Assignment 1 - Research Exercise

Assignment 1 Research Exercise
Venesse Elaine Morrison-Leon

EDD 7007
Principles of Distance Education
Nova Southeastern University

September 23, 2015
Introduction
Kansas State University offers 71 masters programs, 39 doctoral programs, 4 educational
doctoral programs, 39 graduate certificates programs in numerous areas of specialization
through its three campuses Salina, Manhattan and Olathe as well as it global campus. The
university currently offers the online Master of Science program in Curriculum Instruction
Digital Teaching & Learning and the program is offered by the School of Education as one of
its flagship distance education program. Students undertaking this program are required to
complete at least thirty one hours of graduate credits which combines three hours in core
concentration courses offered in curriculum, teaching and learning, diversity, educational
technology, and research and scholarship. In addition students are expected to complete a
minimum of fifteen credit hours within an area of specialization and complete a thesis report.
Students who want to pursue studies in the area must be educators currently in the classroom
or having teaching experiences. The program is designed to prepare students to assume
leadership roles in schools that have a technologically opulent sites (k-state program review
catalogue).
Part I: The institution and its programs
The details of the institution are documented below.
1.
List the name, mailing address, and website URL of the institution.
Kansas State University is located at 119 Anderson Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-0114.
The institutions website URL is http://www.k-state.edu/ and the College of Education
is located at 006 Bluemont Hall 1100 Mid-Campus Drive, Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506. Face to face Graduate students contact is 103 Fairchild Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506-1103 and online graduate contact is Global Campus Kansas
State University, 1615 Anderson Avenue Manhattan, KS 66502 (k-state program

review catalogue).
2. What degrees and majors are offered in the identified program?
The College of Education offers the Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction,
Educational Leadership and Special Education, Counseling and Students Affairs.
Curriculum and Instruction is offered as an online graduate program with specializations
in:
Digital Teaching and Learning

Educational Computing, Design and Online Learning
English as a Second Language
Mathematics Education
Reading Specialist
Teaching Civics and Government
3. For how long has the institution been offering the identified program at a distance?
Distance education has being offered by K-State global campus through its division of
continuing education programme for the past 44 years (Schulz, 2014). Information
about the curriculum and instruction program was not available from the university
web site and efforts to solicit the information about the program was futile.
4. What course delivery technologies are used?
Kansas State University learning management system (LMS) is driven by K-State
online classic but will be replaced by State Online managed by Canvas. The
information provided by the IT helpdesk has indicated that the new learning
management system will have several new features inclusive of integration with
KSIS for automatic course creation. The LMS system will use cutting edge
technologies that can facilitate learning using mobile applications for both Android
and iOS platforms. The system will also have the capacity to seamlessly correspond
with social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and programs such as
Google Docs will be included when converted (K-State IT helpdesk).
5. Is there a face-to-face component of instruction? If so, where is it conducted, and for

what duration?
The program is offered fully online and the information solicited from the online
graduate program brochure outlined that the modality of the program did not include a
face to face component. It indicates that the university is one of the nationally
recognized trailblazer in distance education and provides students the option of
completing the program from anywhere at any time and there is no organised
activities to visit the physical campus. This paradigm shift in tertiary education for
Kansas State University is in keeping with the growth of distance education through
the use of computer-mediated communications and the internet (Simonson, Smaldino
& Zvacek, p. 39).
6. How long does it take to earn a degree in the identified program?
Given that students pursuing the program are expected to do at minimum thirty one
credit hours and a maximum of thirty six credit hours along with fifteen hours in an
area of specialization, this can take a minimum of fifteen months or the equivalent of
five semesters and some student will take an addition semester to complete the thesis
report.
7. Is the institution accredited? If so, by what organization?
The institution is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools since 1916. The accreditation is a continuous process
and the next review is scheduled for 2022 for the college of education. Kansas State
University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central
Association of Colleges and Schools. The Professional Education Unit at Kansas State
University is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and
the Kansas State Department of Education (K-State University).
8. Is the institution public or private? If private, is it for-profit or not-for-profit?

