By Christine Mullins, Executive Director, Instructional Technology Council

On April 16-17, 2013, teams of three representatives (from state regulatory offices and higher education institutions) from 47 states met in Indianapolis to discuss and rally support behind the newly-proposed State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).  The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, APLU’s, Commission on Regulation of Postsecondary Distance Education had just released its final report and guidelines for SARA.**

Now that the final document is on the table, SARA supporters will begin obtaining buy-in from state legislatures.  Each participating state legislature will need to give authority to their state regulators and regional compacts, to perform the actions and responsibilities outlined in the SARA agreement.  State regulators (who will report to the regional compacts) will be responsible for ensuring the participating higher institutions within their borders are accredited and follow the SARA guidelines.  The complexity of this approval process will vary from state to state.

On May 4, 2013, Ellen Carey, a Librarian and Instructor at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, California, shared her strategies for “Providing Library Resources and Services to Online Students” as part of ITC’s Professional Development Webinar Series.

Defining and ensuring equivalent access often forms the first step in a library’s approach to developing resources for online students. According to the Association of College and Resource Libraries’ (ACRL) Standards for Distance Learning Library Services, “Access to appropriate library services and resources is essential for the attainment of superior academic skills in post-secondary education, regardless of where students, faculty, staff, and programs are located.

Members of the distance learning community, including those with disabilities, must therefore be provided effective and appropriate library services and resources, which may differ from, but must be equivalent to those provided for students and faculty in traditional campus settings.”

by Julie Cornett, Librarian, and Lisa Fuller, Instructor, Child Development, Cerro Coso Community College

Like most community colleges these days, Cerro Coso Community College offers many courses online. Librarian Julie Cornett decided to re-envision herself as the college’s “embedded librarian” when she recognized that the online students taking courses online via the Moodle learning management system were not getting the same level of library support and instruction as the college’s on-ground students.

As the embedded librarian, Cornett collaborates with online faculty to join a Moodle class, embedding resources such as citation guides and database tutorials, with direct links to library eResources, multi-media resources, and subject guides.

The online discussion forum has been the most impactful element of this innovative program. The embedded librarian moderates a research forum for a week or two during the semester so students can ask questions about research and get help with search strategies, evaluating information, and citations.

by Tom Lombardo, Ed.D., Professor, Engineering and Technology and Instructional Designer, Rock Valley College

When I began teaching in 1989, my knowledge of design was strictly from an engineering standpoint.  I creating my student handouts using the philosophy, “if you write it, they will learn.”

Sure, I used bold font to highlight important points, but I was oblivious to the relationship between document formatting and reading comprehension.  I wondered why my students didn’t “get” what I had so clearly put in black and white.

In 2004, I took an instructional media design class that completely changed my perspective on documents, slideshows and Web pages. The techniques I learned are valuable to me and easy to apply, so am sharing these media design tips with you.

by Peter Jeschofnig, Chemistry and Physics, Co-Founder of Hands-on Labs, Hands on Labs

1. Introduce Yourself and Your Course

A creative and engaging way for your students to get to know you better is through an introduction video. Include background information about your experiences and interests along with a review of the syllabus. Syllabi are students’ first impression of a course and the instructor.

by Jane Park, Project Manager, Creative Commons

Universal access to and participation in research, education, and culture is made possible by openness, but not enough people know what it means or how to take advantage of it. We hear about Open Source Software, Open Educational Resources, and Open Access.

But what are these movements, who are their communities, and how do they work?  Most importantly—how can they help me?

by Sue Dion, Instructional Designer, and Rebecca Graetz, Instructional Designer, Inver Hills Community College

The just-in-time training education and resource (JITTER) cart rolled through faculty office areas at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota spring semester 2013. Complete with coffee and carbs, the cart was an instant hit with faculty.

Wecome to ITC! We look forward to working with you in the year ahead!  Please call us at 202-293-3132 or e-mail  Amy Weinfurter if you have any questions or suggestions. We are here to serve you!

College of the Canyons
James Glapa-Grossklag
Dean, Educational Technology, Learning Resources, and Distance Learning
Santa Clarita, California

Saddleback College
Valerie Senior
Faculty Training Specialist Online Education
Mission Viejo, California

To view the full list of ITC members, click here.