The Calstate Online Initiative A Critical Discussion revised March 31, 2012

The Calstate Online Initiative A Critical Discussion

revised March 31, 2012

Sources• CSU Online Power Point by T. Yamada, A. Shreck & S. Filling

presented at the January 2012, CFA Leadership Conference.• National Education Association Reports (NEA)• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)• AS CSU Online Education White Paper • Richard Katz Reports (www.calstateonline.net)

Online Learning Today: The PlayersCSU at a CrossroadsTrends in Online LearningOptions for CSU in the Online Higher Education Market

• Wilson, R. For Profit Colleges Change Higher Education’s Landscape. The Chronicle of Higher Education. February 7, 2010.

Contents

• What is the Calstate Online (formerly called CSU Online) Initiative?

• Faculty Concerns• Good for all students?• Recommendations for Protecting Best

Practices & Addressing Faculty Concerns

First Things First The Stereotype

• Faculty hate online education!Multiple studies (see NEA) find that faculty:

hold favorable views of online teaching.view online education as having the potential to

reach more students & meet student needs.

Faculty do oppose the implementation of online practices when the aim to cut costs in ways that impact quality.

What is the Calstate Online Initiative?

The Parties• Technology Steering Committee (TSC)

The TSC (9 campus presidents & 3 AVCs appointed by the Chancellor) developed the Online Initiative.

• TSC Established the Online Working Group (OWG)OWG coordinated the Katz Reports

• Richard Katz & Assoc. An outside consulting firm produced a series of reports.

• CUS Online Governing Board (OGB)Members appointed by the Chancellor to establish policy &

provide oversight to the executive director.

• Ruth Claire Black appointed Executive Director

First Concerns

• Lack of adequate faculty representation on the TSC, OWG & OGB

• Lack of adequate consultation with campus senates

• Lack of adequate consultation with campus provosts and Deans of Extended Education

• (additional concerns to be discussed later)

Motivations

• Public claim:– Reach new markets:• Military personnel & returning vets• The workforce development market• International markets (going global)• Open access to under served populations & regions

(e.g., rural regions)

Another benefit:• Reduce cost & increase “profit”

What’s the plan?• Detailed plans for implementation have not been

made public. They claim it is a project in process. Is it an auxiliary or part of Extended Ed? Why does this matter?

• Some information has been put forth by the three governing bodies on the CalState Online website: www.calstateonline.net

• California Public Records Act, T. Yamada & S. Filling accessed (redacted docs limited full access) additional information.

Example of Redacted Documents

TSC, OWG and/or OGB Claim

• No 24th campus (auxiliary or extended ed?)

• Start by implementing existing MA programs (54)already offered through extended ed on CSU campuses

• Collective Bargaining Agreement will be honored (currently under negotiation with changes demanded by the Chancellor and opposed by CFA)

• Outsource certain functions. RFP requests proposals from firms “presently engaged in the business of providing comprehensive online course and program delivery services…”

OutsourcingOutside Providers

Services / Tech Support (24/7 help desk) Marketing

Content [aka Curriculum] Contract Consultants Western Governors University (?)

Key Faculty Concerns Unbundling – Adam Smith's division of labor gone mad? That is, the potential outsourcing of course

development. Separation of course development from delivery Intellectual property rights

Developed by F. King Alexander (President of Long Beach & a TSC Member)

Western Governors University

• A private, non-profit online university• Accredited by Distance Education & Training

Council (DETC)• Competency based model• WGU graduation rate is 23%• No professors – Courses administered by Monitors.

CSU Online

No professors?

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12853506/we-dont-have-teachers-at-wgu

Outsourcing

Are faculty unduly concerned?

• Here is what Richard Katz has to say about teachers (recall Katz & Associates were contracted to produce reports on Calstate Online).

Richard Katz:Calstate Online: Getting rid of obstacles

“The Notion of Class Time as Separate from Non-Class Time will Vanish.”

The Futurist, November, 2010

“I have designed the teacher of the future. Instead of using people I

have chosen cyborgs because they don’t need to be paid.”

