goal of this course is to introduce students to the various concepts related to entrepreneurship and to help them understand the work involved with writing a Business-Plan.

Course objectives:

Students who successfully complete the course will gain knowledge of fundamental concepts including such topics as: the importance of entrepreneurship in our society, literature about entrepreneurship, the student's own entrepreneurial potential, the planning process necessary to start a new venture, and the study of such issues as ethics, entrepreneurship, and franchising.

 

Organization Leadership & Leaders (Mgmt 4343): the goal of this course is to study current and former organizational managers recognized for their leadership ability on the basis of current and emerging leadership theories.

Course objectives:

This course is not intended to develop leaders.  Rather, it is intended to introduce the student to various theories of leadership that can be used a tools to better understand the leadership process. General classifications of topics include power and influence, traits, and behavioral approaches to leadership.

                      

Organization Change & Development (Mgmt 4342): the goals of this course are: to present a functional and practical summary of organizational change and development - one that will enable students to see how change affects all employees, the organization, and the greater community in which the organization reside; to provide an overview of the breadth of issues associated with organizational change and development initiatives; and to illustrate how organizations change and evolve in an attempt to gain or maintain sustainable competitive advantage.

Course objectives:

Students who successfully complete the course will gain knowledge of fundamental theories related to organizational change and development, including such topics as: the numerous approaches to change with an emphasis on identifying differing images of managing change, considering why organizations change, identifying what changes in organizations, how to go about diagnosing the need for change, handling resistance to change numerous aspects associated with implementing change (the role of vision, communication, and change consolidation.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Human Resource Management (Mgmt 4402): the goal of this course is to learn management, procurement, development, maintenance, compensation, and utilization of an effective workforce by line and staff managers.

Course Objectives:

·         To gain a better understanding of the concepts and functions of the strategic human resource management process;

·         to gain a better understanding of the complex legal environment regarding the employee-employer relationship;

·         to gain a better understanding of the concepts involved in the analysis and design of work;

·         to gain a better understanding of the concepts involved in human resource planning and recruitment;

·         to gain a better understanding of the concepts involved in the selection and proper placement of personnel;

·         to gain a better understanding of the methods and strategies used to effectively training personnel;

·         to gain a better understanding of how to evaluate work performance;

·         to gain a better understanding of the methods and strategies used to increase the skill development of personnel;

·         to gain a better understanding of the concepts involved in determining equitable compensation, both monetary and non-monetary, for different levels of personnel to examine and discuss current issues in human resource management through cases, and current business readings.

 

Proposed Schedule:

Spring 2009:      Mgmt 4482, Mgmt 4342, Mgmt 4242, Mgmt 4252, Mgmt 4402

Fall 2009:          Mgmt 4402, Mgmt 4343, Mgmt 4242

Spring 2010:    Mgmt 4482, Mgmt 4342, Mgmt 4242, Mgmt 4252, Mgmt 4402

Describe and provide rationale for any differences in admission, curriculum, or graduation requirements for students enrolled at the new site(s), or any special arrangements for grading, transcripts, or transfer policies. None

 

Describe administrative oversight to ensure the quality of the program or services to be offered.

 

      Academically qualified persons participate in all decision making concerning curriculum and program oversight.  Permanent faculty members of ECU are responsible for presentation, management, and assessment of all electronically- offered degree programs.  A program coordinator is assigned for each degree program, whether offered on campus or electronically.   Each program coordinator is a full-time ECU faculty member.  An assessment team representative from the academic discipline coordinates assessment of all on-campus and electronically offered degrees in the discipline.

 

5.   Faculty and support staff

      Provide:

·         number of faculty expected to deliver instruction: full-time faculty   9     part-time faculty 0

·         a complete roster (using the SACS “Roster of Instructional Staff” form) of those faculty employed to teach in the program, including a description of those faculty members’ academic qualifications and course load in the proposed program, as well as course work taught in other programs currently offered;

·         evidence that adequate faculty members are assigned to support the program;

·         impact of the initiative on faculty workload; and

·         number and responsibilities of support staff (e.g., program coordinator).

 

 

ROSTER OF INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF

 

 

Name

Most Advanced Degree

Other Degree

Courses Taught

Other Qualifications

J. Christian

PhD

 

ACCT2401

 

J. Reisch

PhD

 

ACCT2521

 

J. Karns

PhD

 

FINA2244

 

K. Campbell

PhD

 

FINA3724

 

B, Cotton

PhD

 

FINA3724

 

L. Eakins

MBA

 

MIS2223

 

P. Schwager

PhD

 

MIS3063

 

J. Bradley

PhD

 

MIS3063

 

J. Wagner

PhD

 

MKtg3832

 

S. Dellana

PhD

 

Omgt3123

 

J. Kros

PhD

 

Omgt3223

 

T. Bello

PhD

 

Mgmt 3352

 

K. Bass

DBA

 

Strategic Management

 

J. Tomkiewicz

PhD

 

MGMT 3302, Managerial Negotiations

 

J. Hunt

PhD

 

Leadership

 

L. Prati

PhD

 

Organization Development

 

M. Harris

EdD

 

Human Resource Management

 

W. McDowell

PhD

 

Entrepreneurship

 

W. Grubb

PhD

 

Organization Behavior

 

 

      Describe means by which the institution will provide support services for students enrolled at the site(s) (e.g., admissions, skills assessment, course registration, academic advising, counseling, etc.).

