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UTTC Overview and Mission

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UTTC Overview
The UT TeleCampus (UTTC), operating at the University of Texas System administration level, works with all 15 UT institutions to build and deliver high-quality online courses, degree programs and support services for distance learners in its mission to expand the reach of the UT System. Learn more...

Mission
The mission of the UT TeleCampus is to extend the reach of the UT System through the application of high-quality, student-centered Internet delivery to degree programs, academic courses, training, professional development, and college preparation. The UT TeleCampus adds value by assisting UT System institutions in expanding existing capacity, building new capacities, and preparing faculties to best teach in a technology-mediated environment. The UT TeleCampus identifies, develops and disseminates innovative and solution-based models and best practices for effective distance teaching and learning.

Vision
The UT TeleCampus will be the recognized leader and model for innovative multi-campus online learning in the nation. The UT TeleCampus will be a vital solution and resource for technology-mediated teaching and learning at all levels within and supported by the UT System.

Goals

  • Provide increased access to high-quality education via innovative technological and responsive educational business solutions
  • Continuously enhance the academic excellence of distance and hybrid courses across the System
  • Facilitate collaborations and partnerships strategic to the UT System, including relationships with the Institute for Public School Initiatives and the state’s public schools
  • Provide cost-effective, centralized services and infrastructure to support online learners, faculty and staff across the UT System
  • Develop revenue streams to increase financial self-reliance
  • Leverage the knowledge and skills of the UT TeleCampus staff to assist campuses with the expansion and integration and adoption of new technology-based teaching and learning methods.

Strategies

Goal 1: Provide increased access to high-quality education via innovative technological and responsive educational solutions.

Strategies:

  1. Assist the campuses in scaling online courses, and expanding the number of course offerings.
    Use TeleCampus resources to work with campuses to pay faculty an over-load stipend, hire adjunct faculty, provide qualified teaching assistants, and redesign courses for higher enrollments.
  2. Develop programs and certificates based on market research/demand.
    Be responsive to market need through research, using this knowledge to assist in the determination of which programs and certificates to develop and deliver.
  3. Investigate alternate course offering schedules.
    The TeleCampus will investigate offering courses during the “mini-mesters” using an intensive, time-compressed format.
  4. Design, test and deliver reliable, stable courses across multiple technology platforms.
    The TeleCampus will continue to apply the principle of “appropriate technology” when designing courses.  Some programs are optimized for delivery over dial-up, low-speed Internet connections, while others use broadband as the optimal solution.  Significant testing across multiple platforms is performed prior to delivery to ensure the technology utilized is best suited to the end need and audience served.
  5. Expand involvement in college preparation programs.
    The UT TeleCampus will increase participation in programs designed to increase the college attendance rate in Texas.  Possible examples include TRACK (TAKS Readiness and Core Knowledge), working with the UT Outreach Centers, and developing a “College 101” course.
  6. Effectively build awareness of and interest in UTTC programs and services through marketing and communications.
    The TeleCampus has developed and maintains an efficient, cost-effective marketing program which allows customized marketing efforts on a program-by-program basis that promotes our campuses and their online offerings.
  7. Invest in research/development activities.
    The TeleCampus will continue to research new technologies, test third-party systems and disseminate recommendations to the UT System member institutions to support campus and System activities.

Goal 2: Continuously enhance the academic excellence of distance and hybrid courses across the System

Strategies:

