U.S. News & World Report

Dakota State University (16026,1)
Education
08/07/2006

Graduate Distance Education Survey

U.S. News & World Report's
2006 online graduate education degree program survey Internet data collection site

If you have any questions, please contact Adam Dec, the researcher assigned to your school, at (202) 955-2042 or by e-mail. 

Survey Instructions:  Please fill out all the questions for your school or department.  The results of this survey may be published in our magazine or on our Web site.  Survey answers will NOT be used to compile school or program rankings.  If the information in question 1 below is not correct, fax the new name, on official letterhead, to (202) 955-2263. 

1.

Name of institution: 
Dakota State University

2.

Name of school or department: 
College of Education

Definition of the Word “Online” for the Purposes of this Survey:  Online refers to courses in degree programs delivered primarily via the Internet to students at remote locations, including their homes.  Online courses may be delivered synchronously or asynchronously.  An online course may include a requirement that students and teachers meet once or periodically in a physical setting for lectures, labs, or exams, so long as the time spent in the physical setting does not exceed 25 percent of the total course time. 

3.

Did your school or department offer graduate-level, degree-granting online (please see above) programs?  (Please check one and answer for the 2005 – 2006 academic year.) 

>Yes
 No

Important Notice:  If the answer to Question 3 is “Yes”, then you will be given access to the rest of the survey.  If the answer to Question 3 is “No”, then you will only be able to access the “Submit” page at the end of the survey. 

Education

4a.

List the names and levels of the online graduate degree programs offered by your school or department. 

  Degree Program Name Degree Level
a. Educational Technology MSED
b.                                                                                  
c.                                                                                  
d.                                                                                  
e.                                                                                  
f.                                                                                  
g.                                                                                  
h.                                                                                  
i.                                                                                  
j.                                                                                  
4b.

List the names and levels of the online graduate certificate programs offered by your school or department. 

  Certificate Program Name Certificate Level
a.                                                                                  
b.                                                                                  
c.                                                                                  
d.                                                                                  
e.                                                                                  
f.                                                                                  
g.                                                                                  
h.                                                                                  
i.                                                                                  
j.                                                                                  
4c.

Is the online graduate education degree program(s) listed as being offered in Question 4a. above currently accredited or part of a professional education unit by The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)? 

>Yes
 No
5.

Does an applicant to your online degree programs have to meet certain minimum requirements (such as a student must possess a bachelor's degree) before your school or department will consider him or her for admission? 

> Yes
(If yes, please use the following space to list the requirement(s).) 
  No
(If no, please skip the next question.) 
6.

Are all applicants who meet the minimum requirements (listed in question No. 5) automatically accepted to your school or department's online programs? 

>Yes
 No
7a.

What was the calendar year that your school or department first enrolled a student in an online graduate degree-granting program? 
1999

7b.

What was the calendar year that your school or department first enrolled a student in an online graduate certificate program? 
2000

8a.

How many students were enrolled in your school or department's online graduate degree-granting education programs as of October 15, 2005 (the Department of Education's census date)?  Click here for a listing of which program enrollments to include.  We wish to determine total student enrollment rather than course enrollments so please count each student only once. 
32

8b.

How many students were enrolled in your school or department's online graduate certificate education programs as of October 15, 2005 (the Department of Education's census date)?  Click here for a listing of which program enrollments to include.  We wish to determine total student enrollment rather than course enrollments so please count each student only once. 
0

Technology

9a.

What is the minimum speed of Internet access needed by students to take the typical online courses offered by your school or department? 

 28K
>56K
 128K
 256K or higher
9b.

What is the speed of Internet access you recommend for students taking online courses offered by your school or department? 

 28K
 56K
 128K
>256K or higher
10.

Does a typical course in your online degree programs make use of any of the following?  (Please check all that apply.) 

x Chatrooms (synchronous)
x Threaded discussions (asynchronous)
x Streaming video
x Streaming audio
x Simulations
x Online labs
11.

Is live real-time technical help available to students enrolled in your online degree programs? 

  Yes, live real-time help is available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 
> Yes, live real-time help is available to students.  (Please specify average number of hours per day.) 
18
  No, live real-time technical help is not available to students. 

Academics and Learning Environment

12.

Do most of your school or department's online degree programs have a matching program with the same name offered in a physical setting? 

 Yes
(If yes, please answer the next three questions.) 
>No
(If no, please skip the next three questions.) 
13.

