A Texas higher-education panel is recommending that students be required to complete at least 10 percent of their degrees outside the classroom, through options like online courses.
The proposal is one of several online-learning ideas in a new draft report prepared in response to Gov. Rick Perry’s call for higher-education cost-savings recommendations.
The report also recommends that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board be given authority to create a new institution to offer associate’s programs online.
“If the University of Phoenix can be successful” providing online programs, “the question needs to be asked: Can the public sector do the same?” said Bernie Francis, a member of the committee of education and business leaders that the coordinating board established to produce the report. Mr. Francis, chief executive of Business Control Systems, stressed that he was offering his own opinion and not speaking on behalf of the committee.
It would be unusual for a state to mandate that college students take online courses, according to several national distance-learning experts. But there are other state and campus efforts now under way to shift instruction online. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, for example, announced a new push to have 25 percent of all system credits earned through online courses by 2015, nearly triple the 2008 level of 9.2 percent.
Richard Garrett, managing director at the consulting firm Eduventures, said requiring online education “would seem unnecessary” because it’s already “increasingly difficult to graduate from a mainstream higher-education institution and not have taken something that is more or less an online course.”
“It might create more negative feeling and go against what’s a pretty organic trend already,” he said. “In many ways, online is most successful where it’s been significantly bottom up rather than top down.”
Texas hopes to add 630,000 more students by 2015 under a plan, “Closing the Gaps,” to improve the state’s higher-education performance. That requires using buildings more efficiently and making better use of technology, said David W. Gardner, deputy commissioner for academic planning and policy for the coordinating board.
As the advisory committee sees it, the proposal to require students to complete at least 10 percent of their degrees through off-campus options represents a way to minimize construction needs. Beyond distance courses, other options that would satisfy the mandate include internships, placement exams for credit, and dual-credit classes.
The proposed requirement would apply to all undergraduates at public institutions in Texas, Mr. Gardner said.
The committee hopes to make freshman- and sophomore-level courses available online in a more centralized way, Mr. Gardner added. One option might be to build on the Virtual College of Texas, which allows community-college students registered at one institution to take online classes from other colleges in the state.
The online-learning push comes on the heels of a recent decision by the University of Texas system to close its central distance-education arm.
The coordinating board will produce its final recommendations to the governor by November 1.
21 Responses to Texas Students Could Be Required to Seek Off-Campus Learning Options
arrive2__net - August 3, 2010 at 2:56 am
This Texas program illustrates how accepted online education has become. I suppose the ‘creating a requirement’ is an attempt to make the transfer of students to an off-campus format more fair, since just limiting the number of available courses at registration would create winners and losers in getting into on-campus courses. One of the other options, credit by testing, could be highly economical, however, if online classes are taken through a community college that would likely be more economical than taking university courses. A large pool of online students may create opportunities to offer a more diverse variety of courses.Bernard SchusterArrive2.net
tjfarrel - August 3, 2010 at 7:04 am
When academic policy is driven primarily by a determination to cut costs, we’re all in trouble.
cmendis - August 3, 2010 at 9:21 am
I am a techy and I am all for online learning and for technologies which enable virtual learning. But one thing that’s being overlooked here is why the students choose a traditional university or college instead of an online university out of high school in the first place. The student (well the students parents) are willing to spend tens of thousands dollars for a traditional college education in part because of the “College Experience” you get living and studying with others your age in real life. Many students do not chose a college just based on the type of education it offers they chose it because of all the other intangibles that the school has to offer like renowned NCAA sport teams, frats/sororities etc., the ability to socialize and bond with others their age. If the traditional universities take that away and follow the online model, they are giving away the best marketing advantage they have against virtual learning only universities and colleges. A perfect balance has to be reached for the right reasons, but if the driving force behind converting traditional learning to online is mainly monetary, then I do not see how it can positively affect the overall student experience (not just education).
11200153 - August 3, 2010 at 9:25 am
An example of a very successful mainly online state university is the University of Maryland University College.
