The Advisory Committee on Wellesley in the Digital Age recommends the following implementation plan to "create a vehicle for further discussion and strategic thinking about the role of information technology in teaching and learning at (and from) Wellesley, and the role of a residential liberal arts college in the digital age." [from Wellesley College Institutional Priorities 2002-2003]

Create a continuting Digital Learning and Teaching Committee with authority to make decisions

The primary purpose of the Digital Learning and Teaching Committee (DLTC) is to support and enrich the College's undergraduate curriculum through digital learning materials. For the 2002-3 academic year, our goal is to produce a small number (4-6) of pedagogically successful, fiscally viable digital learning projects that will become models of digital education and are suitable for their target audience (whether Wellesley students, alumnae, Wellesley Summer School students or prospective students).

The DLTC will serve as a resource on digital learning and teaching issues for the entire Wellesley community. The Committee recommends a course of action that will:

The committee will serve as the focal point for College activities related to the integration of technology into teaching and learning. This role will call for the committee to work collaboratively with other committees with overlapping interests, such as the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction, Committee on Educational Research and Development (ER &D), and the Information Services Advisory Committee. The DLTC will also serve as the interface for Wellesley to the broader digital education world.

The committee will consist of five members of the faculty (including a member of ER & D), the Faculty Director of the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center and representatives from the Office of the Dean of the College, Information Services, the Office of the Alumnae Association and the Admissions Office. The group will have the authority to set priorities for digital learning projects and to determine implementation strategies regarding funding, personnel, timelines, and related areas. The group will have a primary role in developing policy recommendations related to digital learning issues (e.g., guidelines for transfer credit for digital learning courses) working in partnership with the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction and other relevant committees.

The committee will designate a chairperson who will have the authority to speak on behalf of the committee and make administrative decisions when the committee is not assembled.

We recommend that the committee be appointed for an initial 3-year period. On an annual basis, the committee will submit a report to the President, summarizing and evaluating activities and accomplishments. At the end of the 3-year period, the committee will make a recommendation regarding its continuation.

The Committee

Five faculty members [Note: 1 faculty slot assigned to a member of ER&D]
Faculty Director, Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center, ex officio
Director of Instructional Technology or designee, ex officio
Dean of the College or designee, ex officio
Executive Director, Office of the Alumnae Association or designee, ex officio
Dean of Admission or designee, ex officio

Chair of the Committee: Faculty member [TBD]

Staff to the Committee: Though the College has recently instituted the policy of no increases in administrative staff, we believe that some additional staffing will be required to support the work of the committee (e.g., scheduling meetings, collecting and disseminating data, preparing grant proposals and reports, assisting in the design and implementation of assessment activities, etc.) We recommend that a portion of the College's Innovation Fund be used to fund a 3-year term-limited, part-time administrative position, either as an add-on to an existing position or as a casual wage position. (Approximate annual costs of $8000-$10000 @10 hrs/week; 40 weeks/yr.)

Committee Charge 2002-2003

  1. Set priorities for digital learning projects. Applying the "Principles to Guide Wellesley's Involvement in Digital Learning," select 4-6 digital learning projects to be initiated in 2002/3 that are economical to produce and have the potential to be pedagogically successful and to serve as models of digital learning for our students and alumnae, and possibly for Wellesley Summer School students and prospective students. When feasible build upon projects already in progress (e.g., production of the Alumnae Association's enhanced audio CD; Luna Insight image database pilot project, etc.) and/or leverage existing digital projects, (e.g., digital material that Wellesley faculty, centers, offices have already produced).

  2. Determine implementation strategy for each project. Develop project plans, including: a) resource needs and funding strategy (e.g., staffing, stipends, training, facilities, technological infrastructure, etc.); b) projected timeline; c) potential barriers; d) desired outcomes; e) audience and accessibility; and, f) assessment strategy (e.g., suitable for target audience? fiscally viable over a longer period of time? potential to become model of digital education?).

  3. Develop policy recommendations related to digital learning issues. In consultation with the Committee on Curriculum and Instruction and other relevant committees, determine priorities for policy formulation. Identify policy "agenda" and draft policy recommendation(s) for consideration by appropriate governing bodies during 2002/3. Among the potential policies for the DLTC to consider are: a) credit worthiness and credit allotment for digital learning courses; b) increasing time commitment for professors given the use of digital learning tools, including online "office" hours (e-mail) and mounting grading tasks; and, c) copyright restrictions and accessibility for web sites available to external audiences.

  4. Identify and establish ongoing mechanisms to capture and publicize Wellesley's digital learning projects, enhancing communication about these initiatives for both internal and external audiences. Consider establishing an online portal that would offer an overview of Wellesley's online endeavors by presenting: digitized course materials (including those that currently exist on the Instructional Technology website); digitized portions of major on-campus events or special interest events; links to syllabi for courses employing digital tools; and, links to digital offerings for alumnae.