Dive Brief:
- Graduates of an online master’s degree program in security and safety leadership at George Washington University filed a class action lawsuit last week, arguing the program didn't live up to its promise of being as good as its face-to-face counterpart.
- Inside Higher Ed reports the four students took the course between 2012 and 2013 and found their course materials were scanned copies of the in-person class readings without the context an instructor provides, leaving them to teach themselves.
- The students also claim instructors were hardly involved and consistently unresponsive, creating an experience that was far different from the one promised, which was supposed to include high-quality instruction with course materials designed for an online program.
Dive Insight:
Online programs routinely pitch prospective students by saying their programs are not inferior to brick-and-mortar alternatives, providing the same quality of instruction and a degree of the same calibre as their peers get on campus. The flexible options are meant to attract students who have other commitments that keep them from in-person classes. But as GWU may find out, should the students succeed in their claim, it is not enough to provide the mechanism for students to enroll in a flexible program. Colleges and universities must design new programs, tailored for online delivery and largely independent learning.
The problem of design plagued the first massive open online courses, which often featured traditional faculty members giving their traditional lectures in front of a camera. New MOOCs and other online options now feature production and design teams that create more visually appealing videos, more interesting modules, and formats that can better keep students engaged.