Project Summary:

Principal Investigator/Project Director #1:

• Joan M. Laughlin, University of Nebraska
• Tahira K. Hira, Iowa State University
• Virginia M. Moxley, Kansas State University
• Gregory F. Sanders, North Dakota State University
• Bernadine Enevoldsen, South Dakota State University
• Stephen R. Jorgensen, Texas Tech University

Description of the Agricultural Communication Network Project:

1. Project Objectives:


• Make optimal use of available resources for agricultural extension, resident education, and research by sharing resources between participating institutions.
  
  
• Train students for careers in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental science, human sciences and the food industries.
  
  
  
  Explain how the project relates to the Program Objective(s) and how the Project will contribute to achieving these.
  
  An alliance of six universities (Iowa State University, Kansas State University, University of Nebraska, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, and Texas Tech University) will collaborate to develop and deliver educational programming for family financial planners. As baby boomers approach retirement, the financial services industry has recognized an urgent need to expand the ranks of family financial planners to meet the demand for services. A credential recognized nationally by the financial services industry is the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). The Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation is awarded to individuals who demonstrate competencies established by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. Financial management faculty will develop and deliver family financial planning and counseling instruction that is designed to serve an array of learner objectives: for courses that lead to eligibility to take the CFP® licensing examination, for units that can be used by Extension Educators to deliver programming, and for modules that can be used for self-instruction by clientele. Learners who access the programming may do so to enhance their personal financial knowledge, to prepare for the CFP® examination, or to pursue the course work in family financial planning that leads to a Master of Science degree from any of the participating universities.
  
  


2. Description of Agricultural Communication Network to be Developed or Utilized.

Great Plains-Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains-IDEA) is a consortium of eight Colleges of Human Sciences/Family and Consumer Sciences, established in June 1994 with the assistance of A*DEC. This partnership has resulted in a network of faculty and administrators working to enhance collective efforts in post-baccalaureate education (credit and non-credit) within this geographic region (http://www.okstate.edu/hes/ued/gpdc/). Results to date include graduate students who take courses from institutions other than their home affiliation; affirmation that faculty credentials meeting graduate requirements of the home campuses are accepted by other consortia institutions; the curriculum committee works together on acceptance of curricular offerings (course objectives, syllabi, texts, learner outcomes) from alliance institutions; teams of faculty and administrators working to develop consortia degree programs in target areas of family science, family financial planning, and family and consumer science education. Great Plains-IDEA has developed and presented two video-conferences (1995), have conducted a faculty development learn shop for 75 individuals on topics related to the best practices in distance education (1996), and held a one-week intensive learn shop on learner-centered, experiential instructional design for Web-based instruction for 35 faculty (1997) will hold another workshop on Web-based instruction for 50 faculty in July 1999. In addition, Great Plains-IDEA has sponsored two work sessions for groups of faculty in two target areas. A*DEC President Janet Poley is an on-going resource to the alliance, and Great Plains-IDEA uses A*DECs web pages for listing courses and programs of study as well as maintaining its own web pages.




Describe the Cost/Benefit Analysis for purchasing (or leasing) different types of facilities, equipment, components, hardware and software, or other items. (complete only if applicable to your project).



3. Agricultural Communication Network Programming:


• Human Ecology
  
  
  Describe the Programming and how it will contribute to achieving the Objective(s):
  
  Changing economic conditions, fluctuating employment patterns, demographic shifts, increased complexity in the marketplace, and advances in technology impact on family well-being and alter the environment in which individuals and families make decisions. According to a survey conducted among corporate human resource executives, the financial illiteracy of workers "is considered the most critical unaddressed workplace issue" (Money worries..., 1995, 1). Despite the need for financially literate citizens, few people will choose to complete graduate degrees in financial planning just to plan and manage their own finances. Instead, most will rely on professionals to provide formal and informal education, assistance and services. These professionals include practitioners (such as financial planners) and educators (such as County Extension Educators). It is critical that these professionals be adequately prepared; however, leaving a job and home can be very expensive and time consuming. A distance education program that provides the necessary knowledge and skills, leads to an advanced degree and/or professional certification, uses innovative delivery via technology, and provides for student interaction with faculty, other students, and professionals is an alternative.

  This project will produce and deliver the first four courses of the twelve-course Inter-institutional Masters degree in family financial planning. This will be a model for collaborative degrees, challenging barriers for inter-institutional curricular offerings; and will be foundational to the development and delivery of 8 additional courses of a full program of studies (45 credit hours). The institutions (Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and Texas Tech) will expand their current offerings in family financial management. The inter-institutional exchange of courses will provide for distance education students and will enrich the options for on campus students.

  The program of study is under consideration by the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board of Standards for registration. If approved by the CFP Board, students who complete the 45 hour graduate degree program (CFP Board-registered graduate degree program) or who complete the required course work (CFP Board-registered Certificate Program) will meet the education requirement (one of four requirements for authorization to use the Certified Financial Planner certification marks). Students would then be eligible for the Certification Examination, a 10 hour comprehensive examination that must be passed to meet the second requirement. Two additional requirements are: three years of work experience in a financial planning related position; and an ethics disclosure and application for licensure.

