Of new entrants to the online teacher-preparation market, among the most visible is the University of Southern California鈥檚 Rossier School of Education. Since 2009, more than 3,600 prospective teachers have enrolled.
To an extent, its success is the product of a series of fortuitous events. One was the arrival, in 2000, of Rossier Dean Karen Symms Gallagher, who wanted to move USC鈥檚 small, somewhat marginalized undergraduate teacher education program to the graduate level and expand it. USC鈥檚 stated mission for teacher preparation is to improve urban education nationally and globally, and at just 50 teachers a year, 鈥渨e were clearly not even meeting local needs,鈥� Ms. Gallagher said.
Then, she was introduced to John Katzman, the founder of a technology company that came to be known as 2U. He pressed her to consider an online iteration of the newly formed Masters of Arts in Teaching degree.
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Ultimately, a partnership emerged: Mr. Katzman agreed to invest in the building of a customized, online platform for Rossier and to endow a faculty position, while Rossier would continue to select high-quality candidates. Faculty advising the project insisted on a platform that would be fully interactive and that could record online interactions for future research.
Enrollments Rising Steadily
The ambitious endeavor was nevertheless a gamble for a research institution.
鈥淲hat we really brought to the partnership was our brand, and USC鈥檚 behind it,鈥� Ms. Gallagher said. 鈥淲e are investing our reputation.鈥�
Enrollments have risen steadily. In fact, they have helped to shield Rossier from the steep decline in enrollments in teaching programs in California. The online MAT has also affected other traditional structures: Full-time faculty who teach in the MAT program and aren鈥檛 located in Southern California work under contracts based almost entirely on their teaching duties.
It also has injected transparency into whether what鈥檚 taught lines up with the program鈥檚 goals. 鈥淓veryone can share with each other how they鈥檙e helping students learn,鈥� said Melora Sundt, the vice dean of academic programs at Rossier. 鈥淢AT faculty are much more comfortable with the review of their own instruction and feedback.鈥�
The changes here have not always been comfortable for all. Some view the program鈥檚 rapid expansion as overly corporate.
鈥淧eople will say, 鈥業t鈥檚 about the money.鈥� I always say, well, it better be鈥攚e鈥檙e a private institution,'鈥�" Ms. Sundt said. 鈥淚t is about our mission, but it feels yucky to some faculty members that you also have to consider the financial model for the program.鈥�
On the other hand, participating faculty say teaching online has led them to experiment.
鈥淥ftentimes as professors it鈥檚 hard to relinquish control, and this format forces you to,鈥� said Corinne E. Hyde, an assistant professor of clinical education. 鈥淚f you get up in front of these students and lecture them, they鈥檙e going to be on Facebook in 15 minutes. You鈥檙e forced to really be on your toes, grab their attention, and hold it.鈥�
