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The Self-Paced Online Tutorial (SPOT) represents the best kind of innovation because it uses digital technologies wisely and because it is based on well-established theory, research, and practice. Extended education plays a pivotal role in the attainment of the California State University's (CSU) vision of providing a high-quality, affordable, and accessible set of higher education opportunities to the population of California. At Fresno State, extended education, labeled Continuing and Global Education (CGE), supports education access in a variety of ways. Through an analysis of longitudinal data, Fresno State identified areas of greatest student compression that slowed the time toward graduation, characterized by the term "bottleneck". This article begins with an exploration of instructional technology changes in higher education, and then turns its focus to the Undergraduate Writing Requirement (UWR) bottleneck at Fresno State. Finally, the article explains the solution to the UWR bottleneck by introducing SPOT, its technology, and sustainability.

Extended Education, the home for outreach and access, is an often overlooked resource for accomplishing the university's mission. This article focuses on the role Extended Education has played in serving underrepresented minority groups in the California Central Valley. Through both description and analytical review of data generated from the Early Start Program, and review of Extended Education functions, policies, and practices, the authors share lessons learned serving diverse student populations. Implications for student access, retention, and graduation also are discussed.