The University of Texas System views blended and online education as a vital component of higher education as institutions strive to meet the workforce needs of the State of Texas and the needs of 21st century learners while improving key student success outcomes such as four- and six-year graduation rates.
Online education is helping to make a UT education attainable for as many qualified students as possible. Whether full-time employment, family commitments and/or geographical location present barriers to accessing a UT education, online courses and degree programs provide important options for accessing high-quality learning without requiring learners to put their lives on hold.
UT System is committed to supporting the continuation and scaling-up of high-quality institutional efforts as UT academic institutions continue to build capacity to grow and develop their blended and online learning offerings. The Office of Academic Affairs and the UT System Online Education Task Force have identified four strategic priority areas for continued focus and collaboration:
- strategic planning;
- strategic investments and cost savings;
- attention to quality; and
- monitoring of student success and equity outcomes.
Teaching Online: Free Faculty Professional Development Opportunity
In support of the UT System’s effort to promote effective blended and online teaching practices, the Office of Academic Affairs and the University of Texas at El Paso’s Center for Instructional Design partnered to offer UT System faculty the opportunity to participate in the Teaching Online Academy (TOA), a self-paced course on effective online teaching practices. Participants of the TOA will explore how to design an effective online course while maintaining rigorous pedagogic standards.
This is a four-module course that is self-paced and free to UT System faculty. Upon completion of the TOA, participants will receive a certificate of completion.
To register, please click here.
Once you are registered, you will gain access to the course within 48 hours or less. Participants will have access to the course for two years from the date of enrollment.
Distance Education Program Search
Please visit each UT institution’s website for more information about blended and online degree programs and courses available. Additionally, The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board maintains a Distance Education Program Search tool that provides a listing of distance education programs by institution and type (i.e., hybrid/blended, 100% online, etc.).
Strategic Directions for Online Education
Online education presents a tremendous opportunity to enhance access to a high-quality UT education. UT System and its institutions are committed to being leaders in this arena, recognizing that doing so will require significant effort, investment and collaboration. The establishment of strategic directions will help to ensure that growth in online education is disciplined and intentional, resulting in high-quality courses and programs that meet the needs of the State of Texas while advancing institutions and student success. Please find a link to the paper below:
Quick Facts:
- UT academic institutions collectively offer approximately 130 online and blended degree and certificate programs.
- Approximately 70 of these programs are offered in a 100% online format.
- An additional 62 programs are offered by UT academic institutions in either a fully-online (86-99% of the program is delivered online) or hybrid/blended format.
- Across UT System academic institutions, there were over 8,000 fully distance education course sections (mandatory face-to-face sessions totaling no more than 15% of the instructional time) offered between fall 2017 and spring 2018, of which 61% were undergraduate courses and 26% were master’s-level courses.
- Across UT academic institutions, fully online courses in business and the health professions generated the highest number of SCHs earned.
