Panel Discussion:

Online Instruction, FIU, and the Future

Wednesday, October 7, 12 noon – 2pm
Faculty Lounge, GL-220

The recent announcement that FIU has contracted with Higher Education Holdings, Inc. to market and deliver online FIU degree programs has raised a number of questions. Is it wise for FIU to grant provision of online programs to a private corporation which will take 70% of the revenue? Will the ability of FIU faculty to teach courses and retain control of content be protected? Will grading—and even teaching—be outsourced?

More broadly, does the online revolution in higher education threaten faculty ownership of their intellectual property, with adjuncts or outsiders teaching courses faculty have created? Does it portend huge classes with little face-to-face contact between faculty and students, with an inevitable decline in quality of instruction? Does the advent of private firms like StraighterLine, Inc.—which offers all-you-can-take courses for $99 per month—make inevitable the commodification of higher education? How can FIU position itself to survive—and hopefully thrive—in the midst of the online revolution?

Panelists:

Joyce Elam, Vice President of FIU for FIU Online
Lorna Veraldi, Chief Negotiator, United Faculty of Florida, FIU
Enrique Villamor, Chair of the Faculty Senate Online Review Committee
Clark Wheatley, Director, Online MBA Program, College of Business

Pizza and soda will be provided.

Sponsored by the United Faculty of Florida — your faculty union