Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to reach out to you to request your partnership in our efforts to expand access for our undergraduate and graduate students to UC Davis’s outstanding academic and professional courses and programs. This letter details support from central campus for developing:

First, I want to set the foundation that all of our online courses and programs will uphold the highest levels of academic rigor and excellence that UC Davis is known for, that our faculty expect, and that our students deserve. I also want to be clear that neither the Chancellor nor I are encouraging a move to online undergraduate degrees or doctoral degrees, both of which are still expected to be accomplished predominantly through in-person instruction.
 

Historically, support and services for developing online courses and degree programs have been spread across multiple units on campus. Based on recommendations from the IDEA$ at Work initiative, central campus is providing limited funding for faculty to develop online course content using existing, outstanding resources in a single place: the Division of Continuing and Professional Education (CPE).

Under Dean Julie Greenwood’s leadership and with support from central campus, CPE will assist faculty with online course instructional design, including high-quality content and video production. Having designed more than 2,000 online courses that engage a broad range of students, CPE is adept at creating engaging online courses and programs. Dean Greenwood and her team are helping our faculty across the colleges and schools to meet students’ needs.

Offering courses online provides multiple benefits. When courses were offered remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that it significantly increased access for our students and reduced students’ time to degree. Additionally, faculty that have the opportunity to design and create online courses find new and interesting ways to discuss subjects and engage with students.

During the 2024-25 academic year, CPE and the Office of Undergraduate Education worked with faculty across the campus to develop new Summer Sessions online courses. Over this past summer, we offered 59 online courses, increasing from 33 online courses in 2024. I am pleased to bring this opportunity to the broader campus community and I am offering up to $10,000 in Academic Enrichment Funds to each faculty member who develops a new Summer Sessions online undergraduate course. Priority will be given to funding development of online versions of courses that have high DFW rates, are waitlisted, and/or are required courses for multiple majors.

Faculty who are interested should contact Omega Lee, Executive Director of Summer Sessions in the Office of Undergraduate Education, to develop an ICMS proposal. Faculty will then work with CPE, who will assist the faculty member in developing their course under this program, with the cost of CPE services covered centrally.

We are also supporting development of new online or hybrid master’s degree programs to expand access for students and working professionals, providing important social and economic mobility and addressing workforce development needs in California. Faculty who are interested in developing online master’s degree programs should contact Duncan Temple Lang, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, and Judi Garcia, Program Development Manager. Faculty will work with CPE, whose service costs will be covered centrally. Information about proposing a new online master’s degree program is available on the Building Online Courses and Programs website.

Under the UC policies for Self-Supporting Graduate Professional Degree Programs, or SSGPDPs, master’s degrees can be offered in a fully online or hybrid mode of delivery. UC Davis already has online and hybrid master’s programs within the Graduate School of Management and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. To support the development of new online master’s degree programs, the campus will provide incentive funds to cover initial costs, mitigating the risk for colleges and schools that would like to create new online SSGPDPs. These degree programs are required to be developed in collaboration with Graduate Studies and CPE. Incentive funds from central campus will be recovered through a revenue-sharing model between the school or college and central campus. Information about proposing a new SSGPDP, including the revenue-sharing model, can be found on the Graduate Studies website. Interested faculty should contact Duncan Temple Lang, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, and Judi Garcia, Program Development Manager.

I hope you will help UC Davis expand student access to our outstanding academic courses and programs. You can learn more about these opportunities by visiting CPE’s Building Online Courses and Programs website. Thank you for ushering in a new wave of opportunities for our students and our campus.

All the best,
Mary

Mary Croughan
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor