At the beginning of March, most governments, states and educational institutions declared the temporary closures of schools in an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Originally, students would have an “extended Spring Break” and then return back to school after a couple of weeks when the campus was deemed safe. Unfortunately, the majority of schools across the nation have announced that classes will remain online for the rest of the semester due to the increasing concerns about the exposure of COVID-19. Inevitably, many students are saddened to hear that their on-campus school experience has been cut short, especially the 4th-year students who don’t get to experience the special events that are reserved for seniors, like the graduation ceremony.
Beyond experiences and events, the biggest concern that students are addressing involves their finances, particularly the high tuition prices that they’re still paying for their now emergent online education. Some students feel that online classes are less effective and retentive as compared to face to face, in-person lectures by professors. Many students prefer and benefit from the traditional classroom experience. And though online classes have been available at most universities in recent years, the cost of conducting online classes versus in-person lectures and the value difference has recently become a heated debate between students and universities. Many universities contract OPMs (Online Program Managers) companies like Pearson, 2U and Wiley to administer their online courses and one of the reasons the price of online education has remained so expensive is the huge profit margins held by the OPMs. Obviously, universities are financially benefiting from this arrangement too as the number of online courses and programs offered by many colleges continues to rise.
Students at two different colleges, Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the University of Miami in Florida, have filed for two class-action lawsuits in South Carolina federal court under the representation of South Carolina-based Anastopoulo Law Firm, in hopes, they will receive some kind of reimbursement. The suits claim that students have paid for their on-campus services they’re no longer receiving such face-to-face interactions with professors or even mandatory fees for activities, athletics and wellness programs that they no longer have access to.
Adelaide Dixon attends the University of Miami, and Grainger Rickenbaker attends Drexel University. The University of Miami has an undergraduate student body at 11,117 compared to Drexel University, which has 13,490 undergraduate students. Both schools are private, with undergraduate tuition and fees at the University of Miami costing $51,930 and about $54,516 at Drexel University. “Although [the universities are] still offering some level of instruction via online classes, the plaintiff and members of the proposed [classes] have been and will be deprived of the benefits of on-campus learning,” said the students in both of the lawsuits. Additionally, Rickenbaker and Dixon stated, “the value of any degree issued on the basis of online or pass/fail classes will be diminished.” Drexel University has not responded yet to the student. The University of Miami has acknowledged the court filing and continues to monitor the situation. Both universities have not taken action yet due to pending litigation.
Rickenbaker and Dixon aren’t the only students upset with their tuition and fees. CNBC Make It has spoken with dozens of students who have addressed their concerns with their tuition and hope to have some sort of reimbursement. At New York University, a petition was created conveying the action for partial tuition refunds, signed by almost 11,000 students. Additionally, students from Boston University, Stanford University and Harvard have vocalized their concerns about online classes and wanting at least a partial refund. Isabella Borshoff, a graduate student studying at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, tells CNBC Make It that graduate students aren’t happy as well. She conveys that earning a master’s involves an engaging experience and meeting new people, which she now lacks. Borshoff states “You’re not just paying to have your course delivered, you’re paying for a whole experience, and suddenly you’re doing a course that in the dark moments can just feel like, I could’ve just done this on edX at home. Why am I paying all this money?”
So where does this net out? Should online learning equate to lower tuition?
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