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Once Burned – Something Learned?

Like higher education institutions everywhere, the University of California is moving to expand its online course offerings, albeit slowly. The UC may be cautious for a reason: An earlier digital foray didn’t work out so well.UC Online Education launched as a pilot in 2010 with the expectation it would attract thousands of non-UC students willing to pay $1,400 to $2,100 per class. But the development and approval of courses were slow and the timing of the effort coincided with the growing enrollment in free online courses offered by elite universities, known as massive open online courses, or MOOCs. While more than 2,000 UC students have taken the for-credit classes offered through the program, only a handful of non-UC students have signed up.

…UC Online now has more than two dozen new courses under development. It will continue to try to attract non-UC students but at a “reduced level,” while seeking to improve access and scheduling flexibility for undergraduate UC students… A new marketing approach is being developed…

Full story from San Diego Union-Tribune at http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/may/07/uc-classes-easing-into-online-world/ 

In short, the online ed ball is rolling along but we don’t have to chase after it without being cautious:

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