11200153 - August 3, 2010 at 9:37 am
Online Education should not be compulsory. It can be a very successful mode of delivery for some students but not all. At large state universities with huge lecture classes, online lectures combined, as course appropriate, with self-grading computerized practice exercises and small group learning/discussion/tutorial sessions can be more effective than the massive lecture. Some examples in math exist. Online education is not a “one size fits all” solution. Online teaching/learning can be effective and sometimes costly if done properly. Gail Wisan
washingtonwarrior - August 3, 2010 at 9:40 am
Comparing UT to Phoenix? That’s awful. Obviously Mr. Francis is a businessman and not an educator. UOP is not a model any self-respecting institution wants to mimic.
philostitute - August 3, 2010 at 10:55 am
Unfortunately the UOP model is the model many universities and colleges are imitating because of the monetary gain to be realized from having contigent faculty “facilitate” pre-designed classes without the benefit of autonomy or input into how these courses are administered. If faculty hold high standards and enforce plagiarism/academic integrity standards, the UOP model favors the student and most often changes the grade to pass the student. Contingent faculty who speak up are not rehired and everyone who wants to continue working knows not to “make waves” with “the customers.” Mandating students take classes online from a threatened contingent faculty is a recipe for profits, but not for learning. It represents the Wal-Martization of higher ed, but then again, the campus model is moving there too albeit at a slower pace.
dcryer - August 3, 2010 at 11:18 am
I’ve taught and designed online courses and feel they can be great for both students and instructors, but only if those students and instructors want and have chosen to participate in the course. Online courses aren’t for everyone, and that’s only one reason why they shouldn’t be compulsory. I also wonder – if the state mandates this, what resources will it commit to building the online education infrastructure at its schools? A good online education program requires quite a bit of front-end funding, for hardware, software, and experienced people to run them. And while there are a few good open-source online ed web-based programs, most classes offered on them are little more than lecture videos paired with reading assignments. Even with a dedicated and responsive instructor, that’s not enough to create the kind of learning experience most students want and need.
quicksilver - August 3, 2010 at 11:18 am
I am willing to bet that someone in the private sector has lobbied the TX legislature and/or Dept. of Ed. to get this passed. Someone somewhere will be making a ton of money off of these courses, and Texans can be assured that this is the primary reason why this policy has been passed. Of course, those in TX government will create all kinds of other reasons and cite “studies” (cost savings, space requirements, blah blah blah), but like everything is going these days, it’s all about obscuring the truth and ignoring those who matter the most.
11272784 - August 3, 2010 at 11:18 am
I have no problem with making as much of the college and university course inventory available online if possible. Learning continues and students who opt IN to that setting are well and effectively served, providing the classes are well designed and executed. We have 26 degrees available at a distance and we’ve invested a lot of time and sweat to assure they are quality courses, not crap.However, this action in Texas ignores some glaringly obvious drawbacks that are being conveniently ignored:- Some students are NOT self-motivated enough to succeed by taking online courses. They need the classroom setting.- Some classes are much more difficult to design well and deliver online – therefore, the chances are they will be poorly designed and executed. Students are hurt by this.- There is a false assumption this will save money. However, faculty still need to teach the course, and at research universities it won’t save a penny as faculty will still be fully engaged even if they’re not teaching.
smcdonald999 - August 3, 2010 at 11:23 am
I find pre-packaged learning materials more engaging and informative than sterile on-campus lecture halls. Why not allow students to shop on-line for the best professors, or complete courses provided by a companies like Great Courses or The Teaching Company? I’d rather learn calculus from an on-line course with animated exercises and fast forward/rewind capability than from a TA with no training on how to educate a young mind. You can still rely on universities for mentoring and testing to improve and measure learning outcomes. Just level the playing field so that the average lecture person must now compete with pre-packaged course offerings.
quicksilver - August 3, 2010 at 12:11 pm
#11, it’s phrases like “level the playing field,” “pre-packaged,” and “measur[ing] learning outcomes” that debase the art of teaching and redefine our universities as cookie cutter entities focused on uniformity as opposed to individualism. If we as a nation want to end up with an education system whereby students stare blankly at computer monitors or iPhones in their apartment bedrooms with no verbal interaction with or stimulation from other human beings, then that’s what we will get. I for one choose to rely on my university’s ability to teach and inspire, not to test and measure outcomes.
babo1990 - August 3, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Here we are once again looking at costs to the disadvantage of students. We need first to find out: Has there been a real understanding and commitment to the establishment of an excellent online learning system that is student learner focused?Are teachers/facilitators taught how to teach online and develop their students when they are not face to face?Are there specific performance based criteria, other than multiple choice, true/false questions, that will demonstrate learning?Do the educators understand how to teach online with the abundance of cultural differences they are likely unable to see?I could go on and on. My guess is that they are looking at this purely as a means to save money. This equates to watering down the learning and the degree.Here’s an even better way to save money. Charge a fee, like $1,000 to take a 50 question multiple choice test for the course. Make the student buy the book and read through it. If they pass, then give them credit. Savings: no teacher needed; little online use of school servers since they can use all the assessments set up by the publishing companies; no need for facilities. Win: $1,000 per course drops to the bottom line and the university has more money. The student gets the degree and credit.This seems silly, but how is this really different than asking a student to go buy the book and take the tests?And what about students who just need to have the structure of a live class? Where does that leave them?
