UC: The Next Online Degree Program?
It looks like the University of California (UC) has found itself in a vortex of debate as they attempt to jump on the online degree program bandwagon.
There are many benefits to an online degree program, but is it right for the UC system? The U.S. Department of Education might think so, according to a study released about a year ago advocating distance learning.
The UC system, with 1,250 online courses already in place, can’t help but plunge further into the online degree world. A privately-funded pilot program is being launched to test the waters and potentially defend itself against the scores of naysayers and doubters of such a program’s ability to survive…and thrive.
Spearheaded by UC Berkeley Law School’s Dean, Christopher Edley Jr., the program will address the common arguments stacked against the idea. Mr. Edley plans to fight the negative notions splattered on the drawing board as he makes a valiant effort to refute the projected issues of poor quality, zero interaction, slacking off, cheating, lack of a campus experience and a diluted value of a UC degree. The “excellence issue” is what Mr. Edley believes they must resolve.
What will it look like?
According to Mr. Edley, the vision for UC’s online instruction is that it will:
1. Offer UC credit. It holds the same academic standards and same UC faculty as its on-campus counterpart
2. Offer anywhere, anytime instruction
3. Be interactive. Teaching assistants will host online chats, discussion boards, webinars (web seminars) and video conferences, as well as virtual office hours held by instructors
4. Protect against and prevent cheating by utilizing proctored exam sites and software to check for plagiarism
5. Track student progress through papers, tests, tutorials, video productions and graded discussion groups
6. Consist of courses developed by a UC professor and technology experts to ensure the same high quality instruction as gained in on-campus classes
“If successful, I hope the university will embrace large-scale online instruction – not replace the on-campus experience, but to enrich it,” Edley says.
Not everyone is so sure. But, the current budget crisis, and the threat of it worsening, is driving the UC system to reconsider their structure. Lack of funds have positioned the UC system to be in quite the quandary. We see a shocking enrollment gap with eligible students being rejected and a highbrow club being formed in the place of what should be an accessible, public institution.
The evolution of technology is making it feasible for new forms of education to emerge and with competing online college degree programs looming in the air, it seems like restructuring and reforming is inevitable. Tuition costs have skyrocketed due to the budget problem and clearly, there are broken arms in California’s higher education system.
Transformation and reform are tip-toeing into the system…but, at what cost?
Will the UC reputation suffer? Will quality of education come second to the comfort, convenience and accessibility of a distance learning program? The long-term ramifications of this innovation in the California higher education system are hard to predict but, if unsuccessful, the workforce and consequently, the economy, has the potential to deteriorate.
Some teachers, like UCLA writing instructor, Bob Samuels, are concerned over the demands this program would place on teachers. After teaching online courses he realized that the professors must be available 24 hours a day.
“I would literally get 50 e-mails saying, ‘OMG it’s Saturday night, my paper’s due Monday, and I can’t access the documents,” Samuels said at a recent UC Board of Regents meeting.
Undeniably, the future is pregnant with opportunity for growth. Change for the UC system, online degree program or not, is inevitable or they may suffer in the shadow of other online bachelor degree programs, perhaps becoming obsolete.
If you’re ready to complete an online degree program now and don’t know how to go about it, check out our Quick Guide to an Online Education.
What are your thoughts? Should the UC system become the first top-tier American university to offer an online bachelor’s degree?
