Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


$50 For-Credit MOOC Goes Bust — for Now

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 06/20/13

A school-vendor partnership intended to test a new twist on the MOOC went belly-up a day after it was announced. On June 18, Tiffin University, a 7,000-student institution in Tiffin, OH, and Altius Education, which describes itself as "part university, part technology company," said it would be teaming up to deliver "Foundations of Success," a $50 credit-bearing course starting July 1. A day later, the two organizations announced that the deal was off "due to concerns over accreditation."

Tiffin administrators declined to provide further information.

Tiffin's programs are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC/NCA).

The course is already offered through Ivy Bridge College, Tiffin's associate program that allows students to attend in person or online and transfer their earned credits to four-year schools with transfer agreements. However, the standard tuition per credit at Tiffin, $690, is considerably more than the massive open online courses fee was set at.

"We apologize to those who were interested in the course and for any inconvenience our delay of this offering has caused," said Altius CEO, Paul Freedman. He added that the partnership would "continue to work through the challenges."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Malware Turns Microsoft 365 Calendar Into Covert Attack Vector

    Security researchers at Group-IB have uncovered a Windows malware strain that turns Microsoft 365 calendars into covert channels for receiving commands and stealing files from targeted organizations.

  • Abstract neural network 3D illustration

    Intel® AI EmpowerED: The AI-Ready Campus, Delivered

    Artificial intelligence is transforming higher education, prompting institutions to rethink how they manage infrastructure, security, governance, and workforce readiness. Successful adoption requires a strategic, institution-wide approach that aligns AI initiatives with educational goals, faculty enablement, and scalable operational frameworks.

  • Blue Cloud Floating on Top of Circuit Board

    Survey: Organizations Moving AI Workloads Away from Public Cloud

    A new Cloudera survey of 1,500 enterprise technology leaders found widespread AI-driven architecture changes, with governance problems, rising infrastructure costs, and workload placement pushing organizations toward more hybrid approaches.

  • woman

    AI Giants Back Nonprofit Focused on Workforce Transition

    The AI industry's biggest names are investing in more than just models and infrastructure — they're focusing on workforce readiness. OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Amazon are backing Raise US, a new nonprofit that aims to raise $1 billion to help American workers prepare for an AI-driven economy.