User:Geoff Plourde/College

Restoring the Benefits of Free Knowledge: A Proposal for a Free University

Background
Knowledge has become more accessible over time. At first, it was restricted to those who could afford to study it. Now there is a free culture movement. This movement aims to bring the sum of all human knowledge to the world for free.Through volunteer projects that create educational resources, people no longer have to buy educational materials.

However, there is a facet of knowledge that is still restricted. While free culture has made a plethora of free educational resources, free instruction is virtually nonexistent. Formal education still has a price as students must pay to take courses for credit. There is no free way for the majority of the world's population to acquire a degree and better their lives, without cost. Therefore, in accordance with the principles of free culture, it is proposed that a tuition free online university be established. This free university would make for a better world by allowing anyone with internet access to study for and receive their degree, No longer would cost be a barrier to education. With these skills, people would be able to bring themselves out of poverty. The world would also gradually become more educated. A better educated populace would lead to smarter solutions and a better world.

Name and Governance
The tuition free online university would be called Frontier University. Like any other university, Frontier University would be a degree granting academic institution. The name was selected because this college will be a new frontier in education.

Frontier would be divided into schools and colleges that focus on specific areas. Each of these divisions would choose one of the University Regents. These Regents would be the main supervisory authority when sitting as a Board. In addition to providing University leadership, these divisions would make all recommendations for degrees. Despite the recommendation coming from a college, the main work and exact criteria would be developed by departments. Department chairs would serve as leaders of their departments and would collectively have the power to remove the dean. Deans would be division leaders and be elected by the faculty. The majority of schools would be exempt from departmentalization, as they would focus on a specific discipline. The deans of these schools would be elected and removed by their faculty, unlike colleges. In accordance with free culture principles of democracy, leadership would be expected to consult with colleagues prior to taking action, would be removable, and would continue as faculty.

Curriculum
All courses would be free of charge, making Frontier unique among academic institutions. Studies have shown that using information is the most effective way to retain it. Therefore it is anticpated that as many courses as possible will be designed around a learning by doing model.. As part of a course, students will work on content utilizable by society. This will provide both the world with educational resources and the student with a sense of accomplishment and pride. Memorization and practice (by rote) will also be used where necessary, as those techniques have been proven over history. Despite the model, every course will be taught at the same level or higher as those taught at a traditional university. Faculty would establish connections with other universities and be expected to compare curriculums.

As with a traditional university, when students have acquired enough course credits, they will be eligible to receive a degree. While tuition will be free, a small fee might need to charged to cover the cost of the degree. It is hoped that a grant would be secured to offset this cost though. All degrees would be the same as any other academic degree with all the powers thereof and would range from Associate to Doctoral level.

60 credits would be required for an Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences degree. Half of these credits would be in general education to provide a more rounded graduate. The AA in general education would be entirely composed of general education and could be applied to the undergraduate general education requirements.

120 credits would be required for a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. As with AA and AS degrees, half of the credits would be in general education.

Graduate level degrees would be granted upon completion of a graduate course of study. Examples of such degrees are the Master of Arts and Master of Sciences degree. The M.A. would require a thesis and defense. The MS would require a research project. Graduate students might also be required to work on a undergraduate course in their discipline

Doctoral degrees would be granted to those who complete a doctoral course of study. For Ph.D.s a dissertation and research project would be required. For J.Ds, a rigorous curriculum would be required.

Many online universities sell honorary degrees. To maintain the reputability and value of degrees, honorary degrees shall only be issued by the Board of Regents, and only in exceptional cases.

Faculty
Faculty would be organized by department and consist of four levels of Professors. All faculty would be part time volunteers. Adjunct Professors would be volunteers that would teach under the supervision of another Professor. They would not be required to have any prerequisites other than knowledge of the subject. Associate Professors would be junior Professors and would be restricted to teaching lower division undergraduate courses. An Associate Professor must hold a graduate degree in the discipline. Assistant Professors are instructors that teach at the graduate level and hold doctoral degrees. Professors are the most senior faculty members. They have the most experience, a doctoral degree, and work with doctoral students. The Department Chair will always be the most senior Professor. All faculty will be members of the Academic Senate, regardless of their level.

