Univ. of Tennessee - New online degrees

The University of Tennessee University System (five RA state universities) will all offer five degree programs beginning in the fall 2001 semester. The cost will be $97 per semester hour plus a 25% service charge for in-state students. Out-of-state students will be charged a higher rate.

Regards to all, Wes

I have pasted the entire article for those of you interested in my details.

State schools set five online degree programs
By MICHAEL CASS
Staff Writer


Starting May 1, you can take advantage of Tennessee's first large-scale venture into online education by registering to earn a bachelor's degree in professional studies, an associate of arts degree or three other Web-based degrees from most of the state's public colleges.

The Tennessee Board of Regents system, the larger of the state's two higher-education systems, has announced the five types of degrees it will offer initially, pending approval next week by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Other details, including sample class materials and semester outlines for most of the 32 courses already developed, are available online at www.tn.regentsdegrees.org.

Registration continues through Aug. 31, with the first classes starting Sept. 4, culminating a busy year of planning.

''Things are really moving quite expeditiously,'' said Sidney McPhee, the Regents' executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

If THEC approves the plans Thursday, Regents schools will offer the following degrees, which students will be able to earn from the two-year college or four-year university of their choice, no matter where they live: associate of applied science in information technology; associate of arts or associate of science in general studies; bachelor of professional studies, with a concentration in information technology or organizational leadership; and bachelor of interdisciplinary studies.

Classes will feature many of the same elements included in traditional classes, like textbooks, assignments, tests and grades. But students will speak to their teachers and classmates in chat rooms or on electronic bulletin boards — the syllabus for American literature asks students to respect course ''netiquette'' at all times — and only a little, if any, paper will be used.

Richard Hannah, a professor of finance at Middle Tennessee State University who has used online instruction to supplement his traditional teaching, said it can work well as long as students don't have to wrestle with difficult computational problems, as in some economics or math classes, for example. For those classes, it's better if students can interact in person, he said.

Hannah also said some online courses may not have the intellectual rigor of traditional classes, in which face-to-face discussions often play a crucial role.

''But a lot of students don't have a choice. So the issue is, do they get it online or not at all?'' Hannah said.

McPhee said the system is targeting adults with some college credit who don't have time to go to school on site, including many who need a degree to bolster their careers. Most students will come from Tennessee, though residents of other states who are willing to pay out-of-state tuition will be welcomed.

The system can handle about 5,000 students this fall but is expecting 500-1,000, McPhee said.

Students will have to complete 60 credit hours, about 20 classes, for an associate's degree and 120 for a bachelor's degree. Those who earn an associate's degree in general studies will be able to apply those 60 hours toward a bachelor's degree, ''no questions asked,'' McPhee said.

Students can take as few or as many courses each semester as they wish. A full load of courses would equal 15 hours, but the system expects most working students to take a partial load.

The board will charge the same tuition as for traditional classes but will tack on a 25% fee to cover technology-related costs. Undergraduates from Tennessee who pay $97 per credit hour at Tennessee State University, for example, would pay an additional $24.25 per hour. The board, which raised tuition 8%-10% heading into the current academic year, could raise its fees again this summer.

At the current rate, a 15-hour load at a four-year school would cost $1,818.75. At a two-year school, where tuition is $56 per credit hour, it would cost $1,050.

Regent Jack Fishman, who pushed hard for the system to get into the online education market, said it's necessary to increase the percentage of Tennessee residents who have a college degree. That number is about 17%, putting the state behind many of its Southern neighbors.

''It will enable people to really step up to the plate and really improve Tennessee's standing,'' said Fishman, a newspaper publisher and editor in Morristown.

To make it easier for some residents to enroll, the board plans to offer computers at affordable prices. McPhee said staff members are reviewing bids from Dell, Gateway, IBM and Mac Warehouse and plan to make a decision next week.

Cathy Cole, THEC's deputy executive director, said 4,564 students took 250 online courses offered by the Regents system last fall. More than 6,800 students enrolled in the University of Tennessee's two online degree programs — an executive MBA and a master of science in information sciences — and 49 courses in fall 1999, the latest semester for which UT submitted data to THEC.