  Planning includes maintaining academic quality, providing library resources to distance students, facilitating faculty/student, student/student and student/content interactions, and providing student-centered support services. Course development includes: (a) specifying learning objectives, (b) designing learning experiences and instructional strategies congruent with learner-centered pedagogy, (c) planning student involvement which engages students in abstract conceptualization or generalization formation, and (d) planning for assessment of learner outcomes and evaluation of the courses and program of studies.

  Faculty have launched planning, and have a dedicated listserv for continuing discussions. A two-day work shop is planned for early summer 1999 for faculty developing the first four courses and those who will develop the subsequent offerings. Jane Schuchardt, National Program Leader for Family Economics, CSREES, RESD has volunteered to be part of the team, and she offers: "Almost daily, the financial decisions faced by U.S. individuals and families grow in complexity. It is essential that our personal finance educations (from Extension, counseling services, military family service centers, community colleges and others) be well educated and up-to-date themselves. A masters degree in family financial planning via distance learning would increase the credentials for educators in this field while allowing them to maintain their current positions. I am completely supportive of the intent of this proposal" (e-mail to jjones@oz.oznet.ksu.edu, August 3, 1998).



Detailed description of methods to be used in producing and/or delivering the programing.

The vision is one of multiple universities contributing post-baccalaureate modules and course work developed by alliance faculty for continuing education, and credit hours that lead to a Masters degree program. Educational components will be made available as modules, courses, and post-baccalaureate certificate and degree programs. Each campus has one or two faculty with expertise in financial planning; yet campuses lacks a critical mass of faculty to offer the full degree program. The best evidence that none of these cooperating campuses can afford to offer the family financial planning degree is found in the fact that none do offer it. Adding faculty to any one institution campus sufficient to offer a full degree program is not a option, as those costs might easily reach into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Without funding as proposed in this project, colleges could not launch this program of studies with current resources.

Course content will be redesigned for active learning and multi-media course delivery. Course development includes: (a) specifying learning objectives, (b) designing learning experiences and instructional strategies congruent with learner-centered pedagogy, (c) planning student involvement which engages students in abstract conceptualization or generalization formation through active learning and application and (d) planning for assessment of learner outcomes. Each university partner will develop one or more courses and the modules that comprise the course(s). In addition, each participating university will collaborate in the development and leadership of the virtual community of learners; market the program to financial service providers through the development of linkages; provide faculty development and technical support; and develop academic policies supportive of the inter-institutional program.

Teaching non-traditional students in a non-traditional setting has presented both opportunities and challenges for faculty. Our experience is that faculty find that technology-assisted instruction is more effective when they switch roles to move away from functioning solely as transmitters of information to becoming designers of learning environments and experiences (Angelo, 1997). In traditional, on-campus classrooms, faculty may teach the way they have been taught, using the lecture format to deliver volumes of information, with students taking notes. "In the average lecture, the instructor delivers about 5,000 spoken words, of which students record only about 500" (Oblinger & Rush, 1997, p. 10). While faculty may teach the way they were taught as students, the lecture methods seems to have reversed roles, with faculty responsible for "covering the content" rather than students assuming responsibility for learning. "How many times do you hear faculty fret, `I have so much content to cover?....why do we assume that it is the faculty members responsibility to cover it? Why not set objectives for the students and let them explore and drive their own learning? The technology exists that will enable them to do so" (Hooker, 1997, p. 27).

"Research on the effectiveness of lecture does not support it as the best method of developing learner competencies of critical thinking, problem solving, and lifelong learning" (Oblinger & Rush, 1997, p. 9). When students are engaged in experiential learning, they learn more and retain that learning. In most classrooms, interactions between faculty and students are limited to a few individuals. "In classes under 40 students, four or five students dominate the interactions" (Oblinger & Rush, 1997, p. 10); however, "experience decisively shapes individual understanding" (Ewell, 1997, p. 4). "Instead of being passive recipients of knowledge, students are capable of constructing their own knowledge with guidance from the teacher" (Berge & Collins, 1995, http://sunsite...). For students, knowing how to learn is the important task. Faculty function as coaches and guides, and as master learners to improve learner productivity (Hooker, 1997).

Active learning works best when learners are presented with a compelling problem that requires reflection, and have opportunities for interaction and support (Ewell, 1997). The over-arching goal of involving the learner is to focus the responsibility on the learner. Learners should reach meta-cognition; that is, achieve awareness of objectives, develop the ability to plan and evaluate learning strategies, monitor their own progress and adjust self-learning behaviors (Reeves & Reeves, 1997, p. 62) to accomplish learning.

The distance education classes will be taught using satellite delivery and/or video-tapes with conference phone calls, and real-time or asynchronous discussions on the Web. Study materials include video-taped segments. Faculty select media for delivery that best fit course content and faculty teaching style. Faculty chose video-taped lecturettes, case studies, and trigger videos along with class discussion and team work. All courses include provisions for using materials to support instruction, with library resources accessible via Internet connectivity to library special support services and databases.

