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November 2006 | UC Notes Home |
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UC Adopts New Policy for Accepting Online Instruction
A new University of California policy for accepting online courses will set strict standards for providers of online instruction and assure students of access to high-quality courses from a greater number of sources, UC administrators say. Under the new policy — which will take several years to fully implement — the University will grant online providers "program status." This is the same status that applies to the College Board, for instance, for its AP program. Once a provider is approved, UC faculty will review its courses individually and establish a program course list on Doorways (www.ucop .edu/doorways/list) similar to existing lists for AP, AVID and others. UC campuses will refer to the course list of each online provider to determine if a particular course is acceptable. High schools will not have to add the courses to their own "a-g" course lists. "First and foremost, I think this will offer students a rich, diverse and academically rigorous set of course offerings that a great many students simply don't have access to now," said Mark Rashid, chair of the Academic Senate's Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, which adopted the new policy in October. "To me, that is the prime motivation of this policy. Really, I'm talking about equity of educational opportunity here." The new rules expand on the interim policy the University developed in recent years as a response to the rapid expansion of online instruction. This policy — which will remain in effect until the new one is implemented — was intended as a stopgap until UC faculty could establish more comprehensive rules that would clearly define the types of online courses and the learning conditions under which these courses could be approved for acceptance by the University. Under current policy, online courses are accepted in two ways: if they are offered by UC College Prep Online and PASS/Cyber High — at the moment the only approved providers, both with UC connections — or if a high school principal certifies that a provider's course is comparable to other college-preparatory courses offered at the school site. (The principal demonstrates certification by listing the course on the student's transcript, including the institution or provider that offered the course, the number of units and the grade.) The only laboratory science courses UC accepts now are those offered by UCCP. Under the new policy, even UC College Prep and Cyber High will be re-evaluated. Principals will no longer be required to certify online courses. The University may approve other providers' laboratory science courses if they meet guidelines that include a supervised, hands-on wet lab comprising at least 20 percent of the course — such as those offered by UCCP. Acceptance of online visual and performing arts courses will be subject to faculty review. UC expects the new online policy to affect students beginning with the 2008-09 academic year. Any online courses taken during that year and after must be UC-approved in order to satisfy the "a-g" requirements. When the new rules go into effect, students may still take online courses from providers not approved by UC, but those courses cannot be used to satisfy eligibility requirements. Rather than limiting a student's choices, administrators say, the new online policy is designed to accommodate more providers. And it is meant to be flexible enough to accommodate various formats of online instruction. At the same time, the new rules address the features UC faculty consider necessary for quality online learning. These include primary instruction and academic support by content experts, integrity of student assessment and maintenance of a "human touch" in the learning process. "That absolutely must be preserved," Rashid said. "There's a requirement that these courses be supported by teachers, that there be access to teachers by telephone, e-mail and so on." The criteria for attaining program status cover several categories, and providers are expected to satisfy all of them. For example, a provider must:
Although prospective providers have "a long path" toward approval, Rashid said, many should be able to meet UC's new standards. "I'm particularly excited about this, because I worry about just how varied educational opportunities are across the state. I like the idea of kids in poorly resourced agricultural communities being able to take a rich selection of honors-level courses online. That's a wonderful thing. And we really don't have that now." For more information on the new online course policy — which does not affect those applying to UC for fall 2007 — contact Jeanne Hargrove, coordinator, high school articulation and AWPE. For more information on UC's current online-instruction policy, go to the "a-g" Guide website and click on "Online Courses." |
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also in this issue:UCLA Adopts Holistic Review of Freshman Applications |
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© 2006 Regents of the University of California Last Updated: December 8, 2006 |
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