BEST OF THE WEB

$70k for Zoom classes? Virus crisis leaves U.S. students miffed – France24

While students around the world are learning and working from home, schools and universities are getting creative with online options to ensure the health and safety of students. However, as the coronavirus crisis settles in, students — many of whom take out huge loans to finance their degrees — are wondering how to justify spending $70,000 a year on… Zoom classes.

Here’s how most students feel:

  • They feel like they’re getting the raw end of the deal.

“We’re paying for other services that the campus offers that aren’t digitized,” says Dhrumil Shah, who is doing a Master’s degree in public health at George Washington University.

  • The shift to distance learning due to stay-at-home orders in effect in Washington to curb the spread of the deadly virus has resulted in a loss of structure and supervision.

“It sets up the person going through that experience for failure,” Shah says, admitting he’s become “drastically” unproductive without the accountability of in-person classes.

  • Many students in the U.S. are lamenting that their quintessential American college experience has been lost — no sunny afternoons on college quads playing frisbee, no classes in high-tech labs, no crazy nights out.

“No matter how much NYU insists to the contrary, it is simply not possible to provide a full performing arts education via Zoom,” said Molly Riddick, a New York University student, in a comment on change.org.

Here’s what most students want:

  • are demanding that their colleges be held to account.
  • They are signing several petitions demanding some kind of reimbursement from the school.
  • Some students have taken their grievances to court as they feel they are getting awarded with degrees and diplomas with a “diminished” value because of the nature of online and pass/fail courses. 
  • At least 50 U.S. colleges and universities have been sued by students on similar grounds.

For many schools, offering a virtual future means added pressure from students and their parents, who often are footing the bill, especially given the dire economic situation in the U.S.

Some universities and colleges have partially reimbursed students for room and board, given that many left campuses in mid-March, but none have gone so far as to refund any tuition for the spring semester. 

The stakes are high. While the nation’s top universities like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford have huge endowments and the ability to borrow at will, smaller schools could face bankruptcy if enrollment slips.

Pragya Sehgal
Pragya Sehgal
Born and raised in the capital city of India - Delhi - bounded by the river Yamuna on the west, Pragya has climbed the Himalayas, and survived medical professional stream in high school without becoming a patient or a doctor. Pragya now makes her home in Canada with her husband - a digital/online marketing fanatic who also loves to prepare delicious meals for her. When she isn’t working or writing around tech, she’s probably watching art films on Netflix, or wondering whether she should cut her hair short or not. Can be contacted at psehgal@itwc.ca or 647.695.3494.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

ITW in your inbox

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

More Best of The Web