 

A system of support services is available to distance education students from the time of admission to graduation.  The Division of Continuing Studies serves as a clearinghouse of information and a bridge linking distance education students to appropriate faculty and staff in key university offices.  Continuing Studies student services staff members are easily accessible to assist students through a dedicated email box dcs@ecu.edu or our toll free 800 number. In addition, the Division’s publications and website (www.options.ecu.edu), provide information about admission, advising, registration, bookstore services, library resources and other university services.  The Options web site has a current students page with links to financial aid, the library, the university bookstore, Blackboard course management platform, technical assistance/Helpdesk, disability support services and an orientation site.  In addition, the University has made a commitment to provide an online interface for services that all students can access anytime. The major repository for administrative services is OneStop. https://onestop.ecu.edu/onestop/ This comprehensive portal provides access to students, faculty, and staff. The university community logs in using e-mail credentials. Through the OneStop web portal, students can access advising and registration information, their course schedule, grades, course catalog, course description, a GPA calculator, university events and announcements, and a myriad of other services.

 

6.   Library and learning resources

·         Describe library and information resources to support the program, including staffing and services in place to support the initiative.

·         Describe cooperative agreements with other institutions and include a copy of such agreements in the appendix.

·         Relative to electronic resources, describe how students and faculty will access information, training for faculty and students in the use of online resources, and staffing and services available to students and faculty.

 

       Checking Out Books and Obtaining Articles:

Students enrolled in distance education courses may check out books from Joyner Library as well as obtain articles and research assistance at

      http://media.lib.ecu.edu/DE/DE_Home.html

 

Off-Campus Access to Services:

Joyner Library provides off-campus access to its resources and services through a proxy server. The students create accounts and are authenticated using their ECU email User ID and password. Further information regarding this service is available at http://media.lib.ecu.edu/erdbs/erdbs_description.cfm?id=96

 

Joyner Library’s Interlibrary Loan software streamlines the process for submitting and receiving ILL requests. The link to this new service is http://jill.lib.ecu.edu/illiad/logon.html. Information for first time users of the service is provided.

 

Joyner Library currently subscribes to approximately 150 databases containing indexes to journal and magazine articles. Many of these resources offer full-text access to individual articles. A listing of these resources may be found at. http://media.lib.ecu.edu/erdbs/.

 

If students wish to check and see if Joyner Library has full-text access to a particular journal title, they may use the E-Journal Portal.  http://media.lib.ecu.edu/erdbs/

 

If the library does not have electronic access to a journal article, students may obtain the article through Interlibrary Loan. Distance Education student’s information is at: http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/accesssrv/ill/docdel.cfm. The web-based forms for Interlibrary Loan are located at http://jill.lib.ecu.edu/illiad/logon.html. For more information on conducting research at a distance including getting books and journal articles, please review:  http://media.lib.ecu.edu/DE/DE_Home.html

Research Assistance:

Students wishing to obtain subject specific research assistance may use Pirate Source, http://media.lib.ecu.edu/reference/piratesource/. This service allows students to search for resources based on subject area and includes all types of materials from books to journals to websites.

 

Library Instruction and Tutorials are available to students under Instructional Services at http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/Reference/Instruction/index.cfm or

http://media.lib.ecu.edu/reference/howdoi/  which include FAQ, Research Topics and Borrowing Information

 

Students may also request assistance using the "Ask a Reference Librarian" web page.  Here they access to links for consultation by filling out a form http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/reference/email.cfm, or through email askref@ecu.edu, or Chat live using AOL.

 

Additional Resources:

Digital Resource Collection - http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/

Virtual Reference Desks - http://del.icio.us/joynerlibrary/vrd?setcount=25

 

7.   Physical resources

      Describe physical facilities and equipment to support this initiative.  Assess the impact that the proposed change will have on existing programs and services.

 

      East Carolina University has assembled the sufficient network resources to offer on-line degree programs and student services. These can be best viewed at:

 

OneStop - https://onestop.ecu.edu/onestop/

      Division of Continuing Studies - http://www.options.ecu.edu/

 

8.   Financial support

      Describe financial resources to support the change, including the budget for the first year of the proposed program.  Include projected revenues (including tuition and fees receipts, state appropriations based on projected SCHs, grants, etc.) and expenditures, as well as amount of resources going to institutions or organizations for contractual or support services.

