Thursday, July 15, 2010

“UC to develop new online courses for undergrads” plus 3 more

“UC to develop new online courses for undergrads” plus 3 more

UC to develop new online courses for undergrads

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 01:05 PM PDT

(07-15) 12:28 PDT San Francisco, CA (AP) --

The University of California is moving ahead with a plan to develop a new batch of online courses that could eventually lead to the country's first highly selective, Internet-based degree program for undergraduates.

Members of the UC Board of Regents expressed support Wednesday for a pilot project proposed by Berkeley Law School Dean Christopher Edley to test new forms of online instruction at the 10-campus system.

The UC Office of the president is raising money from private donors so faculty can begin developing 25 to 40 online courses, starting with those in highest demand, including calculus, chemistry and physics. It's unclear when students could enroll.

UC already offers 1,250 online courses, which Edley said could serve as a starting point for a more sophisticated, high-tech approach that gives students easier access to instructors and classmates.

Edley said an online undergraduate degree program would save the cash-strapped university money and expand access to students in California and around the world.

"We can't treat UC as a precious little box," he said at Wednesday's meeting in San Francisco. "Demand is growing."

Board Chairman Russell Gould, chairman of the UC Commission on the Future, said it's one way the university could thrive in an era of shrinking financial support from the state.

"We are in a position to lead," Gould said.

But Regent George Marcus was skeptical of the proposal, calling it "faddish."

Marcus said the project should be abandoned if data from the pilot program show the online courses aren't working.

Some faculty members and graduate student instructors have expressed concern that an online degree program could compromise the quality of undergraduate education and hurt the university's reputation.

___

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, www.sfgate.com/chronicle

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UC regents endorse test of online instruction

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 12:32 AM PDT

(07-15) 11:39 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The University of California Board of Regents reacted enthusiastically Wednesday to developing a fully online undergraduate degree program at the top-tier research institution they oversee, and endorsed a pilot program to test it.

"We have the opportunity to show everyone else how to do it," said Regent Sherry Lansing. "This should be one of our highest priorities. We cannot wait."

Despite earlier warnings from professors and instructors that taking UC online would destroy the university's good name and quality, several regents said they were convinced of just the opposite: that UC has the brainpower - and the motives - to develop the nation's first highly selective, Web-based degree program for undergraduates.

They largely agreed with the plan's leader, UC Berkeley Law School Dean Christopher Edley, that an online degree program could save UC money while expanding access to far-flung, tuition-paying students "from Kentucky to Kuala Lumpur."

"We are in a position to lead," said Regents Chairman Russell Gould, who created the UC Commission on the Future, which developed the online concept as one of many ways UC might thrive in an era of shrinking financial support from the state.

Edley sits on Gould's commission and expects to raise $6 million in private donations so faculty can begin designing dozens of rigorous online classes this fall. First up would be UC's most crowded courses: calculus, chemistry, physics, freshman composition and others, Edley said. It's unclear when students could enroll.

Providing easier access

UC already has 1,250 courses online, which Edley called a starting point for a more sophisticated "high-touch" approach that will give students easier access to instructors and classmates.

"It's not where you stick a couple of camcorders in the lecture hall," Edley said. "We're talking about high production values. Discussions in desktop video conferencing. Chat rooms and discussion boards. We'd use social-networking software that I'd say our students are already addicted to."

Even the group working on the idea never met in person, Edley said.

He told the regents, meeting in San Francisco, that expanding online would be less expensive than expanding campuses, while giving more students a chance to attend.

"We can't treat UC as a precious little box," he said. "Demand is growing."

With those tempting notions of equity and economics - and the suggestion that UC is in a race to become the first top-tier university with a stellar online program - Edley's arguments appeared convincing to the regents.

"It's the future," Regent Bonnie Reiss said.

Regent Dick Blum said, "We just can't keep teaching the way we did 200 years ago."

Some regents unconvinced

More skeptical was Regent George Marcus.

"I'm very concerned about this," Marcus said. "It's very faddish."

He told the regents that the project should be abandoned if data from the pilot program show it isn't working.

