Duties of the College Distance Education Coordinator

Distance education in California community colleges has changed drastically over the last couple of decades, primarily influenced by technological innovations that broaden how content and learning are delivered, accessed, and managed. It wasn't that long ago that televised instruction, often pre-packaged content purchased from a vendor, was the primary delivery mode for distance education classes. Today, online course delivery is the mode of choice for a majority of distance education courses. According to the 2013 Distance Education Report (PDF) Links to an external site. from the CCC Chancellor's Office, more than 90 percent of DE courses in our community colleges are asynchronous online courses.

The development of Internet-delivered instruction in California sprang largely from faculty who experimented with email, collaborative communication tools, and Internet resources to enhance instruction and interaction with students, both on and off campus. Web-enhanced and stand-alone online courses continue with a strong emphasis on faculty-produced content, although numerous textbook publishers have developed companion on-line materials that correlate with their texts.

The growth in distance education and the advent of e-learning has increased the complexity and skills required to launch and support a diverse distance learning program. The adoption of new technologies has created challenges for Distance Education Coordinators and support staff of distance learning operations, requiring different skills and abilities than when distance education was in its infancy and relied primarily upon video lessons.

There is no typical description of a Distance Education Coordinator (DEC) at California's community colleges. Their responsibilities are often dictated by the size of the college, the number of additional support staff, and the internal organization of the college. At some colleges the DEC is a classified staff member, at other colleges they are faculty, and still other colleges assign an administrator to assume the role of DEC.

Many DECs wear a variety of hats as they go about their duties, but there is one common responsibility that all DECs have and that is to act as the primary liaison between their college and the California Community College Chancellor's Office on matters of distance education. The DEC must stay on top of the ever-changing regulatory, accreditation, and legal landscapes which are often communicated to them through the Chancellor's Office. In addition, they should be well-versed in the technical and pedagogical aspects of distance education. Many DECs are heavily involved in faculty training, student support, and course evaluations at their college. DECs are often involved with a number of committees at their college, helping to integrate the distance education program with the larger college community.

For any new DEC, it is important to find out where you fit in the college organization, and to learn what your responsibilities are at your college beyond being the liaison to the Chancellor's Office. The new DEC should learn about the college culture and how it relates to distance education (DE), and be the champion of DE, and the catalyst for any improvements that can be made.