Inter-campus student collaboration requirements were reduced, and campuses were allowed to experiment with additional courses. One campus tried having their cohort take all their first semester courses together in the Vision mode. Now, in 1997-98, Vision is no longer an experimental project, but a 'alternate track' way in which specific curricula are delivered. Five campuses are offering a range of Vision programs, including computer science, education, and general education. Even a limited project, if it calls for massive change, can create a 'big splash' effect and create significant momentum for innovation.
Faculty begin to believe that the administration's commitment to reform is more than mere words.
For both our faculty and our students, it is much harder to learn to collaborate effectively than it is to learn to use multimedia. Before we can begin to develop collaborative skills, most of us first need to overcome years of punishing committee project experiences. We also have to reshape attitudes and habits developed during years spent in an educational system that emphasized individual achievement. Faculty required to make massive changes all at once will, if those changes involve technology, focus on the technology almost exclusively. One example seen frequently on course Web pages is a tendency to simply put a standard linear, print-based syllabus on the Web. 4.