From the Harvard Crimson:
Fifty-eight professors from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
requested in a letter Thursday to FAS Dean Michael D. Smith that he
appoint a faculty committee to draft “ethical and educational
principles” that would provide a framework for FAS engagement with
HarvardX, the University’s curricular contributions to edX. The
letter, shared with The Crimson by one of its signatories, asks that
those principles be brought to a faculty vote in the 2013-2014 academic
year. "It is our responsibility to ensure that HarvardX is
consistent with our commitment to our students on campus, and with our
academic mission,” the letter reads. “Given the rapid pace of
development of HarvardX, we believe it is essential to have a formal,
sustained, and structured faculty discussion on these issues as soon as
possible.”...
The faculty first extensively discussed HarvardX as a body at its monthly meeting last December, and a number of professors have voiced concern about the project in recent months. Most recently, at the May faculty meeting,
a number of professors have questioned what they described as Harvard’s
rapid advance into online education. That debate, which was part of a
larger conversation about the faculty’s relationship with
administrators, centered around what several professors called a lack of
meaningful consultation on the development of HarvardX...
Full story at http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/5/23/professors-edx-oversight-fas/
The letter from the 58 faculty members (with a listing of their names) is at:
http://www.thecrimson.com/flash-graphic/2013/5/23/edx-faculty-letter-smith/
The Chronicle of Higher Education has a story about the letter which includes this information:
...(T)he 58 signatories of the letter, out of the hundreds of professors in
the FAS, might not get their way. In a written statement to The Chronicle, a spokesman for the dean suggested that a new committee, consisting solely of FAS professors, was not in the cards...
Full story at http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/harvard-professors-call-for-greater-oversight-of-moocs/43953
UPDATE: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/05/28/harvard-professors-demand-greater-role-oversight-edx
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