The University of California Board of Regents met today to decide on a few last items of business, including a discussion about online education and an update to the Faculty Code of Conduct, before appointing Janet Napolitano as the next UC president.
In the morning, the regents discussed the progress of online education at the UC, started by a report from UC Provost Aimée Dorr.
More than 3,400 online courses are currently offered at the UC, with more than 100,000 students enrolled, according to Dorr’s presentation. There are also five graduate degree programs offered in which students can earn a degree entirely online, Dorr said at the meeting.
Some regents expressed concern with aspects of the UC’s approach to online education.
Regent Bonnie Reiss said the board should pursue the concept as an avenue to truly improve education, rather than just a way to cut costs.
“It’s not a question of ‘if,’ it’s how we will (pursue online education),” Reiss said. “And we want to be at the forefront of that discussion.”
Under the the state budget enacted last month, Gov. Jerry Brown increased funding to the UC. In his original proposal, $10 million of the University’s funds was earmarked for online education. Though the money is no longer bound by these provisions, the regents still intend to use $10 million for online education development.
Regent Sherry Lansing gave credit at the meeting to Brown for allowing the UC to test online education, and reminded other regents that it is still in a beginning stage.
“We don’t know if this is going to work,” she said.
The regents also approved an update to the Faculty Code of Conduct that widens the definition of academic freedom to allow faculty to comment freely on University policies.
Daniel Mitchell, professor emeritus of the UCLA Anderson School of Management and UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, said in days before the meeting that he thought the code of conduct change may have come about on the agenda, from faculty, to preemptively avoid situations at other universities when this faculty right was restricted.
Compiled by Katherine Hafner, Bruin senior staff.