Delivery of the program will include asynchronous formats with a variety of delivery technologies including web-based, CD Roms, VCR tapes, satellite, and emerging technologies. Delivery technology selected will depend on the content and the instructor. Delivery for the first courses will be determined by technology currently in place at the participating institutions as well as the ability of the learners to receive. It is anticipated that the multi-option approach to delivery will be used initially with new and emerging technologies incorporated as availability and compatibility with audience warrant. With the rapidly changing technological environment, it is certain that technology for use by the end date of this program may not even be envisioned at this time. It is intended that technology will be maximized to the extent that participating institutions adopt such technologies. It is anticipated that institutional, as well as community facilities, such as university computer laboratories, public libraries, community college campuses, County Extension offices, and private businesses, such as rental programs can be used for equipment accessibility by the intended audience.

A number of approaches are planned for connectivity and/or interaction, including electronic mail, telephone, fax, and chat-rooms/dialogues generated through programs such as WebCT, CourseInfo, LearningSpace, FirstClass, or Top Class. Such interactions will be stimulated by probing questions generated from assigned sources of information whether from the World Wide Web, assigned reading materials or multimedia lecturettes recorded on VHS tapes, or CD Roms, or satellite delivered. Case studies, brainstorming, panel discussions and ethical dilemmas are examples of strategies to stimulate such interactions.

Another means of connectivity and/or interaction planned is through the participating university libraries. Three major components of this connectivity include remote access to electronic resources, librarians as liaison contact for the provision of reference assistance and delivery of materials. As an example, The University of Nebraska Librarys Innovative Research and Information System (IRIS) provides access to the library catalog, expanded academic index (EAI) and company profiles, UnCover (from CARL), Specialized Databases Network, Internet Gopher, and GPO Wais (selected federal resources). The distance education liaison librarians respond to off-campus students email requests for materials by retrieving the requested resources, photocopying them, and sending by return mail at no cost (or fax, for a fee).

Existing resources include the libraries and varied technologies on the campuses of participating institutions. Educational Telecommunications and the Teaching and Learning/Faculty Development Centers as well as the Instructional Design Centers and Media Centers at the various universities are in full operation on participating campuses and ready to assist in course design and delivery. Each instructor will use a design team comprised of resources on her/his campus. Distance education is a primary priority on many, if not all, of the participating campuses.

The distance education Masters degree uses the same admission standards, graduate faculty, and program requirements as do on-campus degree programs. Planning includes maintaining academic quality, providing graduate level library resources to distant students, facilitating graduate level faculty/student, student/student and student/content interactions, and providing one-stop, student-centered support services. These student support services include answering questions (telephone and email), assistance with paper work, processing forms, academic advising, arranging practica, compiling professional portfolio, career advising, and meeting certification requirements. Experience has shown the importance of truly effective and helpful support staff, and having at least one faculty member and one back-up at each institution who can accurately answer questions in a timely fashion.

The planning group targets publication of a brochure and companion web pages by October 1999 that includes the curriculum, procedures for admission to graduate study, contact persons at each campus, details on the first class, and registration procedures. These brochures will be distributed (by mail, by email, by web pages, and in person at professional meetings) and a sustaining enrollment (40 students) registered prior to commencement of the first class, Fall Semester 2000.




4. Population to be Served and Target Audience(s):

This M.S. in family financial planning creates an opportunity for thousands of individuals to prepare to help in the major effort to develop financially responsible Americans. Using technology to deliver education at-a-distance will enhance widespread access to the degree program, individual courses or modules for under-served populations, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Benefits: More family financial planners (Certified Financial Planners) will be available.

LEARNERS
Learners will be able to complete the degree without having to leave professional roles.
Learners will work with other learners and faculty in an experiential learning, total instructional design concept using current and emerging technologies, including web-based instruction.
Learners will study with faculty with expertise in the course content.
Learners will be able to work from home without traveling to learning centers or other intermediate facilities.

FACULTY
Faculty will be able to share unique expertise with a larger cohort of learners.
Faculty can access (fellow faculty) resources while remaining on the home campus.

INSTITUTIONS
No institution will need to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in faculty salaries to hire a critical mass of faculty in the financial planning.
Currently, only three American institutions offer a MS in financial planning.
Costs:
Learners will have lower costs in time, money and resources over relocating to pursue an on-campus program.
Many who enroll in this MS degree program will have their education costs partially or wholly paid by employers.
Providing the full program of studies is too expensive for each or any individual campus; this provides for access without burdensome costs.
While funding is needed to launch this degree program, the benefits are enormous.
Each graduate will positively impact hundreds of individuals as each carries out his or her professional responsibilities. One of the major users of the program is expected to be the Cooperative Extension Service, both as a degree program for Extension Educators and also for reaching financial professionals in small rural communities. Teaching modules that will be developed for courses will be made available to Extension Educators for use with clientele; particularly for areas where the depressed farm economy is affecting family financial stability.