Kansas State University is a public research state university with its main campus in
Manhattan Kansas. The university started in 1863 and was the first public institution of
higher learning in the state of Kansas.
9. What is the total enrollment of the institution? How many students are enrolled in the
identified distance-delivered program?
The data stated that the total enrolment of the university in spring, 2015 was 23,137 of which
4,850 represents the students doing distance education through its global campus. The
information about the specific program was unavailable (k-state registrar).
10. What is the tuition (per course or per year)? Be sure to cite your source for each answer.
Resident student tuition per course is less expensive than non-resident students (KSU tuition
& fee schedule, 2015/2016).
The tuition for Non-resident graduate:
One credit hour is $856.70

Two credit hour is $1,845.10
Three credit hour is $2,733.50
The tuition for resident graduate:
One credit hour is $478.10

Two credit hour is $887.90
Three credit hour is $1,297.70
Part II: The institutions website. Critique the institutions (or programs) website,
answering the following questions
A. How would you rate the visual appeal of the site? What elements are visually
appealing, and which aspects are less so? Include screen shot(s) to illustrate.
The visual appeal of the website was convivial and colourful as is depicted in images one,
two and three. It displays a warm friendly environment with cultural diversity and the future
of the university is prominently showcased. The product being advertised by Kansas State
University is well designed and the images were sharp and graphically displays a product that
grabs the attention of students seeking a tertiary home. The website was appropriately scaled
and the colour scheme was consistent throughout; demonstrating its rich culture.
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
B. Is the site easily navigable and well organized? Provide examples.

The navigation of the site was stress-free and the subject tabs provided information according
to faculties and programs and most pages provided frequently asked questions (FAQ). The
directories on the site ran seamlessly and made navigation easy. For instance the directory
was arranged alphabetically and the links were available for student services, financial
services, family services to name a few. Adequate information was provided about face to
face and online classes; the program catalogues provided additional details. Some programs
provide brochures with additional information and website links about the program delivery,
program options, opportunities and general information.
C. Does the site contain sufficient information to answer questions 1-10? If not, provide
details.
For the most part it did; the only exceptions were questions 3 and 9. In soliciting information
telephone calls were made to the institution but same was unsuccessful. I was told to call the
global campus but that failed as well. The global campus was closed during regular work
hours notwithstanding the fact that they suggest that they are providing services to global
students with various time zones.
D. What is the most positive aspect of the website?
The ease of navigation as well as the volume of information available to prospective and
current students were commendable. The website was user friendly and the colour scheme
was impressive, black and white text was appropriately used; making the information easy to
read. The content was properly formatted and the speed time of the browser was stable
throughout. The website provided language option to navigate the pages and by the click of a
button the language can be changed to Spanish to facilitate Spanish speaking students, faculty
members and visitors to the site. Image 1, 2 and 3 provides samples of the pages in Spanish.
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
E. What aspect of the site is most in need of improvement?

Some aspects of the search engine needs a little improvement. The range of responses were
not the most accurate and sometimes the information led to unwanted results. Videos and
testimonials could also be included on the first page of the site since prospective students
might use this as a reference for the programs offered. With respect to what the institution
promoted; a warm friendly atmosphere, live chats could be incorporated to provide
immediate responses to questions not found on the site.
References
Kansas State University. (n.d.). Retrieved: September 18, 2015. http://www.k-state.edu/

Kansas State University Curriculum and Instruction Online Graduate Programs Global
Campus. (n.d.). Retrieved: September 18, 2015. http://global.k-state.edu/education
/curriculum-and-instruction/docs/EDCI%20Online%20Grad%20Programs.pdf
Kansas State University Financial Services. Retrieved: September 20, 2015. http://www.kstate.edu/finsvcs/cashiers/documents/costs/FY16Graduate.pdf
Kansas State University Learning management system. Retrieved: September 19, 2015.
http://public.online.k-state.edu/
Kansas State University Registrar. Retrieved: September 20, 2015. http://www.kstate.edu/registrar/statistics/
Schulz, K. (2014). Introducing the Kansas State University Global Campus. Retrieved:
September 20, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cux67HwabiM
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance:
Foundations of distance education (6th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.
Peterson (2015). Kansas State University Global Campus Distance Education at Kansas
State University. Retrieved: September 20, 2015. https://www.petersons.com/onlineschools/kansas-state-university-division-of-continuing-education-continuing-learning200830000.aspx

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Assignment 1 Research Exercise

Venesse Elaine Morrison-Leon

Nova Southeastern University

State University, 1615 Anderson Avenue Manhattan, KS 66502 (k-state program

Digital Teaching and Learning

5. Is there a face-to-face component of instruction? If so, where is it conducted, and for

8. Is the institution public or private? If private, is it for-profit or not-for-profit?

One credit hour is $856.70

The tuition for resident graduate:

One credit hour is $478.10

B. Is the site easily navigable and well organized? Provide examples.

program options, opportunities and general information.

E. What aspect of the site is most in need of improvement?

Kansas State University. (n.d.). Retrieved: September 18, 2015. http://www.k-state.edu/

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