California State University To Offer Liberal Studies Degree Online To Help Address Teacher Shortage
The California State University is now offering a unique opportunity for
undergraduates to earn their liberal studies degree through Liberal Studies
Online, an online degree completion program for individuals working toward a
California teaching credential. Administered through CSU Chico, online
courses will originate from the Chico campus and CSU Sacramento. The first
online courses will be available beginning fall 2001.
“Liberal Studies Online is part of a series of initiatives that reflect
California State University’s ongoing commitment in teacher education,” said
CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “The demand for quality teachers has
drastically increased, and we must find alternative ways to meet that demand
without forgoing our high standards of teacher education.”
The majority of the Liberal Studies Online courses will be presented live,
via streamed video over the Internet, allowing distance students to
interactively participate in regularly scheduled classes as they are taught
on campus. Many of the courses will also be digitally archived to allow
participants an opportunity to view classes asynchronously at their
convenience.
“Liberal Studies Online provides a link to the CSU for those who are
restricted by work schedule, physical distance, or any other circumstance
that prevents them from attending class on campus at a regularly scheduled
time,” said Bill Martin, program professor and adviser.
“For example, a U.S. soldier from Bosnia, who is a California resident,
inquired about the program because he wanted to be an elementary school
teacher by the end of his service term. This program is specifically
designed for California residents to become California’s teachers.”
The program is designed for students who have two or more years of
transferable college coursework, including all lower division requirements.
Students wishing to participate must meet the same CSU Chico admissions
criteria, and pay the same fees as their fellow on-campus students. To
obtain the liberal studies degree, students must complete a total of 120
units, of which 57-60 units are specified lower division courses that can be
earned at a community college or other university. An additional 63-66 upper
division units are available online through the Liberal Studies Online
degree completion program.
In addition, the program provides the necessary coursework for students to
get their teaching credential. Students who complete the program and meet
the criteria for subject matter competence will not need to take the MSAT
exam (Multiple Subjects Assessment for Teachers) prior to student teaching.
The coordination of a system-wide Liberal Studies Online program continues a
26-year distance education tradition at CSU Chico. The degree completion
program is accessible directly from CSU Chico’s Distance & Online
Education’s Web site at http://rce.csuchico.edu/online, which hosts a
variety of established online certificate, baccalaureate and master’s degree
programs.
Through the Chico Distance & Online Education program, students have access
to Chico’s Meriam Library, interlibrary loan and document delivery program,
and online library services. CSU Chico will coordinate all academic
advising, maintain the academic record of the participants, and award the
baccalaureate degrees.
Due to increasing student enrollment, teacher retirements, and class size
reduction, California faces a crucial shortage of elementary school
teachers, which is expected to intensify over the next ten years. The CSU
educates about 60 percent of the state’s teachers, and Liberal Studies
Online is one of the many initiatives CSU has implemented in recent years to
meet the teacher shortage and to improve the quality and quantity of
California’s teachers. To learn more about this new program, visit the
Liberal Studies Online Web site at liberalstudies.calstate.edu
