LBCC Insider Staff News, April 8, 2016

LBCC Librarian Richenda Hawkins.

This year, the college dedicated $50,000 in Strategic Initiative funds to help pay for faculty work needed to adopt more affordable textbook options, with another $50k for next year. Librarian Richenda Hawkins shared that campus-wide more than 40 faculty representing every division have adopted Open Educational Resources (OERs) and 20 faculty have replaced textbooks with library resources. More than 60 classes have been converted from traditional textbooks to OERs or library resources, such as ebooks from the college's subscription to the Ebrary and EBSCO ebook databases. An added benefit for students receiving financial aid is the students have access to textbooks on day one, rather than having to wait for a financial aid award. Library staff applied for an Open Educational Resources Degree Initiative grant for $300,000. If awarded, the funds will be used to help with the short-term goal of saving students $500,000 by the fall of 2017 and the long-term goal of creating an AAOT affordable textbook track by 2020, with all course materials under $40. According to figures gathered by statewide OER Librarian Amy Hofer, LBCC students spend on average $1,613.72 for textbooks while earning their AAOT. Studies show that the cost of textbooks may affect the number of classes a student can afford to take. Through the efforts of LBCC faculty adopting alternative textbooks, the college is already on track to save students up to $600,000 per year. For every $1 in strategic money spent, students will realize $10 in savings annually. Steve Smith, director of Instructional Technology, Distance Education and Media Services, applied for the Strategic Initiative funds, with the library assisting in the OER grants process and related projects. Additional funds have been applied for through Achieving the Dream to help convert AAOT courses. (Photo credit: Kyle Braun-Shirley)

LBCC's Admission and Registration office was recognized for its work using Laserfiche processing and Infusionsoft communications programs to help streamline processes and communicate with students more efficiently. The efforts earned a top-ten ranking for the college from the Center for Digital Education, tying for fourth place nationwide. The Laserfiche program is being used to streamline transcript evaluation processes, cutting evaluation turn-around time from an average of six to eight weeks down to one week. Laserfiche is also used to find unevaluated transcripts for students who have scheduled new student orientations. LBCC’s use of Laserfiche to process late refund and academic standing petitions reduced processing time significantly and resulted in no more lost petitions or documentation. Students are automatically notified of the outcome via email, and can access their petition online to easily attach support documentation. The Infusionsoft program allows the college to track and corresponding with prospective students, to uniquely tailor messages around student’s interests, and to send important information to students to help them better prepare for college. In addition to Infusionsoft, Appointmentcore and PlusThis help the college track new student orientation appointments, and are being used to communicate with students via email and text messages. Top-ten colleges will be recognized at a reception held during the American Association of Community Colleges annual conference April 9-12 in Chicago. 

Marc Manley

Marc Manley, director of LBCC’s Small Business Development Center, has been named the fund manager for the Willamette Angel Conference, which connects early-stage companies with the capital they need to grow, and is a joint project of the Corvallis and Eugene chambers of commerce and the Corvallis Benton County Economic Development Office. The new fund manager position was created to increase regional investment and provide continuity between conferences. Marc is an investor, business coach and real estate director and the executive director of Grow Oregon, a statewide management consulting activity of the Oregon Small Business Development Center. Accomplishments of LBCC's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) team include helping local businesses generate $40 million in direct economic benefits over the past two years comprising $3.8 million of new capital, $25 million in year-over-year increases in company revenue, and 240 jobs.

LB iLearn Marks One Year of Online Classroom Learning
Article by: Allison Lamplugh & Jeff Flesch, LB iLearn Online
http://lbilearn.linnbenton.edu/

Tucked away in Willamette Hall, LB iLearn Online is often overlooked as a resource for students in Oregon. Having just passed the one-year mark of serving students, LB iLearn Online staff would like to share a little bit about our program and progress.

Funded by a grant from the Department of Labor, LB iLearn was developed to increase access to higher education for populations that need an alternative to traditional classroom instruction. LB iLearn was also created to increase skill sets, which provides students the opportunity to train and become certified in areas that are growing, such as healthcare and business. Developing the six programs was labor intensive, involving various individuals across campus. These collaborative efforts resulted in an Associates Degree in Business Administration, and Certification Programs in Coding and Reimbursement, Office Technology Skills, Accounting Clerk, Computed Tomography and Social Media.

The structure of LB iLearn is also very different. Because the program is not bound by a traditional term structure, students can start every Wednesday, 52 weeks a year. Additionally, students are also able to complete their school work on a schedule that works for their lifestyle. So, if a student has an unplanned life event, they can take the time they need, without having to worry about missing class or falling behind. Having more flexibility is very important to our student base, which is more nontraditional. Our students range in age up to 72 years old, with an average age of 35. Just under 60 percent of them are working. Our most popular programs right now are Coding and Reimbursement and Accounting Certificates, followed by the Business Administration Associates Degree. We currently have 52 enrolled students—doubled in the last four months—and have served some 70 students.

With a joint interest in educating the community, we would like to extend the offer to present what we can offer your students beyond their degree from LBCC (we’ll even bring donuts!). We look forward to helping students continue on their career path by connecting them with opportunities for additional skills and training. For example, the Social Media Specialist Certificate provides students with the opportunity to learn a new skill, add to their resume, and also differentiate themselves from the competition. For further discussion, contact Jeff Flesch at 928-221-8929 or fleschj@linnebenton.edu.



The Insider is published by the LBCC Advancement Office
Writer/Editor: Lori Fluge-Brunker, Communications Specialist, College Advancement