Appendix G
The University of North Carolina
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: Management
Information Systems, General
CIP
Discipline Specialty Number: 52.1201 Level: B
Exact
Title of the Proposed Program: BSBA in Management Information Systems
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): None
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 Information Systems
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 15 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.
The Management Information Systems Degree is both very lucrative in terms of starting salary and number of open positions. Adding the MIS degree will provide our growing online population with more choices and more 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) 15
2) 20 3) 50 4) 30 5) 30
Projected total SCHs (all sites):
Year 1 |
Student Credit
Hours
|
||
Program Category |
UG |
Masters |
Doctoral |
Category I |
|
|
|
Category II |
270 |
|
|
Category III |
|
|
|
Category IV |
|
|
|
Year 2 |
Student
Credit Hours |
||
Program Category |
UG |
Masters |
Doctoral |
Category I |
|
|
|
Category II |
360 |
|
|
Category III |
|
|
|
Category IV |
|
|
|
Year 3 |
Student
Credit Hours |
||
Program Category |
UG |
Masters |
Doctoral |
Category I |
|
|
|
Category II |
450 |
|
|
Category III |
|
|
|
Category IV |
|
|
|
Year 4 |
Student
Credit Hours |
||
Program Category |
UG |
Masters |
Doctoral |
Category I |
|
|
|
Category II |
540 |
|
|
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 BSBA in Management Information Systems primarily focuses on the role that computers play in
human settings, either individual or organizational. ECU's MIS degree provides
a foundation for the analysis and design of information systems and the
knowledge of application software to develop business solutions.
The objective of this program is to develop information systems specialists able to analyze information requirements and business processes and be able to specify and design systems that are aligned with organizational goals. Successful completion of the coursework will provide students with hands-on knowledge of basic programming concepts and familiarity with event-driven visual programming and object oriented concepts, an in-depth knowledge of data communications and networking requirements, the ability to develop simple web-based solutions to business problems, and an understand the fundamentals of databases.
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
Information Systems Concentration consists of 6 courses:
MIS 3673 -Software Development
and Design
MIS 4113 - Database Management Systems
MIS 4123 - Telecommunications and Networked Systems
MIS 4153 – Web Application Development for Business
MIS 4163 – Information Systems Analysis & Design
MIS 4173 – Information Development & Implementation
Proposed Schedule Spring 2009 MIS
3673, MIS 4163
Fall
2009 MIS 4113, MIS 4153
Spring
2010 MIS 4123, MIS 4173
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 6
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).
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. Wagner |
PhD |
|
MKtg3832 |
|
S.
Dellana |
PhD |
|
Omgt3123 |
|
J.
Kros |
PhD |
|
Omgt3223 |
|
J.
Tomkiewicz |
PhD |
|
Mgmt
3302 |
|
T.
Bello |
PhD |
|
Mgmt
3352 |
|
John
Bradley |
PhD |
|
MIS
3063, MIS 4113 |
|
Ravi
Paul |
PhD |
|
MIS
3063, MIS 4173 |
|
Paul
Schwager |
PhD |
|
MIS
3063, MIS 4153, MIS 4163 |
|
Elaine
Seeman |
PhD |
|
MIS
3063, MIS 4163 |
|
Huigang
Liang |
PhD |
|
MIS
3673 |
|
Lucky
Xue |
PhD |
|
MIS
3063, MIS 4123 |
|
The program
will require no new faculty or support.
It will not materially impact faculty workload.
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 |
39,302 |
(77,983)/
(535.74) x 270 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. Richard D.
Hauser, Jr.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Management Information Systems
252-328-6893
hauserr@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