Online Education at Rutgers

During the Spring 2022 semester, the Office of University Strategy hosted a series of discussions with faculty and staff members from across the university who have expertise and experience in online education to gain a better understanding of the current state of online programs at Rutgers and to identify opportunities to strengthen institutional clarity and enhance academic excellence across the university in this area. The discussions will focus primarily on three topical areas of exploration:

• Academic Excellence
• Governance and Policy
• Student Experience

Charge

Collectively, the discussion group participants will be asked to address the following questions:

• How can the university best structure its policies and governance model to support and advance online education, and how can it limit duplication and internal confusion?
• What university-level structures, support services, practices, or policies need to exist to ensure academic excellence is the standard in our online offerings?
• What are the best practices among Rutgers graduate and professional programs for supporting online students, and what are areas that need greater support?
• How can we foster appropriate program growth and development to best prepare for the future?
• What would it take for Rutgers to have a unified brand for online education and what benefits would be realized?

Final Report/Outcome

This work led to the creation of the Council on Online Education, which is managed by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.