Shani Shahmoon: Creation of online open courses could reconnect alumni to UCLA

By creating and subsidizing online courses for alumni, UCLA can redefine what it means to be part of the Bruin family.

Starting in 2012, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology collaborated to create a nonprofit, Massive Open Online Course program called “edX,” which provides free online courses for alumni at their alma maters. These classes would bring together alumni and current students, creating a more eclectic variety of perspectives than that of the typical college lecture hall. Since the creation of HarvardX and MITX, edX has expanded to University of California, Berkeley and California Institute of Technology, among others schools, both international and national.

UCLA would do well to follow in the footsteps of these institutions and implement its own MOOCs to keep alumni involved with the university. If the UCLA Alumni Association were to collaborate with edX to create a “UCLAX” type of program, alumni would feel more inclined to stay connected to the educational and communal aspects of UCLA.

EdX is an online learning forum consisting of YouTube videos, detailed and interactive examples and online discussion forums. For example, Colgate University uses its MOOC program, ColgateX, to engage alumni with current students and broaden the students’ perspectives due to the variety of ages and experiences in the room. Two of the classes had over 1,000 alumni enrolled.

UCLA is an institution with over 400,000 alumni. And while the Alumni Association has sought ways to keep its audience of 92,000 members involved through invitations to events such as Dinners for 12 Strangers, where hundreds of alumni invite 12 random UCLA students each to their homes for dinner, and admissions to select athletic home games, the association could improve its efforts toward continuing education.

Meanwhile, HarvardX, this past summer, enrolled 10,000 alumni in its MOOC programs. Given the overwhelmingly positive response to the programs from alumni at other universities, UCLA should have no problem getting its vast number of alumni involved in its own MOOC program.

Keeping alumni active has tangible benefits both for the alumni and the university. Implementing MOOCs of this type will strengthen alumni relationships with the university and make it a contributing part of their lives, which in turn means they will be more inclined to donate to UCLA. Beyond donations, by attracting more alumni to their alma mater, MOOCs and alumni engagement could attract more potential internships and jobs for current students.

EdX consists of the xConsortium, a group of chosen institutions, such as Cornell University, McGill University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. While there is no controlling the choice of xConsortium to expand its platform, UCLA should aim to create an Open edX, using the edX software available to the public. This will create learning platforms much like the ones offered within institutions that are part of xConsortium.

Unfortunately, the average cost of implementing this sort of program could add up to $5.4 million.

While $5.4 million should not be downplayed, it is important to take into account that UCLA publicly announced its plan to invest over $8 million in a study lounge located at the current location of the Hedrick dining hall.

UCLA should invest its time and effort into building an online learning platform, consisting of eight to 10 online courses, replicating the number of courses University of Texas, Austin provides, a school of similar size. Courses should include a variety of topics that appeal to all sorts of ages and interests. For example, Cornell University uses its classes to teach alumni about astrophysics, as well as the ethics of eating. UCLA could offer classes about politics, or even evolution.

If the university is investing $8 million in order to renovate a dining hall, there should be no hesitation to invest money in the continuing education of alumni, which will in turn enhance the alumni connection to UCLA.

Money invested in Open edX, unlike renovating dining halls, can be money invested in all students, including those who have graduated. Investing in continued education will, in return, be an investment toward improving the bond between UCLA and its alumni.

To be a “True Bruin,” alumni must remember UCLA’s mission: “the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society.” This cycle of knowledge should not end after students walk away with a degree.

Email Shahmoon at sshahmoon@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to [email protected] or tweet us at @DBOpinion.