Montclair Unbound: Beyond Online

Students who leave before finishing rarely cite the coursework as the reason. They cite cost, stress, and the collision between their degree and the rest of their life, a shift that changed, a parent who got sick, a child who needed them, a commute that stopped making sense. Montclair can't solve all of that. But we can stop making the structure of a degree one more thing working against them. Montclair is one of the more affordable universities in New Jersey which makes us the right choice for working learners, if we can meet them where they are. That is the founding premise of Montclair Unbound.

Online is where we begin this effort, and that work is well underway: This year we will create well over 100 online courses that are part of fully online programs in collaboration with faculty across 23 departments, supported by our new Unbound Learning Design team (formerly part of ITDS) and course development stipends. But online delivery is just the starting point for the Unbound effort. Unbound seeks to address a broader question: what can technology and thoughtful design do to make a Montclair education more personal, more flexible, and more connected?

As we design with technology (not “because” of technology), what forms a student as a thinker and a person is the designed relationship, not shared physical space. That relationship is built by faculty. Unbound doesn't change who shapes the curriculum or leads the classroom; it changes what the classroom can be.

Practically, we're working on three things:

Letting students move between modalities. A student should be able to shift between in-person, hybrid, and online sections as life demands without losing credits, standing, or their advisor. This is largely an operational and policy challenge, and we're working through it with the registrar, advising, and academic departments.

Bringing Unbound learners to campus – for a reason! We should make coming to campus “special,” especially for those who do not live nearby. Low-residency intensives, a weekend in NYC, a short immersion abroad. The university can be seen for this segment of our community as “instruction online, but experience in person.” These are the parts of a program that only faculty can design, and we want to support a few pilots.

Building Montclair hubs across the state. Imagine learner hubs where online students find quiet study space, in-person support, and a physical connection to the University. This one is still in concept that we will shape together, so let us know what applications of a Montclair Hub might be developed to support our remote learners across the state.

How to get involved:

• Explore ways to enhance your existing Montclair Online program with experiential learning opportunities, particularly through partnerships with companies, organizations, or agencies.
• Participate in our new online faculty training for Unbound programs. Even if you aren’t part of a program we would love to have you join, learn about how the Unbound platform operates and offer your suggestions as it’s still in an early stage of development.
• Send your questions, we'd rather hear them now than later – and many of our ideas are in a conceptual stage so it’s a good time to get involved.