The 11 Outcome Measures of the Virtual Learning Community Initiative

The success of this single-year preliminary project marking the UT System’s initial-stage entry into the virtual learning environment will be determined by the degree to which each of the following eleven outcomes are achieved at the end of one year.

1. All campuses have virtual islands.
2. Representatives from all campuses have participated in Summer 2009 briefing, in Training of Estate Managers, Training of Trainers, and In-Service Training for Faculty.
3. All campuses with undergraduate studies report offering at least one undergraduate course that incorporates virtual learning activities directly tied to learning objectives for that course and applies recommendations for successful learning in virtual worlds.
4. All non-undergraduate campuses and medical and health science institutes report the creation of at least one “virtual research site” and an invitation policy for engaging undergraduates to participate.
5. All campuses report collaboration activity with another campus.
6. Cost savings of instruction with enhanced virtual extensions or improvements in the quality of instruction for participating undergraduates have been estimated.
7. Increased access to courses, office hours, or discussion sections based either on number of participating students or on transition of existing face-to-face activities into virtual activities.
8. IRB approval successfully completed by some participating faculty, educational and research units, and some inter-campus research collaborations.
9. All monitoring, evaluation, assessment and reporting procedures for the project are in place and operational.
10. An undergraduate conference has been held (or has been fully scheduled).
11. Initial planning has been completed for a transition from these grant-supported activities to campus-supported maintenance and expansion activities.