Summary of Faculty Concerns• The TSC, OWG and/or OGB have not adequately

addressed:

Faculty control over course development & delivery Intellectual property rights New hires? – Unit 3 faculty or monitors hired through Extended Ed?– CFA has not been consulted

Workload Quality of the CSU degree Cost to students Structure: CSU ONLINE Portal (courses interchangeable between

extended ed and state side with different costs and faculty pay scales)

What about students?• Older, working students are more likely to complete an

online program.– NCES data for 2007-08 shows, 9.5% of all undergraduates enrolled

in college were enrolled in for-profit online program. – 6.2% of all students between 19-23 enrolled in college were in a

for-profit online program. This compares to 17% of students between 30-39.

• Studies find that students with limited mobility benefit from online degree programs.

• Some argue that online degree programs make college more accessible to people of color.

Race, Ethnicity & the Educational Divide

• Despite some improvement, Black & Hispanic students are underrepresented in postsecondary education.

• NCES reports that in 2008-09:• 71.5% of BA degrees were earned by whites• 9.8% earned by Blacks• 8.1% earned by “Hispanics”• 7.0% earned by Asian/Pacific Islanders• .8% earned by American Indian/Alaska Natives

Race, Ethnicity & for Profit Degree Programs

• Blacks & Hispanics – overrepresented in for profit online programs that tend to

be more costly & have lower graduation rates.

• NCES data shows that of all students enrolled in college (includes private for-profit, public 2year & public or private non-profit 4 year):

– 16.9% of all Blacks were enrolled in a for-profit. – 14% of all Hispanics were enrolled in a for-profit.– 7.2% of all whites & 5.7% of all Asians were

enrolled in a for-profit.

WGU

• WGU, a private not-for-profit, is one of the less expensive programs @ $6,000 per year.

• WGU does mentor students on how to manage debt.

• However, the cost for Calstate Online has not been released by the TSC, OBG, or the OWG. They will be pricing it competitively with other online programs like ASU Online

Additional Concerns

• Pew Center Report warns that although “internet & broadband populations have become more diverse over the last decade,…key disparities remain.”

Report found: Small differences exist between blacks and whites in

broadband use at home.Gap on laptop ownership has closed, but a gap in desktop

ownership remains. “Minorities” are more likely to access internet through cell

phones. Language is a barrier to internet use for immigrant

populations.

Default Rates

• Studies find larger loan debt & higher default rates in for-profit institutions.

• Loan debt & default rates may be distributed unevenly by class and race.

Quote

• In his article on for-profit institutions, Wilson (2010) indicates that university leaders say,

• “…their students are bound to have higher load default rates because they are more likely than students on traditional campuses to be low income, to live on their own, and to be the first from their families to attend college.”

Finally

• Studies on race, ethnicity find that the following are important factors in retention & graduation rates of students of color.

– One-on-one faculty/student mentoring – Student-to-student mentoring– Integration into campus culture

• Can this be accomplished in an online program?

Addressing faculty concerns & student success

• Sampling of “best practices” (NEA & CSU Online White Paper).

– Be an ongoing presence in the course (NEA studies show students give higher ratings to courses with ongoing faculty/student interaction).

– Create active & engaging learning environments with dynamic activities

– Reasonable workload is a key to quality• NEA recommends departments/faculty control course caps.

– A majority of students rate the delivery of courses by “real” professors higher than other courses using other forms of delivery.

Discussion

• Discuss CSU Online White Paper policy recommendations. – Hand out copies to attendees.

• How can CSU maintain quality in a context of increasing political pressure to privatize?

• What policies does our campus need to develop?– How can we ensure that faculty retain control over

the development & delivery of online courses?– How can we ensure that the needs of diverse

students are met with Calstate Online?

To keep updated on CALSTATE ONLINE developments join:

The FACEBOOK group CAL STATE ONLINE – FACULTY TASK FORCE

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cal-State-Online-Faculty-Task-Force/257599740932542