The philosophy professors said they would not oppose the integration of “blended” courses, but stood firmly against “one-size-fits-all” MOOCs as a technology that would erode the institution’s educational quality.
The university announced April 10 that it would expand its edX pilot program that will make the edX engineering class available to as many as 11 of the 23 California State University system schools, reaching thousands of students across the state.
edX President Anat Agarwal said the traditional model of lecturing — or “spouting content,” as he said — doesn’t fit today’s digitally minded college student. That, he said, is largely why universities have adopted MOOCs.
edX is a nonprofit online learning platform established in 2009 by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to provide high-quality education for free to students around the world. Agarwal said the nonprofit would charge a licensing fee for use of their web-based learning platform, but that “hopefully it will be a net win for everybody” while reducing college costs.
Qayoumi said the effort to expand the use of edX in California colleges and universities was in part driven by the completion rate in the pilot program’s blended classes. Nine in 10 students completed that class, Qayoumi said, while just six in 10 students completed the traditional engineering course.
“We’re definitely experiencing a breakthrough in this area,” he said. “I believe the future of public universities rests in our ability to adapt … and collaborate. … Our students brimming with such potential and drive deserve nothing less.”
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