+ Making College Affordable The Texas Low Cost Degree Initiative

+ The Challenge “…it’s time for a bold, Texas-style solution to this challenge, that I’m sure the brightest minds in our universities can devise. Today, I’m challenging our institutions of higher education to develop bachelor’s degrees that cost no more than $10,000, including textbooks.” --Governor Rick Perry, 2011 State of the State Address

+ Leadership Team 2 Texas is a big state with diverse populations, cultures, and economies.

+ 57% of Americans surveyed said that the American higher education system fails to provide students with a good value for the money that they and their parents spend on higher education. Pew Research Center, “Is College Worth It?” May 2011 Of the year olds surveyed who had not attended college, 48 percent said they would go to college if they could afford it. 48% of all respondents who attended college reported that they had taken out loans. 60% of those respondents said that paying back student loans made it harder to pay other bills and make ends meet, including buying a house, choosing a career, and delaying getting married or starting a family.

% poverty rate Average tuition and fees in 2010 were $225 per semester credit hours, $7,022 per year, and $27,088 per 120 semester credit hour bachelor’s degree. 20.6% increase in population growth. 28% increase in the population under % increase in the Texas Hispanic population.

+ “If Texas is to achieve the vision of a globally competitive workforce, it must make dramatic gains in the educational attainment of its population… Texas must more than double annual degree production to reach the level of the best performing country of 55% of the population ages with an associate degree or higher by Even with the significant progress of increasing degree production toward the Closing the Gaps targets, degree production in Texas is not increasing at a rate necessary to keep pace with global competition.” Report of Select Commission on Higher Education and Global Competitiveness

+ Economic Need 3

+ Critical Elements for Success Rigorous academic standards Faculty driven programs Student demand Recognition that this is not a “one size fits all” degree Focused curriculum with a targeted core and few options for undesignated electives These degrees will not eliminate those already in place, they merely add one more option for students

+ A Preliminary Framework Leverage our existing efforts Take advantage of technology Develop degree programs where students have multiple pathways to complete a degree Integrate the best materials from around the globe Provide dynamic mentoring, advising, and other on-demand student support services to retain and graduate students

+ Take Advantage of Technology Eliminate duplication of online programs Target high-demand fields and consider limiting the number of programs Innovate teaching by leveraging alternative delivery systems

+ Develop Degree Programs with Multiple Pathways Develop competencies for all courses based upon student learning outcomes Allow students to show mastery of competencies in multiple ways Create different course formats to appeal to a variety of learners Allow students to enroll and begin coursework through the academic year Develop degree completion programs for students who stopped out prior to completing a degree Encourage the development of reverse articulation agreements

+ Integrate the Best Materials Integrate developed and open source course materials from such places as MIT, Harvard, and UCLA Utilize open source, Creative Commons licensed materials such as those found in the Connexions repository at Rice University or the Khan Academy Develop statewide textbooks and materials for those courses where appropriate open source materials do not currently exist

+ Provide Dynamic Student Support Services Informed advising to prevent students from taking non- essential courses Close monitoring of student progress that can be used to direct students to academic support services on a “just in time” basis Software solutions such as “Netflix for advising” and early alert monitoring systems that can be used to help students choose courses and maintain satisfactory progress

+ Current Endeavors Grad TX The Tuning Process Low Cost Degree Working Group Competency Based Education

+ Dr. Van L. Davis Director of Special Projects