13058

13058

General Session - Conference Presentation Only (20 minutes, no formal paper)

Kelley Brandt, WICHE, USA, kbrandt@wiche.edu Anna Galas, Western Institute of Nursing, Tucson, AZ, USA, galasa@ohsu.edu
 * An ICE bridge to collaboration **

Two Universities in two different states, jointly offer online courses within one program area. Difficult but not impossible. How about ten universities in 7seven states offering courses within a program? Now you’re thinking about a deep and wide gorge. Do not fret. Others have successfully crossed the gorge and want to tell you about the bridge. Currently, 13 institutions across the nation share over 150 doctoral nursing courses a year with each other. This collaborative partnership was started in 2004 with grant funds from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and further supported by funds from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The partnership is called the Nursing Education Exchange (NEXus – www.winnexus.org ) and works with member schools to make online courses available to students enrolled in other consortium member institutions. NEXus utilizes a bridge called “WICHE-ICE” to achieve one of its primary goals of expanding students’ academic opportunities through online education. Developed by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), the Internet Course Exchange (ICE) is a comprehensive model and set of tools for institutions looking to expand online offerings through collaboration. This presentation will provide an overview of ICE and share experience gained from NEXus. Don’t consider spending money to build your own bridge when the ICE bridge is ready to be used.

All Audiences collaboration, program, online