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and the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance

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Great Plains IDEA

K-State Online

The Great Plains IDEA was founded in 1994 with the purpose of combining scarce institutional resources to offer graduate education programs through distributed learning technologies. The alliance has been a tremendous success, and now offers graduate coursework and program options in many, high-demand, professional fields.  Through the Great Plains IDEA, students around the world converge in online classrooms to develop careers and learn from each other.  In this environment, issues of cultural diversity and pluralistic thinking can be explored and valued in ways previously unimaginable in the traditional classroom.

Eleven Universities collaborate to deliver these graduate programs:

Colorado State University
Iowa State University
Kansas State University
Michigan State University
Montana State University
North Dakota State University
Oklahoma State University
South Dakota State University
Texas Tech University
University of Nebraska
University of Missouri-Columbia

The Great Plains IDEA is the structure through which alliances between these universities were formed and through which they are managed.  Graduate programs aren’t offered by the Great Plains IDEA, but by each of the participating institutions.

While each university offers master’s degree and certificate programs in one or more of the program areas, none of the universities offer the entire curriculum.  Required courses are taught by faculty from the teaching institutions participating in each program.

Each Great Plains IDEA student is admitted to only one, “home” institution.  Enrollment, transcripts and graduation requirements are processed through the student’s home institution.  Students follow, and have protection under, the policies and procedures of their home institution. Academic advising occurs at the home institution. Ultimately, the student’s master’s degree or certificate is awarded by the home institution.

The Great Plains IDEA web site is http://www.gpidea.org.  We encourage you to become familiar with this site, paying particular attention to your area of study.  At the Great Plains IDEA web site you will find course descriptions, program requirements and information about the faculty.

Your Home Institution
While you will take classes through each of the universities participating in your degree program, you have been admitted only to K-State, your home institution.  You are a K-State student and will register for classes, be advised, and receive transcripts through Kansas State University.  The graduation requirements, policies and procedures to which you will adhere will be those of Kansas State University. 

Information specific to K-State can be found on the “Great Plains IDEA Online Community” on K-State Online (www.online.ksu.edu). The Great Plains IDEA Online Community will be your source for requirements, enrollment advice, course information, documents and more. 

   
Key players and their roles
Many individuals are involved in facilitating the successful completion of your Great Plains IDEA program.  The key players are your Campus Coordinator, Academic Advisor and course instructors.
 

The Campus Coordinator
Your Campus Coordinator is your main point of contact.  He or she manages your student file, keeps you informed of course offerings, will direct you on how  and when to enroll, and will facilitate your contact with Campus Coordinators and instructors at participating institutions. 

For any questions you have as you complete your program, contact your Campus Coordinator at your home institution. When you take a course taught at one of our partner institutions, you will likely receive course access information from the teaching institution’s Campus Coordinator:

 
Your Academic Advisor
Your academic advisor has professional expertise in your field of study.  While the Campus Coordinator will be your resource for the technical side of your experience in your Great Plains IDEA program, your academic advisor will help foster your growth in and understanding about the profession for which you are studying.  Your advisor will be the one with whom you will work on completion of your degree-specific graduation requirements.

The official Acceptance Letter you received from the Kansas State University Graduate School should list the name of your academic advisor.  If you do not have a copy of your official Acceptance Letter, please contact your Campus Coordinator to request your advisor’s contact information.

Course instructors
To familiarize yourself with the instructors for your program, go to the Great Plains IDEA web site (www.gpidea.org), click on your degree program, and click the "faculty" link.  
  

Introduction to the Online Environment
An online learning environment is the medium through which the course is delivered. K-State's online learning environment is an in-house course management system called K-State Online. Other course management systems such as Blackboard, Web CT, Desire to Learn (D2L) and Angel are used by Alliance Institutions. Each management system performs essentially the same functions using very similar features, but maintains a distinct look and feel.

Differences in course management systems are similar to differences in on-campus classrooms. One classroom may have a chalk board and another, a dry erase board. In one classroom, students are seated in individual desks, while in another they are in chairs around conference tables. The same way there are environmental differences in on-campus classrooms, the “environment” in each Great Plains IDEA online classroom will be different, but the functional elements remain essentially the same.

Each semester, before the start date of the course, go to its web site and familiarize yourself with the setup. Find the syllabus and read over it carefully so you know what is expected. Find and update your student Profile; this is how your instructor and classmates will get to know you. Explore the course so you know where things are. This will be just like finding your classroom ahead of time so you don't get lost on the first day.

Tips for Success in Online Learning
The Extended Education Office at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has created an on-line resource with tips and strategies for students new to on-line learning. Reading through these tips and strategies will help make your on-line learning experience more effective, efficient, enjoyable and rewarding. This resource is found at the following web address: http://www-class.unl.edu/DDEonline/dcssp/Tutorials/StudentSuccessTips.html

Note: Special thanks goes to Richard Bischoff, Youth Development faculty from University of Nebraska, for text related to the home institution and online environment.