Can the credits earned for courses in the online degree programs be transferred toward the equivalent degree programs offered in the physical setting? 

 Yes
 No
14.

Are admissions requirements for the online programs the same as requirements for the equivalent degree programs offered in the physical setting? 

 Yes
 No
15.

Do the full-time faculty that teach in the online programs also teach in the programs offered in a physical setting? 

 All full-time faculty teach in both programs. 
 More than half of full-time faculty teach in both programs. 
 Less than half of full-time faculty teach in both programs. 
 The online and campus-based programs have separate faculty. 
16.

How are exams typically administered in your online programs?  (Check as many as are applicable.) 

x Online
  Proctored in a campus setting
  Proctored in a noncampus-based setting
  Exams not typically administered
17.

Excluding chatrooms, are courses in your online degree programs offered asychonously? 

 All courses in our online programs are offered asynchronously. 
>More than half of courses in our online programs are offered asynchronously. 
 Less than half of courses in our online programs are offered asynchronously. 
 No courses are offered asynchronously. 
18.

Does a typical course in your online programs require students and faculty to interact with each other online (either in real-time or asynchronously)? 

>Online course interaction is a requirement. 
 Online course interaction is optional. 
 Online course interaction is not available. 
19.

Do courses in your online programs typically require students to work cooperatively with other students online on group projects such as portfolios and papers? 

>Yes, participation in group projects is typically required. 
 No, participation in group projects is not typically required. 
20.

Do courses in your school or department's online programs typically have a maximum class size? 

> Yes
(Please specify the maximum class size.)  25
  No
21.

Are students required to log into their online courses each week? 

> Yes
(Please specify how many times per week students must log into a typical course.)  3
  No

Residency Requirement

22.

Does a typical course in your online degree programs require all students in the course to meet in a physical setting?  (Please include orientation sessions.) 

 Yes, students are required to meet in a physical setting.  (If you check here, please answer the next question.) 
>No, students are not required to meet in a physical setting.  (If you check here, please skip the next question.) 
23.

How often are all students in a typical course required to meet in a physical setting? 

Number of required meetings required per typical course       
Duration of a typical course (in weeks)     
Duration of each required meeting (in days)     

Faculty

24.

Does your school or department require that faculty for online courses receive training in teaching online? 

>Yes, faculty must undergo training before teaching online courses. 
 No, faculty are not required to undergo training. 
25.

Are faculty who teach in your online programs required to respond to student comments and queries within a specified time frame? 

> Yes
(Please specify the timeframe:  within 24 hours of receiving student's comment or query.) 
  No

Student Services

26.

What services and facilities do students enrolled in your online programs have access to at a distance?  (Check as many as apply.)

x Academic advising
x Campus-based library
x Career counseling and placement assistance
x Financial aid office
x Mentoring
x Online library
x Tutoring
  Other.  (Please specify.) 

Contact information

27.

Whom should prospective students contact for information about your school or department's online degree programs? 

Name Mark Hawkes, Ph.D.
Title Program Coordinator
Mailing address 820 N. Washington Ave
City Madison
State South Dakota
Zip 57042-1799
Phone (605) 256-5274
Fax (605) 256-7300
E-mail mark.hawkes@dsu.edu
28.

What is the Web address for online degree programs in your school or department? 

http://www.departments.dsu.edu/gradoffice/

29.

What is the Web address of the application site for online programs? 

http://www.departments.dsu.edu/gradoffice/Programs/MSET/Prospective/

Financial aid and tuition information

30.

What are the typical tuition charges for the online degree program? 

  2006–2007
PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS $                           
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS:
In-state 		$ 252 per credit
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS:
Out-of-state 		$ 252 per credit
31.

Are the per-credit-hour charges all inclusive? 

> Yes
  No
(If no, please check the types of additional fees (paid directly to your institution, department, or a program) that online students are typically required to pay:) 
  Residential fees
  Technology fees
  Other fees
32.

Are institutionally-funded grants available to students enrolled in your school or department's online degree programs? 

>Yes
 No
33.

Are federal financial aid programs available to students enrolled in online programs at your school or department? 

>Yes
 No

Respondent information

34.

Who is filling out this survey? 

Name Dawm Hamilton
Title Statistician
Phone (605) 256-5159
Fax (605) 256-5093
E-mail assessoffice@dsu.edu
35.

Please use the box below for any additional comments you might care to make about our survey or your school or department's online degree programs.