Technology and Intellectual Property Issues Committee

Distance Education:A Look at Recent

Developments in SUNY

Karen VolkmanSUNY Plattsburgh

[email protected]

Technology and Intellectual Property Issues Committee

• Considered to be a $200-$300 billion dollar industry

• Market survives in all types of economies

• Poor economy: seek additional job security

• Good economy: enhance earnings and career

For-Profit Interest in Higher Education Market


We are really competing with any institution that is providing degree programs for the adult professional worker. We have many advantages over state and private universities such as flexibility, convenience, and a career focus. We also have the ability to focus our attention on specific high-demand programs, the ability to move quickly, and profitably provide students high-quality programs.

Paula Singer, President and CEO Sylvan Online Higher EdOctober 7, 2002 The Wall Street Transcript

Sample CEO Vision



Apollo Compared to Nasdaq


Why Should SUNY Faculty Care About Commercial

Distance Learning in Higher Education ??


• State or community college distance education systems

• Course Management System Vendors

• Virtual Universities

• Corporate - University Joint Ventures

Distance Education by Category


UT TeleCampus (UTTC)

“The UT TeleCampus offers you several fully-online degree programs and courses of study. Many of these degree programs are collaborative in nature, joining several UT campuses in the delivery of courses to you, via the Internet. You'll find these degree plans have the same basic admissions requirements and curriculum as the on campus counterpart. The same faculty that

teach onsite teach these courses.”

System Distance Education Degrees



.UT TeleCampus (UTTC) Degrees

“ All of the UT System universities are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT Arlington, UT Dallas, UT El Paso, UT Pan American, UT San Antonio, and UT Tyler are also AACSB accredited (The International Association for Management Education accreditation) with the remainders in the AACSB candidacy process. Please also note that UT Arlington, UT El Paso and UT San Antonio use the word "online" on the diplomas

conferred via the MBAO program.”

What’s the Catch?


• Extensive Articulation Agreements

•Real Time Cross Registration

•FTE agreements between campuses

What’s Needed for the 65th “Campus”


• Continue SLN precedent of campus autonomy

OR

•Manage at System Administration

OR

•Manage under the authority of one of the 64 campus presidents

Who Would Manage the 65th “Online Campus” ??


• Maintain University accreditation

• Assemble course content with faculty superstars

• Use adjuncts to teach

Corporate -University Joint Ventures


• Focus on large enrollment classes, such as general education

•SUNY institutions are particularly vulnerable here with the unfunded general education mandate

Corporate -University Joint Ventures


The University Faculty Senate (UFS) and the Faculty Council of Community Colleges (FCCC) vehemently refused to accept the instruction of U.S. History II - From Reconstruction to Modern Day [Interpretations of American History II by a commercial higher education provider

TheTwo Step . . . “Backdooring”


All the University Colleges, University Centers, and Community Colleges have articulation agreements which are especially well linked with general education requirements

The “Backdoor”


•A Community College accepts courses from an outside vendor.

•The existing articulation agreements state that other SUNY institutions should honor the course.

The “Backdoor”


•The Community College is only using the commercial vendor materials as a course supplement

•The course actually does have an instructor of record from the Community College

•However. . . You can see the next step

Where are we at the moment


•SUNY System

•University of South Florida System

Let’s Take a Look at the Global Education Network’s

AdvertisingCampaign



GEN Advertising in SUNY Campus Newspapers Around

the State






GEN at USF


Tampa Tribune (Florida)November 15, 2002, Friday, FINAL EDITIONTAMPA - The University of South Florida promised changes Thursday after professors complained about a money-making decision that may help an academic competitor.

USF's new course guide features a full-page ad for an online history class offered by a company in New York. Leaders of that company, Global Education Network, made an on-campus pitch to students Thursday that included the offer of money for those who help recruit others to enroll.

The class is accredited through Hudson Valley Community College of the State University of New York, as the company's Web site says. But the ad inside the catalog's back cover is framed by USF's green and gold colors.

What stirred the professors is why USF would risk losing business in its campus or distance courses - and whether the ad mislead students to think the class is offered by USF.

• Work to maintain campus autonomy of the SUNY Learning Network

• Watch for commercial content providers positioning themselves to run general education classes via the “backdoor”

• Billions of $$ are at stake, GEN personifies a myriad of other education companies

Conclusions


Documents

Technology and Intellectual Property Issues Committee