Online Instruction Hits the Big City (University)

CUNY Online came into being to provide online instruction to the students of the largest urban university in the world, The City University of New York. It has worked to foster online teaching and learning at every one of the 19 campuses in CUNY, and at every level, in every discipline. The resulting courses, all equivalents of traditional courses offered at those campuses, can be either fully online or partially online (though the latter sort, called a "hybrid" course, must have a significant online component amounting to at least a third of all the instruction in the course).

The Students Take on Online Learning

Not surprisingly for "anytime, anyplace" instruction, students identify scheduling flexibility as their chief reason for enrolling in online courses, though  interest in experiencing online instruction is a close second.  Over 90% rate online courses as good as or better than classroom-based ones, and over 60% say they are better. They find interaction with their instructors and classmates much higher. This, they report, takes more time, but a majority of the students also say they learn significantly more than in traditional instruction.

The Faculty Take on Web-Based Teaching

Supported by grants from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, hundreds of faculty have developed online courses that thousands of students have taken.  CUNY Online is constantly offering faculty/course development experiences. Interested faculty should contact Professor George Otte, Director of Instructional Technology, who may refer them to campus-based opportunities as well as to University-wide intitiatives.

All on the Same (Web) Page

The courses are offered through the campuses, but faculty who wish can list their online offerings on the CUNY Online Distributed Learning Network, where students will find not just course descriptions but details about the online aspects and also contact information for the instructors as well as registration information. What's more, all  online courses are on the same course management system, making the courses especially easy to navigate through a familiar interface, regardless of campus or level or discipline. That system is the CUNY Blackboard Enterprise System.

Thanks Are Due

CUNY Online owes a great debt of gratitude to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, investing millions of dollars in supporting the development of online instruction for CUNY students.

last modified: 6/16/05
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