Universities are expected to be on the cutting edge of technology, but in the state of Washington, a proposal by Gov. Gary Locke might make some universities actually become the cutting edge of technology.
The proposal, created by the governor's 2020 Commission of the Future of Higher Education, suggests the possibility that in the future, college degrees may be attained through online coursework. In response to the report, around 850 faculty members signed a petition in protest.
University of Michigan Prof. Rees Midgely, a technology expert, said it is currently possible to do all the work necessary to receive a bachelors' degree online. "Clearly it is possible to get a college degree on the Internet," Midgely said.
But whether the necessary work can be done on the Internet is not the main concern of the faculty at Washington.
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| File Photo A recent proposal by Washington Gov. Gary Locke caused many to protest the possibility of receiving a bachelors' degree online. |
"Economics is going to drive it, unfortunately," Midgely said.
One of the petition organizers told the Chronicle of Higher Education that a large portion of the signatures came from members of the Computer Science department at Washington.
Still, if a person wants a bachelor's degree, then the technology will exist to make that possible within "two to three years," Midgely said.
Another question, then, would be whether universities would choose to make such options available. Midgely warned that doing so could hurt smaller schools without the technology resources of larger ones.
LSA junior Pam Hirschman said if given the option of gaining a degree on the Web, she would turn it down.
"I wouldn't want to gain an education from a computer," Hirschman said.
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