Teaching students in a non-traditional setting has presented both opportunities and challenges. Faculty find that technology-assisted instruction is more effective when they switch roles away from functioning solely as transmitters of information to becoming designers of learning environments and experiences (Angelo, 1997). The over-arching goal of involving the learner is to focus responsibility on the learner. Active learning works best when learners are presented with a compelling problem that requires reflection, and have opportunities for interaction and support (Ewell, 1997). Learners should reach meta-cognition; that is, achieve awareness of objectives, develop the ability to plan and evaluate learning strategies, monitor their own progress and adjust self-learning behaviors (Reeves & Reeves, 1997, p. 62) to accomplish learning

A multi-option approach to delivery will be used initially with emerging technologies incorporated as availability and compatibility with audience dictate. Delivery of the program will encompass both synchronous and asynchronous formats with a variety of delivery technologies including web-based, CD Roms, VCR tapes, satellite, and emerging technologies. It is anticipated that institutional, as well as community facilities, such as university computer laboratories, public libraries, community college campuses, County Extension offices, and private businesses (Kinkos), among others, can be used for equipment accessibility by the intended audience. Promotional outreach will be done at IFP in Fall 1999 contingent on funding award. Program brochures will be distributed at National Consumers League Conference, Spring 2000.




5. Collaborating Institutions and Other Partners:

Each of the institutions participating in this proposal has a history of outreach and distance education. Distance education is a priority (included in mission statements, strategic plans, five year goals) on all participating campuses. Each institutions project team includes a high level academic administrator who will assure that institutional policies are adjusted to stimulate student and faculty participation in the inter-institutional program.

The College of Family and Consumer Sciences at Iowa State University offers a Master of Family and Consumer Sciences degree delivered completely at a distance over Iowas fiber optic network. In the College and University Strategic Plans, 1995-2000, distance education is a priority. Current emphasis is on expanding course offerings as well as access (beyond Iowas fiber optic network) to programs. Over 50 students are enrolled in the program. This progress has been enhanced through the activities of the Great Plains Consortium.

Kansas State University is offering a dietetics program via distance education. Several web-based courses have been developed and are being delivered to support that program. A foods and nutrition faculty member is in the final stages of developing a CD Rom and Internet-based nutrition course for distance delivery. The university has recently opened a Technical Assistance Center to facilitate faculty implementation of technologically-assisted instruction. Funding is available on a competitive basis to support the development of technology-based courses for distance delivery. Efforts are underway to develop an interdisciplinary masters program to be delivered at a distance by the Colleges of Human Ecology and Education.

The College of Human Resources and Family Sciences at the University of Nebraska has in its Five Year Plan the goal of increasing collaborative partnerships with the greater community. The Plan includes the strategy of continued excellence in development and delivery of the Interdepartmental Human Resources and Family Sciences M.S. degree program via distance education. The goal and strategy support the University of Nebraskas strategic plan: "To be more responsive to needs of Nebraska citizens, University of Nebraska-Lincoln will explore and implement new outreach delivery systems and enhance programming to promote life-long learning." The College of Human Resources and Family Sciences has completed the two rotations of all (12) courses needed for the M.S. degree in Human Resources and Family Sciences. Thirty-eight (38) students completed the distance education degree program since 1997, with additional students who should complete the degree requirements in the next year. Currently, a third cycle of the courses are being offered (1998-2002). In addition, we are seeking collaboration with the Great Plains-IDEA institutions so offerings of other campuses will be available to students who start a program. Further, we have recruited other GP-IDEA institutions to contribute single courses to the M.S. degree distance education program in Textiles, Clothing and Design, 1999-2003. Additionally, the College is seeking to enhance curricular offerings by "importing" courses in areas where we lack depth, particularly in gerontology, family financial planning, hospitality management, life cycle development, and family and consumer sciences (secondary) education.

The College of Human Development and Education at North Dakota State University is offering courses primarily through compressed video. Despite limited resources, the College has put a priority on distance education and participation in the GP-IDEA and supported faculty to attend distance education LearnShops. In the College long term plan, a goal specifically focuses on non-traditional delivery of courses to meet student needs and future demands. Some Internet based courses are now available and the campus is supporting faculty efforts to further develop offerings of distance education courses on the World Wide Web.

The College of Human Environmental Sciences at Oklahoma State University has made a major commitment to enhancing the learning environment over the past four years. Faculty members learning to teach via distance are translating the interactive learning methodologies to the traditional classroom, thus enhancing the total learning environment. This has included over 20 faculty participating in the Teletraining Institute, a distance education training center; seven faculty participating in a web based instruction training in LearningSpace. In June 1997, these seven faculty were supported by the College of Human Environmental Sciences to develop six courses for web-based instruction. The College will be a receiver-institution (rather than a deliverer-institution) for the family financial planning masters degree program.

South Dakota State University (SDSU) has as its major initiative to develop courses for Internet delivery and more fully offer curriculum via distance education. Through a five year U.S. Department of Education Title III Institutional Strengthening grant, they are quickly building capacity for technology on campus. Newer servers have been added so that Internet courses can be developed and delivered. Software has been purchased and several new positions added in the Instructional Technology Center to support faculty who are using technology in teaching. The university has also redirected $1.5 million into distance education and technology-enhanced instruction, and thus created 30 smart classrooms on campus and tripled the number of courses delivered off-campus. Summer 1998, the College of Family & Consumer Sciences offered its first Internet course with great success and over 1998-99, five additional courses were offered on line. The momentum will continue to build as they move more fully into sharing master degree programs through the Great Plains-IDEA to serve the people of the state.

