Alternate title: Harvard creates pointless new high paying job for administrator.

Carl Straumsheim of Inside Higher Ed reports.

Vice Provost of Experimentation

Harvard University on Monday became the latest elite institution that will seek to organize its online education offerings with the creation of a high-ranking administrative position. Although not a widespread practice, early adopters say institutions should consider following suit sooner rather than later.

The promotion of Peter K. Bol to vice provost of advances in learning adds coordination to the groundswell of experimentation with online learning at Harvard that includes, among others, edX, the massive open online course provider created in cooperation with the Massachusetts of Technology; the Harvard Initiative for Learning & Teaching, which supports learning innovation through grants and other programs; and the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, which uses a research-based approach to new teaching methods.

“[I]t has become clear that these efforts are central to the future of the university and that greater institutional support will help advance university-wide efforts to improve learning, ensuring that they are well-coordinated, strategic, and effective,” Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber said in a statement.

Bol, the Charles H. Carswell professor of East Asian languages and civilizations, said he does not have a set agenda to further technological experimentation and online learning at Harvard. He said he hopes to cut down on redundancies and unnecessary overlap, and connect faculty members whose work might be mutually relevant.

“What we always want to do is take the kind of best practices that emerge in one place and make sure that people in other places know about them,” Bol said. “Harvard is a highly decentralized school. We do not have a strong center that can tell the different faculty what to do. This gives us great flexibility.”