University of California System Bans Fully Online Degrees

[Kab]

It is my opinion but maybe the main issue here is breaking a monopoly that existed for long. If you have the main control of a product in a limited geographical area and appears a new contestant you will not be happy. If now the whole geographical area is the world and you have noncompetitive prices and cannot adapt... you will do what you need to survive. Even then the ban is waived if you do 50% of a year credits in residency no? this is like 6 month. so of 48 months of study you need 6 in person to make it acceptable. Sure the problem is distance learning...
At least they care about the local community and making sure they still get students to the area to pay for their tuition and local residence/shopping/etc. People coming to study can always ask for a Loan to pay for it.

[ReyMysterioso]

Do any of these people who swear butt-in-seat is inherently superior still correspond by writing physical letters and driving down to the post office to mail them?

[Jonathan Whatley]

Ban rescinded!

The University of California is ending a ban on allowing [undergraduate] students to study for their degrees entirely through online courses.

The UC Board of Regents voted 10 to 1 on Feb. 14 to repeal a year-old decision by the Academic Senate. That 2023 decision essentially banned [undergraduate] online degrees from the university system, requiring anyone seeking an online degree to get an exception to that “campus experience” requirement.

University of California Lifts Ban on Online Degree Programs: Even as the debate on online courses continues, the UC move is creating concern about shared governance between faculty and university leaders (Lauren Coffey, Inside Higher Ed, February 27, 2024)

[NotJoeBiden]

It was hardly a monopoly. The Cal State system and community college system have offered online degrees for years now.

Glad to see UC reversed the ban. Online education is the future. Maybe California will finally join NC-SARA.