Online learning puts revenue first by Mark Jones, Professor

Photo: Mark Jones  

"I recently submitted two questions for Provost Alan Harrison for the March 27 meeting of Senate. One is: why do we already have a financial exploration, or “business case,” for expanding online learning, and not a word on the subject in our new Academic Plan? The other is: why won’t you let us see it?" summarizes Mark Jones at the Queen’s department of English.

I know the business case exists because our 2011-12 Budget Report boasts about it: “As part of its planning exercises (in the face of the need to balance the budget), Queen’s has been exploring various revenue-generating ideas,” including, the report says, “the feasibility of offering Queen’s degrees and certificates through distance on-line learning.”

The business case for online learning is also mentioned in a February 2011 memo from Continuing and Distance Studies (CDS) to Queen’s departments. The memo states, “The Business Case will include an examination of what programs we can offer online, whether there is a market, what it will cost, and whether it will be profitable in terms of additional tuition revenue.”
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Source: Queen's Journal