Let's start our own University!

I have reviewed, for some time, many of the postings on this board and found that there is a great interest in distance learning. Unfortunately, there are few good programs, and those are costly. There appears to be enough Ph.D.s and Masters level folks on these discussion boards to staff a distance learning faculty and form a unique school, by the people, for the people, as a non-profit! Combining the Excelsior model of approving credit earned from accredited sources and other tried and true distance learning options, we could offer a real service to our fellow citizens. Just a thought I had, and hope it will generate fruitful discussion among you regulars. I know there are hurtles involved, but thing the outcome will drive change and make higher education more accessible than ever.

Mark Holtzclaw,
BS FSU
MSW FSU
MPA FSU

 

Interesting idea Mark...

Any idea where we would pull the $1-2 million in start up funds?

 

http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html

 

Funding

I imagine that we could start like any other non-profit or new entity and formulate/float the idea/cause...develope a business plan, identify leadership and scope out using academic needs assessment, develop offerings and work towards following and meeting educational standards for acredited distance learning programs. I am not the funding wizard, but I imagine that funding could occur from multiple sources including grants, donations, endowments and other sources, providing the effort is demonstrated to be a genuine effort by serious academics to put this on the map.

 

Re: Funding

Hi Mark

My hunch is it is little more complex than that. You would need to identify a source for intial seed money in the $40k to $200k range. Then you would need to come up with funds for the first few years of operation until accreditation could be secured. I would think $1-2 million is a fair guess at the low end assuming much donation of services. Now if you know an organization willing to support the intial effort to the tune of say $100k that could make it possible.

 

My point!

EXACTLY! My point is that we could form and be THAT organization. We could raise that amount and more through planning and support from public and private sources. I never said it would be easy, but I do know it is possible. It will take time and yes we all know that there will always be nay sayers, but all obstacles can be overcome if the desire is there.

 

Greetings

>> Newbie <<

Interesting note: my parents own a private school that trains and licenses healthcare professionals in Risk Management, Medical Legal Consulting, Forensic Nursing and like 10 other programs. The are licensed by many organizations including the State of Florida, have 2 actual campuses and a myriad of online courses.

The school is 15 years old and they have educated something like 20,000 students. The offer no degree or anything (just certifications, licesure or CEU's). Here is a starting point to begin a university! When I worked for them about 5 years ago, I had spoken first with DETC and later with SACS about accreditation and our intent to possibly offer Bachelor's degrees. Unfortunately I quit before we began the process and my folks decided they had enough to do than worry about it.

 

The potential for being hurtled into the hoosegow would be one dissuading factor. If the courses are not gratis then you'd have to be prepared to deliver what's promised.

I don't know why you say there are "few good programs" when there seems to be ample distance learning programs in most disciplines.

 

Re: Greetings

Which school do your parents own? Just curious.

 

?

Not sure why the "hoosegow" would be invoked here, as I am advocating doing this by the numbers and by the rules. As far as ample goes, my research shows no affordable and accredited PH.D. programs, save one in Lincoln Nebraska for education. I'm all ears if you can offer any other AFFORDABLE Ph.D. program in the continental United States. Excelsior is the only reasonable distance program I could find for undergrad and liberal arts masters level programing. The only problem is that their Master's programs are generic (although they do offer a MSN). Thanks.

"Don't Say Nay...Say Yea!" I always Say!

 

Re: ?

I am going to take a guess and say that you have not looked here. http://www.fhsu.edu/virtualcollege/

 

Re: ?

Is this to be an RA institution?

Is it to offer degrees from undergraduate to doctoral?

 

Affordable distance learning...

Kewl...But where's the affordable Doctorate? I see where they offer Bachelors and Masters...but no Doctorate. I'm sure there are lots of folks who would like to earn their Doctorate legitimately, but don't want to shell out $20K or more to do it, and rightly so!

 

Khan,


www.floridarisk.com

 

Must Seek To Be Accredited

Any effort of this kind should seek legitimacy through accreditation.

 

Re: Affordable distance learning...

Are you saying you think $20k is unreasonable for a Ph.D.? I have briefly looked at doctorates and the figure I often see is around $75k.

 

That's what I'm saying! Too Expensive!

Yes, 20K is too much for a Ph.D. When people reach the point that they are ready for a Ph.D., they should have at least a Masters (or two in my case), under their belt. All that should remain are core Ph.D. advanced research courses in the pursued subject area and the dissertation. Total credit hours should not exceed 30 credit hours total. Cost per credit hour at FSU per credit hour for graduate studies is $ 218.76. If any of their Doctoral programs amounted to only 30 hours, the tuition cost would be around $6500. I don't know who is pay 75k other than MD's and some Lawyers, but anyone else is getting ripped off. The problem with most programs is they add too many courses at the Ph.D. level. They range from 45 credits to 60 credit hours including dissertation. Really not necessary, when you get most of the research and advanced core coursework at the masters level. -Mark-

 

I would so much enjoy seeing such a cost effective venture that I'd volunteer my assistance for a year just to help make it go. I'd bet others would as well...

Unfortunately, we seem to be a society that puts much weight on cost - you get what you pay for so such a school would likely have a low reputation simply because it wouldn't charge $10k per year for degrees.

It would be interesting to see another option added to "the big three" as a non-profit/altruistic endeavor. Maybe even one that didn't go the route of "all things for all people" but instead stayed in one narrowly defined area - such as a general liberal arts/sciences program based on the earlier Excelsior model:

such as:
60 hours defined "core" in liberal arts
+ 60 hours liberal arts electives (1/4 upper level)
= BA (or maybe an AB)

60 core + 30 lib arts electives + 30 general electives (any 15 upper level) = BS (or maybe ScB)

Maybe even a 30 core + 30 elective - AA and AS

All using the KISS (Keep it simple...) method. Do one thing and very well.

Accept credit from RA transfer, CLEP/DANTES, ACE recs. -- no "portfolio assessment" or "life experience" by itself...

No major, no minor, no concentration, just a plain old fashoined liberal arts generalist degree with sufficient elective decision to allow a student to concentrate in just about anything he/she can find coursework in.

Maybe even all of this for less than $500

Then, once this is in place, develop an MA program on the same model -- (hmmm what to do about standardized equivalency testing at the grad level -- 30 hours liberal arts + thesis) and then once established, a PhD or DA program on that same model.

A model that would allow someone to do coursework at any grad school as a visiting student and apply all of that credit on one transcript into an MA in nothing or everything depending upon your perspective...

An MA and a PhD/DA/DSc liberal arts generalist degree at low cost --

hmmmmmmm......

 

Re: That's what I'm saying! Too Expensive!

Hi Mark

I was looking in the Psychology field where many students go straight from a B.A. to Ph.D. program and get the M.A. on the way. There are state schools in the lower range but they accept like 8 out of 200 applicants, and are obviously VERY hard to get into. The private schools seem to range from $60k on up with $75k being pretty near the middle.

It really does sound like the English, S.A., and Austrailian schools would be pretty much what you are describing. You may want to check them out further.