Privatizing UC Instruction - Whitney Phaneuf, East Bay Express

If a controversial, and groundbreaking, bill passes the state legislature this summer, many students at UC Berkeley and other University of California campuses won't be doing some of their basic coursework on campus anymore. As of next year, they also may be enrolled in classes that aren't taught by UC faculty. Instead, they will be taking classes online, produced by for-profit companies — and getting full college credit for them. Supporters of Senate Bill 520, authored by state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, argue that the legislation is designed to eliminate the "bottleneck" of students trying to access general education coursework — the classes that have been most impacted by recent state budget cuts. Online classes produced by for-profit companies also could be offered to students at California State University and California Community College campuses. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/privatizing-uc-instruction/Content?oid=3569100&utm_source=feedly