The College of Human Sciences at Texas Tech University is committed to making distance education programs a reality in the near future. The Texas Tech University Chancellor, the Provost of the University, and the Dean of the Graduate School have all identified distance learning technology and outreach as major university goals in strategic planning. Becoming a part of the Great Plains-IDEA has greatly enhanced our image on the Texas Tech campus as a college "on the go" with innovative and creative cross-university collaboration. Our multimedia classroom facility and our up-to-date networked Computer Learning Center in the College will support the program delivery planned in this proposal. The field of family financial planning, in particular, is one for which we have documented demand for distance learning programs at the Masters level. Texas Techs Family Financial Planning program is known for the quality of its graduates, and is a logical choice for program outreach to the financial planning industry via distance learning. In addition, faculty in human development, marriage and family therapy, family and consumer science education, and human nutrition are already developing web-based materials for distance learning. One faculty member from each area attended the faculty LearnShop held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in May 1997. In that Texas Tech was not an original part of the Great Plains-IDEA, the expenses for LearnShop attendance were covered by the Provosts office. This is just one indication of university support and commitment to Great Plains-IDEA involvement.






6. Additional Rationale for Project

The current economic environment for individuals and families reflects constantly changing economic conditions, fluctuating employment patterns, increased complexity in the marketplace, advances in technology and time pressures. Previously, a good pension and/or social security guaranteed a secure retirement; however, the complexity of todays situation mean there are no promises, no guarantees. Questions are numerous....How much money do I need to retire? Do I need more insurance? Should I invest in mutual funds? stocks? real estate? or other investments? Where will I get the money to achieve all my goals? The questions are endless.

Of special interest are families with limited incomes and those whose income is declining. Families do not share equally in economic growth and the gap in income between this nations poorest and richest citizens has been growing. Using the U.S. Census Bureaus definition of poverty--having cash income below the poverty threshold for a particular family size--some 13.8 percent of all persons in the U.S. lived in poverty in 1995. However, when looking at children, the poverty rate is higher (20.8 percent) (Poverty 1995..., 1995). Nationally, children make up 40 percent of the poor, but only 27 percent of the total population (Weinberg, 1996). While the actual impact of federal welfare reform laws are as yet unknown, the Urban Institute estimates that they may move some 2.6 million people--including 1.1 million children--into poverty ("Urban Institute Projects...," 1996). Changing economic conditions and fluctuating employment patterns can create financial and emotional stress for individuals and families. Those with low incomes often face the greatest challenges.

The use of consumer credit has increased dramatically in the past several years. The proportion of families with debt rose between 1989 and 1995, as did the median amount of debt outstanding. This rise was made up largely of increased mortgage debt (more so for home equity lines of credit rather than for the purchase of a primary residence) and credit card debt. Forty-eight percent of families reported that they had outstanding credit card debt in 1995, primarily from bank-type credit cards (Kennickell, Starr-McCluer & Suden, 1997). Some researchers suspect that self-reported debt is significantly under-reported, which would imply a much higher percentage of families with credit card debt. The potential impacts of this expanding debt include such things as increased financial pressures, higher interest and credit card fees, a rise in payment delinquencies, and an increase in bankruptcies (Brobeck, 1997).

Young people exercise control over (and influence the use of) considerable amounts of money--and will continue to do so throughout their lives. Total spending by teens ages twelve through nineteen was approximately $103 billion in 1996, according to Teenage Research Unlimited ("Teens Spend $103 Billion...," 1997). Yet several studies suggest that teens lack basic economic and money management skills. A 1997 nationwide survey sponsored by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Finance Literacy looked at high school seniors knowledge levels in four areas: income, money management, saving and investment, and spending ("High School Seniors Lack...," 1997). On average, students answered only 570f the questions correctly. Using a typical grading scale, only 50f the students scored a "C"(70%) or better. The ability to manage personal finances remains basic to survival as teens graduate from high school; get married, have children, and/or establish households; and pursue college or vocational training. One way to help insure that adults are knowledgeable about their finances and that they make better informed decisions is to help teens--and younger children--develop sound consumer and financial skills early in life.

Adequate retirement income has traditionally been visualized as a three-legged stool—with Social Security representing one leg; pensions another; and private savings and investments the final leg. However, many people are questioning whether Social Security will provide more than minimal assistance to retired workers in the future. In 1995, some 40 percent of families were covered by an employer-sponsored pension plan from a current job. Between 1989 and 1995, participation in 401(k)-type plans increased dramatically (with decreased participation in defined-benefit plans) (Kennickell, Starr-McCluer, & Suden, 1997). These 401(k)-types of plans are funded primarily by voluntary employee contributions and when changing jobs, are often taken as lump sum distributions (rather than as lifetime annuities upon retirement). Workers who receive lump sum distributions--especially younger workers--often use most of the funds for purposes other than retirement savings (such as spending it; putting it into a business, a house, or debt payments; or using it for other savings and investments) ("Retirement Benefits of...," 1995). Thus, it becomes even more important for individuals and families to take responsibility for insuring an adequate retirement income and to become knowledgeable and diligent investors.

