Issue: Asynchronous (Streaming Video) Online Masters Programs

Taskforce(s): Tuition and Scholarships, Information Technology, Distribution Systems, Continuing and Executive Education

Contacts: Bruce Rafert, Bill Ferrell

Situation:  We feel that Clemson should rapidly develop a small number of streaming video masters programs similar to the Masters of Engineering in Industrial Engineering program that the Graduate School and Industrial Engineering have been developing since January 2008.  The basic and necessary technological infrastructure and operational protocols have been developed, tested, and are in routine operation. 

There are some potentially significant opportunities that could be pursued in the area of asynchronous, web-base delivery of graduate courses.  Two of these relate to self-pay master’s students: 1) totally distance delivered masters programs targeted at working professionals and 2) providing initial coursework in an existing on-campus masters program that would reduce the students’ time on campus to a year.  The advantage to this mode of instruction is that students can live anywhere in the world and take classes.  For the distance delivered degree, this resolves a huge past impediment/issue in graduate education targeted at working professionals at the master’s level.  For the self-pay master’s student who will spend the final year at Clemson, it might attract students that could not afford to come to Clemson for the entire degree.   Software and hardware exist that facilitate this delivery rather conveniently and emerging expertise exists within Clemson’s graduate school in developing courses for asynchronous delivery.  It is quite likely that continuing and excecutive education opportunities also exist using this delivery mechansim. 

Each MEng-type program should be capable of handling ~50 students who are taking between 3 to 6 hours of credit per term, at tuition rates between $500 to $1000 per credti hour depending on teh particulars of teh program.  Revenues (per program) hence will be between $75,000 to $300,000 per term, with delivery expenses on the order of $50,000-$100,000 per term.

Key issues include the carweful selection of a multinational corporation; development of new MEng curricula, and implementation via a specific business model pioneered by the gradaute school and IE.  There are several keys to making this a viable part of Clemson’s portfolio.  First, departments must be willing to work on this program which means that incentives must be provided via commitments that are solid.  For those departments that are interested, we must be able to provide excellent front-end support like accurately identifying an appropriately sized target audience, determining the correct differential tuition that is market-place competitive, and marketing and sales support.  Second, there needs to be strong central support for this overall thrust including leadership that has prior experience delivering this type of distance learning to global corporate partners,  that is sensitive to departmental imperatives, that understands faculty intellectual property and loading/recognition, and that has authority to build streamlined internal business and technology support.  Currently, distance education is fragmented across the university which seems to validates the old saying “when everyone can’t point to who is in charge then no one is in charge.”  Taking advantage of this opportunity requires some investment in hardware and software but the most systemic problem at present is the dramatically different technology support that is required as compared to synchronous distance learning techniques in practice.  Rafert can provide inputs concerning past intensive large scale distance learning activities with Ford and General Motors, and Ferrell with Fluor Corporation.  One measure to estimate the size of this opportunity is that the program developed with Fluor charges $2250 per student per semester.

We believe that Clemson should be able to add similar programs in multiple graduate disciplines, including civil engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, photonics, and others.