At the end of Chapter 8, Eisenberg et al. pose the case of the networked university. The authors note that many universities have established campuses far from their primary sites, sometimes in other countries. Then the authors refer to the University of Phoenix, a for-profit institution, and similar organizations that "offer highly flexible degree programs that require very little in the way of physical presence in a classroom."
Partly because the textbook was published two years ago, the case and discussion seem rather quaint. As institutions of higher education, all colleges and universities should be examining ways to integrate new media into the classroom and learning experience. For traditional place-oriented schools, developing innovative ways to structure classes will be essential for survival. The U of Louisville, for instance, offers a bachelor's degree in communication that's completely online. Enrolling in online classes costs more than in person classes, but students are willing to pay for the flexibility online classes offer.
~ Professor Cyborg
Week 5: Blog 4
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Web Lecture: Procedural Democracy
I think the main point of this concept is that without it, you cannot have
democracy at all. A profound example of this i...
14 years ago
4 comments:
I don't understand why enrolling in an online class would be more expensive since the college would not have to use a classroom, electricity, supplies to teach, etc. I thought it should be cheaper if a degree is online since the only equipment the professor needs are books and the computer, no worries about a room, dry erase markers etc etc etc?
The original reason was to discourage students who lived on or near campus to take in person courses, leaving space for those who couldn't come to campus. In addition, online classes do require software and extensive technical support if they're to be delivered well. UofL's tech support is quite impressive. In addition, the university has comprehensive training for faculty.
I agree on the point that if traditional universities want to survive they need to integrate new media technology and learning experiences into their curriculum. I would like to see more on-line classes at the master degree program level. For instance, I believe the Mass Communication and Journalism department at San Jose State University would benefit from having classes or even certificate programs available all on-line just like the University of San Francisco has available currently. Today, there are master certificate on-line programs available in Supply Chain Management, Sales and Sales Management, and Internet Marketing through the University of San Francisco. They are more costly than SJSU’s fees but most people would pay for it if not only they can obtain a certificate but use those class credits towards a master degree such as the M.S. in Mass Communication.
SJSU is behind the times. Hard to believe the university is in Silicon Valley. But its location contrasts with its history as the oldest of the CSUs. For SJSU's 150th anniversary, the slogan was "Where tradition meets tomorrow." Many faculty joked that the slogan should have been "Where tradition meets yesterday." I've fought in my department for online classes and to get faculty to incorporate more online components into their in person classes. I've been teaching online for 10 years; this was the first year that all COMM classes included a Blackboard shell (not that I like Blackboard; more about that in my First Monday article). Many faculty didn't use the shells provided, but just having it there motivated a few to post their syllabi, assignments, and the like. SJSU is very slowly moving into the 21st century. I worry that the institution will not move quickly enough to survive.
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