Politics and cautions in California

California lawmakers detailed a plan last Wednesday to require the state’s 145 public colleges and universities to grant credit for low-cost online courses offered by outside groups, including classes offered by for-profit companies, writes Ry Rivard for Inside Higher Ed.

The bill, backed by the powerful leader of the state senate, would force all the state’s colleges – from community colleges to the University of California at Berkeley – to reduce overcrowding by allowing students to enrol in dozens of outsourced classes. The idea immediately captured attention not just among educators but among pundits and politicians – and not just in California. The measure's lead sponsor, Democratic State Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, said the bill would reshape higher education and “break the bottleneck that prevents students from completing courses”.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site