Faculty from the University of Arkansas System will meet Wednesday and Thursday to begin curriculum development for eVersity, the state’s online university program. Educators will meet at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain for the planning conference.
eVersity will cater to adult students who are unable to otherwise access a traditional college education. By establishing the eVersity, the UA System has said it hopes to attract Arkansas students who may have turned to for-profit institutions to obtain their education. Another core group that will be targeted by the new school will be adult learners who may have obtained some college credit but have not yet completed their degrees.
At Wednesday’s retreat, faculty members will develop study plans and curricula for four major areas: criminal justice, business, information technology and health care management. All four areas are targeted to meet workforce needs. The teams will develop certificate, associate, baccalaureate and graduate degree programs for eVersity, which plans to begin offering classes in Fall 2015.
"Quality academic programs must rest on the foundation of strong faculty," said Dr. Michael Moore, VP for academic affairs for the UA System. "The eVersity is fortunate to have broad-based support from outstanding, experienced and diverse faculty across the University of Arkansas System who are willing to devote their expertise to building workplace-relevant degree programs. I am excited to be working alongside these teams toward our goal of providing Arkansans with opportunities they thought might have passed them by."
The eVersity effort has been met with resistance from two faculty senates, one at the flagship University of Arkansas campus and the other at UALR. For a breakdown of the curriculum teams, connect here.
