University faculty members expressed concerns about the University’s partnership with Coursera, a site offering free courses from top universities, at the Annual Meeting of the Faculty on Monday.

The University formed the partnership with the online education platform in July. The program was started by two professors from Stanford University and gives interested students of any age the chance to take free, higher-education courses from universities within the partnership. The University, one of 33 partnered with Coursera, offers 10 online courses through the program.

Unlike some other universities in the partnership, Chancellor Phyllis Wise said, for now, the courses offered on Coursera do not count toward credit hours or toward a degree or certificate. She said the University may eventually decide that certain courses could count for credit, but “it’s totally up to us to decide.”

University President Robert Easter said administrators need to think deliberately about how online courses “contribute to a student’s growth and education.”

So Provost Ilesanmi Adesida has formed a committee that will evaluate the program and develop a system for deciding which University courses will be available on Coursera.

Still, many faculty members said they were worried about the future of the University and the quality of education students will receive from online courses compared to a campus experience.

George Gollin, professor of physics, said he values the face-to-face interaction in a classroom environment. He said as a classroom teacher, he recognizes the effects of curriculum delivery on a student’s education.

“I don’t think (Coursera) will replace, in any way, the kind of courses that you offer for credit at the University of Illinois,” Wise said. “But this is uncharted territory, and I think we have been very involved with this very fast-moving movement.”

Joyce Tolliver, associate professor in Spanish and University Senates Conference representative, said she questioned whether it was the University’s responsibility to provide this type of “free, quality education to the world,” and not just students at the University.

But Wise said one of the main reasons for joining the partnership was to be one of the few universities to reach out to students who either cannot afford a college education or are simply interested in pursuing higher education. She said she also believes that the University courses offered through Coursera will make the University more internationally recognized.

“Our (Coursera) courses should reflect the quality and breadth of the kinds of courses you can get at the University of Illinois,” she said.

Wise said the program has a wide variety of students enrolled in the courses, including high school students who try out a course to see what kind of classes they can potentially take in college. Wise said even high school teachers take courses to keep their high school classes up to date.

She said 61 percent of students taking Coursera courses are from abroad, and only about 10 percent of students enrolled in the courses actually complete them.

“You can see that there’s a lot of dynamic going on, and there’s a lot of churning,” Wise said. “I want us to be at the center of that table.”

Although Nicholas Burbules, a member of the Provost’s committee handling Coursera and Senate Executive Committee member, said that while he is unsure of the future of online courses compared to a campus education, he believes it is better to be involved in the conversation.

“Things are happening,” Burbules said. “They’re happening with us, and they’re happening without us. It’s better that we be inside the tent and actually shaping and participating in that future than be like other schools wondering why they aren’t part of this.”

The University will hold a workshop with Daphne Koller, co-founder of Coursera, on Nov. 1. Wise said Koller will be available to answer questions from anyone in the University community and she encouraged faculty members to attend.

Lauren can be reached at [email protected].

Editor’s note: To clarify, Joyce Tolliver, associate professor in Spanish and University Senates Conference representative, questioned whether it was the University’s responsibility to provide this type of “free, quality education to the world” and not just students in Illinois.