For John, BLUF: On-Line Courses changed the rules for elders and vets at UML. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Today is the first day of the Spring Semester at UMass Lowell.
As I hope we all know by now, for Veterans and for those 60 and older, UMass Lowell Continuing Education Courses, in the Classroom, are $30 per semester, plus the books, of course. I think you have to live in Massachusetts, since every year I am required to present a utility bill (or a certificate from the Elections Office).
The problem is, this good deal, this break for Vets and the "elderly", only applies, or has been interpreted to only apply, to in-classroom courses, where the Vets and elderly are added to the regular students, over and beyond the regular number required to constitute a class. The thing is, in-classroom courses are going the way of the dinosaur and the Tin Lizzy.
This switch from in-classroom to on-line is not smooth, but it is relentless. Of the 30 different groups of undergraduate courses, ranging from Accounting to Sociology, 365 courses overall, four have all their courses in the classroom and four have all of their courses on line. As for the totality of individual courses, 136 are in the classroom and 226 are on line, with three blended courses, partly in the classroom and partly on line. I make that 37.3% of the classes are fully in the classroom. Put another way, the good deal is kaiboshed for about two-thirds of the classes being offered this semester.
A table giving the rough numbers is below the signature block.
So, if there were no upper level Sociology Courses this Semester, for me to finish out my degree, and I thought it would be broadening to take a Genders Studies Course, I would find that they are all on-line. There is the pedagogical issues of having such a course on-line, but in addition, there are the financial issues. You don't encourage someone in their 60s to take a course when you are charging full freight.
From the table below, that chap advising Benjamin in The Graduate was right all along. I should have been in plastics.
This is just a color of money issue, and thus it should be easy to fix, shouldn't it?
All the players are informed, from the Chancellor to the Veterans Office on Campus to the four members of our delegation to Beacon Hill. Who else do I need to ring in on this? The Governor? If he can help the children of illegal aliens, can he help the Grandparents of children legally born here (Veterans who signed up and fought our wars)?
Regards — Cliff
| COURSE AREA | TOTAL | CLASS-ROOM | ON LINE | Percent in Classroom |
| Accounting | 6 | 5 | 1 | 83.3% |
| Art/Computer Graphics | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0.0% |
| Art History | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20.0% |
| Biological Sciences | 8 | 1 | 7 | 12.5% |
| Chemistry | 10 | 6 | 4 | 60.0% |
| Computer Science | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60.0% |
| Criminal Justice | 19 | 10 | 9 | 52.6% |
| Cultural Studies | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.0% |
| Economics | 16 | 3 | 13 | 18.8% |
| Economics and Social Dev | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Electronic Engineering Technology | 15 | 14 | 1 | 93.3% |
| English | 24 | 2 | 22 | 8.3% |
| Gender Studies | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% |
| Health | 7 | 2 | 5 | 28.6% |
| History | 21 | 8 | 13 | 38.1% |
| Info Technology | 48 | 10 | 36 | 20.8% |
| Intercollegate Arts and Sciences | 1 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Languages | 12 | 0 | 12 | 0.0% |
| Legal Studies | 26 | 7 | 19 | 26.9% |
| Management | 16 | 8 | 8 | 50.0% |
| Mathematics | 30 | 25 | 5 | 83.3% |
| Mechanical Engineering Technology | 13 | 7 | 5 | 53.8% |
| Operations and Information Systems | 7 | 3 | 4 | 42.9% |
| Philosophy | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40.0% |
| Physics | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75.0% |
| Plastics | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100.0% |
| Political Science | 14 | 4 | 10 | 28.6% |
| Psychology | 24 | 4 | 20 | 16.7% |
| Sociology | 9 | 5 | 4 | 55.6% |
| TOTALS | 365 | 136 | 226 | 37.3% |
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