Florida's Higher Education Challenge

December 30, 2012

The digital revolution that's shaken so many businesses has not bypassed the hallowed halls of higher education, so it is good to see a new focus emerging on how to improve the range and quality of online classes offered by Florida's universities.

To make it happen, Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford this year proposed an audacious idea: create a separate university — Florida's 13th — dedicated solely to online learning.

For sometimes it takes a powerful idea — even a problem-plagued idea — to get people's attention.

Weatherford's goals are noble. He wants to replicate the success of Florida Virtual School, where more than 122,000 students in grades K-12 "are currently receiving a high-quality education at a fraction of the cost."

But let's be clear. Florida can't afford to create another new university. Besides, our talent resides in our existing universities. Sure, most professors probably don't know how to teach online, with its cameras, interactive chats and digital doo-dads. But these are smart people, of the calibre we want teaching our young people. With proper training and support, they can learn to teach online. First, though, we must set the expectation that they do so.

Building a separate university for online instruction would send the wrong message, one that says, "that's not our job. They do that over there. Those are lesser-than degrees." For the sake of public universities, faculties must embrace the future, which is headed online.

That's not to say that Florida universities aren't already doing a lot online. They are. State University Chancellor Frank Brogan says the University of Central Florida is doing a particularly good job.

But online offerings are hit-and-miss. The Board of Governors recently heard a report that said it's nearly impossible for students to find the path to securing an online-only degree, and for-profit universities increasingly are filling the gap.

Florida taxpayers have made a huge investment in our universities. We know higher education offers our children the best path to success. And we understand the economic engines our universities create in our communities.

But the money and politics at play in the university system — which creates me-too medical schools, unjustified spin-off universities and pet-project centers named for today's legislative leaders — keeps the system from developing a strategy that plays to individual strengths and keeps costs affordable.

You can understand the internal fear building around the idea of a "lead" university that develops online programs in specialty areas. But from the outside, it makes sense to select the best of the best, rather than a hodgepodge of English 101 online offerings from professors at each university.

From the public's point of view, the biggest shocker is that the university system wants to charge as much or more to take online classes. Already, Florida Atlantic University charges students $100 extra to take a class online.

What sense does that make? Teaching students in their homes saves the cost of adding new buildings, air conditioning classrooms, adding parking garages and paying for upkeep. An online student shouldn't expect to pay as much or more, since they can't raise their hand to have a professor — or too often these days, a graduate assistant — quickly answer their question.

Yes, online students still need human feedback, assessment and some advice on financial aid.

But if ever there were an argument for creating a separate online university, it is the old-school thinking among Florida's higher education leaders that students should be charged as much or more to take classes online. It defies logic to suggest savings couldn't be wrung from creating a great curriculum that reaches thousands, including students outside of Florida, rather than 25 in a classroom.

In articulating his bold idea, Speaker Weatherford applauded the K-12 online experience for delivering a "high-quality education at a fraction of the cost."

As they approach this brave new digital world, Florida university leaders should keep their pencils sharpened on costs and remember that old-fashioned rubber thing on the other end: the eraser.

To outpace the competition, university leaders must keep the customer first.

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