College Preparatory Academy
Many individuals that this proposal is designed to serve may not have the skills necessary to succeed in college. To rectify this potential issue, a free college preparatory academy would be set up as a separate school of the university. The Academy would offer secondary level courses designed to fill gaps in students' knowledge, allowing them to succeed at a college level. Once a student has completed the courses necessary to succeed in college, they would be eligible to receive a college preparatory certificate. High school students would also be welcome and be eligible to receive a high school diploma and college preparatory certificate. As with the University program, there would be no charge to receive

These secondary courses would provide a project for Education students as they would be able to acquire real world experience. By teaching secondary courses, future teachers would strengthen their skills, acquire experience, and gain an advantage over others in the field.

Accreditation
Accreditation is crucial for alumni to receive recognition. The university as a whole would begin to seek accreditation as soon as possible. Individual programs would also seek specialized accreditation. A grant would be sought to cover the costs that this process would entail.

COURSE QUESTIONS

 * Q: How much are courses?
 * A: All courses offered by this University would be free of charge.


 * Q: How much are the books going to be?
 * A: Courses should be designed to allow any textbook to be used. Wherever possible, instructors will develop free online textbooks.


 * Q: How will courses compare to a regular university course?
 * A: Courses are designed to be at the same level or higher than that which is offered at a university.


 * Q:How do I get a degree for life experience?
 * A:Frontier does not grant life experience degrees. If you feel that you already know the necessary material, please contact departments about testing out of courses.


 * Q:Can I test out of a course?
 * A:Absolutely! While we do not grant degrees for life experience, we do recognize that some people may already be competent in the material offered. Each department would develop tests that would be administered to people who wish to test out of a course and will accept CLEP results.


 * Q: What would the AP credit policy be?
 * A: Any score of 3 or higher would allow credit for an introductory course. Each department will have the relevant information.


 * Q:I was in a degree program years ago, can I get credit?
 * A:Maybe, but you would need to demonstrate competency to receive credit. Contact relevant departments.


 * Q:What is the minimum age to take classes and work towards a degree?
 * A:Anyone who demonstrated the maturity to do college level work is welcome to be a student. There is no set age.


 * Q:What do I need to get a Bachelor degree?
 * A:You must complete 120 units of undergraduate coursework. 60 of those units must be in general education and 60 must be in the subject.

ACADEMY AND REFERRALS

 * Q: Do I need a high school diploma to receive a degree?
 * A: Not necessarily. If you pass the classes, you will receive a degree. If you have concerns about readiness or demonstrate inability, we have a College Preparatory Academy to fill gaps and prepare you for college coursework.


 * Q: What is a Academy Referral?
 * A: Students are referred to the Academy when they are lacking skills necessary to succeed. There are two types of referrals, general and subject. Subject referrals are issued when a department feels that you are unable to succeed in that subject. Each department chair has the authority to issue a subject referral upon consultation with faculty. General referrals are issued when a majority of a college's department chairs feel that you don't have the skills to succeed in college level coursework.


 * Q: Why was I referred to the Academy?
 * A: It was felt that you have knowledge gaps in an area that you need to address. Once those gaps are addressed, the referral will be cancelled.


 * Q: Can I take college courses while under referral to the Academy?
 * A: This depends on the referral. General referral students may not take college courses while the referral is outstanding. Subject referral students may take courses, provided they are in areas not mentioned in the referral.


 * Q:How do I get rid of the referral?
 * A:Referrals are corrective and not punitive. A college preparatory certificate will cancel any referral immediately. Once you demonstrate ability to succeed in a subject, departments will drop subject referrals. For general referrals, when you are able to succeed in a subject, the referral will be downgraded to a subject referral. Once you are able to succeed in all subjects, the referral will be cancelled.

FACULTY

 * Q: How do I receive a teaching appointment?
 * A: Appointments are made by the Department Chair in consultation with Department Faculty.


 * Q: Can I teach without a degree?
 * A: We welcome anyone who is willing and capable of teaching. Department Chairs can appoint anyone who is capable as a Adjunct Professor. Adjuncts teach under the supervision of a Professor and are restricted to the areas they are competent in.


 * Q: Are all faculty members qualified?
 * A: All faculty members are competent in the subject they teach.


 * Q: How much do you pay faculty?
 * A: We cannot afford to pay faculty members, as they are volunteers, and it would be impossible to have no tuition and salaried faculty. Faculty are paid in experience which increases their academic standing.