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Volume 2 Issue 3March 1998

Riding the Winds of Change: TTIP in Review

Jose Michel
Instructional Resources and Technology , CCCCO

Prior to 1996, the State lacked a funding base for the acquisition, maintenance, and upgrading of the technological infrastructure necessary for a distance learning system. During the 1996 legislative session, the Chancellor's Office convinced State legislators of the potential for distance learning to effectively respond to the needs of the private sector for a well trained work force. Recognizing the potential for distance learning for the State, the legislature agreed to provide an initial funding base in 1996 to the system.

The original base funding launched the design and implementation of the network infrastructure and the acquisition of video conference and satellite downlink equipment. Since 1996, funding for the Community Colleges Technology Infrastructure and Distance Learning initiative has grown 300%.

Below is a description of how the Chancellor's Office has used the potential for distance learning to greatly improve the quality of the community colleges educational environment.

4CNet
In 1996, the California Community Colleges (CCC) and the California State University (CSU) established a collaborative relationship to create the CCC and CSU network (4CNet). 4CNet is a dedicated data network linking 123 sites, including 106 college sites, 16 district offices not co-located on a campus, and the Chancellor’s Office, with the 22 CSU college sites and the CSU Chancellor's Office in Long Beach.

The State legislature approved funding in the 1996-97 fiscal year for the connection of the 123 community college sites with the CSU network and for upgrading the new network's data capacity. The upgrades for the 4CNet backbone are associated with providing video conference and satellite services. The first complement of community college sites were installed on April 1, 1997. On December 15, 1997 the last of the community college sites were connected. The entire community college system was connected within nine months, three and half months ahead of schedule. The expanse of the 4CNet data backbone stretches from the College of the Siskiyous in Northern California to Southwestern College in Chula Vista, a few miles from the California-Mexico border.

Video Conference Network
In February 1997, the Community College Chancellor's Office entered into an agreement with the Pacific Telesis Group and PictureTel Corp. to equip and install the 123 community college sites with state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment. The $3.1 million initiative created what is destined to become the largest video conferencing network in higher education in the US. The first compliment of community college sites were installed on July 1, 1997 with all sites expected to be installed by March 31, 1998.

The community colleges have purchased over 130 video conferencing units to date. As colleges are connected, they have begun to utilize video conferencing technology for numerous activities such as faculty and staff development, administrative meetings, as well as for distance learning.

The Chancellor's Office has established a web site to support the California Community College Video Transport Network. The web site will include a video directory of the current 123 community college video sites, listserves and chat rooms for technical support as well as end user support, and links to PictureTel in San Francisco for scheduling use of the California Community College Video Transport Network Video Bridge.

Satellite Network
The community colleges and the CSU have established coordinated satellite standards for both analog and digital capabilities for 4CNet. This will allow 4CNet to provide bandwidth over the backbone for satellite services for the community college sites. Community colleges will be able to receive analog satellite signals in KU and or C bands and digital satellite signals in the MPEG-2 signal.

Currently 4CNet is coordinating the development of a digital satellite uplink site which will allow the 123 community college sites to offer turn-key satellite services to distribute educational video programming from community college campuses to anywhere in the continental United States. The 4CNet digital satellite uplink will function on a MPEG-2 digital video platform.

California Community Colleges Online Network for Education (@O.N.E.)
This $1.0 million project, funded by the Chancellor's Office, is a coordinated statewide response to the tremendous challenge of integrating technology into instruction and of improving community college student outcomes by expanding access and reducing per student cost. The 4C@O.N.E., housed at De Anza College, establishes a virtual organization in which faculty take a leadership role in the Califoria Community College technology effort. This new structure will facilitate the integration of resources and expertise from community college districts, business, and other segments of education.

Technology Model Applications Pilot Projects (TMAPP)
The Chancellor's Office invested $1.0 million in 1996-97 and $2.2 million in 1997-98 in the development of model applications for the California Community Colleges through TMAPP. The projects funded were designed to address a number of critical areas of development including Statewide Delivery of Distance Education, Online Curriculum and Instructional Resource Center, Faculty Access to Computers and Technology, Online Tutorial Support, Online Counseling and Advisement, Electronic Transcript Exchange, Universal Internet Access, and College Telecommunications Planning Grants.

These projects are testing the feasibility of varying applications utilizing technology specially designed to prepare students for college-level work and enhance the system's commitment in meeting the educational needs in the community colleges.

Library Initiatives and Electronic Resources
The role of the library in the distance learning experience is critical. The deployment of library resources beyond its physical structure is needed to support the distance learner. The 1997-98 budget for library initiatives and electronic resources was $3,360,000. This will begin to provide the system with access to its information resources from multiple locations. The acquisition of standard software/hardware and electronic databases will reduce cost through volume purchases and cooperative purchase agreements with vendors.

A coordinated leveraging of the system's size has been an important factor in achieving the best prices and producing the savings in all of the above initiatives.