No one disagreed.

Only one public speaker addressed the online issue, speaking against it.

In the few minutes he had to speak, Bob Samuels, a UCLA writing instructor, said he learned how problematic online instruction is after teaching online courses.

He later said that online instructors have to be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"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 recalled.

Purchasing up-to-date software was a constant expense, he said, as was maintaining equipment and negotiating intellectual property rights: Do professors own the curriculum they develop?

In the end, however, Regent Eddie Island had this message for skeptical instructors:

"Lead this effort. Embrace it. It will be seen in the future as critical."

This story has been changed since it appeared in print.

E-mail Nanette Asimov at nasimov@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

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UC Board of Regents endorses online-only program, next year's student regent at meeting in San Francisco

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 03:43 PM PDT

SAN FRANCISCO – The UC Board of Regents expressed approval of a proposal for an undergraduate online-only degree program at its bimonthly meeting Wednesday.

Despite the ongoing budget crisis, Christopher Edley Jr., dean of UC Berkeley's law school, presented the proposal in hopes that the university might become the first premiere system to eventually grant such bachelor degrees.

If implemented, the pilot program will offer about 25 to 40 credited online courses, including the most heavily enrolled general education courses, beginning in the fall. The program also could allow students in the community college system to take courses for transfer credit.

"If we can answer the quality issue to the faculties' satisfaction, we can leverage an enormous amount of experience we already have on the 10 campuses and extension schools," Edley said.

During the last fiscal year, the university's Extension programs offered approximately 1,250 online classes, according to released statistics at the Regents' meeting in San Francisco.

"The (existing) courses have taught us a lot," Edley said, "and we could build on those, take the best of them and push them further."

A majority of board members and UC President Mark G. Yudof voiced their support for the program despite the continuing economic uncertainty for the university.

Regent Sherry L. Lansing said such an implementation of a program would come at the right time for current and future students.

"Kids learn differently. I watch children in schools today, and the computer is just part of their life," Lansing said. "In many ways, it's second nature to them."

Lansing added that she feels the university has the opportunity to show the nation how to pull off such a program because it currently retains the best and brightest faculty and students.

However, other regents said not all courses and topics may work with the proposed online structure, and further investigation is needed to identify what should be omitted from the program.

Edley reassured the board that the university's reputation as a prestigious research institution can separate it from other systems' former attempts to launch online degree programs.

His proposal comes at an interesting time for the University of California, which faces a precarious fiscal condition, according to Chairman Russell Gould.

Gould said California has a $19 billion budget shortfall, and the state legislature has yet to approve a budget.

In his opening comments, he referred to a Mark Twain quotation: "No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session."

Despite the imposed furloughs and recent student fee hikes, the university expects to welcome a large incoming undergraduate class in the fall.

Judy K. Sakaki, UC vice president of student affairs, gave preliminary numbers on the fall 2010 admissions to the Committee on Educational Policy.

Approximately 34,116 California residents gave statements of intent to register, a little under 200 less from last year.

Out-of-state and international students will make up about 8 percent of the estimated total of incoming freshmen; non-resident students pay over $20,000 more than resident tuition.

Committee discussion also included the community college transfer statistics. SIRs from resident transfers have increased by 14 percent to 15,718 from last year.

The UC-wide SIR figures also show a slight percentage increase in underrepresented minorities. From 2009 to 2010, the number of enrolled black residents increased from 3.8 to 3.9 percent. The number of enrolled Chicano/Latino residents grew from 20.9 percent to 23.1 percent, marking the largest UC-wide increase among underrepresented minorities.

However, committee chair Eddie Island said the system has not made enough progress regarding black and Latino populations.

He urged the board and the UC Office of the President to consider whether or not the system's current admissions construct will fulfill the pledge for adequate diversity. Island said he suggests that the current trajectory indicates that the university may not be able to ever meet the mandate.

A more comprehensive report on the fall 2010 admission outcomes will be available later in November.

The Regents also unanimously approved UC San Francisco graduate student Alfredo Mireles Jr. as student regent designate for the 2011-2012 year. The board appointed Mireles Jr. out of a pool of 54 candidates.

