The University of California’s New Plan for Online College Courses

The University of California just unveiled its new plan to help the school and its students survive the recession with relatively few battle scars.  The university is now beginning to offer online courses, “with an eye” toward creating completely online degree programs.  This is a revolutionary announcement because the university is a large public force in California and this program is being used not to scam students out of money, but to help both students and the school find a way out of the recession.  Online courses from public schools make much more sense to students who are wary of the for-profit online schools, many of which have turned into diploma-mill institutions.

The University of California system in the state is the largest public school system in the nation, and has been a global template for higher education for the past 50 years.  Without some type of revolutionary change such as this one, the system would begin to deteriorate because of the effects the recession has had on the state itself.  However, this new plan has the ability to bring in more students than ever before to the California programs and to keep tuition costs at a low while still helping the school system inch its way out of its recession hole.  This new master plan for online college courses has revamped the entire university system in California and led to a new optimistic feel within the branches. 

However, there is still much red tape that needs to be dealt with before the online program can become a reality.  Many educators and politicians in California still do not agree with the concept of online education, and many have noted that costs are not cheaper than traditional classrooms, but can even run higher.  Online courses have to be carefully drafted, complete with lectures, notes, and online activities that allow students to keep up with the curriculum as if they were in a traditional classroom.  This may seem simple for for-profit online schools, but it is a very expensive, time consuming process for schools that are not receiving much financial benefit out of the process.

Aside from the costs to set up the online program, the reality of the online education movement coming to the nation’s largest public school system is somewhat optimistic despite the negative outlooks of so many critics.  This will allow the University of California system to get back on its feet while also allowing students to earn degrees from home, without the worry of what their degree will be worth when they graduate.  Earning a degree from a University of California school will inevitably be much more rewarding and secure for many students than a degree from a for-profit online college that is solely concerned with profits.