Project CONTACT Executive Summary for 2001-2002
Description of Project CONTACT
Project CONTACT was initiated to design and implement a model of personnel preparation that would expand and support early childhood teacher education via the Internet.
A recent assessment identified several potential barriers impacting personnel preparation for
early childhood teachers in our state. The obstacles Project CONTACT was designed to
address were those that specifically impact a teacher’s ability to attend traditional college
classes, including:
limited access to campus-based courses for students in rural areas;
lack of release time during the day to attend classes;
lack of substitute teachers;
lack of transportation;
limited ability (due to family responsibilities) to attend evening courses; and
limited numbers of qualified college instructors.
An underlying premise of the project was that providing high quality courses via the
Internet is a key component to creating an educational system that is both accessible and
convenient for all early childhood teachers in NC. The project linked with and expanded on the
North Carolina Community College System’s existing focus on distance education. The
community college system in NC has a long history of innovation in addressing the needs of
college students across the state. Currently, its Virtual Learning Community has led the way
in distance education by facilitating shared course development and expanded access to
college courses statewide. The work of Project CONTACT was a natural extension of these
efforts. The project goals were as follows:
1. To increase access to college education opportunities for early childhood staff;
2. To increase the capacity of community college early childhood departments to offer
distance education;
3. To increase the availability of resources to support distance education for instructors and
students in early childhood;
4. To increase the capacity of the NCCCS to deliver early childhood courses via distance
education;
5. To improve the state’s ability to offer an online degree in early childhood.
Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework for Project CONTACT, with each component of
the project coming together to form a comprehensive model of service development and
delivery. The work of Project CONTACT was done collaboratively with the following state and
local partners: the NC Division of Child Development and its Institute for Early Childhood
Professional Development; the NC Community College System (NCCCS) and its Virtual
Learning Community (VLC); four local community colleges; the North Carolina Partnership for
Children (Smart Start), four local Smart Start partnerships; Child Care Services Association’s
T.E.A.C.H.© Early Childhood Scholarship program; and Fayetteville Technical Community
College.
Primary funding for Project CONTACT was provided by the North Carolina Division of
Child Development and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation with additional funding from NC
Partnership for Children’s private sector grants to purchase laptop computers for participating
students and instructors. In-kind support was also available for specific activities. For
example, Fayetteville Technical Community College provided extensive support as the host of
the “North Carolina Early Childhood Instructors Distance Learning Conference”. This in-kind
support (which included meeting spaces, computer lab access, technical assistance,
photography, tours of their child care center, and shuttle service) totaled over $14,000 dollars,
making it possible for CONTACT to offer a 2-day conference at no cost to participants.
Summary of Findings
As the demand for flexible learning options grows, NC’s community colleges are under
increasing pressure to develop Internet-based courses in order to attract students and stay
competitive in the current education market. Project CONTACT was designed to enhance the
state’s capacity to provide Internet-based distance education opportunities for early childhood
teachers. This was accomplished by creating a model approach for the delivery and support of
distance education across the state. Of particular interest was identifying strategies to
overcome key obstacles faced by a low resource population (e.g., having limited access to
campus-based courses and limited time and resources to attend a traditional daytime class).
Lessons Learned
The primary work of this project involved developing a high quality distance learning
course along with an array of supports to enhance both student and instructor involvement.
Overall, the Project CONTACT model proved to be a successful vehicle for students to learn
the course content and apply it appropriately in child care settings. Evaluations of student
performance throughout the course demonstrated high levels of content knowledge. Similarly,
end-of-term practical exercises showed high levels of competency in applying content
knowledge. In addition, students reported having developed strong professional and personal
networks as a result of involvement in the course.
A comprehensive assessment of each component of the project revealed a great deal
about what is required of the early education system, its instructors, and students to ensure
successful distance learning opportunities.
Early Education Systems
Lesson 1. The various local partners within early childhood professional development
must work together to provide support for and to establish barrier-free access to high quality
distance learning in their communities. Developing high quality Internet-based courses is time,
labor, and resource intensive. In order for distance education to reach its full potential,
adequate funding must be provided for course development and widespread delivery, including
both instructional and technological resources, as well as student supports.
Instructors
Lesson 2. The art of developing and teaching courses at a distance is labor intensive
and time consuming and is different from that required for a classroom-based course. Each of
the instructors benefited greatly from instruction on distance education pedagogy and adult
learning styles. But they also reported that the team process of course development and
teaching online took more time and energy than anticipated. In effect, the art of teaching was
reinvented for the instructors as they learned an outcomes-based approach to teaching that
focused on helping students acquire specific competencies and critical thinking skills. Higher
education administration will need to adjust to the new demands of faculty participating in
distance learning, and should be prepared to offer training, release time, up-to-date computer
equipment, Internet access, and other supports to assure high quality course design and
delivery.
