The technological growth that characterized the 1990s has
enabled colleges and universities to break the confines of the
traditional university, and offer bachelor’s and
master’s degrees via the World Wide Web.
Though electronic learning is typically facilitated by private
businesses interested in making a profit, educators praised the
educational quality of online degree programs, and said the drive
to make a profit has not affected the quality of education.
UCLA provides e-learning for the School of Nursing and UCLA
Extension.
The School of Nursing began to offer its Master of Science in
nursing in fall 2001. When the program began, it was the first
University of California degree available online.
To allay the cost of placing in-class courses online, UCLA
received a grant from eCollege ““ a public corporation traded
on NASDAQ that supports online learning for more than 150 colleges
and universities nationwide.
“eCollege has been great,” said Donna McNeese-Smith,
associate professor of nursing and coordinator of the nursing
administration graduation program.
She said eCollege’s motivation to make a profit ““
the company’s stock grew more than 75 percent last year
““ has not compromised the quality of education offered to
students.
“Working with them is higher quality (education),”
she added.
Many other distinguished universities, like University of
Virginia, University of Oklahoma and Seton Hall use eCollege
because of the benefits it offers students.
“The outcomes, educationally, are very substantial,”
said Seton Hall associate provost Charles Edinger.
“Students get more hours with an instructor in online
courses than traditional courses because they are operating
24/7,” he added.
Edinger equated eCollege to a publishing house, which makes
money from the support materials and textbooks they provide.
The profits made by eCollege are directly associated with the
financial and academic success of the institutions it supports,
said Bob Haines, vice president for marketing and strategic
communication for eCollege.
“If they don’t get their program off the ground …
we never get paid,” he added. “It behooves us to
supports our clients’ programs.”
eCollege receives about $3,000 for every class it sets up for
UCLA’s School of Nursing, McNeese-Smith said.
Students subsidize the cost by paying $120 per quarter for a
four- unit class, on top of regular student fees.
UCLA Extension also decided to offer courses in cyberspace.
Students cannot receive a degree, but they can earn a certificate
in a focused field of study.
“Some certificates you can get entirely online,”
said Extension spokesperson Julie Jaskol.
When the Extension began providing online education, it was
aided in marketing and course administration by onlinelearning.net,
but the school’s online program is moving away from the
private business, Jaskol said.
“As we gain more experience, we recognize we can do these
things ourselves,” she added.
Jaskol said that by June 2004, UCLA Extension plans to have full
control of its online courses, which will receive most of their
support from student fees.
Many UCLA professors applaud the e-learning, but warn
universities not to compromise the quality of their product.
“There is nothing that says you can’t offer a
high-quality education on a for-profit basis. The bottom line is
what is the quality of the experience,” George Geis, adjunct
professor in the Anderson School of business at UCLA.
Education professor Val Rust said one of the big dangers of
globalization is that education is increasingly being seen as a
commodity.
“People who can buy it, will buy it, and people who go
into the business of education will sell it,” he said.
Rust said that the “eternal question” is how to
balance the interests of academia and distance learning with the
moneymaking interests of businesses involved in online
education.
Geis agreed, “It all comes back to the quality.”