In an Inside Higher Ed article titled “Equal Promises, Unequal Experiences,” author Carl Straumsheim brings the class action lawsuit now facing George Washington University to light. The article reveals that students who have taken online courses through GWU’s online degree program feel they have not received the quality of education promised them. Students claim that the materials posted were often cut off or blurry scans of textbooks and lecture slides without the commentary. They also say the faculty members assigned to advise students and teach through the online program were “consistently unresponsive.”
This article brings the discussions we have been having in our class to the front page. Are online programs working? Can they possibly be the future of higher education when they are having such a hard time becoming a part of the present? These classes have so much potential, yet from the experiences our own students have discussed to this article, online classes are falling short. The format seems to be the biggest issue. In both the article and our in-class discussions, students complain that course material is disconnected from knowledge. If the teaching methods of these courses improved beyond online texts and unresponsive professors, programs would likely have a much higher success rate.
The article reports that “a scheduling conference for the case is set for July 8.” It will be interesting to see what standards for online classes develop from court cases like this one.
