Running head: CRITICAL ISSUES: COMPETENCY-BASED AND ONLINE EDUCATION

Critical Issues: Competency-Based and Online Education

Jeff Patty
Higher Education Administration (EDLD 7431)
Dr. Don S. Stumpf
Georgia Southern University

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TO: Employees of Georgia Highlands College
FROM: Jeff Patty, President of Georgia Highlands College
DATE: June 5, 2014
SUBJECT: Competency-Based and Online Education Initiatives
As most of you already know, we have been working over the last couple of years on
improving our online delivery systems and assessing students prior learning. Both of these
issues are closely tied together and reflected heavily, not only in the students we represent on our
campuses today, but also as important system-wide goals of the University System of Georgia.
Students are coming to our campuses less prepared each year in alarming numbers. It is essential
that we properly assess these students readiness prior to coursework, so that we place them into
the correct courses or assist them prior through our learning support system. Likewise, many of
these students come to us from an electronic and online environment. Not only must we meet
them in the middle by providing state of the art technology and instructional resources that
engage their learning styles, but we must also find creative ways to integrate the concepts being
popularized in these new delivery systems, such as in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS).
The following information summarizes some new initiatives we will be undertaking as an
institution to meet these demands. These initiatives will require all of our careful attention and
concerted efforts in order to successfully achieve the optimal results.
Results So Far
As you will recall, we are working collectively towards achieving continued progress
towards the goals of the Complete College Georgia initiative, outlined in 2011 by Governor
Nathan Deal to address the critical needs in Georgias Higher Education Completion Plan.

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Remember, it is projected by 2020 that over 60 percent of jobs in Georgia will require a
certificate, associates degree, or bachelors degree (Complete College Georgia, 2011). We
continue to strive to improve our retention and graduation rates across the state. We have made
some good initial strides towards improving our rates and implementing new completion
strategies. Georgia Highlands College has increased retention in 2013 by 4%, increased
graduation rates by 7%, and seen a 20% increase in degree production. We have accomplished
the goals by reaching out to students who have acquired the appropriate credits for a degree, by
dropping the graduation fee, and by working with students personally to have their degrees
conferred. There have also been some exciting changes within remediation. GHC has piloted a
new model by flipping the classroom in areas of reading, English, and mathematics. Likewise,
the classroom models for several Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
majors have experienced increases by applying new methods around statistics and a practical
application of mathematics, as opposed to the traditional methods utilized with an algebra base.
The eLearning (distance education) program at GHC has also seen some growth in the last year.
With the addition of the Blackboard Collaborate software and accompanying hardware,
instructors can now teach class on one campus, with the broadcast available at satellite campuses
for those students. This is very valuable from a human resources perspective, as well as being
able to offer classes that might not otherwise make due to lower enrollment numbers on separate
campuses (University System of Georgia Updates on Campus Completion Plans, 2013).
New Initiatives and Continued Measures
I would like work to begin immediately on several new fronts. Much of the work will
need to be properly vetted through various committees, such as the curriculum committee, and
Distance Learning Advisory Group (DLAG). I realize any major changes will also need to be

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properly discussed and ratified through our Faculty Senate as well. These groups are central to
the institutions curricular offering, oversight of current offerings, and course recommendations
(Schoss & Cragg, 2013). It is important to get started on this work and keep our momentum
moving forward. In addition to continuing the current measures already in progress, I think we
need to put in motion a couple other new initiatives, the first of which centers on our online
education program. We have made progress with our online offerings over the last couple of
years as we continue to expand this program and with the addition of the Collaborate software
we can now reach more students. We must continue to diversify our coursework in this area
through a variety of measures. We will begin transitioning the focus of our program back to the
USGs eCore system. eCore allows students to complete their first two years of required core
classes to complete their coursework completely online, except for the occasional proctored test
(eCore: This is where your future begins, 2014). This system has been greatly improved
since the early years of inception when GHC first participated. This has been discussed in recent
months, but I believe it is time for us to fully implement this initiative. Access to these
additional online courses, in addition to the online courses we already offer, will best serve our
students moving forward.
The second initiative relating to our online program is the diversification of our
coursework in these online courses. We must continue to explore opportunities and new ways to
reach our diverse student population. With the growth of MOOCs, students are able to access a
vast array of academic material completely online. Students benefit from these courses by
gaining access to all online material, available in their preferred language, access to learn along
side other professional educators and share knowledge, and the ability to do all of this with little
to no money (MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses, 2014). It remains to be seen exactly how

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this concept will play out in institutions across the globe, but I believe we cannot sit back and
wait for an answer. We must creatively find strategies and methods for incorporating some of
these concepts into our own courses and programs. We must reach many of our adult learners by
providing different types of access to hybrid courses in ways that allows them to juggle the many
aspects of their complicated lives. We must do this, however, with adequate support and
necessary resources in order for students to be successful in these endeavors.
Conclusion
We have made so much improvement in recent years as we continue to strengthen our
retention and graduation efforts. With your hard work our students have begun to reap the
rewards from the new programs and methods implemented. As we continue to work on these
important measures and work towards similar improvements in our online programs, I know you
will give these new initiatives the same energy and vigor you always demonstrate. I thank each
of you for all of your contributions and continued dedication in providing the best education we
possibly can for the students of Georgia Highlands College.

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References
Complete College Georgia. (2013, December 9). College Completion. Retrieved June 7, 2014,
from http://www.usg.edu/educational_access/complete_college_georgia
eCore: This is where your future begins.... (2014, February 24). Retrieved June 9, 2014, from
https://ecore.usg.edu/
MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses. (2014). Retrieved June 9, 2014, from
http://massiveopenonlinecourses.com/moocs-explained-in-more-detail/
Schoss, P. J., & Cragg, K. M. (2013). Organization and administration in higher education. New
York, NY: Routledge.
University System of Georgia Updates on Campus Completion Plans. (2013, October).
Retrieved June 9, 2014, from
http://www.usg.edu/educational_access/documents/University-System-of-GeorgiaCampus-Completion-Plan-Updates-October-2013.pdf