A survey of 354 employee benefit specialists, conducted by the International Society of Certified Benefit Specialists and Deloitte & Touche Accounting firm, reported that retirement planning replaced health care as the top issue of this year. Retirement planning and investment education were indicated by 430f the specialists as what employees most wanted (Kleiman, 1998).

In 1986 Congress passed legislation requiring that every federal office have a retirement counselor on staff. The federal government realizes that with employers contributing less to pensions, with the financial problems confronting Social Security, with the population living longer, and with Americans saving less for retirement, the welfare rolls are expected to swell with aging Americans during the early part of the 21st century.

The federal government is taking a three pronged approach to helping Americans better manage their finances so that they can do a better job funding retirement.
1. The GAOs report will generate demands that federal agencies do a better job teaching employees to better manage their finances.
2. Recent changes in income tax law should motivate Americans to set aside more money for retirement.
3. Government agencies are making it easier for employers to educate their employees about money management especially retirement planning. The Labor Department issued regulation 404C in 1996 to encourage employers to offer financial planning education to their employees. For many years the Department of Defense has required that every military base be staffed with a financial counselor. Both Labor and Defense will become even more aggressive in promoting personal financial responsibility. The recent savings conference this past June indicates the federal governments concern that Americans are not as aware as they need to be regarding financial preparedness.
The federal government is a strong supporter of individual financial responsibility and is expected to do even more in the future to support programs that will help better prepare Americans to manage their finances.

Experts predict that 290f persons between the ages of 18 and 35 expect to become dependent on their children. Only eight percent of those not yet retired think Social Security will do "a lot" to make sure they have enough money during those years. One-third of respondents believe Social Securitys funding problems are so severe that they do not expect to receive any benefits from the system. Even with growing anxiety over Social Security, 300f Americans closest to retirement (50-60 years), 400f baby boomers (33-50 years) and 460f all respondents reported they have personally saved less than $10,000 for retirement. Of those not yet retired, 67 0.000000e+00xpect personal savings and investments to assist more. The virtue of saving for retirement has been replaced by a "just charge it" mentality. "The ethic of consumption is driving many Americans to leverage their futures by relying on credit and many face bitter disappointment and anxiety over the quality of their retirement years ("Nest eggs lacking...," 1997).

According to the 1998 Retirement Confidence Survey (1998 Retirement Confidence Survey...." 1998), more and more Americans are concerned that they may be retired for 20+ years and are trying to figure out what a retirement that long will cost. When they asked about specific retirement costs, mounting worries are obvious. Half of the workers (51%) are worried they wont have enough money for long-term health care. Over one-third are worried they will be unable to take care of medical expenses and 30 0ont think they have enough money to support themselves in retirement, no matter how long they live. One-third of Americans are not saving, with most indicating they are stretched to the limit.

As the array of financial services and products grow and the population of wage earners approaching retirement age continues to increase, families are finding that professional expertise is needed to manage income, assets, and debts to their best advantage. By 2010, one-fifth of the U.S. population (45 million) will be in retirement (Foster, 1998). The financial service industry is responding to the ever-increasing demand for financial advice by expanding the numbers of qualified financial advisers. The CFP® credential provides assurance that financial advisors possess a broad range of financial service knowledge. According to Mark Patridge, Vice President of American Express Financial Services Training and Development, the corporation plans to expand from their current 9,000 financial advisers to 20,000 by 2008. At the other end of the spectrum, as clients move from welfare to work, service providers from extension educators to senior volunteers to consumer credit counseling employees will need access to ongoing financial education related to debt management counseling.






7. Significant Impacts:

This proposal to create a MS in financial planning offered using distance learning technology creates an opportunity for thousands of individuals to prepare to help in the major effort to develop financially responsible Americans. Thus, the first significant impact will be on those who access the education or use the modules to teach others the skills needed to insure financial security for their families. Families who seek assistance in financial planning will be positively affected; extension educators who obtain modules for delivery in their locale will have rich resources to use in working directly with families, especially at-risk families such as those negatively impacted by the current economic crises of farmers and their families. Graduate programs on the campuses of institutions participating in the project will be enriched by additional students, additional offerings (without resource investment), and access to a full degree program in family financial planning without investing in a full complement of faculty. Graduate Deans will be challenged to pursue "can dos" of distance education and multi-institutional degree programs rather than "cant dos" that not be based in actuality. Additional faculty will experience the positive aspects of distance education, will re-invest in student-centered instructional design, and will experience the impact of technology on learning. Many faculty will adapt what they learn about instructional design and technology for on-campus instruction. Institutional change will be initiated by individual faculty efforts and by barrier-lowering for students at-a-distance.




8. Describe the plans for evaluation, dissemination and assessment:

The DEEP Evaluation Builder, in the A*DEC Distance Education Evaluation Package (http://cruncher.extlib.usus.edu/~chrzuh/) will be used for the two stage evaluation process. The formative evaluations address learner satisfactions with instructors, content, student interactions, technology, and student support services. These evaluations will help to better meet the students needs in successive courses and to profile students. A second component of evaluation is the summative evaluation, the Assessment of Student Outcomes. This assessment uses the objectives for the degree program. Nebraska will take the lead on the evaluation process and will use a consultant from Educational Psychology: Tests and Measurements.

