Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio 1 Editor’s DeskTop s the editor of the AURCO Journal, I am pleased to note that Spring Aof 2003 and Volume 9 mark the beginning of the second decade of publication of this state–wide, refereed journal. Universities represented include Bowling Green State University, Kent State University, Miami University, Ohio State University, Ohio University, and University of Cincinnati. Regional campuses are represented by the work of 17 faculty in 14 articles: Bowling Green State University—Firelands, Kent State University—Geauga, Miami University—Middletown, Ohio State University—Marion, Ohio University—Lancaster, Ohio University— Zanesville, and University of Cincinnati—Clermont and University of Cincinnati—Raymond Walters. Kent State University and Ohio University are also represented through the plenary addresses of the 2002 Spring Conference. Articles cover a wide range of interests and disciplines, with some authors crossing disciplines. From the concerns of the plenary addresses for the future of regional campuses and the continuing development of programs on regional campuses, articles consider the types of issues which regional campuses traditionally have been able to confront in response to the changing needs of their communities and the most recent technological developments: marketing in online communities; business technology; learning outside the classroom; team teaching and the psychology of the Internet; elementary school career education; communication in technical education; assessing online instruction; a cross-disciplinary approach to cultural anthropology and English composition; portfolio assessment; writing for children; critical thinking in assessing moral dimensions of literature; intercultural service learning; a contractual approach for classroom expectations; and learning through questioning. Regional campus faculty from across the state have served as reviewers and represent the following universities: Bowling Green State University— Firelands, Kent State University—Stark, Kent State University—Trumbull, Miami University—Middletown, Ohio State University—Marion, Ohio University—Chillicothe, Ohio University—Southern, Ohio University— Zanesville, University of Akron—Wayne, and Wright State University— Lake. Mere citations of numbers and names, however, do not indicate the AURCO Journal Spring 2003 Volume 9 2 Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio amount and significance of labor and concern that regional faculty have expressed in these pages. As one notes through reading the articles, regional faculty are attuned to the needs of their students and communities. Moreover, they are fully cognizant of the necessity for continually devising and re- devising the means to educate and prepare their communities for the challenges of the workplace, the academy, and indeed the world. Although their concerns and expertise are voiced through a variety of means and disciplines, throughout one may note the similarity of their sincerity of voice, breadth of learning, and willingness to incorporate new technology in the most positive manner to benefit their students. Throughout these pages one may get a sense that throughout Ohio regional campus faculty are meeting the challenges of the twenty–first century. No publication is possible without the combined efforts of a number of individuals. I want to here thank Lee Fox–Cardamone, Associate Editor, for her work in maintaining contact with our editorial board and making the work of the editor less difficult by keeping the flow of papers and reviews on time. I want to welcome Robert Sturr as the journal’s new Managing Editor and thank him for his efforts to maintain communications with the universities and the regional campuses and secure a sound basis for the journal’s continued financial health. Also deserving of my thanks are those who have proofed the journal and have also been responsible for its mailing: Gretchen Bollenbacher, Public Relations Assistant, and Carol Jones, Faculty Secretary. AURCO Journal Online AURCO Journal is now available online at Ohio University—Southern at the following location: www.southern.ohiou.edu/aurco. My thanks go to: Terry Quinn, associate editor of Etude & Techne and mathematics professor at Ohio University—Southern for arranging for the online version; to Dean Dan Evans for allowing AURCO to use the technical resources of Ohio University—Southern; and to Jed Utsinger and his assistant Porsche Dillon for taking care of the technical matters in maintaining the site. Arthur A. Molitierno AURCO Journal Editor Wright State University—Lake AURCO Journal Spring 2003 Volume 9 Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio 3 PlenaryPP Addresses AURCO Journal Spring 2003 Volume 9 4 Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio Academic Program Development at Ohio University’s Regional Campuses Charles P. Bird Vice President for Regional Higher Education Ohio University n my remarks today, I would like to concentrate on some issues related Ito the development of academic programs on our regional campuses. To that end, I will describe some key characteristics of Regional Higher Education (RHE) at Ohio University, discuss briefly some important trends that we see, and outline four areas of focus that we believe are critical to our success. There are five regional campuses at Ohio University, enrolling approximately 8,000 students per quarter, with an unduplicated annual headcount of nearly 12,000. Collectively, we have approximately 120 tenure track faculty members, as well as several dozen nontenure track, but nearly full time faculty members. Two of our campuses, Eastern and Zanesville, are considered to be co–located with technical colleges, whereas the Chillicothe, Lancaster, and Southern Campuses have a comprehensive mission that includes technical associate degree programs. Two years ago, we became the degree–granting unit for the technical associate degree programs, giving us direct responsibility for the curriculum in those areas. Currently, we offer 22 associate degree programs. In addition, students can complete any of 10 baccalaureate programs on the regional campuses, and we offer some master’s degree programs that rotate irregularly among the campuses in a cohort–based format. It is important to know that RHE includes the Athens–based Division of Lifelong Learning, which is responsible for credit and noncredit continuing education on the Athens campus and in locations other than the regional campuses. This responsibility includes coordination of the delivery of the University’s distance programs, as well as some international programs, including several in Hong Kong. We also have been responsible for independent study through correspondence for nearly 80 years, and we administer conferences and AURCO Journal Spring 2003 Volume 9 Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio 5 workshops on behalf of the University. Lifelong Learning and the five regional campuses are linked by a common mission of outreach and access. It is our role to create educational opportunities in a wide variety of locations, using whatever delivery methods may be available to us that are consistent with our expectations for quality. We operate as a somewhat decentralized system, with a very small staff in our central office, but with a goal of maximizing all of the human and financial resources available to us. I believe that the opportunities created by having five regional campuses, with a relatively large number of faculty, and the Division of Lifelong Learning, with access to student populations beyond those campuses, are important to our approach to program development. National Trends As I think about the future of our regional campuses, there are several national trends that push us toward emphasizing closer relationships among the various units in RHE and toward expansion of the academic programs available on regional campuses. For example, higher education seems to have become increasingly competitive, forcing institutions to consider carefully where they fit in relation to other institutions, how they price their programs, and how they control the costs of developing and delivering those programs. Institutions such as ours need to be clear about their commitment to quality and high standards for students, while being extremely student–centered in providing services, flexible in their use of locations and formats, thoughtful about their marketing strategies, and much more sophisticated in their management of budgets. Beyond competition, but clearly related to it, is the issue of employing new technologies to deliver programs. At Ohio University, we believe that blended programs represent an appropriate niche for us that is consistent with providing flexibility to students, allowing for the delivery of programs nearly anywhere in the world, but maintaining the direct, face–to–face contact that we believe is necessary for the quality we seek and the structure that assures student persistence and success. Thus, although we make heavy use of the Internet, interactive video, and other technologies, we also bring students together for intensive residencies or for other meetings, and we relatively rarely use an online format for AURCO Journal Spring 2003 Volume 9 6 Association for University Regional Campuses of Ohio entire courses and programs. Not only do we gain flexibility through this type of approach, but we are obtaining a very high level of student satisfaction, a certain