Project Eagle II Executive Summary

Project Eagle II, the online learning program to be supported by Congressionally-authorized funding, is an extension of an earlier and highly successful Congressionally authorized initiative, listed as Project Eagle (and now referenced as Project Eagle I). The original Project Eagle was a multi-year strategic initiative by St. Petersburg College to build a national model for increasing access to four-year degrees and work force training for students attending community colleges. The goal Project Eagle II is to move from an anytime, anywhere learning environment to an everywhere, all-the-time learning environment. Through Project Eagle II, over the next four years (August 2003 - July 2007),

St. Petersburg College proposes to:

• Extend online course and expand program development at the certificate, associate and baccalaureate levels;
• Review and enhance current online courses to encompass innovative technologies;
• Explore, test, and implement (in new and existing courses) models for standards-based learning objects, mobile computing and production activities, and video-on-demand;
• Consolidate and integrate electronic academic and student support services;
• Create a specialized Center for Teacher Transformation (CTT) to address the urgent need for new and retooled educators in the county and the State of Florida; and
• Serve as a model for best practices and evaluation techniques, including the development of a formal comprehensive ongoing system for assessing quality of online programs and instructors.

SPC will accomplish these objectives by:

• Extending and expanding the educational technology team and related technical networking and Information Technology (IT) personnel who have made Project Eagle I so successful;
• Focusing on the trend toward mobility in computers in both capturing educational materials and developing applications for mobile devices like PDA's;
• Upgrading our current course management system and integrate that system with the College's new PeopleSoft Student Records System;
• Developing a repository of reusable learning objects/shared content objects and provide leadership in the national debate on evolution of standards, e.g., SCORM and other compliance issues like ADA, in this arena;
• Launching a multi-phased video initiative, including newly developed educational materials, to be incorporated in classes and developed for SPC-TV, and developing systems for archiving, organizing, and utilizing a video-on-demand (VOD) system partially purchased with Eagle I funding;
• Creating model courses that include these new technologies and applications, and then refining the concept of mentors to work with the Educational Technology staff to extend and expand training initiatives;
• Developing a robust College portal which integrates all electronic student services and, supplemented by a help desk, becomes the "one stop" shop for students needing online support and information;
• Extending cyberservices for online students to include cyberadvising and cybertutoring;
• Creating a database driven interface that allows for regular updating of information for Project Eagle courses in development and redevelopment;
• Purchasing and upgrading, where appropriate, equipment and software for faculty and course development to take advantage of video applications and infrastructure advances;
• Hiring a CTT staff and focusing on developing model training curricula and systems, including Year 1 of principals' training.