Frequently Asked Questions for the AU 2004 OLN Distance Learning Report

Why are HEI and OLN producing a Distance Learning Report?

Two years ago, Governor Taft requested from the Ohio Board of Regents that an update on the status of distance learning in Ohio be included in the performance report. At the time, reliable data did not exist to report on the status of distance learning in Ohio. The Ohio Board of Regents approached the Ohio Learning Network to assist them with acquiring appropriate data on distance learning.

Why did we wait until now?

To collect good data, OLN and HEI developed a system where OLN course and section data is loaded through HEI on its way to being posted in OhioLearns!. We initiated this process in March of 2003. With positive comments from participating institutions, we now feel the system is working well enough to capture reliable distance learning data.

Which institutions will be included in this report?

This report will include those institutions that voluntarily participated in loading their data into OhioLearns!, through HEI for autumn 2003. For private/independent institutions, courses and sections information will be presented in the report. For public institutions, a broader and deeper level of analysis will be presented, using other data sets found within HEI. These include, but are not limited to variables such as enrollments, gender, ethnicity, age, student proximity to campus, and student career fields. Because public institutions, as mandated, report enrollment and course data via HEI, it will be possible to provide a richer description of their distance learning programs and students.

Why are we using autumn 2003 data for the autumn 2004 report?

The two main file structures submitted for distance courses and sections data are called the Distance Course (DO) and the Distance Section (DS) files. DO and DS files are submitted typically 3-6 months before the term they are taught. The two enrollment files on which the DO and DS are linked are the Course Inventory (CI) and the Course Enrollment (CN) files. CI and CN files are submitted by institutions several months after terms are completed. To get a good comparable data from among these four files, it is critical that institutions review their file submissions and “clean” them, so they are as accurate as possible.

Who is responsible for my institution’s DO and DS file submissions?

Each institution that has signed an OLN Memo of Understanding has a catalog coordinator who submits DO and DS files. If you want to know who the catalog coordinator for your institution is, please contact George Steele at OLN by e-mail at gsteele@oln.org.

Who is responsible for my institution’s CI and CN file submissions?

HEI data reporters are listed under the People section of the HEI Web site: http://regents.ohio.gov/hei/people.html.

Why is it important for the institutions catalog coordinator and HEI data reporters to discuss their file submissions?

To have good comparable data it is critical that the course identifier field in the DO and CI and the course and section identifier fields in the DS and CN files are exact matches.

Can corrected DO and DS files be resubmitted to HEI?

Yes, we will ship to institutions during the third week of May, June, and July comparison of their DO/CI and DS/CN files. We will highlight through use of percentages how course and section identifier match. The higher the percentage means the greater the accuracy of the DO and DS file submissions. Institutions can resubmit corrected DO and DS files for AU 2003.

How will institutions know if their DO and DS file submissions are accurate?

Data is accurate if you are able to return enrollments from your institution using the OLN Distance Learning Query.

Will institutions have too use the “old” or the “new” CIP codes for AU 2003?

During AU 2003 reporting institutions were given the flexibility to report using either CIP1990 or CIP2000. You will want to report using the method your institution chose for the CI file.

What if an institution did not submit autumn 2003 DO and DS files, but wishes to be represented in the report?

An institution can submit their autumn 2003 DO and DS through August 31, 2004 and be represented in the report. Institutions that wish to do this might find that as they prepare their autumn 2004 DO and DS submissions, that with slight modifications, they can reconstruct their autumn 2003 DO and DS files.

Will institutions be able to review sections of the report pertinent to their institution prior to it public release?

Yes. After August 31, 2004, data will be analyzed and reports will be sent to each institution for review and comments before being made.

What should we do with distance learning courses and or sections that were offered AU 2003, but had no enrollments?

While this is an institutional decision, you might want to keep these courses/sections available in the DO/DS files for the historical record.

We have received our May HEI review and update of AU 2003 DO and DS file comparison to our institution's CI and CN files. Once we make the identified changes in the DO and DS files, can we assume our submissions are 100% accurate?

Changes you make to your DO and DS files after receiving the May HEI review and update of AU 2003, means your resubmitted DO and DS files are accurate, to the extent that the distance courses and sections listed on the files are also identified on your institution's CI and CN file submissions. The only review that would merit another check of you DO and DS files, would be to see if these files have all of your institution's AU 2003 distance course and section offerings. Once this step is confirmed, there are two possible outcomes. First, if there are no new DO and DS courses and sections to be added to your AU 2003 DO and DS files, your submissions should be consider accurate. Second, if you find you need to add some DL courses or section to your DS and DO files, you should resubmit them with the necessary changes. You will be notified during the third week of June, July or August as to their accuracy.