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

  • hand holding AI brain circuit with graduation cap surrounded by hexagonal education icons including books, videos and learning tools

    U.S. Department of Labor Defines 5 Key Areas of AI Literacy

    The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has released a new AI Literacy Framework detailing key aspects of AI literacy as well as "delivery principles" for effective AI literacy training.

  • abstract colored blocks

    OpenAI Drops Sora Short-Form AI Video Platform

    OpenAI is reportedly dropping Sora, its generative AI model that creates short video clips from text prompts, images, or existing video inputs. The move upends the company's December partnership with The Walt Disney Company.

  • person typing on a touch screen schedule plan calendar

    DOJ Extends Deadline for ADA Title II Compliance

    Institutions working to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II regulations for digital accessibility have received a temporary reprieve: The United States Department of Justice has published an interim final rule to push back the compliance deadline by one year.

  • silhouette of business person facing wall of data

    Why AI Strategy Belongs in the President's Office

    Institutions that are succeeding with AI share one thing in common, and it is not a better committee, a larger budget, or a more sophisticated technology stack. It is a president who never handed off the steering wheel.