  1. Facilitate and support the development of hybrid courses for on-campus populations.
    Recognizing the need to make more efficient use of on-campus space, and because the TeleCampus staff has the expertise,  the UTTC will act as a resource for campuses pursuing the creation of hybrid courses, where some portion of a face-to-face class will be taught online. 
  2. Offer appropriate and timely training to faculty and staff.
    Faculty are now and will continue to be offered training on instructional design and online class management strategies, as well as how best to integrate the portfolio of TeleCampus services into their courses.  On-campus staff are offered training on the course management system, online teaching and communication tools, and instructional design.  The TeleCampus delivers training using a “just-in-time” approach, combining a mix of face-to-face, videoconference, and online training.  In addition, the TeleCampus supports faculty communities through listservs and the sharing of best practices.
  3. Test, review, and edit all courses prior to delivery.
    The TeleCampus firmly believes that one of the keys to high quality in online delivery is ensuring that every piece of every course works, and that the text is edited and approved.  The TeleCampus will ensure such quality.
  4. Coordinate academic oversight of credit-bearing programs via academic affairs/executive committees.
    All collaborative degree programs have active executive and academic affairs committees comprised of faculty and administrators from the participating campuses that are charged with approving curriculum, course scheduling, course review, and program policies.  These committees are critical to maintaining high-quality and cohesiveness, and they must be responsive to accreditation issues.  
  5. Disseminate best practices in the areas of technology and pedagogy for online teaching and learning.
    The TeleCampus will stay actively involved in the national distance education community, participating in the development of standards and best practices.  The TeleCampus will propagate these techniques and ideas to the System member institutions and beyond via training sessions, conferences, videoconferences, and online means.
  6. Monitor quality against defined standards.
    The TeleCampus will continue to develop, maintain, and ensure consistent quality standards for courses being delivered by the campuses through the TeleCampus.  The TeleCampus measure for quality is based on the WCET “Principles of Good Practice”, which have been adopted as the standard of quality for online courses by the THECB and SACS COC.

Goal 3: Facilitate collaborations and partnerships which are strategic to the UT System

Strategies:

    1. Explore international partnerships with a specific emphasis on Mexico.
      The TeleCampus will aggressively investigate Mexico as a market for TeleCampus-originated certificate programs, as well as explore potential partnerships with Mexican universities.
    2. Develop K-16 grant funded programs.
      Leveraging the experience of TRACK, TPD Online, and multiple teacher preparation programs, the TeleCampus will pursue further opportunities to expand into the K-16 arena provided that financial resources can be identified and secured to support them.
    3. Develop strategic and cost effective partnerships with on-campus distance education centers.
      Several System campuses have built distance education centers simultaneous with the growth of the TeleCampus.  The TeleCampus will work to identify areas of mutual benefit and will examine ways to eliminate redundant services between the on-campus centers and TeleCampus.
    4. Explore inter-System collaborations.
      Opportunities exist for expanding collaboration beyond the UT System.  Potential collaborations should be explored with other universities and systems in Texas and beyond.
    5. Explore corporate partnerships for economic impact.
      The TeleCampus will explore opportunities to develop relationships with the business community to offer “preferred provider” status enrollments in TeleCampus courses and programs, as well as investigate the development of customized curricula.
    6. Expand intra-System collaborations.
      The TeleCampus has been successful in acting as a “collaboration engine” and broker within the UT System.  There are still ample opportunities to build stronger and deeper collaborations in all areas of program delivery, from K-12, through bachelor’s , master’s and doctoral levels.  Other opportunities include consortial contracts for services and software and extending the TeleCampus infrastructure to support on-campus courses.  The TeleCampus will explore these opportunities as resources allow. 

Goal 4: Provide cost-effective, centralized services and infrastructure to support online learners, faculty and staff across the UT System

Strategies:

  1. Foster and expand on-campus communication between UTTC liaisons to best support faculty, students and staff.
    In support of the distant student, the TeleCampus has identified and trained key campus-based staff members in areas such as registration, financial aid, and advising.  The TeleCampus will strive to ensure that these support positions are in communication with each other as well as the academic organization on their campus. 
  2. Maintain and expand the core infrastructure of the TeleCampus.
    The TeleCampus Information System (TIS), the Professional Development Online (PDO) catalog, the Blackboard courseware management system, the  digital library, Smarthinking tutoring, Embanet technical support services, and the Student Publishing Space project are key components of the TeleCampus.  These systems will continue to grow and strengthen in order to handle the increasing number of users.  New services will be assessed and added as appropriate.
  3. Broker advantageous contracts.
    The TeleCampus is well positioned to broker system-wide contracts and licensing agreements for those areas applicable to online learning (courseware management software, 24/7/365 technical support, online tutoring, etc.).
  4. Maintain and expand centralized marketing.
    One of the keys to the long term success of a program is ongoing marketing support.  One of the keys to the long-term success of a program is ongoing marketing support.  The TeleCampus will leverage its well-regarded brand to the benefit of new programs while continuing to drive students to the broader catalog of programs and courses.
  5. Maintain and expand the development and implementation of relevant policies.
    Collaborative, online degrees require significant policy work at the campus, System, state, and regional-accreditation level.  The TeleCampus will make sure that all existing policies are relevant, and that new policies are created and implemented as needed.
  6. Maintain and expand student and faculty support materials.
    The TeleCampus has created introductory, explanatory, and training materials (webpages, CD-ROMs, online tutorials, printed materials, etc.) in support of online faculty and distant learners.  The TeleCampus will continue the development of these materials in support of new courses, certificates and programs.

