U of M moves from distance learning to digital campus
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL ( 11/20/2008 ) -- The University of Minnesota announced its new "digital campus" initiative today, unveiling a new Web site that consolidates all of its online learning opportunities into a single Web site.
"From offering correspondence courses by mail in 1909 to courses on the radio in the 1930's and television in the 1960's, to the digital campus of today, the University of Minnesota has been using technology to improve access and advance learning for generations," said university President Robert Bruininks. "Today, we offer more than 1,000 classes online or in a hybrid online form. Tens of thousands of our students use online tools and resources to support their learning and earn their degrees."
The U's new digital campus Web site (digitalcampus.umn.edu) consolidates all of the online degree, course offerings, professional development and other electronic offerings into a single, easy-to-use site. Prospective students can communicate directly with the university by phone, email or online chat. It also contains a number of online opportunities offered and developed in partnership with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
"Our campuses and colleges have been advancing the use of technology in higher education for generations, but we realized we didn't have a single place that brought them all together in one nice, U of M package," said Bruininks. "That's what this new digital campus initiative is aimed to do."
Currently, the U of M has 18 degrees that can be earned solely online. Bruininks said the goal is to increase that, but the focus is on supporting and enhancing the total learning experience through using technology. Additionally, the U's digital campus offers ways for individuals with unfinished degree work to complete their degrees, part of its strategy to boost graduation rates.
"This is one of the world's top research universities and our students are earning their degrees while learning from those researchers who are literally growing hearts in labs and finding ways to make energy from grass -- that's not something we can replace completely in an online class," Bruininks said. "But, we can -- and are -- using online learning to greatly enhance that experience."
To hear an audio clip with Bruininks, visit: http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embed/21959
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From University News Service, November 21, 2008
