Dive Brief:
- Faculty across the University of Maine are skeptical about a proposal for a systemwide online education strategy and its accompanying Center of Excellence in Digitally Enhanced Teaching and Learning.
- The Bangor Daily News reports Unified Online is the brainchild of Chancellor James Page to reduce redundancies, increase collaboration, and differentiate the missions of each institution across the system.
- Faculty took issue with the $3 million, three-year price tag of the initiative and the creation of an associate vice chancellor position to lead the project at a time when administrators have discussed a "fiscal emergency."
Dive Insight:
Faculty have also balked at the proposed level of control over curriculum by the Center of Excellence in Digitally Enhanced Teaching and Learning. In draft form, the chancellor's proposal doesn't have enough information about the amount of power the center will wield to assuage any instructor fears.
Many colleges and universities are navigating the complexities of shifting higher education online. The virtual space has the potential to greatly expand institutional capacity, and in turn, increase revenue. New England peer Champlain College has greatly expanded its student body through online programs that meet workforce development needs of corporate partners.