Goal 5: Develop revenue streams to increase financial self-reliance

Strategies:

  1. Develop and expand intra-system contract development.
    The infrastructure of the TeleCampus is well-suited to support the creation of training materials for staff and faculty (i.e. UTHSCSA’s HIPAA training).  The TeleCampus will continue to emphasize this capability to the campuses, leveraging the capacity and skills of the TeleCampus and the needs of the campuses for low-cost, high-quality online training to mutual benefit.
  2. Take advantage of tuition deregulation to implement a program-by-program common tuition/fee structure which will include a per-enrollment assessment to be returned to the TeleCampus.
    The TeleCampus will replace the current annual campus assessment with a tuition-revenue model.  This per-enrollment assessment will be part of a program-by-program common tuition/fee structure across all participating campuses. This should not only increase the revenue to the TeleCampus, but to the campuses as well.
  3. Develop certificate and training opportunities for revenue sharing.
    The TeleCampus will seek a share of the revenue generated by campus-based online professional development training and continuing education courses when offered through the TeleCampus, such as the recently-launched Engineering (Software Quality Institute from UT Austin) and Paralegal (from UT San Antonio) programs.
  4. Pursue grant-funded developments that serve the mission of the UTTC.
    The TeleCampus will carefully select and pursue specific and appropriate opportunities supported by grant money at the state and federal level as well as through philanthropic foundations. 
  5. Explore and develop new products and services for revenue generation.
    The TeleCampus will re-package and market select new approaches and technologies with a goal of generating revenue over time.
  6. Market TeleCampus-branded merchandise.
    The students, faculty and staff that work with the TeleCampus can become strong supporters.  The TeleCampus will market branded merchandise with the goal of generating revenue.

Goal 6: Leverage the knowledge and skills of the TeleCampus staff to assist campuses with the expansion and integration of technology-based learning.

Strategies:

  1. Work more closely with Provosts/VPAAs to define role for UTTC on each campus.
    Over time, the TeleCampus has moved from being primarily a vehicle for increasing enrollments for a campus to being focused on using technology and pedagogy to solve problems.  The TeleCampus will work with campus-based decision makers to define the role in which the TeleCampus can be of the greatest benefit to the campus.
  2. Build awareness among stakeholders regarding the vast/diverse skills and expertise of the TeleCampus.
    It is important that the TeleCampus be thought of as more than just the delivery vehicle for completely on-line courses.  The TeleCampus will undertake an awareness campaign to highlight the TeleCampus as a “solutions partner”, capable of assisting in many facets of instruction, including design, development and delivery.
  3. Develop and disseminate new and effective technologies and techniques to campuses.
    The TeleCampus will act as a clearinghouse for innovative and proven technologies and methods for technology-mediated instruction.  To this end, the TeleCampus will devote additional resources to research and development and participate in the several national forums focusing on these issues (SCORM, NLII, IMS, EDUCAUSE, etc.). 
  4. Create a pool of “virtual” teaching assistants, which can be made available to assist with high-enrollment classes at the campuses.
    The TeleCampus will seek grant funding to support this innovative pilot project to select and train program-specific virtual assistants.
  5. Training
    The faculty/staff training offered by the TeleCampus can be expanded to a greater audience in support of on-campus endeavors. The TeleCampus staff is skilled in presenting technical information to academic audiences, and should expand the catalog of available trainings.