Online Drones

Inside Higher Ed today is reporting on resistance to online courses at Rutgers.  Blog readers who have followed the online ed/MOOC debates won't see surprises except for one element:

The effort to offer more graduate degree programs online at Rutgers University at New Brunswick hit a snag on Wednesday, as faculty members in the Graduate School voted to block new programs from being approved...

Faculty members have to sign a separate contract with the university to create an online course, which Hughes said strips them of their intellectual property rights. A draft of the agreement states that “Due to the particular requirements of an online program, this license specifically includes the right to have the course taught by others.” 

“A lot of faculty see red when they read that,” said [Anthropology Professor David] Hughes, who pointed out the clause would allow the university to “unbundle” the role of an instructor. In a worst-case scenario, he said faculty members could in the future be replaced by an underpaid “drone army of course facilitators” hired to teach course material created by their predecessors...

Full article at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/11/rutgers-u-graduate-school-faculty-vote-block-pearson-partnership

The contract is at http://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/files/University%27s%20draft%20online%20course%20agreement%20-%20full-time.pdf

Perhaps you will recall former UC president Yudof's statement at the Regents that we wouldn't have droning:

Note: Another article in Inside Higher Ed reports:

...AAUP says that colleges and universities have ramped up ownership claims to property subject to copyright, as well – including online course content...

Full article at http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/11/new-aaup-report-urges-faculty-protect-intellectual-property-rights