Assessment of Student Outcomes: The objectives for learners in the family financial planning Masters degree program were prepared to direct the Assessment of Student Outcomes. Two components are included in the assessment plan: students self-assessment and assessment by faculty.
1. Learners should be able to analyze family dynamics, including family structure and function, life cycle, values clarification, communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, and the emotional impact of money and its impact on financial management.
2. Learners should gain understanding in the nature and functioning of global financial systems and the inter-relatedness of these to individual/family financial decisions.
3. Learners should demonstrate mastery of the technical aspects of financial planning.
4. Learners should develop competence in:
4.1. Exploring clients (individual/familys) ideas, goals, life-style and personality.
4.2. Clarifying clients (individual/familys) present economic situation by collecting and assessing relevant data - income, expenses, employee benefits, asset ownership, outstanding debt, insurance policies, tax information and wills.
4.3. Developing financial plans specifically tailored to clients (individual/familys) goals, objectives, life-style and personality.
4.4. Recommending approaches for implementing plan.
4.5. Reviewing plans periodically and revising to insure goals are met.
4.6. Conducting counseling sessions incorporating effective communication, motivation, and esteem-building strategies.
4.7. Doing calculations related to home mortgages and other real estate investments.
4.8. Completing an appropriate insurance plan for client(s).
4.9. Planning an appropriate investment portfolio for client (s).
4.10. Applying and analyzing tax information and recommending tax strategies.
4.11. Effectively work with family in development of an estate plan.
5. Learners should demonstrate enhanced understanding of:
5.1. The nature and functioning of financial systems including currencies, markets, monetary and fiscal policy and supply/demand for land, labor, capital from a national and an international perspective.
5.2. The impact of global financial interdependence on individuals and families in the United States.
5.3. Demographics of families in the United States and how those demographic variables interfere with, or support, the ability of families to perform the functions assigned to families.
5.4. The economics of families including household production and human capital development.
5.5. The role of public policy in contributing to the well-being of families.
5.6. The impact of crises on the short term ability of a family to function and the long term consequences of crises on the family system.
5.7. The role of housing and real estate in the financial planning process.
5.8. Successful integration of all aspects of retirement planning to create a retirement plan.
6. Learners should demonstrate progression from:
6.1. Limited knowledge in managing a financial planning business to an ability to manage such a business.
6.2. Limited confidence in ability to work with families who are experiencing financial difficulty to competence in counseling families.
6.3. Limited ability to search for and recognize community resources to ability to help a family stretch their resources in meeting the needs of family members.
6.4. Limited knowledge of ethical issues in working with clients to ability to apply a sense of ethics in client/professional relationships.
6.5. Limited skill in problem solving to increased ability to help families be effective problem solvers.
6.6. An understanding of the technical aspects of financial planning concepts and techniques to the application of these concepts through realistic case studies.
Authentic/performance assessment of learner outcomes will be used to evaluate the course and complete program, that is, were the objectives achieved for 800f the learners? The performance based assessment will include characteristics identified by Suen and Parkes (1996); that is it (a) uses open-end tasks; (b) focuses on higher order skills; (c) employs context sensitive strategies; (d) uses complete problems requiring several types of performance and significant learner time; (e) consists of either individual or group performance; and (f) may involve a significant degree of learner choice. These assessments approach the learner as a more active learner, and model for faculty appropriate assessment for experiential based distance learning.

Documenting Success of Learners. Additional data will be collected to document success of the learners. Intake information to be collected includes, but are not limited to: current job and salary; job responsibilities; educational and professional designations; experience in the financial services; reasons for the MS in family financial planning; reasons for participating in distance education; how studies are financed (self, family, employer); plans after completing degree; and how student learned about the program. Exit information includes: preparedness for professional role; effectiveness of shadowing and/or internship; case analysis portfolio; future educational plans; future job plans; and satisfaction with distance education. Tracking of the graduates would entail: those who completed the degree (and non-persisters); those who sit for the CPF, and success rate; effectiveness of internship; current job responsibilities and salary.

Dissemination of Outcomes. The first public outreach will be at American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) and FEHM Preconference (Family Economics and Home Management Section of AAFCS) in June 1999. The presentation for the FEHM Preconference will focus on the program content. The presentation for AAFCS will focus on the management aspect of the program. National Council on Family Relations will be the second presentation submitted, focused on an overview of the program and present early progress from the first course in the program, Family Dynamics. A presentation on the program will also be submitted to Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education for Fall 2000.

Progress results from the first semester Family Dynamics course and beginning results from the second semester Family Economics course will be submitted to American Council on Consumer Interests in Spring 2001. The distance education lessons learned will be submitted for the Wisconsin Distance Education Conference in August 2001. An evaluation study will be prepared for the American Society for Distance Education journal or similar outlets. That article will include course concepts, distance education process and lessons learned.