     

Line Item

Description

Total

 

1310

EPA Faculty Salaries

77,983

Average faculty salary 77,983/

 18 s.h. x  18 s.h. in first year

 

 

 

 

1800

Staff Benefits

17,936

23%

 

 

 

 

2000

Supplies & Materials

1,500

250 per course

 

 

 

 

 

Total Budget

97,419

 

 

 

 

 

 

107 revenue

52,402

 (77,983)/ (535.74) x 360  SCH

 

9.   Evaluation and assessment

      Describe the means used by the institution to monitor and ensure the quality of the degree program and off-campus site(s).

      Summarize procedures for systematic evaluation of instructional results, including the process for monitoring and evaluating programs at the new site, as well as using the results of evaluation to improve institutional programs, services, and operations.

 

Assessment of distance learning is fully integrated into the university-wide assessment program.  Since all distance education programs and courses originate in the academic units, with administrative support from the Division of Continuing Studies, the academic unit develops the DE assessment plan along with the assessment plan for the campus-based program. Faculty and administrators within academic units oversee all distance education programs to ensure quality and content.  Academically, there is no distinction between courses taught on campus and those taught via distance education.  All participants must meet the same course objectives and demonstrate the same learning outcomes.  The curriculum and evaluation of DE courses, however delivered, are conducted under the same procedures and personnel as on-campus courses.  The academic unit establishes the intended learning outcomes, the means of assessment, and the criteria for success, and carries out the assessment activities for both the campus and DE programs.  The assessment record book for the unit contains separate documentation for the campus and off-campus programs with parallel assessment plans and a comparability study and/or plan to document the performance of both the campus and DE programs.

 

The Office of Institutional Effectiveness coordinates the assessment of student learning outcomes in academic degree programs. A standard format for reporting goals, criteria for success, results, and use of results has been implemented and an assessment coordinator for academic affairs has been working with an assessment team, consisting of representatives from all academic units. In addition, they have conducted a number of comparisons between off-campus and comparable on-campus programs.  The SOIS is analyzed to determine difference between distance education and on-campus courses.  Both the Graduating Senior Survey (for undergraduate programs) and the Graduate Student Exit Survey are analyzed to determine student satisfaction with off-campus programs.  Comparisons are made between students graduating in distance education programs and those graduating from comparable on-campus programs.

 

Operational planning for the university incorporates procedures to evaluate the extent to which educational goals and objectives are being achieved.  During this phase, units formalize major objectives for the next planning cycle and indicate the manner in which progress toward those objectives will be measured.  Superimposed upon the short-term analysis are longer-term records of unit performance with regard to students served, graduates from degree programs, levels of research/creative productivity, grantsmanship, and service.  Longer-term records are, in turn, derived from compiling standard, day-to-day evaluative measures of teaching, research, and service.  These activities are systematically documented via annual reports, and data are then compiled and analyzed by individual units and the Office of Planning and Institutional Research, among others.

 

The Student Opinion of Instruction Survey (SOIS) is administered in the fall and spring semesters to all classes with enrollment of more than five students.  Results of those surveys are delivered to individual faculty members and to their respective unit heads.  Information from those surveys is used to contribute ideas to curriculum revision, for annual evaluations of faculty members, and for merit pay considerations for those faculty members.  Likewise, the unit head has the opportunity to use the information from the survey results to effect changes in instruction or in assignment of individual courses to instructors.  Faculty members frequently consider altering their courses based on feedback received from SOIS scores and accompanying student comments.

 

A myriad of activities is employed by academic units to evaluate instructional programs.  There are internal reviews of the SOIS results.  Faculty members and department chairs consider teaching materials through peer reviews or administrative reviews, conducted annually.  Faculty members are encouraged to use instructional technology, as appropriate to the discipline.  External reviews of entire programs are conducted for many accreditation studies and include site survey teams, surveys of employers asking how program graduates meet competencies in job settings.  Students provide information to assist in this process through the sophomore survey and the graduating senior survey, with information provided to individual programs with comparisons to all sixteen UNC campuses. 

 

Faculty members use a variety of techniques within their individual courses.  These techniques are evaluated in a number of ways.  Faculty members receive individual evaluations of their teaching through departmental chairs, accompanied by information gleaned from the SOIS.  Further assessment of techniques used in instruction may occur in conjunction with peer review (required in years one and four of non-tenured faculty members) or as a part of the process for cumulative review of permanently tenured faculty. 

 

10.  Appendices

      Appendices may include items such as (1) vitae of key faculty; (2) selected letters of support; (3) copies of library and other cooperative agreements, etc.

 

Name, title, telephone, and e-mail of contact person to respond to questions:

Dr. Joseph M. Tomkiewicz, Professor and Chair
Department of Management
252-328-6836
tomkiewiczj@ecu.edu

 

This request to establish a new distance education degree program (or program site) has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate campus committees and authorities.

 

                                                                                                           

Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs