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Excerpts from "Higher Education in the Information Age--Project DELTA"
By Thomas W. West and Stephen L. Daigle
Project DELTA
The DELTA acronym stands for Direct Enhancement of Learning
Through Technological Assistance and Alternatives. The development
of specific DELTA courses and programs proceeded along two
separate but related tracks. The first was an effort to mount some early
prototypes based on existing campus experience and expertise. The
second was a broader and more long-term attempt to link DELTA-type
programs to new forms of instructional design and delivery,
information resources, academic and student support services,
administrative and evaluation structures and processes, and physical
infrastructure.
The Commission sponsored a campus RFP competition in late 1992 as
part of the program planning effort. A total of 43 proposals were
submitted and evaluated. Three proposals were chosen as "exemplary
prototypes" in the sense they promoted multi-campus use of resources
and technology to improve learning, expand access, and increase
efficiency. Chancellor Munitz subsequently provided $3 million over
three years, beginning with FY 1993-94, to support this activity.
Approximately $1.2 million was allocated by the Commission for
immediate implementation of the three prototypes. They included:
- "Collaborative Teaching and Multimedia Database,"
submitted by Long Beach as a joint effort with San Jose
and Chico;
- "The California Young Scholar Project," submitted by
Pomona as a collaborative effort with Chico, Dominguez Hills,
Sacramento, and Stanislaus; and
- "The MBA: A Multicampus CSU Program Using
Distance Technology" submitted by Sacramento in
conjunction with Chico, Hayward, and San Jose.
The remaining funds are being used as seed money to support long-
range proposal development and external funding efforts. This activity
is being coordinated through the Commission's program planning
committee. Thirty-three of the remaining RFP submissions were
judged to have significant potential and each were placed into one of
several categories. Campus representatives in these groups were
brought together to determine whether broader, common proposals
could be developed. More than 60 faculty and 19 campuses have been
involved in this effort. Proposals for three additional prototypes have
been approved and $800,000 has been allocated for their
implementation:
- "Teacher Education: Programs Toward Certification and
Professional Development in Areas of Critical Need," submitted by
Fresno in conjunction with Fullerton, Humboldt, Pomona, San
Francisco, Stanislaus, and San Marcos;
- "Development of a CSU Engineering Information
Network (EINet)," submitted by Fullerton and Long Beach as a joint
effort with Northridge and San Diego;
- "Improving the Transmission of Information Through the
Adoption of ATM (Synchronous Transfer Mode Technology),"
submitted by San Francisco and the Chancellor's Office with
participation by San Luis Obispo, Hayward, and Stanislaus.
The Commission has decided that these six prototypes deserve
maximum exposure in the CSU and, by leveraging the size and
influence of the system, could serve as national models for innovative
instructional delivery. A development and funding team is being
assembled with the assistance of campus development office experts.
This team will prepare an overall strategic plan to support external
funding for DELTA, case statements, and specific proposals for
submission to private foundations, government agencies, and
corporate partners. This task is central to the continued success and
expansion of Project DELTA.
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