Promotional outreach will be done at various conferences. The first will be done at IFP in Fall 1999 contingent on funding award. Program brochures will be distributed at National Consumers League Conference, Spring 2000. One of the major outreach programs will be to promote the masters degree program through the Cooperative Extension Service both as a viable program for the Extension Agents and also as one of the best methods for reaching financial professionals in small rural communities. Timely reporting will be provided for academic and graduate deans of the institutions that will be involved in the program.






9. Broader Impacts:

There will be an impact on other programs who follow the model of inter-institutional collaboration. If this program is to be successful, there must be positive disruption in intra-institutional and inter-institutional barriers. Students will cease to be held hostage by such barriers as "one cant transfer in more than x hours and use toward a degree from this institution." Graduate Colleges and Registrars will find ways to enroll students (at the convenience of the students, not the institution) to take one or two courses. Colleges and faculties will recognize there is strength in using resources (including faculty) from sister institutions. Not only will these have a positive impact on the institutions involved in this project, but the project has the potential for being a model for other content areas and other levels of education.

And, each of these impacts will have a positive impact on the Agricultural Communications Network, for removal of such barriers will make similar efforts less difficult. Using a model of Assessment of Student Outcomes is needed as more institutions cope with accrediting agencies requirements for learner assessment data.

An important component of this project is the formative and summative evaluations which should contribute to the knowledge base about effectiveness of education at-a-distance. Authentic evaluations of learner outcomes, what data merit collection, and how to interpret these data, have the potential to make a significant contribution to the knowledge base, particularly as institutions struggle with accrediting agency mandated assessment.

The project will embrace the participation of women, under-represented minorities and persons with disabilities. Targeted recruitment efforts in Texas, at the HBCUs with whom the University of Nebraska has a collaborative relationship (University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, and Virginia State University) and other HBCUs where we make annual recruitment visits (North Carolina A & T, South West Texas, and Mississippi State) will facilitate recruitment of persons of color. Technology-assisted instruction is more user-friendly for persons with special needs than attending on campus classes






10. Proposed Timetable:

June 1999 Work session for family financial planning faculty and administrators; finalize plans for curriculum development and promotion of program.
July 1999 One week LearnShop on instructional design (for active learning) and software for WWW-based instruction at the University of Nebraska.
August 1999 SDSU will offer Family Economics as a web-based course, pre-testing instructional design and delivery for the family financial planning degree program.
September 1999 Approval of Graduate Deans and other relevant groups. Course development launched.
October 1999 Promotional materials published
November 1999 Student recruitment launched
January 2000 Student admissions and advising launched; course development continues
Feb-May 2000 Pre-testing the Family Dynamics course
June 2000 Work session for family financial planning faculty and administrators.


Course Offerings
FALL 2000 CDFS 781 Family Dynamics, 4 credits [Greg Sanders and Dale Hawley, North Dakota State University]
SPRING 2001 CA 620 Family Economics, 4 credits [Bernadine Enevoldsen and Judy Farris, South Dakota State University]
SUMMER 2001 Financial Counseling, 4 credits [Margaret Fitzgerald, North Dakota State University]
FALL 2001 Global Financial Systems and the Family, 3 credits [TBA, Texas Tech University]
SPRING 2002 FACS Housing/Real Estate, 3 credits [Raedene Combs, University of Nebraska]
Investments, 3 credits [Tahira Hira, Iowa State University]
SUMMER 2002 FACS Retirement Planning, Employee Benefits and the Family, 3 credits [Sheran Cramer, University of Nebraska]
Estate Planning for Families, 3 credits [TBA, Kansas State University]
FALL 2002 FACS Insurance Planning for Families, 3 credits [Elizabeth Davis, University of Nebraska]
Personal Income Taxation 3 credits [TBA, Texas Tech]
SPRING 2003 Practice Management, 3 credits [TBA, Kansas State University]
Praticum, 3 credits; max. 6 credits [through each degree-granting campus]
SUMMER 2003 Praticum, 3 credits; max. 6 credits [through each degree-granting campus]
Capstone, 3 credits [TBA, Texas Tech]






11. Project Personnel and Time Commitment:



Project Personnel and 0.000000TE (calendar year = 12 months basis; academic year = 9 months basis)

Project Director: Joan Laughlin (10 0.000000TE, calendar year).

Iowa State University
Tahira Hira (5 0.000000TE, calendar year)

Kansas State University
Virginia Munson Moxley (5 0.000000TE, calendar year)
Joyce Jones
Joyce Cantrell

University of Nebraska
Sheran L. Cramer (5 0.000000TE, academic year)
Raedene Combs

North Dakota State University
Margaret Ann Fitzgerald (20 0.000000TE, academic year)
Gregory Frank Sanders (15 0.000000TE, calendar year)
Dale Hawley

South Dakota State University
Bernadine L. Enevoldsen (10 0.000000TE, academic year)
Judith Farris (6 0.000000TE, calendar year)

Texas Tech University
Steve Jorgensen (5 0.000000TE, calendar year)
Jerry Mason (5 0.000000TE, calendar year)

Vitae (diskette and hard copy mailed to ADEC directly - not all vitae will fit in space.




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