Criterion Five: Engagement and Service Core Component 5b: The organization has the capacity and the commitment to engage with its identified constituents and communities.

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	Off Campus Learning The provision of off-campus learning extends UMKC’s reach into our local community and beyond through a number of programs within the academic units.
The High School/College Partnership [HSCP], celebrating its 30th year in 2009, was designed to smooth the transition from high school, shorten the time needed to earn an undergraduate degree and improve the study habits, general academic readiness and academic options for college-bound students. Eligible students are able to enroll in college-credit courses while they are still in high school. The courses are taught by high school teachers with advanced degrees, who qualify to teach at the college level. Faculty members in the program are approved for adjunct lecturer status by the appropriate academic department. UMKC’s HSCP, which is nationally accredited, is supervised and sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, with additional oversight given by the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Computing and Engineering. HSCP offers courses in art, life sciences, chemistry, communication studies, computer science, English, mathematics, physics, French, German, Latin, Spanish, history (both American and Western Civilization), philosophy, political science, psychology and theater. Students completing HSCP courses are awarded a University of Missouri transcript. HSCP data during the last several years indicates an increase in numbers for both student enrollment and student credit hours. In order to expand the number of University courses offered in Missouri high schools, we realize that we must meet the professional development needs of the schools’ teachers. Toward this end, UMKC’s HSCP provides a 75 percent educational fee reduction to those high school faculty members seeking to earn an advanced degree in order to qualify to offer University courses in their high schools.
In a survey, some of HSCP participants described the program: “I am ecstatic that the program was offered to me. It is incredible that I have already completed hours toward my major, all the while improving study habits.” “School has always been easy for me and because of this I haven’t had to try very hard. [University] calculus has challenged me more than any other math class I’ve ever taken; I have to try in order to learn...It’s one of the first times I have ever enjoyed a class in school.” “The class has given me a reality check.” “I have learned how to manage my time more wisely. I have also learned how to organize my priorities.” “The UMKC High School/ College Partnerships dual credit program has given me confidence.”
The School of Education [SOE], which has joined the Kansas City, Kansas School District on many programs, including PREP-KC, a master’s program for teacher leaders, received a $1.5 million grant (over five years) in 2007 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition. The grant will be used to provide an on-site Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages [TESOL] endorsement program for North Kansas City School District teachers. As the following examples will show, our health care schools also have far-reaching, off-campus learning programs: The Distance Education Master of Science Degree Program in Dental Hygiene Education at the School of Dentistry uses a personalized approach to prepare students for careers in dental hygiene education, research, administration, gerontology, health services, community dental health and special patient care. Students complete the 36-hour program, based on their career goals and interests, on a full- or part-time basis, with a minimum of two academic years required for full-time students. The primary goal of distance education is to give students the opportunity to complete most of their degree program from a remote location (their homes, for example), while receiving the same credit as on-campus students. Our University has designed computer-mediated distance learning through two methods, Asynchronous and Synchronous learning. Asynchronous is learning that can take place at any time or location, with access to learning available any day of the week and any time during the day. Synchronous learning is delivered in real time with weekly Internet-based formats using chat rooms. The advancements in computer-mediated technology for distance education have provided increased satisfaction among students. In a three-year study published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene in July 2007, 27 master’s or baccalaureate degreeseeking students enrolled in the distance learning program responded to pre-course and post-course questionnaires. With 100-percent participation, the responses were consistently positive, as reported in the Journal article, “In regards to the outcome of learning, at the posttest, students perceived that active learning had taken place in the online courses comparable to a traditional classroom setting and that the same amount of course content was learned in the online courses that would have been in a classroom situation…There were some to almost few technical difficulties in accessing course materials at posttest…Students had a very good level of understanding of course content at the end of the classes and found the courses to be somewhat challenging compared to a traditional classroom setting.” “Regarding connectedness, preparation for real-world work, and overall satisfaction, students did not expect to have much interaction with their peers, but found at the courses’ end to be similar to a regular classroom setting…Students were undecided in their preference of online versus traditional classroom settings at the pretest, but preferred the online setting at the completion of the courses…At posttest, 100 percent of participants responded that given the opportunity, they would take another online course.” (“Advanced Degree Seeking Students’ Satisfaction with Online Courses at UMKC – An Early Investigation.” T.V. Mitchell, R.D.H., M.S., C.C. Gadbury-Amyot, B.S.D.H., Ed.D., K.K. Bray, R.D.H., M.S. and M. Simmer-Beck, R.D.H., M.S. Journal of Dental Hygiene, Vol. 81, No. 3, July 2007., page 5-6 electronic reprint.) Since 1989, our School of Nursing [SON] has been involved in off-campus learning, which initially included delivering the Master of Science in Nursing [MSN] program to the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus using interactive telecommunications. In 1994, two additional sites were added, allowing SON simultaneously to provide graduate education to St. Louis, Joplin and St. Joseph, Mo. The continued expansion of SON’s off-campus learning now includes RN-BSN, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner [NNP], Ph.D., Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner [WHNP], and Doctorate of Nursing Practice [DNP]. Students from around the country are enrolled in these on-line programs. They also attend on-campus sessions periodically throughout the course of the program. In February 2009, SON was awarded nearly $1.75 million for a program to increase the numbers of baccalaureate-level registered nurses serving populations in rural areas. The three-year grant, awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will fund the implementation of the RN-BSN Rural Nursing Initiative. The program is designed to impact the rural nursing shortage through the SON’s innovative and expanding national distance education baccalaureate (RN-BSN) program.
In 2005, the School of Pharmacy [SOP] joined with the School of Health Professions on the UM-Columbia campus to provide the five-year Doctor of Pharmacy program. Responding to the ongoing shortage of pharmacists in Missouri and nationwide, as documented in the 2006 “University of Missouri Health Care Task Force Report”, the off-campus learning program, which is delivered traditionally (classroom) and non-traditionally (interactive distance education technology), aims to improve the number of pharmacists educated and practicing in and around the Columbia area. At full capacity, the program accommodates 140 students with an anticipated annual graduation of 28 students. The program’s success has triggered interest from other Missouri colleges and universities, leading to discussions regarding the feasibility of satellite programs with these institutions.