Last week, I offered some of Jeffrey Selingo’s arguments about the future of higher education from College (Un)Bound. Much of that book is focused on the ways in which new technologies—from big data to online learning—are reshaping college education. So, this week, it seems a good time to make sure you’re aware of the SUNY system’s new online venture: Open SUNY.
Open SUNY expands the system’s online presence with a focus on expanding student access and increasing completion. The new approach to online learning at the system level adds a component of experiential learning and advisement. It has an official launch date of January 2014.
To be sure, online learning is not new in SUNY and is certainly not new to MCC. We have a strong online presence and have long been seen as a leader in the SUNY Learning Network. Our collaboration with other SUNY colleges in the Online Western New York Learning Alliance (SUNY OWL) is a great example of MCC’s innovation and leadership.
SUNY seems to have recognized that it should not reinvent the wheel in online education but should build on successes across the system. Rather than develop new programs, Open SUNY is proposing a model that will lift some college-based degree programs to the system level. SUNY is currently looking for colleges to “nominate” programs for consideration, and MCC is reviewing its response to this request. The colleges and programs selected will partner with SUNY on design of both the courses and the instructional supports.
Recognizing that the online class materials do not stand alone, Open SUNY is also looking to the colleges to provide examples of best practices in faculty, student, and administrative support. These could range from faculty professional development to student help desks to intellectual property policies. Again, MCC is reviewing this request to determine which practices it can share.
The system recently launched an information website on Open SUNY that includes a feedback survey: https://commons.suny.edu/opensuny. Educational Technology Services Vice President Jeff Bartkovich has been actively engaged in the discussions on Open SUNY, so in addition to sharing your thoughts via the survey, I encourage you to reach out to him with any questions, comments or concerns about this new system-wide effort.
And, of course, I welcome your thoughts via a comment on the blog.
Anne M. Kress
President's Office
09/25/2013 |