Taking his seat next to the current Student Regent Jesse Cheng, Mireles said he is committed to transparency, and he will be available to hear students' concerns and represent their interests.

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Bridgepoint Education's Ashford University Awards Ten More Project Working Mom Scholarships

Posted: 15 Jul 2010 08:30 AM PDT

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SAN DIEGO, July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bridgepoint Education Inc. (NYSE:BPI - News), a leading provider of postsecondary education services, announced today that Ashford University has released the names of ten recipients of full-tuition scholarships as part of the Project Working Mom program.  With these scholarships, Ashford is helping to fulfill the goal of a college education for ten deserving working parents.

The recipients of the Ashford online college scholarships are Deidra McMorris and Luz Verduzco, both of Los Angeles, Calif.; Paul Bell of Chulota, Fla.; Kelly Robinson of District Heights, Md.; Immaculate Busingye of Silver Spring, Md.; Tosha Jones of Fulton, Mo.; Darnette Porter of Charlotte, N.C.; Lisa Cuevas of Philadelphia, Pa.; Michelle Lozano of Houston, Texas and Tricia Payne of Maryville, Tenn.

Ashford has participated in the Project Working Mom program for three years. Previously, Ashford awarded ten scholarships each year to deserving applicants.  For 2010, the university tripled its commitment to Project Working Mom and will award a total of 30 scholarships spread out over three application periods.  The first round of applications concluded on March 1 and the second round ended on April 22 with scholarship recipients announced this month.  The final round of scholarship opportunities will close on Sept. 30 with the goal of awarding scholarships in October.

There were nearly 53,000 total applicants for the second round of the Project Working Mom program.  More than 12,000 of those applicants applied specifically for scholarships to Ashford University.

Project Working Mom was developed by eLearners.com, a web resource of EducationDynamics that connects prospective students with online educational opportunities.  The program was created to remove the barriers – such as finances and accessibility – that prevent working parents from pursuing their college aspirations. Ashford University is one of eight accredited online institutions that are donating more than 280 full-tuition scholarships worth nearly $5 million to the Project Working Mom campaign in 2010.

Applications are still being accepted for the final round of Project Working Mom 2010. Applicants must complete a short application at www.projectworkingmom.com and write an essay describing how they will benefit from a college education.  Winning applicants will be notified in October.  

About Bridgepoint Education

Bridgepoint Education's postsecondary education services focus on offering associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in such disciplines as business, education, psychology, social sciences and health sciences.  Bridgepoint Education's regionally accredited academic institutions – Ashford University and University of the Rockies – deliver their programs online as well as at traditional campuses located in Clinton, Iowa, and Colorado Springs, Colorado and are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org).  For more information about Bridgepoint Education, visit www.bridgepointeducation.com or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations at 858.668.2580.

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org). The university offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa campus. The university is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs.  For more information, visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of public relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513. 

About eLearners.com®

eLearners.com is one of several high visibility websites operated by EducationDynamics. Since 1999, eLearners.com has been successfully connecting learners to online education, including online degree and certificate programs, specialized career training, and a variety of online courses. For prospective students, eLearners.com provides a powerful search engine for users to find thousands of online degree program offerings, as well as educational evaluation tools and financial aid resources. For online colleges and universities, the eLearners.com website offers a low-cost, performance-based method to provide national exposure and increase enrollments in their online learning programs. For more information on eLearners.com, visit http://www.eLearners.com.

About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics, a portfolio company of Halyard Capital, is higher education's leading marketing services company dedicated to helping institutions find, enroll and retain students. Its content-rich and highly visible education websites, including EarnMyDegree.com, eLearners.com, GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, and its more than 50 special interest microsites, make EducationDynamics the premier provider of qualified prospective students for colleges and universities. In addition, the company offers a full suite of Web-delivered services proven to drive enrollment growth and reduce student attrition. Through its Market Research Services division, the company brings a decade of proprietary research, unparalleled market and student intelligence, and best practice insights to its clients. For more information, visit http://www.educationdynamics.com.

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