texasmusic - August 3, 2010 at 1:29 pm
I agree that online courses are not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Not only do some students lack the self-motivation to succeed in online classes, but the online environment simply does not fit the individual learning style of every student. What one person can learn from simply reading about a subject, another person needs a verbal lecture, possibly with visual cues, to understand. And professors are notoriously bad at recording themselves lecturing without a live audience in attendance (just a comment from personal experience).However, if you want to see a university that’s successful with online programs, you need look no further than the University of North Texas. Their library science program, for example, has folks coming from all over the country (and other countries as well) just to participate in this program. And at the end, students end up with a degree that has UNT, a well-respected institution of higher learning. That degree makes no differentiation between whether the person sat in a classroom or worked online from home (perhaps in Minnesota rather than Texas) to earn it.On the other hand, Rick Perry is an idiot and needs to go.
archman - August 3, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Are there any actual college educators on this “higher education panel”??? Mandatory online education, what a pile of @#$%.Like a previous poster remarked, there is almost certainly a corporate lobby pushing for this. That or some redneck state legislator thinks this is a great way to further cut state funding to colleges.It’s really starting to suck being a professor in Texas. The Perry administration is slowly demolishing faculty governance and educator morale with these ridiculous, moronic, initiatives.
arrive2__net - August 3, 2010 at 6:09 pm
The perceived need for greater access to higher education at reasonable cost also was cited when the state of Indiana adopted an existing nonprofit online university, Western Governors University (see: http://www.in.gov/portal/news_events/54822.htm). WGU was originally started as a nfp by 7 state governors. Considering that college is becoming unaffordable to many Americans (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/education/03college.html) and that college cost increases have exceeded even those of healthcare … finding efficient and effective cost saving methods is actually critical, if America is going to maintain and increase its educational level, as “globalization” requires. Bernard SchusterArrive2.net
chriskox - August 3, 2010 at 9:31 pm
No small amount of contemporary higher schooling serves the purpose of extending adolescence or providing hope to those of middle age who have become redundant. In both cases it keeps them off the streets and for the most part, uncounted as unemployed. Does online schooling do likewise? If so, then it is of no greater harm.
11161452 - August 3, 2010 at 10:05 pm
As a UT grad in the arts, I can’t imagine taking 10 per cent of my classes online–the discipline is not conducive to that kind of instruction. Maybe the occasional general education requirement, like the giant lecture-hall history and government courses, would be a viable candidate for online study, but certainly not courses in the major (most of my credit hours). I’d like to “third” the notion that some corporation that supports Perry (and yes, he is an idiot) is in on this “educational plan”. That’s how it works here. Get out there and vote in November, Texans!
peggy875 - August 4, 2010 at 7:46 am
As a grad student, I have taken several online courses – some very good, a couple really bad. The same can be said for “in house” courses – depends on the instructor.Colleges and universities can benefit from an array of online courses, however, students need to be prepared to take an online courses which is very different from sitting in the classroom. Most colleges and universities fail at orienting students to use the online modality.Faculty can still have a great deal of autonomy in the online course. It does not have to be a “take out of the box” course.
flintlock - August 4, 2010 at 9:20 am
As a believer in the value of the final examination as indicator of “value gained,” I find it difficult to believe that online education, with its manifold vulnerabilities to precisely the kind of dishonest conduct that leads to political glory in certain states, can be taken seriously until we have rock-ribbed and iron-bound assurance that students who get credit in a course have done appropriate work in that course. A nurse who can’t check blood pressure is a menace to society, and an education major who has nothing worth teaching to teach will add value to no one’s life. The technology is thrilling, but let’s not allow ourselves to be thrilled into negligence in the crucial matter of quality control.
dneche - August 4, 2010 at 3:29 pm
As a former Texan & an alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin, I would hope that Gov Perry (aka The Hair) would stick to maintaining his coiffure for campaign appearances & not meddle this deeply in the operation of his state’s higher education enterprises. Such hair-brained proposals, should they ever be implemented, will only induce compliance-oriented behavior on the part of institutions & students at the expense of meaningful learning opportunities.Doug EasterlingUT Class of ’70