Lesson 3. Teaching at a distance can involve substantial teacher-student interaction as
both parties are challenged to engage with one another and the course content in unique and
thought-provoking ways. Project CONTACT reported high levels of student activity and on-line
communication between instructors and students. In addition, instructors expressed great
satisfaction with the content and quality of student participation. The instructors
overwhelmingly enjoyed the new learning opportunities presented by distance education and
reported that their involvement in this project was a rewarding professional experience.
Students
Lesson 4. Computer training and instruction on Blackboard prior to taking a distance
course were critical features of the project’s success. Students new to distance learning
reported that the non-graded, abbreviated computer training sessions that launched the course
not only made the course more attractive initially, but also laid the foundation for their ultimate
success. The introductory training sessions provided students the confidence to take on the
challenge of a web-based course, as well as the skills to successfully navigate Blackboard and
to use the Internet as a resource in their learning.
Lesson 5. A multi-pronged system of support provided the infrastructure required for
successful student involvement and high retention rates. Throughout the project, students had
a plethora of online and local resources available to them to assist in their learning. Students
report that this comprehensive and collaborative network of support was critical to their
continued enrollment. Students also cite convenience and flexibility as key factors in their
ability to complete the course successfully.
Recommendations
A prevailing theme resulting from the work of this project is that both college instructors
and students involved in distance education benefit tremendously from both internal and
external supports. It is clear that various partners within the college itself, as well as in the
larger community, must work collaboratively to make distance education truly accessible and
barrier-free.
The Division of Child Development, along with numerous state and local partners, has
demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the quality and accessibility of early childhood
courses. While these collective efforts are highly commended, this project illustrates ways to
further enhance course content and accessibility and to expand the state’s capacity to offer
high quality distance education opportunities across North Carolina. Drawing from the major
lessons learned in Project CONTACT, recommendations for future activity spearheaded by
DCD are presented below.
Distance education should be fully integrated into the existing early childhood professional
development system and all policies affecting the provision and support of distance learning
must be expanded to encompass Internet-based courses.
Key players in early childhood professional development should work together to establish
standards for quality control (in course development and delivery) and to conduct research to
measure the impact of distance learning efforts.
A curriculum improvement initiative should be launched in an effort to improve existing
Internet-based early childhood course content and to offer supports for instructors and
students.
There needs to be increased investment in training early childhood instructors to teach
Internet-based courses. This on-going professional development should include instruction on
distance education course development and pedagogy, as well as on enhanced computer and
Internet skills.
An early childhood distance education course development initiative should be fully-funded
and launched in collaboration with the VLC as a way to share the costs of developing high
quality courses and to facilitate communication and sharing of limited resources among
colleges.
Resources should be made available to purchase mobile computer equipment that can be
loaned to students (or instructors) participating in Internet-based courses.
Training on computer and Internet skills should be available to early childhood students in
an abbreviated format and should be non-graded and offered free of charge.
A public awareness campaign targeting early childhood students and early care and
education programs should be launched to raise awareness about the availability of Internet-
based college courses.
Project CONTACT partners should work collaboratively with each other, business, industry,
and technology service providers to assure barrier-free access to distance education for all
early childhood students. This will require supporting the development of local
infrastructure—including equipment upgrades and on-going technical support—to offer and
successfully deliver Internet-based courses.
Conclusion
Over the past decade, North Carolina has shown its commitment to improving the quality of child care by allocating considerable funding for teacher education. While these efforts have played a significant role in improving child care across the state, barriers still
thwart attempts to increase the educational levels of the child care workforce. The results of
this project demonstrate that distance education is a viable method for overcoming some of the
barriers we face in educating early childhood teachers and for effectively reaching a low
resource population. Specifically, Project CONTACT provides empirical data on successful
methods of preparing instructors to teach at a distance, valuable ways to support students in
accessing and utilizing distance education, and effective strategies for increasing a
community’s capacity to provide and support Internet-based courses.
The authors of this report would like to emphasize that continued support and
monitoring of distance education for early childhood teachers is critical to assuring an well-
educated workforce. There is a multitude of initiatives that could lead to increased access to
high quality distance education opportunities, some of which are described above. However, it
is important to keep in mind that with record numbers of early childhood teachers seeking
college courses, realizing major changes in teacher educational levels will require a
widespread effort. Our hope is that the Division of Child Development continues to work with
the NC Community College System and the NC Partnership for Children in its effort to improve
the quality and accessibility of early childhood courses. No one initiative alone is going to lead
to the change that is necessary. However, continued collaborative work among key partners
has the potential to effectuate change that will have a lasting effect on early childhood teacher
education.
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
