A Report to the Council on Aviation Accreditation Board of Directors

from the Ad hoc Committee on Distance Education

Members

Brent Bowen, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Chair
David A. Mitchell III, FlightSafetyBoeing
Charles Robertson, University of North Dakota
David NewMyer, Southern Illinois University
David Dittmar, FlightSafetyBoeing

 Presented at the CAA Winter Meeting
February 20-22, 2002; Phoenix, AZ

The Committee has continued to explore accrediting issues related to distance/technology education on behalf of the charge given by the CAA Board of Directors.   Since the last committee report to the CAA Board, the committee web site was updated to include the previous report. The committee continues to explore distance education and e-learning issues which should be brought to the attention of the standards committee.

Articles based on research directed by the committee that have been published in both the Collegiate Aviation Review and the Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research this past year include:

Accreditation of Collegiate Aviation’s Distance Education Programs: Now and in the Future. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education and Research. Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 21-31.

Evaluation and Action: Sustaining Excellence in Collegiate Aviation Distance Education. Collegiate Aviation Review.  Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 140-167.

Committee Activities Since the July 2002 CAA Meeting:

• An ad hoc committee member, Dr. Charles Robertson, continues a liaison with the Standards Committee monitoring distance and e-learning issues related to the CAA standards.

• The committee planned an open forum with the CAA membership on distance learning issues for the Phoenix meeting. (Results will be presented to the Board.)

• The committee met in Phoenix to discuss plans for the next series of studies necessary to monitor critical issues facing the CAA in e-learning. A University of Nebraska Aviation Institute doctoral student will provide assistance to the committee.

• A poll of distance education issues and call for discussion topics at the open forum was issued.

Continuing Activities of the Committee Include:

• Continual updates of a white paper on CAA issues/implications of distance education with updated information from key accrediting organizations. (The next iteration is due for presentation at the July 2002 Annual Meeting.)                      

• Continue inquiries as directed by the CAA Board of Directors. (Ongoing)

• Dialogue with CAA Standards Committee on distance education implications. (Committee representative attends and reports.)

• Advise the CAA Board on distance education issues. (Previous reports on the web.)

• Frequently update the committee web page content.  (Last update: February 19, 2002.)

• Regularly update web links to key accrediting organizations and related sites. (Ongoing)

Board Issues/Actions:

1. The Ad hoc Committee requests that the Board periodically encourage the standing committee chairs and visiting team chairs to provide notice of distance/technology education issues as they arise. (This is a standing, ongoing request.)

2. Verbal report on outcomes from the “Open Forum on Distance Education.”

3. The Board is requested to identify a community college representative with distance education experience to serve on the ad hoc committee.

4. [Hold for write-in]

Attachments:             Agenda, Membership Open Forum on Distance Education, February 21, 2002.

Committee Contact:

Dr. Brent Bowen, Chair
422 Allwine Hall, UNO
6001 Dodge Street
Omaha, NE 68182-0508
Voice 402.554.3424
Fax 402.554.3781
E-mail: bowen@unomaha.edu
Visit the updated committee web site at:       http://cid.unomaha.edu/~unoai/caa/caaadhoc.html